Govt finalises plan to provide 22,000 bikes to women

Islamabad:The federal government has finalized a programme to provide 22,000 motor bikes to women from across the country under the Prime Minister's Women on Whee­ls programme.

According to the details, thousands of hardworking women like employed, entrepreneurs, students and polio workers from Quetta to Kashmir are likely to benefit from this scheme. The government has decided to give main responsibility to National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) for implementation of this programme in letter and spirit.

The NCSW said "We are so excited for entrusting with Women on Wheels-project worth Rs4476.17 million under the PM's initiatives. This project will increase ease of mobility for women and empower them economically and socially." It is pertinent to mention here that the Punjab government has also decided to provide scooties (motorcycles) to all female teachers, lady polio workers, women health workers and working women of all government and semi-government institutions across the province.

These scooties will only be given to permanent women employees. This year, 160,000 scooters will be provided to the female employees on a monthly instalment of Rs2,500 to Rs3,000 depending on the employment status. The distribution of these scooters will be completed between August and November this year.

To spot women on motorbikes is a rare occurrence in our society where men traditionally dominate the roads.

An official has said "The initiative is not just to enable women to ride bikes, but is also creating general awareness on road safety and regulations. More importantly, it includes empowering wom­en financially by providing jobs such as delivery service providers through partnerships with private sector companies." He said "We will also provide bikes to those women hailing from the less-privileged strata of society who want to ride bikes but are not able to buy them. Interestingly, the record shows that very small number of women car drivers was issued traffic tickets last year as they rarely commit any traffic violations."