Survey: Poverty assessment to support more households

GILGIT:

A survey conducted last year to assess the level of poverty in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) has been re-launched to include those who were missed.

Ajmal Baig, an official in the Benazir Income Support Programme, told The Express Tribune on Thursday that the responsibility of the survey has been given to Aga Khan Rural Support Programme, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO) that had assisted in the earlier survey.

The decision to re-launch the survey was taken in the light of complaints that the government left out many households earlier. The survey has been formally launched in Skardu and will be conducted in all those areas of G-B where there were complaints, he official said. He reasoned that given the difficult terrain of the mountainous region, the possibility of missing out on some households cannot be ruled out.

The original survey report along with a briefing is available with the government.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 25^th, 2012.