ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has joined hands with other organisations to provide long-term relief to people displaced by the military operation in North Waziristan.

The social safety net has planned to conduct a quick survey of internally displaced people and include all IDPs in its financial assistance programme.

This was decided at a meeting held on Thursday between BISP Chairman Enver Baig and Minister for State and Frontier Regions retired Lt Gen Abdul Qadir Baloch.

Beneficiaries of the BISP are identified through a poverty scorecard survey but the exercise could not be done in North Waziristan Agency because of security reasons, officials said.

Mr Baig issued directive for conducting the survey immediately so that the payment could be made to IDPs. They will be entitled to all benefits, including conditional and unconditional cash transfer, health insurance and vocational training programmes. The BISP chief expressed the hope that these efforts would bring the impoverished and underprivileged people to the mainstream of society.

Published in Dawn, June 27th, 2014