LAHORE: Benazir Income Support Programme Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid visited a Benazir SIM distribution site in Lahore on Tuesday, reviewing arrangements for the free issuance of SIMs to women beneficiaries under BISP’s new digital payment system.
The distribution site has been established at Government Islamia Boys Higher Secondary School on Multan Road, Lahore.
During the visit, Senator Rubina Khalid met women beneficiaries, heard their concerns and briefed them on the Benazir SIM, the new digital payment mechanism and precautions required for its safe use.
She stressed that the Benazir SIM is issued completely free of cost and that BISP does not charge any fee for its schemes, services or surveys.
Rubina Khalid also clarified that no form is required for BISP surveys and urged beneficiaries not to allow any agent to deduct money from their payments.
She said any such complaint should be reported immediately so action could be taken against those responsible.
The BISP chairperson told beneficiaries that the Benazir SIM functions as a digital wallet and that its security is the responsibility of the user.
She advised women not to hand over their mobile phones or SIMs to agents and said beneficiaries would receive a confirmation message on their phones when their stipend was credited.
She urged them to keep the confirmation message and not delete it.
Rubina Khalid further said the Benazir SIM should only be obtained from designated BISP offices and not from shops or unauthorised sources.
Under the new digital payment system, eligible women will be able to withdraw their payments from any location in the country at any time through authorised agents of BISP’s partner banks.
She said that if a beneficiary is unable to receive payment from one agent, she can approach an authorised agent of another partner bank.
According to the BISP chairperson, the new system has been introduced on the directives of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to improve convenience, transparency and financial empowerment for women beneficiaries.
She said the initiative was also aligned with the vision of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto to empower women and protect vulnerable segments of society.
Rubina Khalid urged women to stand up for their rights and speak against injustice or mistreatment.
She also informed beneficiaries that women facing problems with biometric thumb verification could obtain a facial recognition certificate from NADRA offices.
The BISP chairperson said the new digital system was being continuously monitored so that beneficiaries’ complaints and concerns could be identified and resolved promptly.
She advised beneficiaries to obtain information about BISP only from the programme’s official and verified social media accounts.
Later, Senator Rubina Khalid visited the BISP Central Zonal Office in Lahore, where she reviewed the complaint registration and resolution mechanism.
She appreciated the arrangements in place for timely redressal of beneficiaries’ complaints.
Director General Punjab Naseer uddin Sarwar was also present during the visit.
Also Read: BISP Opens Digital Wallets for 90% of Women Beneficiaries
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