ISLAMABAD, June 22, 2026: First Lady Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari was briefed at Parliament House on the progress, reforms and national impact of the Benazir Income Support Programme, including cash assistance, education stipends, nutrition support, skills training and digital financial inclusion.
Chairperson BISP Senator Rubina Khalid and Secretary BISP Amir Ali Ahmed briefed the First Lady on the programme’s current operations and future targets. The briefing covered support for low-income families, women, children and other vulnerable groups across Pakistan.
Officials informed the First Lady that Rs716 billion had been allocated for BISP in the financial year 2025-26, while Rs844 billion has been proposed for 2026-27.
Under the Benazir Kafaalat Programme, quarterly cash assistance of Rs14,500 is currently being provided to 12 million households. Officials said the stipend is planned to increase to Rs18,000 from January 2027.
The briefing also covered the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Programme, which provides educational support to 12.4 million children. The assistance is linked to a minimum 70 percent school attendance requirement.
Officials said the Benazir Nashonuma Programme is supporting around two million pregnant and lactating women and children under the age of two. A pilot phase has also included 52,000 adolescent girls.
The First Lady was informed that the Benazir Hunarmand Programme, launched by President Asif Ali Zardari and First Lady Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari, is providing free skills training to deserving individuals. More than 7,000 people have been enrolled so far.
On digital reforms, officials said more than 10 million beneficiaries are being connected to the formal financial system through Digital Social Protection Wallets under the Prime Minister’s Cashless Economy initiative. More than 8.5 million free SIMs have been distributed and linked to wallets, while over 410,000 beneficiaries have received digital and financial literacy training.
The briefing said the National Socio-Economic Registry contains data on 38.7 million households. Officials said 23 million households have updated their information under the Dynamic Registry, while a recent recertification exercise identified more than 3.5 million new potentially eligible families.
The First Lady was also briefed on a World Bank study, which found that BISP supports more than 10.3 million families and covers about 24 percent of Pakistani households. According to the study, every rupee disbursed through the programme generates Rs2.34 in real income through multiplier effects in local economies.
The study also found that 68 percent of total income gains go to the poorest 40 percent of households, while the programme supports 1.66 million full-time equivalent jobs. Officials said economic activity generated by BISP returns an estimated Rs174 billion annually to the national exchequer.
Speaking on the occasion, Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari said BISP reflected the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to provide support and opportunity to vulnerable segments of society.
She appreciated efforts to strengthen transparency, financial inclusion and service delivery through ongoing reforms. She said effective social protection programmes play an important role in supporting deserving families and enabling women to participate more fully in economic and social life.
In her welcome remarks, Senator Rubina Khalid said BISP was launched in 2008 by President Asif Ali Zardari in line with the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. She said the programme was moving beyond cash assistance toward an integrated, digital and empowering social protection system.
Deputy Speaker National Assembly Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, MNA Shazia Marri and MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, were also present.
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