Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming members met at the Benazir Income Support Programme Committee Room in Islamabad on February 27, 2026, under the chairpersonship of Dr Nafisa Shah to review programme performance and reform priorities. The session focused on strengthening the BISP NSER, expanding digital payment access and protecting the integrity of beneficiary selection.
The Secretary of BISP briefed members on current initiatives, noting that the programme now supports more than 10.2 million families, up from 2.2 million in 2008. Under the Benazir Kafalat Programme quarterly stipends have been increased to Rs. 14,500 with Rs. 561 billion allocated for FY 2025–26, and efforts to improve transparency include CNIC-linked Social Protection Wallets and issuance of over 7.26 million SIMs to beneficiaries to facilitate direct digital payments.
Committee members reviewed human capital investments such as Benazir Taleemi Wazaif and the Benazir Nasho-Numa collaboration with the World Food Programme to address child stunting and maternal health. The Secretary explained that the Dynamic NSER currently covers 38.7 million households and remains central to poverty-based targeting and programme design.
Members raised fiscal sustainability concerns and pressed for detail on safeguards in the digital payment system, including protections against unauthorized deductions, biometric verification, and full interbank interoperability so beneficiaries can access funds securely across platforms. Questions about grievance redress, third-party audits, data protection and overall oversight were highlighted as priorities to ensure public funds reach intended recipients.
The Chair sought specific clarifications on the integrity and periodic updating of the registry, asking about the frequency of third-party registry surveys, inclusion and exclusion criteria, and concrete measures to prevent manipulation or political influence in beneficiary selection. These queries were coupled with calls for stronger monitoring and independent verification.
To reduce exclusion errors and reach vulnerable groups outside the current framework, the Committee proposed assessing inclusion of elderly persons, persons with disabilities, and indigent men lacking adequate family support. Members recommended using NADRA demographic and disability records to verify and identify such individuals, stressing data-driven targeting to increase transparency and fairness.
Operational recommendations included expediting the transition to CNIC-linked Social Protection Wallets with full nationwide interoperability, expanding API integration of the Dynamic NSER with federal and provincial databases, and scaling up digital and financial literacy training so beneficiaries can use digital wallets safely. The Committee also urged deployment of additional field Compliance Monitors for Benazir Taleemi Wazaif and enhanced coordination with provinces to address shortages of girls’ secondary schools and transport barriers contributing to dropout rates.
Additional measures put forward were expansion of Mobile Registration Vans to reach remote and conflict-affected areas, stronger linkages between cash transfers and skills and employment initiatives to support poverty graduation, and careful fiscal assessment before any expansion of programme scope.
The Chairperson and the Secretary provided comprehensive responses to the observations, after which the Committee approved the minutes of previous meetings. The session was attended by Members of the National Assembly including Ms. Shaista Pervaiz, Ms. Shahida Rehmani, Ms. Munaza Hassan and Ms. Shahida Begum, along with the Chairperson BISP, senior BISP officers and officials from the Ministry of Human Rights.
