Benazir Nashonuma Program 2024: New Registration & Updated Eligibility Criteria 

The Benazir Nashonuma Program is a conditional cash transfer intervention strategy designed to increase the uptake of nutrition in pregnant and lactating women and children under 2 years of age. Women can register for this program if they are pregnant or have recently given birth. They will receive quarterly compensation, daily nutrition health checkups, and other benefits. 

The program’s goal is to compel women to take specialized nutrition food for the betterment of their health and the health of their newborn child. Women must comply with all the instructions in order to receive their quarterly payments. 

بینظیر نشوونما پروگرام حکومت پاکستان کی طرف سے ایک خصوصی اقدام ہے جو حاملہ خواتین اور نوزائیدہ بچوں کی صحت و نشوونما کو بہتر بنانے کے لیے شروع کیا گیا ہے۔ اس پروگرام کے تحت، مستحق خواتین کو مالی امداد اور ضروری غذائی سپلیمنٹس فراہم کیے جاتے ہیں تاکہ ان کی صحت اور ان کے بچوں کی نشوونما کو یقینی بنایا جا سکے۔ بینظیر نشوونما پروگرام کا مقصد معاشرتی سطح پر صحت مند اور مضبوط نسلوں کی بنیاد رکھنا ہے، تاکہ ہر بچے کو بہترین آغاز مل سکے۔ یہ پروگرام، صحت کے میدان میں ایک مثبت قدم ہے جو عوام کی زندگیوں میں بہتری لانے کی کوشش کرتا ہے۔

What Is The Benazir Nashonuma Program & Why Is It Important?

Pakistan is currently going through a child nutrition crisis. It is the second highest burdened country in the region with alarming malnutrition reports in children. Nutrition during an infant’s early life, from birth to two years, is monumental in their overall growth and life expectancy. 

Hence, to address this issue regarding malnutrition and stunting prevention, the Benazir Income Support Program designed a new initiative named the Nashonuma program. This program is a conditional cash transfer intervention that will provide money to the parents only if they comply with nutritional and health guidance. The design of this program was approved by the Technical Design Committee of the BISP Board and was reviewed during the 34^th meeting of the BISP Board. 

Current Status Of Benazir Nashonuma Program

The BISP Nashonuma Program was initially launched in 14 districts only. After its remarkable success during the pilot session, the program was launched throughout the country. 

The current government in Pakistan announced the launch of the Benazir Nashonuma Program in Punjab to address malnutrition-related challenges. The Minister for Primary and Secondary Healthcare Punjab, Khawaja Imran Nazeer announced the program. 

He explained that new centres will be set up in 26 districts in Punjab, providing micro-nutritional supplements to pregnant and lactating women and children under 2 years of age completely free of charge. 

As of now, the Nashonuma Program has become operational in 158 districts all over the country, with 512 active Nashonuma Centers, which also include mobile centres.

Goals Of The Benazir Nashonuma Program

Clearly, the program wants to handle the malnutrition crisis in Pakistan and promote the well-being of pregnant women and younger children. The primary goals of the BISP Nashonuma Program are as follows:

1. To prevent malnutrition in children under 2 years of age. 
2. To reduce anaemia and micronutrient deficiencies. 
3. To improve weight gain and nutrition of pregnant and lactating women. 
4. To improve awareness of maternal and early child health. 
5. To improve the nutrition of pregnant and lactating women and early-stage children. 
6. To reduce the diseases through immunization in pregnant women and early-stage children. 
7. To prevent low birth weight. 

The government devised this strategy to compel people to take better care of the pregnant women in their families and early-stage children in exchange for financial compensation. 

Since all the health and nutritional services will be provided free of cost, the mothers only have to commit to attending the awareness sessions, health checkups, nutritional uptakes, and medicines for their own well-being and the well-being of their children. 

Ensuring good nutrition is also now a sustainable development goal in the modern world. So, this program aligns with the objectives of the UN SDGs by ensuring proper nutrition for pregnant and lactating women and early-stage children. 

According to the Copenhagen Consensus, good nutrition is the most cost-effective and important means of advancing human well-being and advancing the SDGs. 

How Does The Benazir Nashonuma Program Works?

The BISP Nashonuma program promises financial compensation to Pregnant and Lactating Women for properly taking care of themselves and their children. 

It is a cash transfer intervention program that will provide additional cash of Rs. 2000 per quarter to pregnant or lactating women for a boy child and Rs. 2500 for a girl child until the child is two years old. 

In order to receive the cash payments, pregnant women must commit to attending regular antenatal health checks and awareness sessions. They will also be provided with specialized nutritional food for themselves and their children. 

They also have to take their children for regular immunization and health checks. If they comply with all the instructions, they will receive an additional cash transfer through this program. All the health, safety, nutritional, and immunization services will be provided free of cost. 

