ISLAMABAD:The federal government has been undertaking various initiatives to strengthen the social protection system, create economic opportunities, and support marginalised communities, said Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah.

He was presided over a meeting of civil society organisations on Monday to review progress of the social protection system.

The minister stressed effective collaboration between the government, civil society and local communities to achieve inclusive and sustainable development in the country.

He said local NGOs had a deeper understanding of community-level challenges and played a vital role in translating development initiatives into practical outcomes.

The event was attended by secretary of the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, chief executive officer, Trust for Voluntary Organisation (TVO)) Ghulam Mohiuddin, members of the TVO Board of Directors and representatives of various partner NGOs.

The meeting had been organised for the distribution of the first tranche of grant cheques to partner NGOs by the TVO.

During the ceremony, the first tranche of grant cheques was distributed among nine partner NGOs and community-based organisations (CBOs) to initiate their approved development projects. These initiatives are aimed at addressing key development challenges at the community level across different regions of the country.

Through these projects, special focus will be placed on improving access to clean drinking water in rural and under-served areas, strengthening basic healthcare facilities, enhancing resilience to climate change, promoting modern agricultural practices, creating employment and skill development opportunities, and bringing out-of-school children back into the education system.

The federal minister appreciated the role of TVO and noted that since its establishment in 1992, TVO had been supporting locally registered NGOs across Pakistan and assisting them in designing and implementing development projects with active community participation.

He stated that a transparent system ensured that development resources reached communities that needed them the most.

He also highlighted that effective policymaking required a clear understanding of ground realities. For this purpose, he has been visiting various universities, hospitals and welfare institutions to directly observe the challenges faced by the public and to work with relevant institutions in developing practical solutions.

The federal minister emphasised that the success of projects depended on transparency, accountability and active participation of communities.

Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2026