KARACHI: Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Benazir Income Support Programme Chairman Shazia Marri announced that transgender persons were now eligible for receiving cash assistance under Benazir Kafalat Programme (BKP).

Addressing ceremony of transgenders’ inclusion in Benazir Income Support Programme at Arts Council, Karachi Shazia Marri said that transgender persons belonged to poor segment of society.

“They were facing economic and societal challenges in country”, she said adding that they were ignored in society and moreover and were separated from their families.

She said that transgenders avoid to come forward before data managers due to society’s behaviour towards them. She said that as per available data 50,000 transgender were registered with an organisation. She said that their registration with NADRA was mandatory for availing BISP financial support. “Transgenders should register themselves with NADRA and later visit BISP centre for further process to get Rs 7,000 financial assistance quarterly,” she added.

She said that initially three transgenders had got registered themselves with BISP. “Spirit of programme was to support poor people of society”, she added.

She said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted an austerity committee. “We were bearing brunt of previous government’s wrong decisions,” she added.

Condemning allegations of PTI Chief Imran Khan against former President Asif Ali Zardari, she said that Imran Khan always issued irresponsible statements. She said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and his family were under threat. She alleged that Imran Khan was facilitator of terrorists.

Published in The Daily National Courier, January, 30 2023

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