ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has disbursed a total amount of Rs 1.07 billion among its registered beneficiaries through Benazir Smart Cards.

The smart cards were introduced in four test phase districts including Mianwali, Mirpurkhas, Multan and Sanghar and so far, 1,72,751 cards have been distributed, an official of BISP told APP on Wednesday.

After the inception of BISP, Pakistan Post Office was taken onboard for disbursement of cash grants among deserving families but some complaints were registered by the beneficiaries. Therefore, Benazir Smart Card was introduced as an alternate payment mechanism to avoid any human involvement and ensure convenient, efficient and timely provision of BISP benefits to deserving families. The mechanism will be introduced in every district soon after the completion of the poverty survey, the official said.

The BISP has also introduced Mobile Phone Banking for the first time for transparent transfer of BISP benefits to the poor which would further eliminate any human involvement in disbursement of cash to the deserving.

Free Mobile phones are being distributed among 1,92,000 registered beneficiaries in districts Larkana, Layyah, Battagram and Barkhan.

The first-ever nation-wide poverty census is being conducted across the country providing equal opportunity to every citizen who is holding the CNIC to get registered with BISP. More than 70 per cent of the survey has been completed in the country, the official informed.

The official said that the number of beneficiaries will reach up to seven million families after completion of the survey.