ISLAMABAD, Jan 11 (DNA): Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Faisal Karim Kundi Wednesday said ensuring transparency in cash disbursement to deprived and underprivileged women is the hallmark of the working of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

Faisal Kundi stated this while discussing various initiatives of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) with the Ambassador of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) in Pakistan, Ms Dilsad Senol who called on the minister.

The SAPM informed the visiting ambassador that BISP had recently released a tranche of over Rs. 55 billion as the first quarterly instalment for the year 2023 for disbursement among women registered under the Benazir Kafalat Programme.

An additional release of about rupees 13 billion has been made separately for Benazir Educational Stipends, he continued.

He also apprised the visiting ambassador that Benazir Nashonuma Program has been extended to 118 districts across the country and 169 Facilitation Centers have been made operational so far.

The Minister of State underscored that for complaint redress of the BISP beneficiaries, a Call Centre has been established in the BISP head office. Instructional videos for awareness and advocacy are also shared on social media platforms on regular basis, he added.

Rs. 70 billion have been distributed among the 2.8 million people who were affected by floods, Faisal Karim Kundi added.

The devastation of floods in Pakistan has pushed many people below the poverty line.

BISP has, therefore, launched Dynamic Survey in the flood-affected areas as well as all over Pakistan for the inclusion of such people in the Benazir Kafalat Programme, Faisal Kundi said.

Ambassador Senol noted that floods have put an extraordinary burden on the government of Pakistan to the provision of relief to the affected people. She said that the whole world is exposed to climate changes and climate-related calamities and every country will have to face its consequences, however, the world is still not ready for it, she observed.

The visiting TRNC ambassador appreciated the Government of Pakistan for establishing diplomatic ties with TRNC and said that over ten thousand Pakistanis are living in TRNC and we feel that very soon cricket would be introduced in TRNC as well.