BISP
BISP is the first ever mega initiative of direct cash transfer to the
poor women and their families in Pakistan’s history. It is in fact the marshal
plan of the Government for women empowerment and poverty alleviation. It is in
line with PPP manifesto that the growing gap between the rich and the poor must
be bridged by supporting the under privileged, the downtrodden and the
discriminated.
BISP was initiated with an outlay of 34 billion for the year 2008-2009
and it was almost doubled to Rs.70 billion in 2009-2010.
Under the BISP component called “Waseela-e-Haq, approximately 747
families are provided Rs.300,000 each through computerized draw. The money so
advanced will be repayable in 15 years without any additional mark-up. Smart
Cards are being issued for transparent and fast distribution of payment money in
districts where initial survey has been completed.
Poverty Scorecard Survey Poverty Census undertaken in the entire country
with the following features:
- Largest and most reliable data bank of socio-economic
conditions of the country for planning social, health and education policies and
strategies
- First ever census of its kind in South Asia
- Covered almost 27 million households
- Use of GPS devices to map the data of the entire country for
informed decision making (to cope with natural disasters and other emergencies)
- Survey in FATA – 3 agencies (Bajaur, Kurram and Mohmand)
already surveyed while survey in other 4 agencies in progress
BISP has simultaneously launched an “exit strategy” to help its recipients
“graduate” out of extreme poverty. This includes the launch of programes:
- Waseela-e-Haq: for
provision of interest free loans to help the recipients set up small businesses
- Waseela-e-Rozgar:
for provision of technical and vocational education to the recipients; and
- Waseela-e-Sehet: for
the provision of life and health insurance cover. The total number of families
with life cover of Rs 100,000 is over 2 million at present while remaining
families are also being extended this facility.
Waseela-e-Taleem
BISP has received additional financing from the World Bank of $ 150 Million to
launch the primary education of 3 million children of recipient families
Electronic Modes of Payment
To further improve the efficiency and transparency of payments to the
recipients, BISP has launched the following e-payments mechanisms:
o
Benazir Smart Cards:
in four districts (Mianwali, Mirpurkhas, Multan and Sanghar). So far almost
180,000 cards have been distributed and a sum of Rs. 2.7 billion has been
disbursed to recipients.
o
Benazir Debit Card:
BISP is presently expanding the use of Debit Cards to over 100 districts which
would be covered fully by June 30, 2012.
o
Mobile Phone Banking:
also been launched in 5 districts (Larkana, Layyah, Battagram, Islamabad and
Rawalpindi) while it will soon be launched in another 3 districts (Poonch,
Ghanche and Barkhan). So far over 120,000 mobile phones have been distributed
among the recipients who have received Rs. 1.3 billion.
BISP: Key Features
Objectives
A measure to compensate low-income families for
reduction of purchasing power
A cash grant of Rs.2000 every alternate month
Only one beneficiary per family
Female head of family or adult female member of
the family to be a recipient
Coverage
Allocation for 2008-2009: Rs.34 billion
~ 0.3% of GDP
Target coverage (3.5 million families) ~ 15% of
the population
Allocation for 2009-2010: Rs.70 billion
Target beneficiary families for 2009-2010: 5
million
Plans over the medium-term to extend coverage to
7 million families by 2010-2011
Targeting-1
Eligibility Criteria
Monthly income less than Rs.6000
No family member in Government service
Possession of no or less than three acres of
agricultural land or up to 3 marlas residential property
Possession of Computerized National Identity Card
(CNIC)
Should not be beneficiary of other support
programs
Should not have an account with a foreign bank
Should not possess a passport or an Overseas
Pakistani identity card
Targeting-2
Identification of applicants/recipients through
democratically-elected Parliamentarians
Equal number of forms distributed to each
Parliamentarian
Attestation by local level representatives of
Parliamentarians and Union Councilors
Screening/verification of basic criteria through
checks with National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA)
Cost effective and quick targeting process
Benefits Level
A cash grant of Rs.2000 every alternate month
Rs.1000=20% increase in income for family earning
Rs.5000 per month
At prevalent prices Rs.1000 payout is sufficient
to finance 20-25 days’ flour needs of a family with 5-6 individuals
Rs.1000 per month not a labor disincentive – only
women family member is recipient
Payment Mechanism
Postal Money Orders of Rs.2000 every alternate
month through Pakistan Post
Accessibility and affordability main advantages
System also reliable and safe
Monitoring of Payments
Internal monitoring mechanisms of Pakistan Post
Department
External Monitoring through BISP Provincial and
Regional Offices
Pakistan Post reports monthly (electronically) to
BISP on payments, with list/addresses of houses and name of postman making the
delivery
Eligibility and Payment status available on BISP
website www.bisp.gov.pk
Implementation Status
Forms Processing Status by NADRA
Total Forms Processed: 3,736,914
Total Eligible: 2,122,038
Total Ineligible:
496,927
Total in Process:
50,600
Total Withheld: 1,067,349
Special Initiatives of BISP
Emergency Relief Package launched for IDPs from FATA and Swat due to operations
against terrorists; earthquake-affected districts of Balochistan province; and
victims of bomb blasts and terrorism.
BISP Reform Plan
Test phase of Poverty Scorecard Survey
Nationwide rollout of Survey
Phased transition of benefits to families
identified through PMT based targeting
Expansion/addition of complementary programs
Graduation/Exit Strategy
Test Phase Survey-Improved Targeting
Poverty Scorecard adopted
Three survey organizations
Approximate number of households: 2.5 million
NADRA to handle the data entry, validation and
verification
Apply Proxy Means Testing formula through an MIS
A cut-off score to be decided by Government based
on the pilot results and funds availability
Test Phase Survey-Improved Targeting
Survey of households in 16 districts in all four
provinces and AJK/GB
Districts selected on the basis of poverty level,
presence of survey organization, accessibility and law & order situation
Process evaluation and spot check consultants
appointed to ensure the quality
Formulation of transition strategy for
beneficiaries
Test Phase-implementation Status
Enumeration/data collection
Completed in five districts in June 2009 by first
partner
Completed by end-July 2009 in five districts by
second partner
Completed by mid-August 2009 in six districts by
third partner
Data Entry, Validation/Verification and Case
Management
MIS being developed by NADRA
Data processing completion expected by end-August
Payments in pilot districts under new targeting
to start from September 2009
Nationwide Rollout of Survey
Based on lessons learnt from Test Phase, plan for
national rollout to be prepared
Target: completion of survey throughout the
country by end of 2010
(For more Detail please visit http://www.bisp.gov.pk
)
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