Intentions noble but...

The PPP government said in one of its very first policy announcements that it will be initiating an income support program for the poorest families of the country that offered them cash. This scheme, called the Benazir Income Support Programme, will include millions of families that qualify after their detailed income profile is culled from the NADRA database. I am sure this scheme has very noble intentions, and I hope it succeeds. However, from a policy perspective, there are many questions about the operational aspects of the scheme that remain unanswered.

For example, how does the government hope to avoid cases of fraud which, in a country as corrupt as ours, can bleed the scheme dry of its endowments? While the NADRA specifications will help in efficient registration and monitoring, implementation on ground is equally important, as was seen in the post-earthquake Cash Support Scheme implemented in the NWFP and Kashmir.

Further, what does the government have in mind as far as the upward socio-economic mobility of the registered families is concerned? Surly some provisions must be made to ensure that the families don't stay on state support forever. This could include vocational training for the youth of these families and support for small business enterprise should any of them wish to pursue it. The cash support scheme must not be the end in itself. -MUHAMMAD ARSHAD NADEEM, Islamabad, via e-mail, September 21.