By Abdul Ghani
ISLAMABAD– The government plans to develop a shock-responsive social protection framework aimed at shielding disaster-hit households, according to documents available with Wealth Pakistan.
Under the proposed plan, functionalities of the National Catastrophe (NatCat) model will be integrated with the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to provide real-time, targeted cash assistance during emergencies such as floods and other natural disasters.
Pilot Launch in Flood-Prone Districts
The pilot NatCat-BISP integration will be launched in selected flood-prone districts. The plan includes a shock response matrix that outlines roles, timelines, and resource requirements for emergency support.
In addition, a real-time monitoring dashboard will be established to enable the Parliament to track disbursements and ensure accountability, according to the documents.
The National Disaster Risk Management Fund, in collaboration with the Space & Upper Atmosphere Research Commission and with support from the Asian Development Bank, developed the NatCat Model of Pakistan in 2024 to provide scientific, evidence-based insights for disaster risk management, climate change adaptation, and disaster risk financing.
BISP Disbursement Highlights FY2024-25
The document revealed that during the first nine months of FY2024-25, BISP disbursed Rs385.6 billion to about 9.87 million households, reflecting the programme’s strong outreach and operational capacity.
Speaking to Wealth Pakistan, BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid said that Pakistan has good institutions in place for disaster response, but there is a need to learn from international experience and institutionalise a coordinated set-up with all the necessary components of disaster response.
Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper Expenditures
“I recommend constituting a technical group comprising all stakeholders like BISP, NDMA, PDMAs, Ministry of Climate Change and Meteorological Department at federal, provincial and regional levels, including Azad Jammu and Kashmir, merged districts and Gilgit-Baltistan,” she added.
The document also revealed that total Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper expenditures stood at Rs4.25 trillion (3.43% of GDP) during July-March FY25. These expenditures covered social protection, health, education, welfare, and law and order.
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