Through aid programs like the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) and the Ehsaas program, the government of Pakistan has committed to helping poor families and wanting to overcome poverty lines. However, some of the problems depicted in these aid programs include the fact that they are often used politically.
During election periods, politicians unveil new aid schemes or even extend previous ones to create voter appeal and therefore gain future loyalty. This politicization does not only ensure that resources are distributed in a biased way but also erodes credibility and efficiency of these programs. For instance, there is always a flood of pledges by donors, especially during election campaigns, only to be disappointed immediately after the election is won. As a result, the majority of the aid programs do not have adequate longitudinal strategies and provisions, squandering the public’s money and unfulfilled expectations.
In a 2018 Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) report, it was revealed that more than 60% of the aid commitments made during election season are never implemented due to serious politicization flaws. The issue is escalated by the prevalence of corruption. Corruption within these programs covers cases of embezzlement by top officials and small scale corruption at the implementing level.
Money intended for the poorest inhabitants ends up in the president’s and other officials’ as well as intermediaries’ pockets. Such was experienced at BISP where, during investigations of the disbursement, it was found that there existed beneficiary accounts were fake and were withdrawing large proportions of the aid. Such scandals take away the resources that could otherwise be allocated to genuine deserving clients and besides, they cut down on the government’s attempts towards undertaking social responsibilities.
A report from Transparency International confirms the prevalence of this problem; Pakistan is rated 124 out of 180 on the Corruption Perception Index. Moreover, an internal audit of BISP concluded in 2019, identified as many as 800,000 bogus beneficiaries which indicates the extent of systematic inefficiency. Also, bureaucratic problems and structural flaws greatly decrease the efficiency of aid delivery. Recipients are often presented with numerous forms and procedures they need to fill in order to receive assistance, which deters many applicants.
As for the rural population that has less access to information and governmental institutions, the situation is even more serious. Thus, the primary problem is that many potential beneficiaries never even realize they are eligible to receive assistance or how to go about applying. This partially explains why aid does not always reach the intended beneficiaries, and even if it does, it reinforces existing inequalities.
The World Bank reported that approximately 22% of the qualifying households in the rural areas receive the aids to which they are legally entitled and thus there are huge aid delivery gaps. In addition to the various operational problems, the government aid programs are notorious for developing a dependency culture among the beneficiaries. Contrary to the aim of providing autonomy to the people, the aforementioned programs contribute to the creation of dependency on the state.
The emphasis on immediate aid without proper support to promote education, skills development, or employment merely fails to uplift the beneficiaries. Currently, as reported by the World Bank, about 24.3 percent of the population of Pakistan is considered to be living in poverty as defined by the national standards of poverty. This statistic calls into question the effectiveness of sustainable development initiatives that aim at fighting poverty but only provide temporary relief by encouraging further dependency.
According to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2022-23, there is an extensive number of aid programs, but unemployment is as high as 6.9% and this shows that such programs fail to enable individuals to be economically productive for society. Moreover, the way aid is being delivered to the beneficiaries undermines their dignity and self-esteem. Most aid giving procedures are long and bureaucratic, including people in public lines where they are humiliated and have their inferiority complex reinforced. Due to this devaluation of worth, there are tremendous risks associated with psychological well-being and social stability.
When a man is treated as a number or when aid is given to him as if he is some object of pity, he is made to become irrelevant in society. According to the survey done in Pakistan by Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM), seven out of ten respondents felt humiliated at the time of getting aid. Transforming these aid programs for better is the need of the hour so that they can be used as tools for social and economic elevation.
One way of trying to eliminate politicization of aid programs is by creating other structures that will be responsible for the supervision and disbursement of aid. Combating corruption entails having sound audit procedures and the utilization of technology. The use of digital tracking systems can also guarantee that such funds reach the targeted beneficiaries without leakage. The Digital Pakistan policy also states that by using IT solutions, effectiveness of aid disbursement can be increased by 30% which signifies how important the integration of digital solutions is.
Another very relevant aspect of change is to do with increasing the effectiveness and delivery of assistance programs. Some ways through which it can be made easier for beneficiaries to apply for aid includes reducing the paper work to be done so that there are fewer barriers to overcome. Adding to the availability of mobile, internet and other digital facilities positively will focus on the creation of local centers to support sharing relevant information that will possibly close the gap.
Awareness raising initiatives in targeting relevant population groups can also prove helpful in raising awareness on potentials of the scheme as well as ways of applying for it. As the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority pointed out, by increasing digitization, aid programs will reach to at least 5 million households which underlines the importance of the accessibility’ enhancement. The aid programs have to be aligned to other development strategies to foster people’s independence and improvement of their economic status.
In the study conducted for the Asian Development Bank, Pakistan is at the bottom in the human capital index, which underscores the need for such developmental spending. The identified programs can play a role in achieving the goal of sustainable development so that its beneficiaries do not remain dependent on others. Through the application of education and vocational training, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics has noted that this could address poverty by as much as 15%.
Only by depoliticizing aid, combating corruption, increasing the efficiency of foreign help, and promoting self-sufficiency, Pakistan will be able to build a more fair and applicable system of social safety net that will be useful for the country’s most needy citizens.
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Ms Zaryab Fatima is an M.Phil. scholar at the department of Sociology and Criminology, University of Sargodha.