For the first time in Pakistan, transgender individuals were certified eligible to receive financial aid through the Benazir Kafalat Program on Sunday.
Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) Chair Shazia Marri, Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, shared the government’s desire to expand the BISP’s reach during a ceremony held in Karachi.
In his remarks at the occasion, the minister mentioned formally enrolling members of the transgender community in the programme and allowing them to get Rs 7,000 in monetary support every three months.
She went on to describe transgender people as belonging to a “poor part of society” and emphasised the difficulties their community faces.
The minister emphasised how they are marginalised in society and estranged from their families and stated, “They are confronting economic and societal issues in the country.”
Marri explained that the way society treats trans individuals is the reason they are reluctant to stand in front of people who deal with population numbers.
According to information available, the minister said, 50,000 transsexual people had registered with an organisation. She claimed that in order to receive financial assistance from the BISP, they had to register with the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA).
Shazia urged the neighbourhood to sign up with NADRA and then visit a BISP centre to continue the process of receiving Rs7,000 in cash aid on a quarterly basis. She also mentioned that three transgender people had initially registered with BISP.
