HYDERABAD: Regional authorities of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) have blocked 300 devices in Hyderabad division of the retailers who were deducting stipend of women unnecessarily at the time of payment.

According to Altaf Ahmed Memon, divisional director of Hyderabad division BISP, the devices were blocked after complaints were received that Rs5,000 stipend was not fully paid by some retailers who were known as points of sale in BISP jargon.

They were provided biometric devices for payment of this amount and their system was defined as biometric verification system (BVS).

The retailers were given contract for such payment by some banks after their registration for this financial support to women.

“There are around 900,000 beneficiaries of the BISP in Hyderabad division and 72,000 in Hyderabad district alone,” he said.

Mr Memon informed that authorised retailers of banks were deducting Rs200 to Rs500 per beneficiary and that was why 300 such BVS devices were blocked by the regional management.

He said that those retailers were not supposed to shift their device from their fixed point, but it was found out in surprise visits that they went to villages for payment of stipend BISP beneficiaries for their own vested interests. He disclosed that cases of retailers where devices were blocked by the regional authorities were reported to banks and the bank management would create new points of sale for the BVS facility.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2019