ISLAMABAD: Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Senator Rubina Khalid has stressed on the provinces to step ahead and play their role in strengthening education and health sectors in the country.
She shared these views in a meeting with a joint review mission of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Monday.
The chairperson BISP, and Secretary BISP Amer Ali Ahmad hosted the ADB delegation.
The meeting was held to review progress on the Integrated Social Protection Development Programme (ISPDP) and its Additional Financing (AF), said an official statement issued after the meeting.
The chairperson BISP, in the said meeting, highlighted the importance of the centralised National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) database.
She stressed that “all provinces must recognise the NSER’s sensitivity and national significance,” the statement said.
Senator Khalid further proposed the development of joint dashboards with provinces for secure and efficient data-sharing while ensuring the highest standards of data protection.
Moreover, the chairperson stated that provinces, through consultation with BISP, can take the lead in the education and health sectors in regions where BISP’s services are not available, the statement added.
She emphasised that BISP “serves the poorest of the poor, without any distinction of ethnicity, province, language, or political affiliation.”
The senator also claimed that 11 million children are currently enrolled in the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif programme, an initiative that aims at providing free education to deserving children of BISP beneficiaries.
Future areas of collaboration with ADB were also discussed, including human resource development through skill training, enhanced awareness and outreach efforts, and programmes on climate resilience and asset transfers to support vulnerable communities, the statement said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025