Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) and Its Role in Ehsaas
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) is a pioneering social safety net initiative in Pakistan, launched in July 2008 with the primary objective of alleviating poverty and providing financial support to the poorest and most vulnerable segments of society. Named after the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, BISP became the cornerstone of Pakistan’s social protection framework. Over the years, BISP has evolved and expanded, playing a critical role within the broader Ehsaas initiative, launched in 2019 by the government of Pakistan to address the multifaceted challenges of poverty, inequality, and social exclusion.
BISP not only laid the foundation for the country’s largest social welfare program but also set the stage for the development of the Ehsaas Program. This article explores the history, objectives, implementation, and impact of BISP, as well as its integration with the Ehsaas initiative, highlighting how it has contributed to the overall social protection landscape in Pakistan.
1. History and Evolution of BISP
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) was initiated in 2008 under the leadership of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) as a response to the global financial crisis that hit Pakistan’s economy hard, resulting in inflation, high food prices, and rising unemployment. The program was designed to provide unconditional cash transfers to the poorest households, primarily targeting women, to improve household consumption and alleviate poverty.
At its inception, BISP aimed to support 3.5 million families through cash transfers. The program has grown significantly since then, with over 5.4 million beneficiaries by 2021. BISP’s cash transfer model focused on providing regular financial support to households living below the poverty line, with the aim of improving their quality of life by enabling access to basic necessities such as food, healthcare, and education.
Over time, BISP has evolved and adapted to new challenges, expanding its scope and improving its targeting mechanisms. Initially based on political recommendations, the program shifted to a more systematic and transparent poverty scorecard survey, which assessed household eligibility based on objective criteria. This shift helped ensure that financial aid reached the most deserving families.
2. Objectives of BISP
The main objective of BISP has been to provide financial assistance to low-income households, particularly women, with the goal of alleviating poverty. The program focuses on several key areas:
a. Poverty Reduction
BISP aims to reduce poverty by providing regular cash transfers to the poorest families in Pakistan. These transfers are intended to improve the overall living conditions of beneficiaries by enabling them to meet their basic needs, such as food, shelter, and healthcare.
b. Women Empowerment
A unique feature of BISP is its focus on women’s empowerment. The program primarily targets women as the direct recipients of cash transfers, recognizing that empowering women financially can have positive ripple effects on family welfare, children’s education, and household decision-making. By directing payments to women, BISP aims to strengthen their role in family economics and community life.
c. Improving Education and Health Outcomes
In addition to poverty reduction, BISP also contributes to improving education and health outcomes among its beneficiaries. Through complementary programs like the Waseela-e-Taleem initiative, BISP incentivizes families to send their children to school by providing additional cash transfers to those who ensure regular school attendance. This initiative aims to reduce child labor and increase school enrollment and retention rates.
d. Social Inclusion
BISP promotes social inclusion by targeting marginalized and disadvantaged populations, including women, the elderly, people with disabilities, and minority communities. The program ensures that vulnerable groups have access to financial assistance, reducing their exclusion from social and economic opportunities.
3. Integration of BISP into the Ehsaas Framework
In 2019, the government of Pakistan launched the Ehsaas Program, a comprehensive social protection and poverty alleviation initiative designed to address the structural causes of poverty and inequality. BISP became a key component of Ehsaas, serving as the foundational platform for delivering cash transfers and other forms of financial assistance to the most vulnerable populations.
