Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, in order implement the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) election manifesto, on Monday vowed to finalise the Social Protection Strategy under which poverty reduction programmes would be launched in the next budget.
He said this while chairing a meeting, attended among others by Adviser to CM on Information Murtaza Wahab, CM’s Coordinator Hariz Gazdar, P&D Chairperson Naheed Shah, Principal Secretary to CM Sajid Jamal Abro, Finance Secretary Najam Shah and other officers concerned.
The chief minister said that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had directed him to launch social protection programmes as announced during the election campaign. These programmes would focus on poverty reduction and provide social security cover to the marginalised portion of the population, such as poorest of the poor and women.
Under the programme, there are certain sectors such as poverty reduction, family health, mother and child support programme, Benazir Hari Card, Benazir Women Agricultural Workers Programme and Internship Guarantee Programme.
The chief minister said that some of the poverty reduction programmes were already going on through different departments, and now these programmes would come under the supervision of a single department. He directed Naheed Shah to establish a separate unit in her department.
There were different proposals to reduce poverty, such as advancing small loans to youth and women to launch their small businesses and then return loan in easy instalments. Under this programme, womenfolk would be empowered by engaging them in agriculture sector in rural areas by giving them seeds and fertilisers.
The meeting decided to firm up proposals for launching these programmes, and the same would be approved by the appropriate forum.
In a separate meeting, the chief minister reviewed the development portfolio of the Health Department. The meeting was attended by Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, P&D Chairperson Naheed Shah, PSCM Sajid Jamal Abro, finance secretary, special secretary health and others.
The chief minister was told that 10 schemes of Rs 13.5 billion were in progress, against which Rs 7. 671.35 billion had been released and Rs 5 billion utilised. He said the remaining released funds would also be utilised by the end of the financial year.
The chief minister said that he was keen to complete upgradation work of DHQ Hospital Mithi for Rs 1.6 billion and THQ Kashmore for Rs 763.227 million, while there were various other schemes of upgradation and expansion of DHQs.
The meeting discussed outsourcing of all the lab facilities at government hospitals so that they could continue round the clock.
Meanwhile, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited the Malaysian Consulate and recorded his condolence message in the condolence book opened on the demise of King of Malaysia Sultan Ahmed Shah Al-Musta’in Billah.
On his arrival at the Malaysian Consulate, the chief minister was received by Consul General Khairul Nazran Abd Rehman.
