Empowerment: Govt launches training programme for 3,663 women councilors

A group of master trainers will provide training to local government representatives.

LAHORE: In order to help them perform their duties with dedication and focus, the government of Punjab has launched a comprehensive awareness programme for women councilors at all divisional headquarters of the province.

Speaking to a select group of journalist on Sunday, Punjab Minister for Local Government and Community Development (LGCD) Manshaullah Butt said 3,663 women councilors would participate in the programme. The programme is aimed at raising awareness among women councilors about their rights, economic independence and various women empowerment related legislations.

He highlighted that the programme was a part of the Annual Development Programme 2017-18 in which 573 women councilors from Lahore, 391 from Gujranwala, 395 from Rawalpindi, 411 from Sargodha, 747 from Faisalabad, 406 from Multan, 225 from Sahiwal, 259 from Bahawalpur and 259 from Dera Ghazi Khan would participate.

“The government has acquired services of the experts in different sectors to provide training to women councilors,” he maintained.

Under Punjab Chief Minister’s Clean Village Programme (Saaf Dehat Programme), Butt indicated that a group of master trainers has already been trained with Rs29 million funding provided by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF).

“These trainers will impart training to local government representatives in all rural union councils. The initiative will help socio economic uplift of rural areas as agriculture is the backbone of Pakistan’s economy,” he underlined.

The minister said the Punjab government has recently started the Clean Village Program at the cost of Rs18.5 billion in all 36 districts of Punjab.

“Cleanliness in rural areas is always remained a big challenge for the government but these trained local government representatives will help in improving cleanliness and service delivery in rural areas and make them at par with urban centers,” he said.

In collaboration with The Urban Unit, the LGCD has already initiated process to formulate a comprehensive plan for waste collection and its disposition in a safe and efficient manner. The initiative would not only help in improving sanitation conditions in villages across Punjab but it would also help in reducing burden on health infrastructure of the province.

“The government,” he said, “has decided to use stick and carrot approach for implementation of Clean Village Programme. The government will appreciate public representative and local administration of top three union councils in which cleanliness situation is maintained and will take action against poor performers.”

“The cleanliness drive is already underway in different villages of the province and now it is the responsibility of the local administration and local government representatives to maintain sanitation conditions in their jurisdiction. The provincial government will provide all out support to them for the task,” he remarked.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2017.