Karachi, November 18, 2022 (PPI-OT):Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety / Chairperson BISP has said that Benazir Income Support Programme has been instrumental in providing targeted cash relief to 2.8 million families affected by floods and an amount of $316 million, allocated by the Government of Pakistan, has been distributed among them. She said this while expressing her views during an Executive Board meeting of World Food Program (WFP) in Italy.
She said that Pakistan is facing a major challenge to meet the food security and nutrition targets of Sustainable Development Goal 2 by 2030. She informed the participants that Government of Pakistan estimated more than 33 million people across the country affected by recent floods in 82 districts across Pakistan. Around 650,000 pregnant women, in flood affected areas of Pakistan, are facing challenges in getting access to maternal services. Nearly 4 million children lack access to health services, she added.
While appreciating the role of World Food Programme, Federal Minister said that WFP and BISP has designed and initiated a pilot in 15 districts “Conditional Cash Transfer Programme “Nashnonuma” on improving the Health and Nutrition situation in Pakistan”.
The programme provides Pregnant and Lactating Women (PLWs) already enrolled in the BISP Kifalat program with a comprehensive package of four interventions: awareness sessions on maternal, infant, and young child nutrition and hygiene practices; provision of Specialized Nutritious Foods to PLW and children under the age of two; antenatal and postnatal care services, routine child growth monitoring and immunization; and conditional cash stipends in addition to the Benazir Kafalat’s cash transfers, she added.
She further said that with the commitment to institutionalize the efforts of government in sustaining and retaining the Benazir Nashonuma implementation model. WFP has initiated some crucial strategic shifts to foster this commitment with efficiency and cost effectiveness, allowing nutrition services to reach more beneficiaries, at the right time through sustainable approaches.
Federal Minister told the participants that WFP and BISP are working on the roll out of commercialization strategy that will cater in all quintiles of population. Furthermore, WFP is also working on the exit strategy from the Benazir Nashonuma programme, so that the government is fully capable to integrate stunting prevention interventions within its health system, once WFP exits, she added.
She said that Pakistan is geared up to build better for future calamities but we need the world to understand that it can happen to anyone because climate change is a scary reality that will hit the vulnerable populations the most.
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