ISLAMABAD: Over 832,858 persons have so far benefitted from various pro-poor initiatives of Pakistan Baitul Mal (PBM) from its various programmes including individual financial assistance, providing medical aid, technical education, etc. PBM was running Pakistan Sweet Homes, Child Support Programme, Thalassemia Centre, Great Homes, Vocational Training Centres and National Centre for Rehabilitation of Child Labour. PBM Managing Director Barrister Abid Waheed Sheikh told APP that the focus of PBM is to provide much needed solace to the deserving and needy. “PBM helping people in breaking the vicious circle of inter-generational poverty as providing wheel chairs to disable persons, while special persons were being provided white canes and hearing aid,” he said. He said PBM has recommended to enhance its budget upto Rs 7.5 billion from current Rs 4 billion aiming to help maximum number of the poor. The suggestion if materialized would enable PBM to serve larger number of deserving people. He said PBM has recently introduced biometrics system for ensuring transparency in the distribution of individual financial assistance (IFA) among the deserving persons. Pakistan Baitul Mal’s (PBM) Child Support Programme (CSP) has enrolled over 35,000 potential families having 85,000 school going children. Children are provided free education, residence and food facilities. Pakistan Baitul Mal helps the families for enabling them to educate their children. CSP is being run in 8 districts of the country. UNICEF was planning to expand the programme in more districts. PBM was paying Rs 300 per month to families of one child and Rs 600 per month to families with two or more than two children. CSP is being continued in Bhakkar, Rawalpindi, Multan, Bahawalpur, Islamabad Capital Territory, Muzaffarabad, Ghanche, Nawabshah, Tharparkar, Ghotki, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Swat, Quetta, Kharran and Lasbella. An amount of Rs 184 million approximately has been disbursed among eligible beneficiaries upon fulfillment of compliance conditionalities in CSP. PBM has so far provided IFA to over 84,403 people through biometrics system. Pakistan Bait-ul Mal (PBM) has disbursed a sum of Rs 150.30 million to deserving persons under various financial assistance programmes during last three years. Meanwhile, the deserving children are being admitted in National Centre for Rehabilitation of Child Labour to save them from child labour. A total of 17,547 child labours were being imparted education in 158 Centres. As many as 26,000 students had completed their education and 23,290 have been admitted in government schools for getting further education. PBM was running 157 Vocational Dastkari Schools to make vulnerable girls financially self-sufficient. These schools are providing free training to widows, orphans, poor girls various skills including drafting, cutting, sewing, knitting, hand and machine embroidery.