ISLAMABAD  - Management of Benazir Income Support Programme has initiated a tracer study to verify the trainings provided to selected group of communities by different service providers in the time of PPP and once the study is completed, BISP will resolve the controversial issue of payments.
The Waseela-e-Rozgar (WeR) programme of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was launched in September 2011 and vocational training started in February 2012. Initially, there was a target of imparting vocational training to 70,000 beneficiaries.
However, as of this date, 57,817 beneficiaries have been provided training under WeR. So far, as per the claims of BISP, Rs 799 million has been paid to the service providers that means around 70 per cent amount is cleared.
The remaining amount of Rs 368 million is pending that has triggered controversies in recent days that BISP management is reluctant to pay the amounts to service providers.
As per a press statement issued by BISP it wants to bring transparency in the whole payment process and want to clarify before making any payment that whether the training was conducted or not and other details.
For the purpose BISP has initiated a tracer study to evaluate the performance of training provider which includes verification of the institute, attendance of trainees and quality of training etc, to validate the trainings imparted to beneficiaries.
“The tracer study, once completed, would be helpful in processing the claims of the service providers. BISP management is doing its best efforts to finalise the payment but it cannot violate the instructions of the BISP Management Board”, BISP states.
A meeting with the training providers was held on 15th May, 2014, by the BISP management, in which training providers were briefed about the changes to be included in the design document. The press statement issued by BISP claims that the stakeholders were also apprised of the decision of the BISP Management Board regarding tracer study and they agreed to the payment after completion of tracer study.
Presently the study is ongoing and the payments claims of service providers will be processed accordingly, on the completion study. The exercise of tracer study is expected to be completed by the end of first quarter of current fiscal year. Thereafter, due claims would be processed for payments.
The current management is planning to hold a meeting with the service providers soon, to listen to the grievances of training providers, sharing with them the stance of BISP, and to assure the payment of the genuine claims.
About the WeR Programme, BISP has stated that it has not been suspended due to non-payment to previous training providers and participants. WeR has been suspended because of changes being made in the design documents. The new design of the programme would include a study of economic opportunities, needs assessment and beneficiary profiling.