ISLAMABAD, Jan 31: The government has decided to increase the Food Support Programme (FSP) budget by over 150 per cent from Rs4.38 billion to Rs11 billion in the next financial year.

There were 1.4 million poor households registered under the programme for support to meet their food requirements and the number of applications was increasing daily, Baitul Mal Managing Director Mohammad Sarfraz told Dawn.

A decision had also been taken to increase the amount provided under the programme from Rs3,000 to Rs7,000 per annum per family, he said.

There were very few families which virtually lived without any income resources and for such cases the Baitul Mal had separate schemes, Mr Sarfraz said.

According to rough estimates, if a family comprising five to six members bought wheat worth Rs7,000, it was enough for the whole year, he claimed.

In response to a question, the MD said the number of applicants seeking food support was increasing at a phenomenal pace and there was a huge gap between demand and supply.

“One good thing the PBM has done is to prepare an effective database of the poor families in the country,” he said.According to the annual report of the institution, 1.46 million poor families, mainly headed by women are currently provided Rs3,000 every year under the Food Support Programme. During 2005-6, Rs4.38 billion was spent under the programme.

According to official estimates, 24 per cent of the country’s population lives below the poverty line.

The assistance is provided to the needy individuals having no support or source of income in the following order of priority: individuals with major ailments or disabilities; widows with dependent children; individuals with dependent children; citizens over the age of 65 years; orphans; destitute; and victims of unpredictable circumstances.

The programme was launched in 2002-3 with an annual subsidy of Rs2,000 in two instalments to 1.25 million families through post offices with an annual budget of Rs2.5 billion.