President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday launched a programme "Waseela-e-Haq" under the auspices of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) for the socio-economic empowerment of women providing them an opportunity of self-employment. The launching ceremony held at the Presidency was also attended by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani.
Under the programme, 731 families selected through a monthly draw, will get Rs 300,000 each to start some self-employment project. The BISP currently has 2.2 million beneficiaries which are divided in 731 clusters of 3000 families each.
Addressing the ceremony, President Zardari termed the scheme a "dream come true" of the concept given by Benazir Bhutto and hailed the role of the Prime Minister and his team to fulfil the desire of late PPP chairperson to empower women. He said the government would pursue the vision of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto who always struggled for the rights of women in the country.
He said under the scheme, funds would be provided to give economic empowerment to the poorest women to help them support their families. The President said the government would soon bring more similar programmes to overcome the menace of poverty, generate economic activity and increase employment opportunities.
He asked Prime Minister Gilani to consider an option floated by the PPP think tanks of providing duty-free facility to the families to purchase products such as tractors or rickshaw or any other thing that might help them increase their earnings.
He said the idea of 'Waseela-e-Haq' was to develop a sense of goodwill for the people of Pakistan by addressing their needs besides ensuring the survival of democracy. Earlier, President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani launched the computer ballot to randomly select 731 families who will get Rs 300,000 as interest-free loan that can be returned on easy monthly instalments.
Gilani terming the scheme achievement of "yet another milestone" towards fulfilment of the vision of Shaheeds Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto said so far Rs 19 billion had been disbursed under the BISP. "The programme is a key pillar in our policy of rehabilitating the poor masses, getting them out of the cruel poverty cycle, and redirecting their energies towards nation building, through well-co-ordinated state interventions."
The Prime Minister said under the "transparent programme" there would be no political discrimination and cash relief be provided, which he hoped would also rejuvenate the nation by giving a message of hope. "The 'Waseela-e-Haq' will help thousands of families graduate out of the monthly subsistence and set up their own small businesses for a life of dignity and self respect."