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Karachi: Federal Minister and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Madame Farzana Raja has announced to include 4907 Indian Held Kashmir (IHK) refugee families in social safety net of BISP. The historic announcement was made during her meeting with a delegation of IHK Refugees that called on her here at Prime Minister House here. Prime Minister AJ&K Ch. Abd-ul-Majeed and Finance Minister AJ&K Ch. Latif Akbar were also present on the occasion.
Madame Farzana Raja said that like other BISP beneficiary families, these IHK Refugee families will be entitled to benefit from all the components of BISP i.e. Cash Grants, Waseela-e-Haq, Waseela-e-Rozgar, Waseela-e-Sehet and Waseela-e-Taleem. While expressing solidarity with the IHK Refugees, she said that Pakistan will stick on its stance at international level for the cause of freedom of Kashmir.
Chairperson BISP said that out of 6 million beneficiary families included in BISP, more than 75, 000 belong to AJ&K only. She said that the programme unanimously endorsed by both houses of Parliament is serving the masses of the country indiscriminately in most transparent way. The programme is on its way to make Pakistan including AJ&K a welfare state, she added.
Madame Farzana Raja also announced that BISP has introduced a special exemption in Poverty Scorecard to include families with one or more disabled members in the household and the mechanism will be implemented soon.
Later while talking to journalists, Madame Farzana Raja rebuffed the rumours that the funds of earthquake affectees have been transferred to BISP. She said that BISP has its own allocated budget and is supported by World Bank, Asian Development Bank and DFID etc due to its good performance.
For more information, contact:
Shafquat Ali
Assistant Media Officer
Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) – Sindh
Cell: +92333 239 4466