Rs19b BISP funds illegally disbursed to 143,000 govt officials

The office of the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that Rs19 billion of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) had been illegally distributed among 143,000 government officials.

During the scrutiny of the audit report of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division, Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed, a member of the PAC, inquired from BISP secretary Yousuf Khan about the status of the inquiry into the distribution of funds among government officials in 2020.

This issue of the disbursement of BISP funds among underserving beneficiaries came to light in 2020 and the then government had ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to investigate the matter.

In response to the question of Senator Syed, BISP secretary Yousuf Khan told the committee that of the 143,000 ineligible beneficiaries who were in the government service, 2,500 had been working in BS-17 and above.

He said these officials had been drawing the BISP's funds meant for the needy people in the names of their spouses and relatives. Unauthorised beneficiaries include 2,500 working in BS-17 and above, PAC told When PAC chairman Noor Alam Khan inquired about the total amount paid to these illegitimate beneficiaries, the BISP secretary said he was unaware of the exact figure of the amount.

However, the audit officials informed the committee that Rs19bn had been paid to undeserving people. The PAC chairman also formed a joint investigation team (JIT) to probe the scam and sought a report within a fortnight. He also directed the BISP to provide the record to the JIT comprising officials of the AGP, FIA and National Accountability Bureau (NAB).

During examination of the audit para about non-production of the record of Rs202 million of the Prime Minister's Relief Fund that was placed at the disposal of Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and Akhuwat Microfinance, the PAC expressed displeasure over the BISP management.

The PAC directed the auditor general and officials of FIA and NAB to register an FIR against the incumbent top officials of BISP and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division in case they did not provide relevant details and data to the JIT.

Senator Mohsin Aziz claimed at the meeting that BISP had not used funds to alleviate suffering of poor deserving families and instead filled pockets of their blue-eyed boys. MNA Nuzhat Pathan asked the secretaries of BISP and Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division to specify rules according to which they transferred cash to deputy commissioners and assistant commissioners for flood-affected people of Sindh.

The PAC chairman expressed disappointment over the BISP management for not answering questions raised by the committee and warned of writing a letter to the prime minister and the federal minister concerned.

While the poultry crisis has begun to subside after the government released genetically modified soybean and canola seeds that had been stranded at ports, more than 100 containers of onions are held up at ports awaiting extension in duty and tax exemption leading to a further surge in vegetable prices across the country.