President launches Waseela-e-Haq for women emancipation
Pakistan
President launches Waseela-e-Haq for women emancipation
President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday launched the Waseela-e-Haq programme aimed at socio-economic empowerment of women and to enable families an opportunity for self-employment. Addressing the launching ceremony of the scheme under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), also attended by Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani at President House, the President termed the scheme a dream come true of the concept given by Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Under the scheme 731 families, selected through a monthly draw, will get Rs 300,000 each, to enable them start some self-employment project. The BISP currently has 2.2 million beneficiaries and are divided in 731 clusters of 3000 families each. The President said the government would pursue the vision of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who always struggled for the rights of women in the country. He said under the scheme, funds would be provided to give economic empowerment to the poorest of the poor women to help them support their families. Zardari said the government would soon bring more similar programmes to alleviate poverty, generate economic activity and increase employment opportunities. Prime Minister Gilani terming the scheme achievement of yet another milestone towards fulfillment of the vision of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said so far Rs 19 billion have been dispersed under the BISP. The programme is a key pillar in our policy of rehabilitating the poor masses, getting them out of the cruel poverty cycle, and redirecting their energies towards nation building, through well-coordinated state interventions. He said the objective of Waseela-e-Haq was to economically empower the women belonging to poor segments of the society and to make them independent. Chairperson of BISP Ms Farzana Raja said the new revolutionary project will help the government address the financial problems of the masses, as was provided under the PPP manifesto. The function was attended by large number of federal ministers, parliamentarians, senior officials and party workers.
.jpg)
