ISLAMABAD, Feb 2: Almost 35,000 women die during pregnancy every year due to unavailability of proper medical facilities in most of the country.

This was stated by the minister for women’s development, Atiya Inayatullah, at a cheques’ distribution ceremony under the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) administration’s credit scheme for women at the Women Development Centre in Tarlai here on Saturday.

She termed low literacy as the other major cause of the extraordinary mortality rate among pregnant women.

The minister said social welfare sectors such as health, education and particularly women education had always been ignored by governments of the past.

The minister for women’s development, Atiya Inayatullah, said the present government had provided for 33 per cent women’s representation in the local government system and reserved seats for women in the provincial and national assemblies to make them realise their importance.

As many as 23 branches of the First Women Bank are disbursing small loans among deserving women, the minister added.

She said half of the amount being distributed through Khushali Bank had been fixed for women in distress.

With the Khushali Bank and First Women Bank’s loan schemes and Rs2.5 billion of the Zakat Fund, women would be able to find a lot of opportunities to sustain themselves, the minister said.

The federal minister distributed cheques of Rs8,000 to 15,000 among 34 women belonging to 12 local union councils to help them start domestic businesses.

Earlier, the Women’s Development Centre’s director presented the annual report. She said the Tarlai centre had provided loans to more than 150 women under the ICT credit scheme.

The payback had been 100 per cent, she said and added, the women who had availed the facility were running successful businesses.