Allocations for BISP increased by 12pc: minister

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri said the government has enhanced budgetary allocations by 12.3 percent for the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to help the downtrodden.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Monday, she said 455 billion rupees had been allocated to ensure social protection of the poor segments of society, Radio Pakistan reported.

The minister said over nine million women were directly benefiting from this program. She said quarterly stipend provided to the poor women will be enhanced this year as allocations for BISP have been increased.

Terming the BISP is a vital program to address the issue of malnutrition and stunted growth of infants, Shazia Marri said 32.27 billion rupees had been allocated for this program.  She said highly nourishing food items were also being provided to pregnant women to ensure their health.