Poor women to get monthly stipend under Kafalat programme

PESHAWAR: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Social Protection and Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar on Monday said Prime Minister Imran Khan would launch ‘Kafalat’ Programme under which Rs2,000 per month stipend would be paid to registered women through a digital payment system based on transparent mechanism.

Addressing a press conference here after inaugurating biometric system for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP)’s beneficiaries at Bank Al-Falah, Dr Sania Nishtar announced that prime minister would inaugurate the ambitious Kafalat Programme on January 31 for socioeconomic empowerment of the poor women. She said the procurement process of this system has been completed in the last 10 months after hectic works, adding the stipend to beneficiaries would be provided through branches of the Habib Bank and Bank Al-Falah.

Dr Sania Nishtar said beneficiaries would be given payment through ATMs under a transparent mechanism and the number of such points was being increased so that they could get stipend amount in a dignified way. She said this programme would be launched in phased manner.

The special assistant added that in the first phase Kafalat Programme is being launched in Lakki Marwat, Haripur, Charsadda and Mohmand districts. She said the poverty rate in merged areas was comparatively higher than provinces and a comprehensive poverty survey would be launched soon.

The special assistant said that names of 820,165 undeserving beneficiaries were removed from the list of the BISP. Out of the total 820,165 beneficiaries that were struck off from the BISP database, she said 1,40,000 were government employees, including employees of railways, post office and BISP.

She said lists of all such government employees were sent to federal and provincial governments for initiation of disciplinary proceedings against them. Dr Sania said four officers of BISP were dismissed and two were issued show-cause notices. Ajmal Wazir, spokesperson for the KP government, said people of KP including merged areas would largely benefit from the PM’s Ehsaas programme.

He said Sehat Insaf Cards were being provided to people of merged areas to provide quality treatment to poor patients under PM’s vision for quality health services for all.