The minister made the remarks while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of a day care centre at the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF) head office. Waheeduddin said the reforms had been introduced to enable women to fully harness their potential and play their due role in national development. She said the reforms were being carried out under a comprehensive roadmap. The minister said this had put the nation on the path to progress. Today, she said, the nation was known for fostering a women-friendly environment.
Waheeduddin also presented a comprehensive overview of the various steps taken by the provincial government to improve the status of women. She said 56 day care centres had already been established across various public departments in the Punjab. The minister said an amount to the tune of Rs900 million had been earmarked for the construction of working women hostels. She said it was satisfying to note that such hostels had already been established in 16 districts across the Punjab.
The minister said family court complexes had been built across 10 districts while sites had been selected for additional complexes across another seven. She said women help desks had been established across 680 police stations province-wide. Waheeduddin said staff remained at hand there to facilitate women visitors. She said it was heartening to note that management contracts of 9,000 canteens across girls’ schools in various districts had been awarded to women.
Waheeduddin said amendments related to land revenue had elevated the status of women and instilled them with hope, resilience and confidence.
She said 12,000 animals had been provided to women possessing less than one acre of land to help them generate more income.
PEF Chairman Qamarul Islam said the foundation had been striving to elevate women’s social standing through education. He said 45 per cent of the PEF’s beneficiaries were women. Islam said the PEF had ensured that a conducive environment was fostered across its partner schools for its girl beneficiaries. He said the foundation’s programmes in Cholistan were particularly beneficial for local communities.
PEF MD Tariq Mahmood said women had been working in positions of influence at the foundation.
He said the PEF had promoted girls’ education by collaborating over the establishment of partner schools across underprivileged communities where people could not afford to send them to distant localities to get educated. Mahmood said the foundation was extremely keen about promoting girls’ education.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 10th, 2016.
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