Zardari vows to wipe out cancer of terror

The President said the government had also directed Nadra to place all information about the financial transactions on its website so that the people may verify that the money was being given to the really deserving, with complete openness.

The President termed the scheme that would cover around 14 per cent of the population in the low-income group across the country, including FATA, Northern Areas and Azad Jammu Kashmir.

He said special focus of the scheme would be on the remote areas of Balochistan, Chitral, North and South Waziristan, Kohistan and Tharparkar.

Minister for IT and Kashmir Affairs Qamar Zaman Kaira, who is also looking after the BISP said the Benazir Income Support Program would be the largest direct cash grant scheme in country’s history and all Members of Parliament, irrespective of party affiliation would be provided equal opportunities to recommend deserving families.

A unique feature of the scheme was that the payment would be made directly to the female head of the family and the amount would help in providing funds for around 25 days of wheat flour for the family.

He said the Benazir Income Support Programme was the third largest allocation in the current budget and constituted 0.3 per cent of the GDP. Families with monthly income of Rs 5000 per month would be given Rs 1000, which was amounting to a 20 per cent increase in their current purchasing power.

The funds would be disbursed through Pakistan Post and would be delivered by Postal Money Order at the recipients’ address, so that they did not have to incur any cost or trouble in obtaining the amount.

He said under the scheme each parliamentarian would be allocated 8,000 forms which would be distributed by MNAs and Senators in their respective constituencies. The forms would be verified by the Union Councillor as well as the area MNA.

The parliamentarians would collect the completed forms and mail these to NADRA in pre-addressed envelopes provided by BISP.