KARACHI: Rs82 million welfare plan for women prepared
KARACHI, Nov 25: The Sindh government is considering a proposal for launching a programme to be known as Sindh Women Economic Elevation Programme (SWEEP), APP has learnt through official sources.
Proposed to be run under the Khushhal Pakistan Programme, the implementation of SWEEP will cost Rs82 million.
To be sponsored by the Planning and Development Department, it will be executed by the cooperation department through district cooperative societies and all the districts of Sindh will be the target areas.
The objectives of the programme will be:
— to provide interest-free loans to talented, developing and trained women to start their own business, profession or trade,
— to encourage and generate self and cooperative employment among women,
— to create job opportunities in the private sector and to minimize burden of the government
— to encourage women to participate in national development by establishing their own profession, business or trade on cooperative basis under the Cooperative Societies Act 1925.
It has been observed that cooperative movement can play an important role to alleviate the sufferings of the common man, especially in the cooperative sector, including women development activities.
The focus will be on the vital women sector, whose members can benefit and much can be done to alleviate their sufferings.
From experience it is clear that women form approximately 60 per cent of the village population. But illiteracy, coupled with possessiveness of man, reduces her to a mere labourer, not adding much to formal economy.
Sindh has 152 women cooperative societies with a membership of 6612 and of working capital of over Rs7 million.
Of them Karachi has 19 societies, Hyderabad/Mirpurkhas 42, larkana 44 and Sukkur 47.
Industrial homes, vocational centres, primary schools, health centres under these societies provide for training to young budding talents in handicraft, garments, embroidery, knitting, sewing and primary education. Such establishments help in generating income, resulting in enhancement of socio-economic conditions of the woman.
These societies made a good start, but non-availability of seed money for almost a decade, has rendered them inactive and some special measures would be needed to reactivate them for their successful thriving.
As per proposal, the SWEEP is introduced for funding under government’s announced economic package to cater for their needs by providing interest-free loans to the existing women cooperative societies, enabling them to become financially sound so as to meet the requirements of their members.
The main object of the programme is to target talented, trained and deserving women through their societies and invest in their emancipation and tapping of this huge human resource.
Under the programme, it has been proposed that loan/credit amounting to Rs10,000 to each member will be provided through the district cooperative societies and loan up to Rs20,000 or more to be provided on recommendation of the concerned society to those interested women or group of women, who not only can start business but also employ other women.
In this regard, Rs2 million will be allocated for each district and Rs3 million for each of the 18 town committees of Karachi.
As per terms of reference, the minimum loan of Rs5000 will have a return period of three years and the maximum limit of loan will be Rs25,000 for a period up to five years depending on the nature of the project.
Recovery of the loan will be made on quarterly instalment basis, which will depend on the size and nature of the project.—APP
