Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) plans to carry out a national poverty survey from August to identify more deserving families, BISP Chairwoman Farzana Raja told . She said the national survey would be initiated following the completion of a pilot project of the first-ever poverty survey by the end of July in 16 districts of all the provinces, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Northern Areas.

She said the 16 districts were selected for the survey on the basis of their poverty level, accessibility, security situation and presence of the surveying organisations. She said the compiled data would be helpful in identification of shortcomings and their rectification for a full-fledged survey in the remaining districts by the year-end.