TO get the grant under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), women are required to visit designated city camps where they submit a copy of their identification card to the camp manager and receive the funds after undergoing biometric verification. However, the vagaries of weather often make it tough for most women in rural areas to visit the camps in person, especially because they are generally malnourished and have to carry their children with them as well.

To address this issue, it is advisable to simplify the entire payment system by distributing the grant by using a smartphone application. This would surely eliminate the need for women to visit the camps in person, particularly during intense weather episodes. By adopting this approach, the potential health risks associated with extreme temperatures can be mitigated, potentially saving the lives of poor women and children.

Having a smartphone app for the purpose is not a massive task in today’s world. All that is needed is someone with the political will to make it happen.

Rafique Baloch
Dadu

Published in Dawn, July 22nd, 2023