Pakistan biometric beneficiary program issuing $240M in first installment

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) in Pakistan started releasing the first quarterly installment of 7,000 Pakistani rupees (US$30.60) to the Kafalat project beneficiaries on Monday. According to APP, roughly 7.7 million families will receive more than PKR 55 billion (approximately $240.5 million) in the first tranche.

The program, targeting women and transgender individuals, will see the issuance of the aforementioned funds via biometric automated teller machines (ATMs) or dedicated payment centers.

Commenting on the news, Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety and BISP Chairperson Shazia Marri said transparency would be paramount during the disbursements of funds.

The issuance of the first quarterly installment of the program comes weeks after the Pakistani government reportedly confirmed it intended to increasingly use biometrics to provide direct distribution of funds for economic assistance.

Article Topics

biometric authentication  |  biometric payments  |  biometrics  |  fraud prevention  |  Pakistan  |  social security