Latest news with #MinistryofPovertyAlleviationandSocialSafety
Business Recorder
10-06-2025
- Business
- Business Recorder
Rs385.64bn disbursed to 9.87m BISP beneficiaries till March 31st
ISLAMABAD: An amount of 385.64 billion rupees of the total budgeted amount of Rs 598.72 billion was disbursed to 9.87 million beneficiaries under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) till 31 March 2025, so noted the 2024-25 Economic Survey. The disbursed amount included Rs328.47 billion unconditional cash transfer (UCT) and Rs57.17 billion conditional cash transfer (CCT), reveals the Economic Survey for the last financial year 2024-25, issued by the Finance Ministry on Monday. In the last financial year 2023-24, Rs 454.55 billion of the total budgetedRs471.68 billion was disbursed to 9.30 million BISP beneficiaries including Rs360.17 billion UCT and Rs 94.38 billion CCT, the Economic Survey reveals. Overall, since its inception (in the year 2008), BISP has disbursed a total of Rs2,607.81 billion in grants, including Rs 276.09 billion under CCT, and Rs 2,331.72 billion under UCT, benefiting a total of 9.87 million individuals, states the government document. According to the Economic Survey, from 1 July 2024 to 31 March 2025, a total of 6.9 million existing beneficiary households were re-surveyed through Dynamic Registration Centres (DRCs) across the country under BISP's flagship Kafaalat UCT programme that was launched in 2008 to provide financial assistance to eligible households identified through NSER. 'Eligibility is determined using the Proxy Means Test (PMT), with a cut-off score currently set at 32 (or 37 for families with disabled members). The cash grant has gradually increased from Rs 3,000 per quarter in FY 2009 to Rs 13,500 per quarter in FY 2025,' reads the document. The annual budget for Kafaalat Programme in FY 2025 stood at Rs 461 billion. An amount of Rs 328.47 billion was disbursed to 7.87 million Kafaalat beneficiaries during July-March in the outgoing fiscal year, suggests the government data. The National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) plays a vital role in shaping evidence-based policies and designing public sector development programmes by offering comprehensive socio-economic data, notes the Economic Survey. The NSER supports key initiatives like BISP and various social safety net programmes managed by the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety (PASS), while also assisting the private sector in crafting targeted programmes, the Survey states. 'In 2024-25, NSER data was accessed by 32 public and private organisations, underscoring its importance as a trusted source for enhancing social protection and development programmes, particularly for marginalised communities. During this period, significant efforts were made to improve the NSER Dynamic Registry, including updating household data, enhancing the Dynamic NSER Android app to ensure better privacy protection, expanding registration coverage, and deploying mobile registration vans to reach remote areas in Balochistan and Sindh,' according to the Economic Survey. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
27-02-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
Zakat deduction on bank accounts for Ramadan 2025 announced
Listen to article The Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety has announced the Zakat Nisab for the year 2025, specifying the deduction threshold for bank accounts. The new regulations state that Zakat will be deducted from accounts with a balance of Rs179,689 or more on the first day of Ramadan, which falls on March 1 or 2, 2025. The ministry has informed banks that Zakat will be applicable on saving accounts, and similar types of accounts, while current accounts will remain exempt. Accounts with a balance lower than Rs179,689 on the first day of Ramadan will not be subject to Zakat deduction. This decision aligns with the Zakat and Ushr Ordinance of 1980, which sets the guidelines for the collection and distribution of Zakat in Pakistan. Earlier, the Chairman of the Islamic Ideological Council, Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, has announced the guidelines for paying Fitrana (almsgiving) and Roza Fidya (compensation for missed fasting) for the current year. According to the council's recommendations, a minimum of Rs220 per person should be paid as Fitrana based on wheat, while those opting for other forms of food products like dates, raisins, or dried apricots will be required to pay varying amounts. Specifically, Fitrana for dates is calculated at Rs1,650 for raisins at Rs2,500 and for dried apricots at Rs5,000. Dr. Naeemi emphasised that Fitrana and Fidya should be paid in accordance with one's financial ability. He reiterated that Fitrana is an obligatory charity for all Muslims—both male and female, free and enslaved—and must be given before the end of Ramadan. The announcement also provided detailed calculations for those opting to pay based on different food items. For example, the amount for 30 days of Fidya (compensation for missed fasting) is Rs6,600 for wheat, Rs13,500 for barley, Rs49,500 for dates, Rs75,000 for raisins, and Rs150,000 rupees for dried apricots. Dr. Naeemi also highlighted the Kaffara (penalty) for deliberately breaking a fast, which involves either fasting for 60 consecutive days or feeding 60 needy individuals two meals each. Additionally, individuals using subsidised government wheat flour can pay as little as Rs160 for their Fitrana and Fidya contributions.
