400,000 BISP cards blocked, Senate Committee seeks NADRA action

Islamabad: The Senate Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety called for lifting the recruitment ban in the Benazir Income Support Programme and Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal, raising concerns over staff shortages, deputation appointments and around 400,000 blocked BISP cards.

The meeting was held under the chairmanship of Senator Sardar Al-Haj Muhammad Umer Gorgaij. Senator Rubina Qaimkhani, Senator Jan Muhammad and Senator Dost Ali Jeesar attended the meeting, while Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmad Shah was also present.

The committee said vacant posts were affecting the working of the two organisations and urged the government to lift the recruitment ban so that pending appointments could move forward. The Federal Minister told the committee that the Ministry of Finance and Revenue had already been contacted regarding this issue.

The minister proposed that the committee recommend a smooth process for pending recruitments and said the matter would be presented to the Prime Minister.

The committee also raised concerns over appointments on deputation to BISP from the education and health sectors. Senators stressed the need to discourage such appointments, pointing to the need for a proper staffing system within BISP.

The meeting also discussed the shortage of mobile vans in Balochistan, which are used to help people access BISP services. The federal minister told the committee that 18 of the total 25 available mobile vans had already been allocated to Balochistan.

Another major issue discussed was the blocking of BISP cards. The committee was informed that around 400,000 beneficiary cards were blocked. The matter is to be taken up with the National Database and Registration Authority for a way forward.

The committee was also informed that 17 people are currently working on deputation at Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal across the country, while 45 employees have recently been promoted.

The senators were further briefed about the recovery of House Rent Allowance from an officer of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal. The committee was told that Rs1.9 million was identified for recovery, but only part of the amount had been recovered, leaving Rs1.55 million outstanding.

The committee deferred consideration of the subcommittee report. The meeting highlighted concerns over staff shortages, the use of deputation employees and problems faced by BISP beneficiaries. The committee called for steps to improve staffing and resolve the blocked card issue so that eligible beneficiaries can continue receiving support through the government programmes.