Overview
- The National Assembly standing committee told BISP on Thursday to submit a summary to the Finance and Austerity Committee seeking approval to convert deputation and consultant posts into permanent jobs after 18 years without an approved service structure.
- Officials told the panel that BISP is operating with 151 deputationists and consultants and that the heavy reliance on temporary staff has constrained the programme’s capacity to manage payments and bank contracts.
- The State Bank and BISP set a staged interoperability timetable that starts with two microfinance banks going live on July 16 and July 20 and aims to have all six participating banks integrated by July 31, with full digitalisation of beneficiary accounts due by December 31, 2026.
- SBP said transaction fees will apply only to cash withdrawals at a fixed Rs280 per withdrawal, online transfers and RAAST transfers will be free, and the deputy governor said beneficiaries will carry the financial burden of interoperability.
- The committee also reviewed the March Rahim Yar Khan distribution-site collapse, confirmed penalties and compensation paid and recovered from the bank, and directed BISP to produce district-level bank performance reports, run public-awareness campaigns, and improve accessibility and on-site agent coverage.