ISLAMABAD:

The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) and the World Bank have agreed to deepen collaboration to strengthen data security, transparency, and operational reforms in Pakistan’s social protection systems.

The decision was made during a meeting between BISP Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid and World Bank Lead Economist Melis U Guven at BISP Headquarters. The two sides discussed strategies to improve data sharing practices, ensure cyber safety, and implement structural improvements in welfare delivery.

Khalid called for a national-level workshop to raise awareness among provincial stakeholders about cybersecurity risks and the importance of responsible data sharing. “After NADRA, BISP maintains the second-largest household data repository in Pakistan through the National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER),” she said. “There is now a pressing need to centralise this data to enhance its use in development planning.”