NAUDERO: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday pledged to come up to the expectations of people and set up industrial estates in various parts of the country to create thousands of new jobs.Job creation will keep youth away from violence and they can play a productive role in national life, he said while addressing a ceremony to launch Mobile Phone Banking under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) here.Besides cabinet ministers and Chairperson BISP Farzana Raja, the ceremony was also attended by Bakhtawar Bhutto Zardari and Asifa Bhutto Zardari.President Zardari said People’s Party made its President, Prime Minister, Chairman Senate and Speaker National Assembly in the name of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed.He said the government identified people who are living below the poverty line and now cash of Rs.1000 will reach them through mobile phones in a transparent manner.
The transfer of cash from phones will also make it possible to identify what people are buying and in this way economy can be documented and tax policies can be improved, he noted.He praised Chairperson BISP Farzana Raja and banks for participating in the programme and said it will promote electronic banking in the country.The President said PPP takes politics as worship and it has been following the vision and thoughts of Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto.He vowed to protect rights of women and said cash grants will empower women and they will spend on the needs of their family.Projects for welfare of women will be expanded as they will be given facility of health insurance and through the new phone facility they can also register complaints and their positions can be tracked if anybody impinges upon their rights, he said adding most women wanted to buy livestock which can be tracked through global positioning system.The President said PPP’s slogan of “roti, kapra and makan” is for all times as founder of party Zulfikar Ali Bhutto knew about the needs of a growing population in future.President Zardari said PPP government was not only fighting non- state actors involved in terrorism but also working against poverty for the sake of future generations.People’s Party led by Bhuttos wanted to raise living standards of poor, he said adding he was not concerned about political actors who acknowledged Zulfikar Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto as eminent political leaders only after their death.
President Zardari said provinces have rights on their resources.On the occasion, the President pushed a button for computerized balloting for 15, 16 and 17 draws of Waseela-e-Haq.The President also distributed cheques among 35 beneficiaries of BISP, who were selected to get benefits from Waseela-e-Haq Scheme.During the ceremony, the President also distributed free mobile and sims among 25 beneficiaries.Waseela-e-Haq is part of an exit strategy to ensure that people receiving cash grants from BISP eventually graduate into income earning.BISP has introduced pilot phase of Mobile Phone Banking for cash grants beneficiaries and besides Larkana, Layyah, Batagram and Musakhel are also included in pilot programme.Under the new system, beneficiaries are provided free mobile phones to get their cash grant from the selected banks and their agents (franchisees).
This is another step to replace the present payment mechanism through money orders to make the system more transparent.Initially, Benazir Income Support Programme was distributing its funds through money orders.For the first time in the history of Pakistan, BISP has devised a plan on a new payment mechanism. The mechanism will include the modern modes of branchless banking systems. In this context, an alternate payment mechanism (Card to Phone i.e. Benazir Smart Card) has already been implemented in the four districts Mianwali, Multan, Sanghar and Mirpurkhas, where the Poverty Scorecard Survey has been completed.Partners of BISP in this initiative include NADRA, Ufone, Warid, Telenor, Habib Bank, United Bank, Tameer Bank and Bank Alfalah.Free distribution of the mobile phones and sims is being carried out by the banks and telecoms – App
