BISP budget soars to Rs716bn as coverage expands nationwide

June 22, 2026 (MLN): The Benazir Income Support Programme has been allocated Rs716 billion for the current financial year 2025-26, with a proposed budget of Rs844bn for 2026-27, as the programme expands its reach and reforms across multiple social protection streams.

Under the Benazir Kafaalat Programme, quarterly cash assistance of Rs14,500 is currently being disbursed to 12 million households, with the stipend set to rise to Rs18,000 from January 2027.

Educational support under the Benazir Taleemi Wazaif Programme is being extended to 12.4 million children, tied to a minimum 70% school attendance condition.

The Benazir Nashonuma Programme is providing assistance to approximately two million pregnant and lactating women and children under the age of two, with 52,000 adolescent girls additionally included under a pilot phase.

The Benazir Hunarmand Programme is providing free skills training to deserving individuals, with more than 7,000 already enrolled.

On the digital front, more than 10m beneficiaries are being connected to the formal financial system through Digital Social Protection Wallets under the Prime Minister's Cashless Economy initiative, with more than 8.5m free SIMs distributed and linked to wallets, and over 410,000 beneficiaries having received digital and financial literacy training.

The National Socio-Economic Registry contains data on 38.7m households, with 23m having updated their information under the Dynamic Registry.

A recent recertification exercise has identified more than 3.5m new potentially eligible families.

A World Bank study found that BISP supports over 10.3m families, covering approximately 24% of Pakistani households.

For every rupee disbursed, Rs2.34 in real income is generated through multiplier effects in local economies, with 68% of total income gains accruing to the poorest 40% of households.

The programme supports 1.66 million full-time equivalent jobs, and economic activity generated by BISP returns an estimated Rs174 billion annually to the national exchequer.

First Lady Bibi Asifa Bhutto Zardari, who attended the briefing at Parliament House, said that BISP stands as a lasting reflection of the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto to provide support and opportunity to vulnerable segments of society.

She appreciated the efforts being made to strengthen transparency, financial inclusion and service delivery through ongoing reforms, and emphasised that effective social protection programmes play a vital role in supporting deserving families and enabling women to participate more fully in economic and social life.

Chairperson BISP Senator Rubina Khalid stated that the programme, launched and established by President Asif Ali Zardari in 2008 following the vision of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, is the practical manifestation of her commitment to dignified social protection for vulnerable segments of society, adding that BISP is moving beyond cash assistance towards an integrated, digital and empowering social protection system.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly Syed Ghulam Mustafa Shah, MNA Shazia Marri, and MNA Mir Ghulam Ali Talpur, Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, were also present on the occasion.

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