Skilled women to get easy loans, says CM’s aide

MANSEHRA: Chief Minister’s advisor on Social Welfare and Special Education Mashal Yousafzai on Friday said the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had initiated an easy loan scheme for women trained in embroidery and other vocational skills throughout the province.

“The provincial government has earmarked Rs5 billion in the next financial year’s budget to empower women by providing them with loans to initiate their businesses,” Mashal Yusufzai told a gathering here.

MPA Munir Hussain Lughmani and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf provincial deputy president Kamal Saleem Swati were also present on the occasion.Mashal Yousufzai said that under the Hunarmand programme, which was going to be launched by July this year across the province the women and girls who had completed pieces of training in embroidery, kenning, sewing and other vocations could get Rs500,000 loans each to establish their businesses.

“If we empower a woman financially and socially, it means we have been providing employment opportunities to an entire family to earn a respectable livelihood,” she said.The chief minister’s aide said task forces were being established in each district to ensure fair distributions of sewing machines to vocational centres established to impart handicrafts and skilled training.

“We have decided not to directly give away sewing machines to women this time. And all such gadgets will be handed over to vocational institutes while people with disabilities will be provided with wheelchairs and crutches,” she added.