PB Govt Took Historical Initiatives For Women Empowerment: Hameeda

PB govt took historical initiatives for women empowerment: Hameeda

LAHORE, Mar 7 (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 07th Mar, 2017 ) : The Punjab government enjoying its moral victory in providing facilities, protecting rights and other record breaking measures including Punjab Women Empowerment Package (PWEP) 2012, Punjab Women Empowerment Initiatives (PWEI) 2014, and Punjab Women Empowerment Package (PWEP) 2016, will celebrate International Women's Day on Wednesday in an enthusiastic manner.

Talking to APP, Punjab Minister for Women Development Hameeda Waheed-ud-Din said that Punjab government has took so many initiatives in providing rights to women during its two tenures. "Feeling responsibility of providing rights to women, Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in his first tenure (2007 to 2013) aimed to provide rights to them, announced Punjab Women Empowerment Package in 2012", she added.

The minister said the Punjab government had took many other steps including Punjab Working Women Endowment Fund and establishment of family courts complex in each district, maternity leave, Day Care Centre, Women Entrepreneurs, Interest Free Loan and Vocational Training for them.

She said "this was the first ever initiatives in the country which provided women extra confidence as they might protect their rights, redressing social and legal grievances through these initiatives and landmark legislation recently passed by the Punjab Assembly".

Hameeda said that Women Harassment Act 2012 was proved a welcome step of government in which complete protection was provided to working women from sexual harassment. She said that Punjab government has also announced easy loan scheme for women medical officers for set up their private clinics and Punjab Health Foundation (PHF) would facilitate them in this regard, adding that government has also amended Land Revenue Act for facilitating women in their right of inheritance.

"Putting behind all these measures, Punjab government has provided a "Women Protection Bill 2016", which has given extra confidence to women", she added. The minister said that establishment of cottage villages for women in labour colonies as a sale point of handmade clothes, jewelry, handicrafts, distribution of poultry & cattle among rural women for economic empowerment and increase of production in livestock and meat, exclusive space in existing Sunday Bazars and Ramadan Bazars, free of cost vocational training to women belonging to minority communities, special initiative to provide an opportunity to women contractors to run canteens in Women educational and training institutions, affordable residential facilities voucher scheme for working women, harassment awareness volunteer program, establishment of Punjab Commission on the status of women, help desks for females in every police station, toll free women's helpline, Domestic Workers Policy and Land Revenue Laws were main initiatives for empowering women in the province.

Like other parts of the country, Punjab government has also arranged so many activities to mark Internationa Women's Day on Wednesday, however main ceremony will be held at Aiwan-e-Iqbal under the aegis of Women Development Department.

Punjab Chief Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be the chief guest while provincial minister Hameeda Waheed-ud-Din will highlight the performance of the government in empowering women.