Daily Times

ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Marvi Memon paid a surprise visit to Haripur for spot checks where registration desks for BISP’s new poverty survey have been set up.

The purpose of the visit was to ensure the smooth registration process of the families in the survey through on spot inspection and feedback from people and the officials.

The pilot phase of BISP’s new poverty survey started from Haripur in June this year where desk approach of self-registration has been adopted, said a news release issued on Sunday.

According to the press statement, BISP has set up 52 operational counters at 31 operational sites in collaboration with NADRA. At least 25 percent of the expected registration has been completed till date and by October this year registration process will be completed in Haripur, it said.

The BISP chairperson visited the registration desks in the union councils of South Haripur, Sarai Saleh, Alikhan, Sikandarpur, Khalabat Township and Tarbela.

She inspected the sites and interacted with people, coming for registration, for their feedback. She instructed the officials concerned to facilitate the people in registration process.

She also informed people to contact BISP in case of any complaint at BIP hotline no 0800-26477.

Marvi also visited press club in Haripur where she talked to reporters about the new poverty survey of BISP. The pilot phase of resurvey includes 16 districts across the country, she informed.

“Desk approach will be employed in four districts, while in 12 districts, door-to-door approach will be utilised. Desk approach survey would start in Bahawalpur on August 31 and in Naseerabad and Sukkar, it will be initiated in the first week of September this year,” Marvi said.

At least 12 districts of door-to-door survey in pilot phase include Jacobabad, Thatha, Mohmand Agency, Gilgit, Muzaffarabad, Layyah, Chakwal, Faisalabad, Kech, Qila Saifullah, Lakki Marwat and Charsadda, she said.

Door-to-door survey in these 12 districts will start in mid October and it will be completed by the end of February 2017, she added. National roll out of resurvey will be followed by the pilot phase.

The minister reiterated that in order to make the new poverty survey fool proof and to overcome the inclusion and exclusion errors, BISP has adopted Computer Assisted Personal Interviews (CAPI) instead of Paper Assisted Personal Interviews (PAPI).

The poverty score card has been revised and two approaches of resurvey like desk approach and door-to-door approach have been adopted so that no deserving family is missed out.