BISP to launch Payment Verification Interface

Islamabad: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) would launch Payment Verification Interface (PVI) from next fiscal year for tracking of amount transferred to beneficiaries.
An official of BISP said the project is currently under test run and it would take four to five months for this process, adding that after thoroughly checking this system, it will be formally applicable from the start of next fiscal year.
This PVI will enable the BISP management to monitor the flow of cash transfer and the trends of utilisation of the disbursements by the beneficiaries, he told APP.
“Basically it is a software which would track transfer of amount from Finance Ministry to BISP and then to bank accounts of beneficiaries till reaching to the hands of end users,” he informed.
It will not only act as a control against corrupt practices, but also point out the delays in the cash transfer. The availability of current and up-to-date data will help the administration in many ways, he said.
The official informed that the initiative has been taken to make the cash transfer system online.
It will ensure transparency by keeping track of the entire amount. It would also assist in keeping track of all the registered beneficiaries and the date-wise release and withdrawal of the disbursements.
The information will be displayed on each level from regions, divisions and up to tehsils/talukas, he added.
BISP is a social safety net programme launched in July 2008 with an immediate objective of benefiting the poorest of the poor, particularly women.
Since its inception, BISP has grown rapidly and is now the largest poverty alleviation program in Pakistan. The cash transfer amount is raised by the current government from Rs1,000 per month to Rs1,500 per month to each beneficiary, which is provided on quarterly basis, amounting to Rs4,500 per quarter.