DASKA - PML-L N lawmakers during a seminar urged women to come forward and work shoulder-to-shoulder with men for the national development and prosperity, as the country’s more than half population consists of women.
A seminar was held on women’s rights held here on Thursday. MNA Dr Shakeela Luqman, MPAs Shabeena Majeed Wayin and Gulnaz Shujaat Ali Pasha were also present.
The MNA added that women could resolve their social and economic problems by learning getting the training of advanced skills, besides, getting their social and political rights by participating in national construction as well. She said that the government was striving to protect their rights, adding that the protection of rights is the responsibility of the state. The government has established a separate department to protect the rights of the women, she said.
She said that the government was amending the laws and making necessary legislation to halt the violence against women including acid throwing, torture and their harassment. She said that the stoppage of heinous crimes against women would also help empower them and build their capacity to including them in stream of national development and prosperity by ensuring the active participation of women in national policy making.
Addressing the participants, MPA Shabeena Majeed said that the provincial government had also established free help lines in all the districts of Punjab in a bid to halt crimes against women, besides, promoting awareness about the women’s rights in the society and providing them secured atmosphere. She said that now society could develop without the education and development of women and non could negate the significance of the women in nation-building and national development.
She said that the government had also increased the quota of women in government departments from five percent to 15 percent. She disclosed that the “Rozgar Bank” was also being established across Punjab in which women would get their special 30 percent quota. She noted that the Punjab government had allocated special funds of Rs1.86 billion during the current fiscal budget of year 2014-15 to ensure the pivotal role of the women in economical and social sectors.
She narrated that under the supervision of Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif, the provincial government was also encouraging the establishment of hostels for the working women in the province for providing better and secured residential facilities to working women closer to their work places. She added that the government had decided to introduce a Special Voucher Scheme for the welfare of the working women across. Under the scheme, she added, the government would issue the special vouchers to working women, enabling them to get free residential facilities in government hostels after showing their special vouchers.
MPA Gulnaz said that 118,702 women in Punjab had got easy and soft terms loans under the Punjab Chief Minister’s Self Employment Scheme for women empowerment. She added that 42 percent women  could get these loans under this scheme  during the fiscal year 2014-15.
She added that 800,000 women across Punjab would be given necessary training of advanced skills under Punjab CM’s Skill Development Scheme during the next four years, as it would provide them the employment opportunities after training.