KARACHI, Jan 6: Sindh Minister for Population Welfare and Women Development Dr Saeeda Malik on Monday issued directive for making the mobile service unit of the population welfare department fully functional with the provision of facilities of operation and posting of trained doctors, so that women are provided with better delivery facilities in the far-flung and backward areas.

In a briefing by Secretary Population Welfare Mushtaq Ali Memon, the minister said that functions in the department would now have to be performed on a war footing.

Dr Saeeda Malik asked the female staff of the population welfare department to wear joggers instead of high-heel sandals and that steps be taken for improved field work.

Stressing that responsibilities be performed like worship, Dr Saeeda told the female staff that all of them should work like a team to bring down the population growth rate.

She pointed out that if population continued to grow at the present rate, the quality of life would reach at the lowest ebb after 20 years.

She told the officials that future projections be made more pragmatic and people be informed about population welfare programmes.

She said wherever these projections were non-functional, their implementation should be streamlined.

Dr Saeeda emphasised that more care should be taken of the low-grade employees.

She announced that in future seminars on population welfare would be organised in the far-flung and remote areas of the province instead of at five-star hotels.

The minister said that population growth rate, wherever it was under control, should be maintained while hard work should be done in areas where it was higher.

Mushtaq Memon informed the minister that in seven districts of Sindh the population growth rate was 3 per cent. These districts are Ghotki, Umerkot, Tharparkar, former Karachi East, Central and Malir while the population of former district West would be doubled in 13 years.

He said that 52 per cent budget of the provincial headquarter was consumed in salaries of employees.

At present 34 mobile units are operating in the province while proposal for another 40 units was under consideration, he added.—APP