Ehsaas is an umbrella program that encompasses various social safety net initiatives, including BISP, and aims to provide a more integrated and inclusive approach to poverty alleviation. The integration of BISP into Ehsaas marked an important step in expanding the reach and scope of social protection in Pakistan.
a. BISP Kafalat under Ehsaas
One of the major programs under Ehsaas is Ehsaas Kafalat, which builds on the foundation laid by BISP. Kafalat provides monthly stipends to low-income women, helping them meet their basic needs and achieve financial independence. Through the biometric verification system introduced under Ehsaas, cash transfers under Kafalat have become more efficient and transparent, ensuring that payments are delivered directly to the intended beneficiaries.
b. Targeting the Poorest Households
The integration of BISP into the Ehsaas National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) helped improve the targeting of beneficiaries. The NSER is a data-driven system that uses detailed household surveys to identify those most in need of assistance. By leveraging the NSER, BISP has been able to expand its coverage and ensure that cash transfers reach the poorest and most vulnerable households across the country.
c. Inclusion of Conditional Cash Transfers
BISP’s role within the Ehsaas framework has expanded beyond unconditional cash transfers to include conditional cash transfers (CCTs) linked to education and health outcomes. The Waseela-e-Taleem program, for example, encourages families to send their children to school by providing financial incentives for regular attendance. This program has been further integrated into Ehsaas to promote human capital development, particularly among children from low-income households.
4. Impact of BISP on Poverty Alleviation and Social Protection
Since its inception, BISP has had a significant impact on poverty reduction and social protection in Pakistan. Several studies have highlighted the positive outcomes of the program, particularly in terms of improving household consumption, reducing hunger, and increasing school enrollment rates among children from beneficiary families.
a. Improved Household Consumption
BISP cash transfers have helped beneficiary families improve their consumption of food and essential goods, reducing the incidence of malnutrition and hunger. The program has enabled poor households to afford better nutrition, healthcare, and education for their children.
b. Increased School Enrollment
The Waseela-e-Taleem initiative, which incentivizes school attendance, has contributed to higher school enrollment and retention rates among children from low-income families. By providing financial support to families who keep their children in school, BISP has helped reduce child labor and increase educational opportunities for disadvantaged children.
c. Women’s Empowerment
By directing cash transfers to women, BISP has contributed to women’s empowerment in rural and urban areas alike. Women who receive financial assistance through BISP have reported increased involvement in household decision-making and improved social status. The program has also provided women with greater financial autonomy, enabling them to make choices that benefit their families’ welfare.
d. Poverty Reduction
BISP has played a critical role in reducing poverty across Pakistan. By providing regular cash transfers to the poorest households, the program has lifted millions of people out of extreme poverty. The additional income from BISP helps families smooth out their consumption patterns, particularly during times of economic hardship or crisis, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.
5. Challenges and Future Directions
While BISP has had significant success in reducing poverty and supporting vulnerable populations, it has also faced challenges related to coverage, targeting, and sustainability. The need for continuous updates to the NSER database, addressing gender disparities in access to financial services, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of cash transfer programs remain critical areas for improvement.
a. Coverage and Targeting
Ensuring that the most deserving households receive financial assistance remains a challenge, particularly in remote and underserved areas. The accuracy of the NSER database and the inclusion of marginalized populations, such as those living in rural or conflict-affected areas, are key concerns for the future.
b. Sustainability of Cash Transfer Programs
While BISP and Ehsaas have provided essential financial support to millions, questions remain about the long-term sustainability of cash transfer programs. Ensuring that these programs are adequately funded and linked to broader efforts to promote economic growth and job creation will be important for sustaining their impact.
c. Gender Disparities
While BISP has empowered many women, gender disparities in access to financial services, digital literacy, and mobile banking remain. Future efforts should focus on improving women’s access to financial and digital tools to ensure they can fully benefit from social protection programs.
Conclusion
The Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) has played a transformative role in Pakistan’s social protection landscape, providing financial assistance to millions of vulnerable families and serving as the foundation for the broader Ehsaas initiative. Through its focus on poverty reduction, women’s empowerment, and social inclusion, BISP has made significant strides in improving the lives of the poorest segments of society. As part of the Ehsaas framework, BISP continues to evolve, expanding its reach and impact to ensure that no one is left behind. Looking ahead, addressing the challenges of coverage, sustainability, and gender equity will be key to ensuring that BISP and Ehsaas continue to play a central role in Pakistan’s fight against poverty.