Child labour policy being evolved under global laws: minister

LAHORE: Provincial Minister for Finance Dr Ayesha Ghaus Pasha has said that it is essential to activate every segment of society for the improvement of country’s economy.

She expressed these views while presiding over the seventh meeting of Board of Directors of Punjab Social Protection Authority.

She said that Punjab Social Protection Authority is ensuring effective role of deprived segment for making it self-sufficient for the economic development of the province. Besides education, technical training is being imparted to special persons. She said that female students of rural and urban areas are being motivated through scholarships for getting education.

Unemployed persons are being provided job opportunities through interest-free loans, she said, adding that a Child Labour Policy is being evolved according to international laws keeping in view the needs of poor families, under which, the students besides their education, will be able to do such part time jobs as will be suitable according to their age.

The provincial minister said that special training programmes were being chalked out for uneducated persons for getting honourable jobs. The scope of Khidmat Card is being expanded from special persons and labourers’ children to elderly persons as well as men and women affected by fire and acid, she said and added that planning is being made for the rehabilitation of curable blind persons and provision of financial assistance to the bereaved families of martyrs belonging to civil society.

She said that opportunities for the skills training would be provided to the less educated minority’s persons for selection of best jobs and increasing their income so that they should not remain limited only to the cleanliness work. 

Dr Ayesha congratulated the Authority for issuing Khidmat Cards for monthly scholarships of Rs1,000 for 460,000 female students at a time in 16 districts under Khadim-e-Punjab Zaver-e–Taleem Programme and appreciated the team efforts. The meeting was aimed at reviewing the performance of Social Protection Authority and approving its future projects.

Chief Executive Officer of Punjab Social Protection Authority, Dr Sohail Anwar gave briefing to the board members about the agenda of the meeting and the proposed projects of the budget 2017-18. Secretary, Information and Culture Raja Jehangir Anwar informed about the details of the Financial Assistance Scheme for the artiste. He told the meeting that Information & Culture Department in collaboration with Social Protection Authority wanted to ensure provision of scholarship to the needy artistes on permanent basis instead of providing them financial assistance on temporary basis so that they should not be left unattended after end of their artistic career.

Director Programmes Punjab Welfare Society for rehabilitation of special persons Dr Izhar Hashmi also threw light on the projects regarding rehabilitation of blind, mentally retarded and acid affected persons. He proposed launching of pension scheme “Kharajul Shuhada” for the bereaved families of martyrs of civil society and starting practicable projects in collaboration with World Food Organisation for the protection of food and income resources from seasonal effects which were approved by the board. The meeting also approved constitution of three sub-committees e.g Finance, Social Policy and Human Resource.

Later, the minister directed the PSPA Chief Executive Officer to compile the data about all on-going projects of social welfare and ensure provision of all information and facilities to the people under one roof.