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Nearly nine months have passed since Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif announced in Quetta that an additional 500,000 households would be added to the existing list of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) beneficiaries, The News On Sunday reported, adding that the plan has not been implemented by BISP.
There are only 230,000 beneficiaries of BISP in Balochistan. Amid the dire situation, the Balochistan government has requested the federal government to raise the province's share in the BISP program, as per The News On Sunday report. On April 23, Pakistan PM Shahbaz Sharif in Quetta said an additional 500,000 households will be added to the existing list of BISP beneficiaries. He reiterated the commitment of June 3 that the poor households in Gwadar will be added to the BISP list. Officials of the Balochistan government wrote three letters to Benazir Income Support Programme to remind them of the commitment. On June 28, the Balochistan chief minister wrote to Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif and called on him to work on his commitment to increase the number of BISP beneficiaries in Balochistan. Instead of increasing the beneficiaries by 500,000 as previously announced by the Prime Minister, BISP officials now intent to raise the number from 230,000 to 500,000, The News on Sunday reported citing an official in the federal government, which implies that it plans to raise the number of beneficiaries by 270,000 in Balochistan. Unprecedented rainfall and flash floods have destroyed many parts of Pakistan, particularly Naseerabad, where many areas remain inundated. The report has called it imperative that the BISP, Poverty Alleviation, and Social Safety Division take measures to fulfill the prime minister's pledge, as per the news report. Citing a source, The News on Sunday said that the financial impact of adding 500,000 new beneficiaries will take the total sum to Rs 12 billion. Balochistan is considered as the poorest province in Pakistan. Around 10-11 percent of Pakistan's total population living in poverty resides in Balochistan. According to the 2016 Report on Multidimensional Poverty, three out of four individuals in the region live below the poverty line. Despite the dire situation, Balochistan does not receive a fair share of poverty alleviation funds under the BISP. (ANI)
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