- Economic growth, equal wealth distribution pivotal for eliminating poverty: Ahsan Iqbal
Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reform Ahsan Iqbal said economic growth, equitable wealth distribution and competitive societies are pivotal in eliminating poverty.
“We have made commendable progress towards achieving macroeconomic stability and results of the incumbent government’s policies are clearly evident as Pakistan is being referred as emerging market for foreign investment,” the minister while addressing a launch of series of research studies titled ‘Population of Pakistan: An analysis of NSER 2010-2011’.
These research studies were conducted by Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) in collaboration with UNICEF on National Socio-Economic Registry (NSER) 2010-2011 of Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).
These reports highlight six themes at national and regional levels with comparative analysis on population dynamics, poverty profile, child education, youth and employment participation, disabled population and housing conditions that would further help to design appropriate policies not only at BISP level but at national level as well.
The event was attended by academicians, diplomats, representatives of national and international organisations, development partners, civil society, media and government officials.
In her welcome note, BISP Chairperson Marvi Memon said social safety net programmes must be backed by scientific research for accurate targeting and effective implementation.
These studies would not only help to gauge the impact of BISP on beneficiaries but would assist to improve the programme’s outreach, efficiency and transparency, she said.
Highlighting the findings of research studies, the BISP chairperson said that around 12.3 million children of primary school age are out of school.
The BISP has succeeded in bringing 1.3 million children to school and in this practice, approximately Rs two billion have been disbursed as stipend in 2015-16 under Waseela-e-Taleem initiative.
Pakistan is a young country with half the population aged less than 20 years. This demographic dividend needs to be reaped through effective policy reforms as unemployment rate is higher among youth and more than two-third of youth is self-employed, she remarked.
She further added that the prevalence of disability has reduced from 2.5 per cent in 1998 to 1.7 per cent in 2010. More than 73 per cent population is facing crowding problems and around 38 per cent are residing in one room housing, she said.
As poverty has a direct correlation with these indicators, they need to be taken into account while policy making, she suggested.
On the occasion, Iqbal also proposed to conduct a survey on widows, orphans and disabled persons having an income below certain level so that they can be brought under state social welfare programs.