Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and World Food Programme (WFP) have agreed to enhance collaboration on social protection interventions and addressing health and nutrition needs in Pakistan. This was agreed during a meeting of Chairperson BISP, Senator Rubina Khalid, and Secretary BISP, Amer Ali Ahmad with the Deputy Country Director, WFP, Rathi Pala Krishnan.
Both parties also agreed to strengthen operations at the provincial level to better serve beneficiaries.
The meeting focused on maternal and child health initiatives under the Benazir Nashonuma Programme, the promotion of awareness campaigns, and BISP programmes under WFP in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
During the meeting, Chairperson BISP Rubina Khalid emphasized the importance of BISP’s partnership with WFP in promoting the Nashonuma Programme. She stated, “The Benazir Nashonuma Programme is a key initiative for addressing the health and nutritional needs of mothers and children. To maximize its impact, it is important to raise awareness among women so that they can fully benefit from this transformative initiative.”
She continued, “Our mission is to expand BISP nationwide, ensuring every child in Pakistan has a healthy start in life, which forms the foundation for a bright and prosperous future.”
Earlier, This initiative marks a revolutionary development resulting from the significant meetings held by Senator Rubina Khalid, Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), and Amer Ali Ahmad, Secretary of BISP, with representatives of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Karandaaz Pakistan, an impact investment platform dedicated to driving sustainable economic growth and strengthening financial and social protection systems for inclusion.
Under this agreement, Karandaaz Pakistan will support designing and implementing a pilot project to enhance the use of Raast, Pakistan’s instant payment system, for BISP beneficiary payments in targeted districts. Additionally, Karandaaz will oversee the successful execution of a nationwide Digital and Financial Literacy Training program for BISP beneficiaries, ensuring they have the necessary skills to navigate digital financial systems effectively.
The agreement was signed by BISP DG (Cash Transfers) Naveed Akbar and Karandaaz Chief Digital Officer Sharjeel Murtaza.
The signing ceremony occurred today at the BISP Headquarters and was presided over by BISP Chairperson, Senator Rubina Khalid. The event was attended by Secretary BISP Amer Ali Ahmad, Additional Secretary Dr. Tahir Noor, and Director Generals from various departments. Waqas Ul Hasan, CEO of Karandaaz Pakistan, Syed Ali Mahmood, Country Lead for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Sharjeel Murtaza, Chief Digital Officer of Karandaaz and Samia Salik, Gender Lead of Karandaaz, were present on the occasion.
Speaking at the ceremony, Senator Rubina Khalid highlighted the importance of the agreement, stating that BISP remains steadfast in its commitment to improving the lives of beneficiaries and is continually working to simplify and enhance the efficiency and transparency of its fund’s transfer mechanism. She described the agreement as a revolutionary step that ensures the full and transparent payment of assistance funds while maintaining the dignity and self-respect of deserving women. She further emphasized that BISP’s mission is to facilitate payments with complete transparency while upholding the self-respect and catering the needs of BISP beneficiaries.
