ISLAMABAD, July 11: The Ministry of Social Welfare, Women Development and Special Education will carry out 83 development schemes at a cost of over Rs1.25 billion during 2004-05.

"This year's allocation under the Public Sector Development Projects for the ministry is around 87 per cent higher than the previous year's revised allocation," Secretary Social Welfare, Women Development and Special Education Dr Aleem Mahmud said here on Sunday.

The secretary social welfare said that the total allocation included Rs540 million for 38 projects in women development sector, Rs413.85 million for 12 social welfare schemes, Rs286.35 million for 29 special education projects and Rs18.3 million for projects under the National Council of Social Welfare.

In addition to allocation of Rs300 million for Tawana Pakistan project and Rs100 million for the National Fund for Advancement of Rural Women in the women development sector, Rs23.5 million had been allocated for establishment of crisis centres for women in distress at Karachi, Lahore, Mianwali, Rawalpindi, Kohat, Quetta, Peshawar, besides funding the existing centres at Vehari and Sahiwal.

Dispelling the impression that either of the existing crisis centres at Islamabad, Sahiwal and Vehari had been shelved, he said that none of them was being wrapped up.

However, Dr Aleem said, after the success of the crisis centre for women in distress at Islamabad, it had been renamed as Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre for Women thus giving it a permanent status, instead of being a mere project.

"We have shifted this development project to the non- development side to ensure its permanence," he said. The ministry, he said, had also enhanced its annual allocation of Rs1 million to Rs6 million for women needing temporary boarding, besides providing rehabilitation services at the centre, he said.

In the social welfare sector, he said, Rs385 million would be spent on the gender reform action plan besides Rs9.84 million would be spent on community development projects in Khyber, Kurram and Waziristan Agencies.

In the special education sector, he said, Rs73.9 million would be spent on construction of special education centres at Gilgit, Okara, Kohat, Sibi and Hyderabad while Rs10.42 million would be spent on setting up a park for disabled persons in Islamabad.

He said upgradation of special education centres for handicapped children at Rawalpindi, Dadu, Quetta and Abbotabad would be undertaken at cost of Rs2.18 million. He maintained that the up-gradation of special education centres for visually impaired children at Sialkot, Gujrat, Larkana and Mirpurkhas at a cost of Rs14.89 million while a similar amount would be spent on the upgradation of special education centres for the hearing-impaired children at Sargodha, Jhang, Sukkur and Swat. -APP