Addressing a function in Multan to distribute cheques among the deserving families under the Waseela-Haq programme of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to start their own business, the prime minister said the government had also decided to lift ban on recruitment in government jobs and these would be given to qualified youth on merit, says a press release issued here.
The prime minister said the BISP would be further strengthened and announced that the Ministry of Information Technology would announce to launch a computer training programme and establish IT cities and IT centres in different areas of the country at a cost of Rs 15 billion. He asked Chairperson BISP Farzana Raja to make Multan a model district under the programme and ensure that all deserving could benefit from the programme.
He said the people criticised this programme in the beginning, but the government included all the MNAs and Senators in this programme and provided them forms of the BISP, so that there was no political discrimination. He said that even former president Farooq Leghari was also given the forms and he endorsed that the programme was without any political affiliation. He said that a survey of poverty had been completed in each district and now there was no need of assistance from any elected representative.
Prime Minister Gilani said five percent quota of each development project would be given to the party workers. He said those who were raising slogans against party were just "Fasli Batairay" (seasonal birds) and the party workers should not be afraid of them as they were ideological workers and following the vision and philosophy of Benazir Bhutto.
Earlier, the Prime Minister distributed cheques for Rs 150,000 each among the 286 deserving women from Multan and adjoining areas under the Waseela-i-Haq Programme of BISP, to enable them to start their own business.
Federal Minister and Chairperson BISP Farzana Raja said that some novice politicians were talking of welfare state but such ignorant did not know that they had laid the foundation of a welfare state through BISP three years ago. Farzana Raja said the USAID in its report had also recognised 98.5 percent accuracy in the delivery of financial assistance to deserving people under various initiatives of BISP, which amounted to around Rs 100 billion.-PR