Daily Times

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has disbursed over Rs. 83 billion among more than 79,00,000 beneficiaries from across the country under the Benazir Kafaalat scheme.

The disbursement of the quarterly tranche (Jan-March) of Rs.10,500 of the Benazir Kafaalat scheme is continued across the country smoothly.

“Till April 15 at 4:00 pm, over Rs. 83 billion has been disbursed among more than 79,00,000 beneficiaries of Benazir Kafaalat programme which makes 85 percent of the total beneficiaries”, an official source revealed.

The payment process is continued across the country, including Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan, simultaneously to disburse the increased payment of Rs. 10,500 per household among over nine million registered beneficiary families.

The beneficiaries have been advised to receive their full payment through the agent/representative of their nearest designated bank and contact the toll-free number 080026477 or the nearest Tehsil offices in case of any deduction.

Besides Benazir Kafaalat stipend payments, the disbursement of education stipends is also being carried out across the country. In some areas, the special Ramzan grant is also being issued to the beneficiaries, the official source added. The special control room has been activated in the BISP headquarters to address the complaints of the beneficiaries promptly.

However, the beneficiaries can also contact them on WhatsApp numbers including 03018472836/03028240958 (Sindh), 0318472831 (South Punjab-I), 03175370095 (South Punjab-II), 03028240972 (Central Punjab), 03028240977 (North Punjab), 03185761507 (Balochistan), 03175370081 (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa), 03155213394 (Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan).

The messages from the Benazir Income Support Program are sent only from 8171, and messages from any other number should not be trusted. The officials of BISP have been directed to ensure the smooth disbursement of Kafaalat payments to the women respectively without any deductions.

The staff has been deputed to monitor the process of payment disbursement and take immediate action against the agents responsible for deductions from the payments.

The BISP is currently supporting 9.3 million deserving families and acting as a lifeline for those facing economic hardship. The Unconditional Cash Transfers (UCT) program, also known as the “Benazir Kafaalat Programme” is the core initiative of BISP and was launched in 2008. Since its inception, the UCT/Kafaalat initiative has grown to the extent that it is now the largest single cash transfer program in Pakistan’s history.