It was revealed on Friday that the board of the Benazir Kafalat Program (BKP) had accepted the inclusion of the transgender population as beneficiaries.
Members of the board urged the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) to make the process for updating the CNICs of members of the transgender community more straightforward during the 56th Board of Directors meeting, which was presided over by the federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and BISP Chairman Shazia Marri.
Speaking at the event, Marri called the approval of the transgender policy a “landmark achievement” of the current administration and urged the board members to use their “good offices and influence” to rally the underrepresented community so that as many transgender people as possible could take advantage of the policy.
The federal minister explained the procedure for the transgender community’s registration with BKP on Friday. He also mentioned that those who successfully register will earn Rs7,000.
The board highlighted that in a short amount of time, organizations including BISP, Nadra, and partner banks “worked brilliantly” to provide financial assistance to flood victims.
In order to provide a transparent cash disbursement method, the board resolved that BISP would adopt a new payment system that would allow recipients to receive funding directly through the bank of their choice.
Marri also let the board know that 2.8 million families received a total of Rs70 billion as part of the prime minister’s cash relief aid program for flood victims.
She added that there was still “a lot more” to be done for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
The board meeting also decided to upgrade five Balochistan districts with a large number of beneficiaries as part of the BISP’s structural upgrading. This included approving the autonomous working of the procurement and cybercrime sections.
Additionally, the members agreed structural changes for Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The BISP board authorized a package of benefits for workers who pass away while on the job, including one-time grants of Rs 2 million for employees in grades one through eight, Rs 5 million for those in grades nine through sixteen, and Rs 7 million for those in grades seventeen and beyond.
The board referred the proposal for revision of pay and allowances of BISP employees to the Finance and HR Committee.
The members were informed that no revision of pay and allowance was given to BISP employees since 2019.
