ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah on Wednesday said the government, through its social protection system, has lifted 370,567 vulnerable households out of poverty across Pakistan’s poorest regions.

“The National Poverty Graduation Programme (NPGP) is a landmark achievement of the government aimed at mitigating poverty and improving people’s lives,” the minister said.

He expressed these views at a seminar. Minister Syed Imran Ahmad highlighted the transformative impact of the NPGP, stating that it demonstrated how well-designed public programmes can lift people out of poverty.

To build on this success, he confirmed the government’s commitment to scaling the NPGP model nationwide through the upcoming Islamic Development Bank-supported programme, Poverty Graduation for Extremely Poor and Flood-Affected Households.

The $132.6 million programme, implemented from 2017 to 2025 in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), provided comprehensive support including productive assets, interest-free loans and skills training across 21 districts.

The initiative specifically targeted Benazir Income Support Programme households, reaching 165,807 families with productive assets and training, while disbursing 304,324 interest-free loans to 204,760 households, the minister said.

Fernanda Thomaz Da Rocha, IFAD Country Director, affirmed IFAD’s continued partnership with the social protection system. She stated, “This programme marks a significant milestone in linking social protection with sustainable livelihoods at scale, effectively lifting communities out of poverty.”

An independent assessment revealed outstanding outcomes. 56 per cent of beneficiaries graduated from BISP criteria, 80 per cent of supported households were lifted out of extreme poverty, 179,159 jobs were created, and women’s empowerment increased by 48 per cent.

Navid Ahmed Shaikh, Secretary of MoPASS, emphasised, “NPGP proves that sustainable poverty graduation is achievable through community-driven approaches that focus on women and connect support to skills, finances, and markets.”

Published in Dawn, November 28th, 2025