BISP defrauded of Rs144 million, Rs752m still unrecovered from agents

ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has been defrauded of over Rs144.7 million by point of sale (POS) agents during the last five years.

Of the embezzled amount, Rs694.96 million was recovered, with a staggering Rs752.37 million still being unrecovered.

This was revealed by the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety in a report submitted to the Senate.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 491 POS agents embezzled a total of Rs56,740,018, of which Rs30,875,475 was recovered, with Rs25,864,543 still being uncovered.

 In Azad Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, 35 POS agents embezzled Rs24,050, out of which Rs23,050 was recovered.

In Balochistan, 379 POS agents embezzled Rs8,034,350, of which Rs1,088,300 was recovered while Rs6,946,050 is yet to be recovered.

In Punjab, 6,029 POS agents embezzled Rs64,285,080, of which Rs31,387,070 was recovered, leaving Rs32,898,010 outstanding.

Also read: BISP revamps cash transfer system to protect beneficiaries’ dignity 

In Sindh, 1,813 POS agents embezzled Rs15,650,300, of which Rs6,122,400 was recovered, while Rs9,527,900 is yet to be recovered.

According to the documents, the individuals involved in embezzlement have been dismissed from their jobs, while disciplinary actions have been initiated against several officials in their respective departments.

In the Punjab, 18 officials, including eight assistant directors, seven assistant complaints, one director, and deputy director, were penalised for their embezzlement, corruption, and incompetence.

Of the 18 accused, nine officials received major penalties, while the remaining nine were subjected to disciplinary actions in their departments.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh, five and 11 officials were involved in embezzlement, respectively, but no major action was taken against them. They were instead transferred back to their parent departments, the documents show.

The Minister of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety told the Senate that the BISP has a zero tolerance against embezzlement and corruption. Any bank agent found involved in illegal deduction or embezzlement is immediately blocked through the bank concerned and also blacklisted in the system so that such agents cannot make any BISP-related transactions through other partner banks of BISP.

The ministry said that recoveries from such agents were made in coordination with the banks concerned.

In addition to this, FIRs and complaints are also registered through police and the FIA against agents involved in embezzlement of large amounts and those against whom recoveries are pending.

After closure of contracts with partner banks, all outstanding embezzled amounts are recovered through adjustment from their pending service charges, the ministry said.