The Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming, chaired by Hon. Dr. Nafisa Shah, pressed for accelerated BISP reforms during a meeting at the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Committee Room in Islamabad. The Committee sought detailed clarifications on the integrity and regular updating of the Dynamic National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER), including the frequency of third-party registry surveys, the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and safeguards to prevent manipulation or political influence in beneficiary selection.
The Secretary of BISP briefed members on the programme’s reach and modernization efforts, noting that BISP currently supports over 10.2 million families nationwide, up from 2.2 million beneficiaries in 2008. Under the Benazir Kafalat Programme, quarterly stipends have been raised to Rs. 14,500 with Rs. 561 billion allocated for FY 2025–26. The Secretary highlighted the rollout of CNIC-linked Social Protection Wallets to improve transparency, financial inclusion and direct digital access, reporting more than 7.26 million SIMs issued to beneficiaries to enable secure transactions.
Committee members welcomed the emphasis on women’s socio-economic empowerment and human capital investments through Benazir Taleemi Wazaif and the Benazir Nasho-Numa Programme in partnership with the World Food Programme, which targets child stunting and maternal health. The Secretary stressed that the Dynamic NSER underpins poverty-based targeting across 38.7 million households and remains central to effective social protection delivery.
Concerns were raised about the programme’s long-term fiscal sustainability given current budgetary pressures and the potential strain of maintaining services at present scale. Members also probed transparency and accountability measures within the new payment framework, asking for stronger safeguards against unauthorized deductions, robust biometric verification, and full interbank interoperability for CNIC-linked wallets.
The Chair asked for clarity on the NSER’s updating cadence and third-party validation processes, along with concrete steps to prevent political interference in beneficiary selection. Questions were directed to grievance redress mechanisms, independent audits, data protection protocols and oversight arrangements to ensure public funds reach intended recipients fairly and efficiently.
To reduce exclusion errors and extend coverage, the Committee proposed considering the inclusion of elderly persons, persons with disabilities and indigent men who presently fall outside eligibility, particularly where family support is lacking. It was recommended that NADRA records be used to identify vulnerable individuals through existing demographic and disability data, reinforcing a data-driven targeting approach to enhance transparency and minimise manipulation.
Operational recommendations to support the BISP reforms included expediting nationwide interoperability of CNIC-linked Social Protection Wallets to reduce dependence on specific payment agents, increasing field Compliance Monitors for Benazir Taleemi Wazaif in underserved districts, and strengthening provincial coordination to address shortages of girls’ secondary schools and transport barriers contributing to dropouts. The Committee also urged scaling up digital and financial literacy training so beneficiaries can safely use digital wallets and avoid fraud.
Further technical measures suggested were API-based integration of the Dynamic NSER with federal and provincial databases to improve targeting accuracy, expansion of Mobile Registration Vans for outreach in remote and conflict-affected areas, and stronger linkages between cash transfers, skills development and employment initiatives to promote sustainable poverty graduation.
The Hon. Chairperson and the Secretary, BISP, provided comprehensive responses to questions and observations. The Chair approved the minutes of previous Committee meetings. The meeting was attended by Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Ms. Munaza Hassan and Ms. Shahida Begum, along with the Chairperson BISP, senior BISP officers and officials from the Ministry of Human Rights.
