Pakistan’s Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has launched a real-time digital dashboard to monitor its flagship effort, the Benazir Nashonuma Programme.
The platform was unveiled at BISP headquarters in Islamabad.
Officials say it will allow federal and provincial authorities to track key indicators such as cash payments, beneficiary data, awareness sessions, and programme outcomes as they happen.
Chairperson BISP Senator Rubina Khalid and Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah attended the launch, along with representatives of development partners, including the World Food Programme (WFP).
What will the dashboard do?
According to BISP, the dashboard is designed to reduce delays in reporting and improve oversight. It provides updated information on how the programme is performing across districts.
Officials say this will help identify gaps more quickly and allow changes to be made where needed. The system also aims to strengthen transparency by making data easier to track and review.
Senator Rubina Khalid said the focus remains on addressing problems at the field level. She added that better information would help ensure support reaches mothers and children who need it most.
How the Nashonuma Programme works
The Benazir Nashonuma Programme targets pregnant and lactating women and children under two years of age from low-income families already registered with BISP.
It offers conditional cash transfers to encourage families to use health and nutrition services.
Mothers receive additional quarterly payments of Rs2,000 for pregnant women and male children, and Rs2,500 for female children, on the condition that they attend check-ups.
They should be participating in awareness sessions, ensuring immunisation, and monitoring their child’s growth.
The programme also supports the use of specialised nutritious food and promotes education on maternal and child health.
More than 4.3 million mothers and children have benefited so far, according to the government.
Recent figures from the official website of the programme show that over 1.27 million individuals have been reached directly, including around 645,800 pregnant women and 630,000 children.
Addressing a wider nutrition crisis
Pakistan faces high levels of child malnutrition. Official data cited by the programme shows that 40.2% of children suffer from stunting, 28.9% are underweight, and 17.7% experience wasting.
Health experts describe the first 1,000 days of a child’s life from pregnancy to the age of two as a critical period for physical and brain development.
Poor nutrition during this time can have long-term effects on health, learning, and earning potential.
The Nashonuma Programme focuses on this early window in an effort to prevent chronic malnutrition and reduce problems such as anaemia and low birth weight.
Expansion across the country
The initiative was first piloted in 14 districts. After what officials described as a successful trial phase, the BISP board approved its expansion nationwide.
It is now operating in 158 districts through a network of 512 Nashonuma centres, including mobile sites.
In addition, 555 facilitation centres and 169 nutrition stabilisation centres are supporting implementation on the ground.
Midline evaluations cited by officials indicate reductions in stunting and low birth weight, including a reported 20% decline in stunting at six months among participating children.
Partnership and long-term goals
The programme is being implemented with support from international partners, including WFP, UNICEF, and the World Health Organisation.
Minister Syed Imran Ahmed Shah said tackling malnutrition is linked to long-term poverty reduction and human development.
He described social protection as an investment rather than charity.
BISP says the new dashboard is intended to support that goal by providing timely information and strengthening accountability as the programme continues to expand.
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