Benazir Nashonuma Program Eligibility Criteria

To be able to receive the additional quarterly cash bonus in the Nashonuma program, the beneficiary must meet the following criteria:

• The applicant must be a pregnant or lactating woman, or have a child less than 2 years of age. 
• The applicant must be an active BISP beneficiary who is receiving money under the Kafalat program. 
• The applicant must be a Pakistani citizen. 

Once you have identified your eligibility for the program, you can register for the program to start receiving its benefits. 

How To Apply For The Benazir Nashonuma Program? 

People have inquired whether they can apply through the BISP Nashonuma Program Online Registration. While the Benazir Raabta app on the Play Store and the Nashonuma App on Android allow you to apply or enrol in the program, they do not allow you to do so. 

Hence, there is no Benazir Nashonuma Program online registration process. Once you have identified that you are eligible for the program, you must visit the nearest Facilitation Center for getting enrolled in the program. 

Facilitation centres are located in over 180 districts around the country. Once you are enrolled in the program, you can confirm and verify your status in the NSER database through the Nashonuma online application. 

So, in the Nashonuma program, you can verify your beneficiary status through a CNIC number using the Android app. However, you must enrol by visiting the centre. Once your eligibility for the program has been verified by the Facilitation Center, you will be called in for verification of your status. 

The pregnant woman must undertake a pregnancy test or provide pregnancy test results, a confirmation report, and an EPI card of vaccination. 

Lactating mothers must provide a B-form of their child and an EPI card for vaccination proof. Women who have children that are between the ages of 6 to 23 months have to provide a B form and EPI card for vaccination proof. 

Failing to provide the required documents or show up for verification of eligibility by a doctor, the applicant will be marked non-eligible for the program. 

What Happens After You Are Approved For Benazir Nashonuma Program?

Once your local facilitation centre approves you for the Benazir Nashonuma program, you can check your status by providing your CNIC number in the Android application. 

Now, you have to follow the program’s instructions to the letter and ensure that you are consuming 90% of the specialized nutritional food provided by the program. 

Women will only receive the cash transfer if they have good compliance reports. The compliance reports comprise whether the pregnant or lactating woman is properly taking the Specialized Nutritional Food provided to her. The specialised nutritional food for pregnant and lactating women is one sachet of 75g Maamta per day.

The woman must regularly provide specialized nutritional food for children between 6 and 23 months. The specialized nutritional food for children is one Wawamum 50-gram sachet per day. 

The beneficiary must also comply with PHC services in addition to nutritional compliance. They must comply with ANC, PNC, and routine immunization. The mother and the children must receive all the medications properly and on time. The mother must also attend the awareness sessions for her well-being and the well-being of their children. 

The compliance reports will be aligned with the transfer schedule so that the payment is transferred to each beneficiary on time. The beneficiaries will receive Rs. 2000 per boy child and pregnant women and Rs. 2500 per girl child. The condition applies to twins and triplets as well. 

This amount is an additional bonus with the Kafalat program. So, if you are already receiving money in the BISP Kafalat program, you will receive the Nashonuma compensation in addition to it. 

Benazir Nashonuma Program Online Registration Last Date

The Benazir Nashonuma program is up and running throughout the year. There is no online registration process since the target community is the poor, which will rarely have access to such modern services. 

Instead, the program has opened hundreds of facilitation centers throughout the country to help the target audience. People can visit their nearest facilitation centre to verify their eligibility and enrol in the program. 

Enrollments run throughout the year. Once you are enrolled in the program, you can check your status online using the Nashonuma Android application by providing your CNIC number. 

Once a doctor verifies your eligibility, you will receive a quarterly compensation bonus in accordance with your compliance report. 

Scam Alert! Beware Of Fraud

Scams related to the Benazir Income Support Program have become very common in Pakistan. However, the BISP Nashonuma Program is run only through official facilitation centres. 

You cannot register for this program through any other means. You can check your status after enrollment through the Nashonuma app online, but the online registration process for Benazir Nashonuma doesn’t exist yet. 

There are many third-party sources that would claim they can get you registered or might promise compensation but they are not related to the official program. You must be wary of such fraudulent people and avoid going through third-party sources. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

In summary, the Benazir Nashonuma program is a remarkable government initiative that aims to reduce malnutrition and stunting in pregnant women and early-stage children. The program design is unique and effective as it compels women to receive better care for themselves and their children. The monetary compensation is quite persuasive especially as the health and nutritional services are provided free of cost. 

A program that started in just 14 districts has now spread to over 158 districts throughout the country and has shown excellent results in reducing malnutrition and improving the health of both mothers and early-stage children. Up till now, the program has helped over 1.2 million individuals including over 645,800 pregnant women and over 630,000 children.