SLAMABAD     -         Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), Shazia Marri Friday said that the BISP was playing a crucial role in providing target cash relief to 2.8 million flood affected families. During the meeting of the Executive Board of the World Food Program (WFP) in Italy, she said the government had distributed an amount of $316 million among flood affected families. The minister said that Pakistan was facing a big challenge to meet the food security targets by 2030. Shazia Marri informed the participants that more than 33 million people had been affected by recent floods in 82 districts of the country and about 650,000 pregnant women of flood-affected areas were facing problems for getting maternity services. The minister said that around 4 million children lacked access to health services. Appreciating the role of WFP, the minister said that WFP and BISP had formed a “Conditional Cash Transfer Program” in 15 districts to improve the health and nutrition situation in the country. She said the program provided a comprehensive package to pregnant and lactating women already enrolled in the BISP sponsorship program that includes awareness sessions on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and hygiene practices; provision of special nutritious food to children under two years of age; antenatal and postnatal care services, routine child development monitoring and immunization course.

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