The Hybrid Social Protection system and the new payment system of “Pakistan Crisis-Resilient Social Protection’ project worth $600 million is facing delay, says the World Bank.
Official documents revealed that the Bank has urged for required attention to expedite the process. The program development objectives were to support the development of a more adaptive social protection system that will contribute to any future crisis-resilience among poor and vulnerable households.
The objective of the program is to support the development of more adaptive social protection system that will contribute to future crisis-resilience among poor and vulnerable households in the country.
The program is focused on the key initiatives being undertaken by Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) under the Ehaas Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programs, namely Kafaalat, Waseela-e-Taleem, and Nashonuma. The financial inclusion and informal worker support initiatives of Ehsaas have also been included in the program.
The Crisis Resilient Social Protection program became effective on March 29, 2021. It is a 4-year, $600 million program for results operation with a $5 million technical assistance component. The program has three (3) result areas focusing on; a) building a crisis resilient delivery system; b) establishing a Hybrid Social Protection (SP) system for resilience of poor against future crisis; c) protecting human capital through demand-side education and health initiatives for children.
The recent mid-term review (MTR) noted good progress towards achievement of most results ahead of the program’s closing date, as elaborated in the results section below. There are, however, delays in the design for the Hybrid Social Protection system and the new payment system which require attention, documents revealed.