DADU, Dec 12: Forty new population welfare department centres will be opened in Sindh soon. Presently, the population growth rate is 2.1 per cent. However, the government has asked the population welfare department to reduce it to 1.9 per cent by 2003.

This was stated by the provincial secretary, population welfare department, Ashfaque Ahmed Memon, while talking to newsmen at the district council hall, Dadu, on Wednesday.

He said to provide facilities to poor women and uneducated persons in three districts of the province, i.e. Dadu, Malir and Jacobabad, the Sindh Government had opened a total of 111 vocational centres in 1988 but due to the apathy of the local officials of the social welfare department and other reasons majority of the centres were closed, and instructors and other staff were sent to surplus pool.

Replying to a question he said that all closed vocational centres would be re-opened in Jacobabad, Malir, and Dadu districts soon.

He said that all the village lady health workers who were appointed on political basis in the various districts of interior Sindh, specially Dadu, during the previous regimes would not be dismissed from service.

He said that all the village family planning workers were adjusted in the health department under the policy of the Sindh Government and their salaries would be paid after a month.

He said that those areas of interior Sindh where no village family planning workers had been appointed by the previous governments would now no more remain neglected as family planning staff including lady health workers would be provided after relaxation in the ban.

DEMO: The employees of the Municipal Committee, Dadu, staged a demonstration in front of the office of the DCO, Dadu, on Wednesday to protest against the non-payment of their salaries since the last two months.