Minister for poverty alleviation visits PBM HQs

Islamabad:Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Sayed Imran Ahmed Shah, accompanied by Secretary, Mr Navid Ahmed Shaikh, paid a visit to the headquarters of Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal (PBM), where the Managing Director briefed them in detail on the organization’s ongoing welfare initiatives.

The Minister was informed that over the past five years, more than 150,000 patients suffering from life-threatening diseases have received financial assistance amounting to Rs. 15.4 billion.

In the field of education, scholarships worth approximately Rs. 970 million have been awarded to over 32,000 students from Grade 11 up to PhD level. For women’s empowerment, more than 475,000 women have received vocational training through 165 Women Empowerment Centres. To protect children, 46 Sweet Homes and 160 Child Labour Schools are currently operational. In addition, more than 9.7 million individuals have benefitted from 17 Panahgahs (shelters), while under the “Food for All” initiative, 30 food vans are distributing meals daily across various regions.

Persons with disabilities have been provided with artificial limbs, assistive devices, and financial support, and the first Senior Citizens Home for the elderly has been established in Lahore. The Federal Minister appreciated Pakistan Bait-ul-Mal’s efforts in the health and education sectors but stressed the need for enhanced performance in other areas. He directed that surprise monthly visits be conducted to welfare institutions, particularly Panahgahs and Sweet Homes, to ensure the effective delivery of services.

He also instructed that modern training courses be arranged for trainers at Women Empowerment Centres and Child Labour Schools, and that the certificates awarded by these centres be upgraded to meet international standards for practical application. A regular audit and impact assessment of all projects must be conducted, and digitisation should be adopted to improve transparency and redirect expenditure on health and education initiatives. He further instructed that child protection centres and schools in former FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa be expanded on a priority basis, and services such as thalassemia centres be scaled up across the country. The Federal Minister emphasized that to make social safety initiatives effective, sustainable, and transparent, a combination of monitoring, training, and technology is essential.