Special poverty reduction programs to be launched in the next budget: CM

KARACHI: The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, to implement the PPP election manifesto pledges, presided over a meeting to finalize the Social Protection Strategy under which poverty reduction programs were being planned to be launched in the next budget.

The meeting was attended by the CM’s Advisor on Information Murtaza Wahab, CM’s Coordinator, Hariz Gazdar, Chairperson, P&D, Naheed Shah, Principal Secretary to CM, Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretary Finance, Najam Shah, and other concerned officers.

The Chief Minister said that the PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, directed him to launch social protection programs as announced in the 2019 elections. These programs would focus on poverty reduction and provide social security cover to the marginalized portion of the population, such as the poorest of the poor and women.

Under the program, there are certain sectors such as poverty reduction, family health, mother and child support program, Benazir Hari Card, Benazir Women Agricultural Workers Program, and the Internship Guarantee program.

The Chief Minister said that some of the poverty reduction programs were already going on through different departments now these programs would be summed up in a single department so that they may be adequately focused on. He directed the Chairman, P&D, Naheed Shah, to establish a separate unit in her department.

Different proposals were laid out to reduce poverty, such as advancing small loans to youth and women to launch their small businesses and then return the investment in easy instalments. Under this program, womenfolk would be empowered by engaging them in the agriculture sector in rural areas by giving them seed and fertilizers. The youth would be given scholarships to continue their higher education.

The meeting decided to firm up proposals for launching these programs, and the same would be approved from the appropriate forum.

In a separate meeting, the Chief Minister reviewed the development portfolio of the Health Department. The meeting was attended by Sindh Health Minister, Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Chairperson, P&D, Naheed Shah, PSCM, Sajid Jamala Abro, Secretary Finance, Special Secretary Health and others.

The Chief Minister was told that ten schemes of Rs13.5 billion were in progress against which Rs7.671.35 billion have been released against which Rs5 billion have been utilized, and the remaining released funds would also be utilized by the end of the financial year.

The Chief Minister said that he was keen to complete the upgradation work of the DHQ Hospital Mithi of Rs1.6 billion, THQ Kashmore of Rs763.227 million along with various other schemes of upgradation of and expansion of DHQs.

The meeting discussed outsourcing all the lab facilities in government hospitals so that they could continue round the clock.

Condolence: The 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 the King of Malaysia, His Royal Highness Sultan Ahmed Shah Al-Musta’in Billah.

On his arrival at Malaysian Consulate, the Chief Minister was received by the Consul General Mr Khairul Nazran Abd Rehman.