RAWALPINDI The government plans to increase the number of families benefiting from the `Benazir Income Support Programme` (BISP) by five million during the next financial year implying budget expenditure of Rs65 billion, official sources revealed to `Dawn`.

For 2010-2011, the government envisages further increase in the number of beneficiary households to seven million.  In addition, the province of Punjab is expected to continue its own programme during the next fiscal year (2009-10).

The government is also considering reforming other components of the social safety net system, including the merger of the cash transfer component of Bait-ul-Mal with the Benazir Income Support Programme, sources further stated.

The government, under the poverty scorecard system adopted to improve targeting of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), is expected to be completed in sixteen districts as a pilot programme by the end of next month.

An official government report says the roll-out of the scorecard to all 130 districts is planned to be completed between December 2009 and June 2010.  As the roll-out of BISP turned out to be more complicated than originally envisaged, BISP disbursements did not take place in the first half of the fiscal year, points out the report.

However, the government has now approved 1.5 million beneficiary families, using the pre-scorecard targeting system and expected to disburse the budget amount of Rs34 billion.  Additionally, the government was continuing the implementation of Bait-ul-Mal with a budget of Rs6.7 billion and the province of Punjab has commenced its own cash transfer programme with an envelope of Rs17 billion in the fiscal year 2008-09.

The Small Public Works Programmes of Rs28 billion also provide a social safety net for the rural and urban poor through small-scale employment opportunities.

Looking forward, the report says, the number of families benefiting from BISP cash transfers will be increased to 5 million in 2009-10 using the new scorecard system, implying budgetary expenditure of Rs65 billion. For 2010-11, an increase in the number of beneficiary households to 7 million is envisaged.