KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to launch a food security programme for marginalised population and Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Support Programme in the province.

A statement issued from the CM House said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, presiding over the maiden meeting of the Sindh Social Protection Board, approved the feasibility studies for the two programmes aimed to minimise vulnerability to hunger in marginalised population and to provide social protection to women working in agriculture sector.

The programmes will be launched once the feasibility studies are successfully conducted.

The meeting was attended among others by the board members, including Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho, Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Labour Minister Shahid Thahim, Chairman P&D Najam Shah, Finance Secretary Fayaz Jatoi and Social Protection Secretary Rafiq Mustafa.

The meeting was told that the women working in agriculture would be provided financial assistance under the Benazir Women Agriculture Workers Support Programme through a Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme, provided they registered with the labour department and visited health facilities for medical check-ups during and after pregnancy.

The statement said that the Social Protection Strategy Unit (SPSU) planned to conduct a study to assess the feasibility of the programme and how it should be implemented.

It said that the board approved Rs30 million for the feasibility study, and the social protection department already started the process of hiring firms through a competitive process. The chief minister was informed that the department had hired the firms through a competitive process.

The statement said that the Bhook Mitao food security programme was aimed at establishing a combination of instruments and scientific methods for studying food security.

It aims to identify vulnerable groups and propose feasible designs and implementations for addressing food security issues and minimising vulnerability to hunger in marginalized populations.

During the meeting, the board members discussed the programme and approved the feasibility study on the programme, allocating a budget of Rs30m for the feasibility study and other allied works.

The board members were also briefed about the strengthening of the Sindh Social Protection Service Delivery System programme.

Under the programme, the Mother and Child Support Programme (MCSP) has been launched with the support of the World Bank for $ 28.15 million. The programme has been initiated in 15 predominantly rural districts, prioritising those with the highest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).

The CM was told that there were 1.3m persons who were being given Rs30,000 cash support in 1,000 days and as many as 772 health facilities would also provide medical facilities to Mothers and Child Support Programme.

The board was informed that the targeted 1.31 beneficiaries (pregnant women) were being given Rs30,000 cash for 1,000 days. So far Rs313.2m had been disbursed among 152,349 registered beneficiaries.

The board approved the project.

The MCSP has been introduced to encourage pregnant women and mothers of under two-year-old children to utilise maternal, new-born, and child healthcare services (MNCH) throughout the continuum of care for 1,000 days/ three years from conception.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024