Over 2500 officials removed from BISP beneficiaries

ISLAMABAD: A total of 2543 government officials, ranging from Grade 17 to 21, who were receiving funds from the Benazir Income Support Program have been removed.

Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry provided a list that included some 2,543 government officials, who either themselves or their spouses, were receiving BISP funds, despite the program being for underprivileged members of society. 

کوئ شرم ہوتی ہے، حیا ہوتی ہے۔۔۔ غریب ترین لوگوں کے حق پر اس بے حیائ سے ڈاکہ ڈالنے کو کیا کہا جائے۔ pic.twitter.com/IaeQytLrtx

— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 8, 2020

According to the list there were 62 federal officials, 741 officials from Balochistan, 137 officials from Punjab, 403 officials from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 22  from Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). Sindh stood top of the list with 1,122 government officials with 29 belonging to Grade 20. The list also included six officials from the BISP administration.

Fawad lashed out in his tweet said, “Is there any shame, it hurt. What should be said to put an outcry from this cruelty on the rights of the poorest people.”

According to the Special Assistant to Prime Minister and BISP chairperson Sania Nishtar, the federal government recently decided to remove 820,165 citizens from the BISP program, these individuals included government servants and people who did not qualify under the BISP policies.

The BISP also decided to increase the stipends from 5500 to 6000 under the Ehsaas Program. The number of government officers in the expelled audience is 14,370, according to Sana Nishtar, this downsizing can turn 16 billion PKR into annual savings.