An audit of the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for 2023-24 has revealed financial irregularities amounting to Rs141 billion.
The BISP audit report for 2023-24 highlights serious issues, such as payments made to individuals without valid CNICs and the misuse of educational stipends. It also records unauthorized cash withdrawals from beneficiaries’ accounts.
Out of 9.3 million beneficiaries, over three million had no registered family CNICs. Despite this, Rs. 116.95 billion was disbursed without proper verification.
Auditors caution that some payments may have been made to ineligible government workers or businesspeople. In addition, Rs. 138 million was allocated to 5.43 million students without confirming their attendance. Furthermore, Rs. 154 million was given to 57,833 students with attendance rates below 70%, and Rs. 10 million went to unauthorized students.
BISP Audit 2023-24 Exposes Deeper Flaws
The report uncovers Rs4 billion paid to Active Taxpayers List members. Rs454.7 million in grants were withdrawn from unrelated districts, and Rs11.5 million was illegally taken from accounts. BISP still owes Rs5.46 million to some beneficiaries. Other errors include a $7.72 million survey payment and Rs63.7 million in wrongful deputation allowances.
Read: BISP Increases Benazir Kafaalat Program’s Quarterly Payments
The Nashonuma Programme saw Rs55 million in overpayments. The BISP audit 2023-24 also notes Rs40 million unrecovered from misappropriation and a Rs30 million tax deduction shortfall. Worse, Rs6 million went to government employees’ families, and Rs2.8 million funded unauthorized student stipends. These findings demand urgent fixes.
