Only Rs250m allocated for women development in ADP

Ongoing schemes include complexes in Karachi and Nawabshah, daycare centres

KARACHI: Most of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations are interlinked with women development such as 'no poverty', 'good health and well-being', 'quality education', 'gender equality', 'decent work and economic growth',  'reduced inequalities' and 'peace, justice and strong institutions'.

However, the provincial government, which claims to be a champion of women empowerment, has allocated a paltry Rs250 million for women development in the Annual Development Programme (ADP) for the 2018-19 fiscal year.

The total budget for development schemes relating to women development has been divided into 10 ongoing schemes. Like other sectors, no new scheme was introduced for women development in the budget. The outgoing government deemed it appropriate not to announce new schemes so that the new government could announce them based on its manifesto.

An amount of Rs35 million has been allocated in the budget from the thrown forward amount of Rs461 million for the implementation of a gender reforms action plan in Shikarpur, Sukkur, Nawabshah, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Jacobabad, Hyderabad and Karachi.



The total estimated cost of the scheme was Rs544.77 million and it was approved in December, 2011. An amount of Rs10 million was added to the scheme's budget when it was revised for the outgoing fiscal year. According to the budget estimates, only 22% funds for the scheme will be utilised by June 2019, six-and-a-half years since its initiation.

Of the Rs250 million for women development in the ADP, a major chunk of Rs107 million has been allocated for the establishment of the Women Development Complex in Karachi. The project was approved in January 2018 at an estimated cost of Rs244.27 million. The government expects that 49% funds for the project will be utilised in the coming fiscal year.

Amounts of Rs3 million and Rs15 million have been allocated for a working women's hostel and Women Development Complex in Nawabshah respectively.



The hostel was initially approved in 2011 but only 4% of its funds have been utilised it so far. The complex was approved in 2009 and if the complete funds allocated for it in the current fiscal year were utilised, its financial progress would have been 54%.  The estimated costs of the hostel and complex in Nawabshah when the schemes were approved stood at Rs13.76 million and Rs44.76 million respectively.

The provincial government has earmarked Rs12 million in the coming fiscal year's budget for advocacy of women empowerment in Sindh. The scheme was approved in 2011 at an estimated cost of Rs49.38 million.



The establishment of three daycare centres in Karachi and one in each divisional headquarters in Sindh is another scheme that has been languishing since 2011 when it was estimated at Rs95.57 million. The total amount allocated for the scheme in the new budget is Rs20 million.

The scheme for the repair and maintenance of the Women Training Institute in Nawabshah was approved in 2017 at an estimated cost of Rs36.55 million. As of now, no money has been spent on the project. However, a sum of Rs20.82 million has been allocated for the scheme in the new budget.