NADRA to launch free women registration drive: centennial IWD on March 8

NADRA is launching free Women registration drive across the country to achieve the target of 100 per cent women registration by making them aware of importance of registration, enabling them to get their basic rights," said Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman NADRA here on Saturday.
"The Centennial of International Women's Day (IWD) on March 8 would be marked by NADRA with the commencement of free registration through various programs and incentives based schemes," he added.
"With around 51 per cent majority, women are a vital segment of the society and we can not progress without their unhindered participation in all spheres of national life," he said, adding that NADRA wants to empower women for their basic rights and the women registration drive aimed at increasing women registration to have more accurate data to facilitate national planning commission in decision making.
He said that NADRA is making all-out efforts to get the adult population in Pakistan, especially women registered in a minimum possible time to facilitate them in getting education, health, employment and other facilities.
CNIC is the essential identity document, which protects women's rights, he said, adding that it is evident through the fact that first time in history their rights were safeguarded when in flood-hit areas women as family head were given 121,640 Watan Cards through which Rs 2.43 billion among woman family heads were disbursed, which never occurred in the world ever.
He said that the registration ratios in some areas have been very low and social norms, illiteracy, poverty and female mobility issues are the major factors besides lack of awareness about the benefits of registration.
He said that approximately 74 per cent women have been registered in the country and Azad Kashmir and Islamabad regions have highest percentage of registered females with 96 per cent and 90 per cent respectively, while women registration in FATA and Balochistan is at the lowest with approximately 44 per cent and 56 per cent women registered in the database.
He said that 79 per cent women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 76 per cent in Punjab, 70 per cent in Sindh, and 83 per cent in Gilgit-Baltistan have registered themselves in the National Database.