ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Friday that a program is being designed to capacitate the ultra-poor households in graduating out of poverty on a sustainable basis.
Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri told the House during Question Hour that this 5.7 billion rupees program is being prepared with the cooperation of the Ministry of Planning. She said the key interventions under this program will include development of forty village social enterprises around agriculture and livestock value chains and transfer of productive assets to the eighty thousand ultra-poor households for income generation and self-reliance.
She said digital skills will be imparted to fifteen thousand rural poor particularly the youth to harness the potential of e-commerce and freelancing as well as to bridge the digital divide between urban and rural youth. She said financial services will be provided to eighty thousand poor households for livelihood development and diversification. Responding to a supplementary question, the Minister for Poverty Alleviation said the devastating floods have badly impacted our people. At present, she said, assessment is being carried out as to how the floods have impacted their social economic condition. She said targeted cash relief has been provided to the flood victims under Benazir Income Support Program. She said the budget of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has been enhanced to three hundred and sixty four billion rupees.
She said a new payment mechanism is being considered to ensure that the women beneficiaries get the payments in a dignified manner. Parliamentary Secretary for Cabinet Nadeem Abbass said 3G and 4G services are available to seventy eight percent population of the country. He said the government is now in the process of consultation for assessing 5G technology launch in the country.
The National Assembly also passed a resolution, demanding formation of a Commission of Inquiry for investigation into blatant human rights violations in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The resolution moved by Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali strongly denounced Indian state terrorism and violation of international laws and human rights in the Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir. It also rejected Indian illegal steps in the occupied territory.
Expressing solidarity with the Kashmiri brothers and sisters, the resolution reaffirmed Pakistan’s moral, political and diplomatic support to the Kashmiri people in their legitimate struggle for right to self-determination enshrined also in the UN Security Council resolutions. The National Assembly also passed two bills. These included the Inter-Governmental Commercial Transactions Bill, 2022 and the Criminal Laws Amendment Bill, 2022. The bills were moved by Minister for Law Azam Nazir Tarar. The House has now been adjourned to meet again on Monday at 05:00 pm.