THIS refers to the report “BISP’s women beneficiaries to get smartphones” (Sept 3), according to which the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) is planning to provide smartphones to women who receive cash transfers under the scheme. As stated in the news, the move is aimed at ensuring that BISP beneficiaries receive payments with complete transparency and respect.

The president and prime minister have reportedly directed the relevant authorities to take steps to ensure transparency in the payment transfer system and facilitate the beneficiaries. The chairperson of the scheme has also highlighted that the digital empowerment through smart-phones is vital for bridging the existing communication gap between BISP and its beneficiaries, enabling them to be fully aware of their rights and reducing the risk of fraud. The chairperson was also quoted as reiterating the BISP’s commitment to improving the lives of its beneficiaries by offering market-driven skill training.

In this regard, it is interesting to note that the fact of the matter is that as per existing practice followed by BISP and designated banks, the transaction is made through text messages for which one needs to have a conventional, feature phone; a smartphone is just not needed for the purpose.

Actually, all cash transfer transactions of any nature are notified by the banks through text messages, and smart-phones are simply not needed. Through the existing mechanism, bank transactions are already transparent and safe. Ironically, the possibility of financial fraud of any kind increases with smartphones. To the best of my knowledge, no complaint has ever been filed at any forum about the cash amount getting transferred to a wrong account.

In view of the above, it is intriguing that, on the one hand, the government is preaching for austerity and to curtail its expenses by curbing the employees’ right to pension, gratuity and provident fund, etc. But, on the other hand, unjustified, unnecessary, unviable projects and schemes are being planned almost every other day. The government should try to avoid launching politically motivated and unsustainable projects in these trying times.

Khawaja Tajammul Hussain
Karachi

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2024