BAHAWALPUR: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Bahawalpur division topped all other divisions in Punjab by issuing most number of Benazir Debit Cards (BDCs) from Feb 1 to March 20.

This was claimed by BISP Regional Director Syed Shabbir Akbar Zaidi while talking to Dawn on Thursday.

He said that after a fresh survey was carried out last year to identify the deserving, 15 offices of the programme in three districts of the division issued the BDCs for giving them Rs1,500 support sum per month. He said during the prescribed period of one and a half months, the divisional office had to issue 2,984 BDCs but it surpassed the target and issued 5,804 BDCs, most number of cards issued in any division of the province. The cardholders would be paid Rs4,500 each after every three months.

Mr Zaidi said the data of the new cardholders had been verified with the help of the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) by calling them to the BISP office. He said that since the re-launch of the BISP in 2012, the total number of the BISP beneficiaries in Bahawalpur division had reached 422,565 while thousands of more cases were under process.

Mr Zaidi said the administration had sought the help of regional police officer (RPO) and district police officers (DPOs) to nab the suspects involved in swindling who defrauded the cardholders at ATMs.

HANDICRAFTS: A two-day exhibition of handicrafts opened at Darul Itfal (women) here, attracting a large number of women.

The visitors showed keen interest in the handicrafts displayed at the stalls of the Sanat Zaar, vocational girls training institute, Technical Education and Vocational Training Authority (Tevta) and the Institute for Rural Development.

Inaugurating the exhibition, MNA Sabiha Nazir said about 22,000 women were involved in handicrafts business across the country. She said the government was contemplating to introduce a law to declare these skilled women as workers, enabling them to market their products and get privileges and facilities.

Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2015

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