LAHORE: For the fiscal year 2017-18, Rs605 million have been allocated for the social welfare sector, and Rs500m for other development programme for the establishment of violence against women centres (VAWCs) at divisional headquarters under the proposed VAWC Authority.

A major chunk of the allocation will be utilised by qasr-i-bahboods, shelter homes, old age homes, children and survivors of violence against women centres in various districts of Punjab. The department will implement 10 new schemes, including the disabled persons management information system, the establishment of old age homes and centres for disabled, the establishment of socio-economic centres in jails, research studies on shelter homes, situational analysis of third gender and sustainable model of centres for mentally disabled children in Punjab.

WDD: For fiscal year of 2017-18, Rs675m have been allocated for women’s development sector. Up to Rs210m have been allocated for the Punjab Working Women Endowment Fund as the ODP and Rs100m for the Punjab Commission on the Status for Women and for research and surveys pertaining to gender issues as the ODP. A major part of the allocation will be spent on training of domestic workers, monitoring and tracking of women empowerment initiatives, establisment of working women hostels, and development of IT based portal to track development in the field of gender parity.

The new initiatives that will be implemented are awareness of public at large on women’s rights through mass media, capacity building of newly elected lady councillors under the Punjab Local Government Ordinance of 2016 and monitoring and tracking of implementation of women empowerment initiatives.

In 2016-17, an amount of Rs629m was allocated for the sector which was revised to Rs498m.

Published in Dawn, June 3rd, 2017