The Senate Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety on Friday reviewed the performance of the Benazir Income Support Programme and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal in Balochistan, focusing on service delivery, staffing, and programme coverage.
The meeting, chaired by Senator Sardar Al Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaijon, was informed that child stunting in Balochistan has declined by 20%. BISP officials urged registration of all eligible children, stating that children scoring up to 60 qualify for inclusion under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme.
The committee was briefed that 80 BISP centres are currently operational across the province. Members noted that several centres are operating from private premises, making them difficult to locate, and recommended establishing offices at well-known and accessible locations.
Officials also informed the committee that a Benazir Hunarmand Programme is planned to provide employable skills, with a recommendation to allocate Rs1 billion for its implementation.
The chair recommended allowing contractual appointments to facilitate local hiring. However, BISP and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal officials said their rules do not permit contractual appointments, adding that BISP’s field-oriented work includes gazetted posts. As no action had been taken on an earlier recommendation sent to the Finance Division, the committee decided to summon the division in the next meeting to review the matter.
The committee further recommended regularisation of lower-grade staff who have completed ten years of service.
During a discussion on deputation, officials said four employees are currently serving in Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal on deputation from the education sector. The committee expressed concern over reliance on deputation from education and health departments and discouraged continuation of the practice.
The secretary of the ministry informed members that the PGP project is a $134.2 billion initiative covering 35 districts, including 12 in Balochistan, while NRSP and NPGP offices are mainly operating in Sindh. Members recommended summoning relevant NGOs and attached departments to brief the committee on progress.
The committee was told that the NPGP project has concluded and that the Islamic Development Bank-funded PGP project is set to begin. Officials said BISP, the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund, and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal continue to contribute toward achieving SDG-1 on poverty reduction.
The meeting was attended by Senators Rubina Qaimkhani, Abdul Shakoor Khan, Dost Ali Jeesar, and Jan Muhammad.
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