Pakistan: Social Safety Net Project

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The objective of the Social Safety Net Technical Assistance Project is to enhance the operation and management of a nationwide, effective and transparent safety net system for the poor in Pakistan. There are four components to this project. The first component of the project is establishment of a national targeting system; this component will support the roll out of the national targeting system based on the experience made and lessons learnt from the targeting test phase which is supported under a Department for International Development (DFID) trust fund managed by the Bank. The component will include the finalization and update of the targeting design, the data collection with the poverty scorecard at the national level, the data processing and cross-checking with existing data bases as needed, the administration of targeting appeals, as well as the maintenance of the data base. The second component of the project is strengthening safety net operation; this component will provide support for Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to operate the program smoothly and transparently at the central and provincial/local levels. This will support the implementation of a communications strategy including training and communication with beneficiaries, materials, and the implementation of grievance redressal and reconciliation mechanism, review of payment mechanism, as well as the implementation of monitoring and social accountability mechanisms. The third component of the project is enhancing safety net program management, accountability and evaluation, this component will provide funding for establishing and operating the safety net Management Information System (MIS), for strategic staffing and capacity building; the establishment of effective controls, process and impact evaluations, and analytical and pilot work on program graduation strategies and links to human development services. The fourth component of the project is developing the social protection policy and strategy monitoring; this component will support the design of the institutional and legal framework for execution of the National Social Protection Strategy (NSPS) and design and implementation of a monitoring and evaluation system of the NSPS. It will also provide training and capacity building for policy makers and implementing agencies in social protection policy and program implementation.