BISP Programmes – Helping People and Fighting Poverty
I am taking you to 2008, during the global financial crisis. In Pakistan, the citizens were facing rapidly increasing food prices. The cost of basic necessities surged to a 30-year peak. It was an acute hardship for families, particularly those already struggling with poverty.
The voice of poor families was heard. The Benazir Income Support Programme was established by the government of Pakistan in July 2008. The aim of BISP is to transfer cash to deserving women and families among the poorest households in Pakistan. The organization’s primary objective is to empower women and eliminate endless poverty.
Vision
BISP was launched to establish itself as the foremost national safety net institution. The vision is to wipe out poverty and raise the status of backward and underprivileged sections of society. The organization also commits to women’s empowerment.
Mission
BISP’s primary mission is to fight against poverty. To achieve this goal, it employs multiple social protection instruments. These instruments are designed to positively change the lives of persistently excluded and deprived families.
Goals
BISP, established through a parliamentary act, operates under the Prime Minister’s executive support and the President’s sponsorship. The goals of the BISP are as follows.
- Help the low-income groups to fulfil the basic needs of life.
- Develop comprehensive policies and targeted programs, and implement them to uplift backward and underprivileged communities.
- Minimize poverty and work for a balanced distribution of wealth.
BISP programs
The poor people taking advantage of 4 programmes of BISP. Every programme has its eligibility criteria. You can join one of the programme that fulfil your needs. The initial step to join any of these programmes is the dynamic survey. Read all the details of programmes if you are interested in enrollment.
Benazir Taleemi Wazaif
The children, whose mothers enrolled in the Kafalt programme, can join this programme. The children have to fulfil the age criteria for enrollment in Benazir Taleemi Wazaif. This programme encourages poor people to get an education.
Benazir Nashonuma
This programme is for poor women, pregnant or with newborn babies. The eligible women, enrolled in the programme, will get cash as well as food. A woman, with a child younger than 2 years can also join this programme.
Benazir Kafalat
This is the basic programme of the BISP. Unconditional cash transfer (UCT) is also the name of this programme. The Kafalat program provides cash to eligible families, helping them overcome the negative effects of slow economic growth.
BISP Bachat Scheme
The Bachat Scheme is beneficial for individuals in temporary job positions, such as labourers. People with 0 to 40 PMT scores can join this program. First, you have to open a savings account in the bank, if you want to enroll in this programme.
Organizational Structure of BISP
BISP works all over Pakistan through a network. The offices are held at national, provincial, divisional, and local levels. The structure of this program smooths the implementation of the programme at different levels. See the details of the offices in the following table.
| Office Level | No. of offices |
|---|---|
| Tehsil offices | 385 |
| Divisional offices | 33 |
| Regional offices | 6 |
| Headquarters in Islamabad |
General directors lead the regional offices in provinces. Regional directors lead the regional offices of Azad Jammu and Kashmir. All these leaders report to the Secretary of BISP, in charge of management. The five implementation levels are given below in the table.
| Implementation level | Administrative unit |
|---|---|
| Policy level | Council and Board |
| National level | Headquarters and operation wings |
| Provincial level | Provisional and regional offices |
| Divisional level | Divisional offices |
| Tehsil level | Tehsil offices |
Who Guides BISP?
The council is the highest authority at BISP. it is responsible for making decisions on local issues services and policies. The members of the council are appointed by the Chief Patron on the advice of the Executive Patron. The following list describes the powers and functions of the council.
- Organized financial resources for the programme.
- Advice BISP Board on the following matters:
- Poverty reduction policies.
- Improvement of the programme.
- Finding out donors through the chairman of the programme.
- Performance of Board functions.
The BISP Board
A Board refers to a group of individuals, appointed to oversee the activities of the organization. It ensures that the organization is following its mission and goals. The BISP Board, established in September 2008, consists of 9 to 11 members.
Let’s cut to the chase and discuss the powers and functions of the Board.
- The budget of the programme, prepared by management, needs approval from the Board.
- The board also makes decisions on financial aspects.
- Monitor the programme honestly and openly.
- Policies also need approval from the Board
- After approval from the Board, eligibility criteria are established.
- The Board considers the recommendations of the council after presenting annual progress reports.
It’s difficult to believe that the BISP has the largest database of the poorest households in Pakistan. They collect data by the first national door-to-door poverty survey. Different national and international organizations use this data with permission for research purposes. One day, they will succeed in eliminating poverty.