Rs1000m for rights, minority affairs

LAHORE: The provincial government has allocated Rs1000 million for Human Rights and Minority Affairs Department for financial year 2019-20.

An amount of Rs1000 million has been allocated for new schemes and Rs320m for Minority Development Fund (MDF), Rs25m for educational scholarships for minority students, Rs10m for awareness of human rights and interfaith harmony, Rs300m for development of model localities of minorities, Rs100m for improvement/renovation of religious places of minorities to promote tourism. As many as Rs100m have been earmarked for socio-economic support for minorities through special grant, Rs25m for financial assistance of deserving minority students through PEEF and Rs120m for completion of the ongoing schemes in Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Narowal and Sahiwal.

The Human Rights and Minorities Affairs Department aims to protect and promote the human rights as well as the welfare of all minorities in Punjab. It aims to provide free quality education to the minority students through educational scholarships and mainstreaming the minorities through development schemes.

The objective of the government is to remove the sense of deprivation in the minorities by providing civic amenities to their residential areas. The department will promote religious tourism. The government’s vision is to provide financial support to qualified, educated and skillful members of minorities.

Social Welfare: The Punjab government has allocated Rs1,000 million for Social Welfare Department for the financial year 2019-20. As many as Rs710 million of the proposed allocation will be spent on the new schemes while Rs 289.685 million will be spent on the ongoing projects.

The department will carry out 11 new schemes. The department will establish a community welfare centre for transgender people at a cost of Rs23m. An amount of Rs10m has been allocated for construction of building of Darul Aman Shelter Home in Gujrat, Rs5 m for strengthening and capacity building of planning wing of Directorate General SW&BM, Punjab, Lahore, Rs80m for establishment of six Panahgahs in various hospitals in Lahore, Rs70m for upgrade of model children homes in Bahwalpur and Dera Ghazi Khan, Rs70m allocated for provision of missing facilities in the existing institutions of Social Welfare Department across Punjab. An amount of Rs25m has been allocated for an awareness campaign for eradication of social evils/crimes across the province, Rs55.747m for upgrade of the existing Sanatzars and Qasr-e-Behboods, Rs 147.682m for establishment of Pannahgahs at all the divisional headquarters across the province and Rs130m allocated for establishment of violence against women centres in Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore and Bahawalpur.