ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Faisal Karim Kundi on Monday said reaching out to the poorest segments in remote locations is on top of Kafalat programme.

During a briefing to parliamentarians from tribal areas at the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, he said parliamentarian’s role in mobilising and identifying the most deserving beneficiaries is of critical importance and they should actively participate in this important cause of social uplift of the under-privileged families.

Parliamentarians of erstwhile Fata districts which included Sajid Khan Turi, Mohsin Dawar, Maulana Abdul Shakoor and Maulana Mohammad Jamaluddin attended the briefing. Secretary Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Yusuf Khan was also present in the meeting.

Officials of the ministry briefed MNAs about the ongoing projects and coverage of BISP in the former Fata districts. As many as 776,684 households have been surveyed through local teachers of those areas and 387,000 beneficiaries are eligible for cash assistance under Benazir Kafalat Programme.

The delegates were informed that 27 active registration centres have been working in the merged Fata districts and 24 more centres are being established in near future. The former Fata MNAs were informed that those households who are not surveyed can get themselves registered so that they can be included in the quarterly cash assistance of Rs7,000.

The delegation was also briefed about Nashunama and Undergraduate Scholarship initiatives of the social safety net.

The former Fata parliamentary delegation vowed to fully support BISP initiatives in their relevant districts constituencies.

Meanwhile, dozens of BISP employees from grade 1 to 16 staged a protest demanding upgradation of their scales, promotion and raise in salaries.

A BISP official termed the protesting workers demands illegal, adding that those employees whose promotions were due have already been granted their rights.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2022