Govt allocates nearly Rs170m for social projects

Hostel for working women, resource unit for autistic children among the projects

ISLAMABAD: Even as the government cut funding for health for the upcoming fiscal year, it has allocated Rs168.39 million for a host of social welfare schemes in the capital in the annual budget.

According to the An Annual Development Plan 2018-19, a National Institute of Human Rights will be built in the capital at a cost of around Rs58.7 million. In this regard, an allocation of Rs35.5million has been made in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.



Similarly, to build a hostel for working women in Sector G-6/2 and Sector G-7/3, the government aims to spend Rs290.5 million. While the project has yet to be approved by the competent forum, the budget has allocated Rs60 million for it.

Other programmes included in the next fiscal year are the establishment of a resource unit for autistic children at the National Education Centre for Special Children in Sector H-8/4 at a cost of Rs54.35 million. A sum of Rs22 million has been allocated for it in the fiscal year 2018-19.



Upgrade of the National Special Education Centre for Hearing Impaired Children from Higher Secondary to Graduation Level in Islamabad, at a cost of Rs44.64 million, has been allocated Rs27.13 million in the upcoming budget.

Moreover, the government has allocated Rs9.258 million in the budget to establish an Orthopaedic Workshop at the National Special Education Centre for Physically Handicapped Children in Islamabad. The project is expected to cost a total of Rs20.26 million.

A Centre for Social Entrepreneurship will be built in Islamabad at a cost of Rs178.43 million. Around Rs50 million of this has been set aside in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2018.