LAHORE - Punjab Minister for Women Development Department Hameeda Waheeduddin has said that women empowerment is essential for growth.
She was addressing a meeting here at the Committee Room of WDD to review implementation status of the initiatives of WDD of Punjab Women Empowerment Packages, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2017 and ADP 2017-18. Representatives of departments concerned and WDD also attended the meeting.
Various initiatives of women empowerment have been taken including women protection laws, institutional mechanism for prevention of violence against women, women crisis and rehabilitation help desks, domestic workers policy, right to equal remuneration/ wages, establishment of cottage villages for women in labour colonies. Other initiatives include encouraging private sector to adopt employment policies, inclusion of women in executive bodies as office-bearers in trade unions, technical training of workers' wives, free-of-cost vocational training to women belonging to minority communities.
Similarly skill development of female students with stipend of Rs1000 per month, daycare centre, working women hostels, training of women domestic workers, IT training by WDD through PITB, Fatima Jinnah Awards and existing mobile units to be provided with all basic facilities of screening of breast cancer in rural areas, training of women councilors, property rights to women and others were also reviewed in detail.
The minister directed the meeting to ensure effective implementation on women empowerment packages according to the vision of the Punjab government so that maximum women folk could be benefitted.
PDWP approves Rs1884m
uplift projects
The Punjab Provincial Development Working Party (PDWP) approved two development schemes of agriculture and road sectors with an estimated cost of Rs 1884.103 million. According to P&D spokesman here Tuesday, the approved development schemes included: Development of Floriculture Markets in Punjab at the cost of Rs264.068 million and dualisation of Sahiwal-Arifwala Road from KM No 2.54 to 44.66=42.12 km, District Sahiwal/Pakpattan (Revised) at the cost of Rs1620.035 million.
He added that these schemes were approved in the 44th PDWP meeting of current fiscal year 2017-18 presided over by Planning and Development (P&D) Chairman Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, while P&D Secretary Iftikhar Ali Sahoo, all members of P&D Board, Provincial Secretaries concerned, Assistant Chief P&D Coordination-II Hafiz Muhammad Iqbal and other senior representatives of the relevant Provincial Departments also attended the meeting.