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Micro credit facility for women from April 15

RECORDER REPORT

LAHORE: The Punjab government is to provide loans to women under the 'micro credit' facility from April 15 in 31 districts of the province.

This was disclosed by Punjab Minister for Social Welfare Shaheen Atiqur Rehman, while addressing a seminar on 'New Century and Woman Rights' held under the auspices of Human Rights Society of Pakistan (HRSP) here on Sunday.

She said that under the micro credit facility, women will be able to get loan in shape of groups, adding every group will be provided an amount to the tune of Rs. 3,000. She said that the government was committed to improve the living standard and socio-economic conditions of woman folk, and micro credit facility was a part of that commitment of the present regime.

She said that it was a matter of grave concern that the death rate among married women was increasing alarmingly and added that most of deaths were occur due to delivery-related complexities. "After every 20 minutes a mother was dying in the province due to such diseases," she revealed. To create awareness about such complexities, the Punjab government had planned to impart education to female students in all educational institutions of the province.

She termed dowry as an unIslamic rite, and said that it was unfortunate that no government in past has been successful in eradicating this curse. She said that increasing rate of population in the province was another problem that needed to be addressed on priority basis. She said that in 25,000 villages of the Punjab, the rate of population was increasing rapidly.

The minister said that the government was concentrating on resolving the problems of women at regional level and for this purpose it would provide them legal aid. "We want to abolish the monopoly of Lahore and shift the powers to local level so that people could get their problems resolved locally," she said.

Renowned Lawyer SM Zafar said: "Our society was a male-dominated society and it was unfortunate that males always used women as a 'tool' in politics." He added it was a kind of exploitation that must be stopped.

He said that General Pervez Musharraf has called a women conference on March 31. He urged the women to ensure their participation in this moot in order to apprise the Chief Executive about their problems and grievances.

Human rights activist Hina Jilani, referring to a statement of the Interior Minister appearing in the press on Sunday about excesses against women lashed out at the recent court decision in which they have allowed men to get second marriage on the pretext of increasing population of women. She said, in fact, woman population was decreasing due to the mounting death rate.

She also underscored the need of ensuring political and social rights to women in addition to economic ones.

PML Central Working Committee Member Begum Mehnaz Rafi also spoke on the occasion and stressed for resolving the problems of women.