ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar has said that series of policy initiatives and measures are being taken to turn BISP into a model of good governance.
Speaking at a contract signing ceremony with two renowned banks, the BISP chairperson said that the new biometric based payment solution developed by BISP through an open and consultative process was a great step to ensure good governance, transparency and efficiency in the payment mechanism for beneficiaries.
Hiring of the new financial institutions through a transparent and open competitive bidding process was a significant development for improved service delivery and fraud prevention, she added.
Dr Nishtar said that the new payment Solution has been designed in line with the prime minister’s vision of financial inclusion of poor women through one woman-one account as envisaged under the government’s flagship Ehsaas programme.
It will enhance choices for the beneficiaries under Kifalat to collect cash grants through biometric verification at branchless banking retailers, an enhanced network of biometric-enabled ATMs, campsites in remote areas and bank branches, she added.
Commenting on bidding process and lowest service charges quoted by the newly hired financial institutions, Dr Nishtar said that the most significant feature of the new contracts is the saving of more than Rs.2 billion in terms of bank service charges.
She said these savings will be channeled to further assist the poor families, and are a reflection of the extremely thorough work that BISP management did in conducting the procurement process.
Commenting on features of disbursement system, Dr Nishtar said that the new biometric verification based payment solution loaded with advanced security features will help manage fraud in the disbursement system and ensure hassle-free payment with no involvement of agents.
BISP developed the payment solution after thorough review and consultation with all the stakeholders. A competitive procurement process completed in eight months was carried out in most transparent manner with representation from all relevant ministries and organisations.
