Sindh govt okays food security, women agriculture support programmes

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over the first meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Board on Monday, approved the feasibility studies of a Food Security – the Bhook Mitao - Programme and a Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Support Programme.

These programmes are aimed at benefitting the marginalised population and will be launched once the feasibility studies are successfully conducted. The meeting was attended by the board members, including Minister for Health Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Minister for Education Syed Sardar Shah, Minister for Labour Shahid Thahim, Principal Secretary to CM Agha Wasif, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Secretary Finance Fayaz Jatoi, Secretary Social Protection Rafiq Mustafa, Haris Gazdar, CEO Social Protection Unit Samiullah Shaikh, Sono Khanghrani, Prof Amar Sindhu, Shabnam Baloch, and Asama Bloch.

Secretary Social Protection Rafiq Mustafa and CEO Social Protection Unit Samiullah Shaikh briefed the board members about the two programmes: Bhook Mitao programme and the Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Support programme.

The Food Security Programme is aimed at establishing a combination of instruments and scientific methods for studying food security. It aims to identify vulnerable groups and propose feasible designs for addressing food security issues and minimising vulnerability to hunger in marginalised populations.

During the meeting, the board members discussed the programme and approved the feasibility study on the “Bhook Mitao” programme. They have allocated a budget of Rs30 million for the feasibility study and other allied works.

The Sindh government aims to provide social protection to working women in agriculture sector through the Benazir Women Agriculture Support programme. This will be done through a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, provided they register with the Labour Department and visit health facilities for medical check-ups during and after pregnancy. To assess the feasibility of the programme and how it should be implemented, the Social Protection Strategy Unit (SPSU) plans to conduct a study.

The board has approved Rs30 million for the feasibility study, and the Social Protection Department has already started the process of hiring firms through a competitive process. The CM was informed that the department had hired the firms through a competitive process.

The board members were also briefed about the strengthening of a Sindh Social Protection Service Delivery System Programme. Under the programme, a mother and child support programme has been launched with the support of the World Bank for $28.15 million. The programme has been initiated in 15 predominantly rural districts, prioritising those with the highest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The board was informed that the targeted 1.31 beneficiaries (pregnant women) were being given Rs30,000 in cash for 1,000 days. So far Rs313.2 million have been disbursed among 152,349 registered beneficiaries. The board approved the project.