Rs24 billion irregularities reported in BISP as 140,000 govt employees, pensioners receive funds; recoveries below 3%

Profit by Pakistan Today reported that irregular payments worth about Rs24 billion were identified in the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), including transfers to 140,488 government employees and pensioners. The programme is intended to support low-income households, yet payments continued for years after the issue was first detected in 2019. Ministry documents submitted to the National Assembly show that Rs23.13 billion was paid in FY2019-20, with a further Rs900 million distributed after ineligible recipients had been flagged.

Recoveries total about Rs710 million, less than 3% of the amount involved, leaving more than Rs23 billion outstanding. The Federal Investigation Agency recovered Rs540 million, while BISP collected Rs21.5 million from its own employees among the recipients; records of implicated government employees were sent to their departments for further action. Authorities also plan to check records for more than 600,000 government employees and pensioners, though the ministry did not provide a recovery timetable.