ISLAMABAD: Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Marvi Memon said on Monday that BISP was playing a historic role in women’s empowerment.
In her message on the eve of the International Women’s Day, Memon thanked Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar for increasing the BISP budget and empowering the most vulnerable women of Pakistan. She said that BISP was the largest stakeholder in women’s empowerment in Pakistan and a role model for many developing countries, as it was giving Rs 5.2 million stipend to poor women, Rs 4,700 per woman every quarter. She congratulated the BISP board and donors for their support. She praised BISP Secretary Saleem Ranjha and 2,500 programme officials working at more than 450 offices throughout Pakistan.
Memon said that BISP was meant to provide financial support to vulnerable women with dignity. She said that 2016 would be a historic year for the BISP for many reasons. First, a resurvey would be conducted of Pakistan’s only National Socio Economic Registry, which would update demographics of the real poor before 2018 and assist all governments in targeting programmes for women empowerment and poverty reduction. Second, she said, the BISP would finally have a handle over the middleman by transiting to a new payment system and tightening transparency through the biometric system. Third, she said, BISP beneficiaries would steer themselves out of poverty because they would be linked to federal and provincial poverty alleviation programmes.
Memon said the BISP e-commerce facility in 2016 would be the real game changer for women empowerment. She said this facility would give the products made by women access to online markets. She said that 45,000 BISP beneficiary committees were symbols of women’s empowerment and they would add to women’s financial and social empowerment. She said these committees would help curb violence against women in the society. She said these committees were the best gender equalisers keeping local customs and traditions in view. Moreover, BISP role in health, education and enrolment of one million children in schools was historic. She said that stunting could be tackled by concentrating on BISP beneficiaries. She said there was no bigger national integrator for women in the country than the BISP.
In her message on the International Women’s Day, she said, “We the women of BISP are thankful to Nawaz Sharif for women’s empowerment, dignity, basic rights, awareness about education programme, health programme and interest free loans. We appreciate the significant increase in the monthly financial assistance for poverty alleviation that has given us a positive meaning of life. We are trying to struggle out of poverty through self-esteem and appreciate the efforts of the prime minister who is introducing positive packages for women’s empowerment.”
Finally, she said, the struggle for women’s empowerment was a lifelong mission, but the BISP was the one organisation of the federal government that was taking a lead in this regard.
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