The Punjab government is spending a sum of Rs 13 billion on women welfare projects during the current fiscal year. Women who are 53 percent of the total population have not been given due attention during the last 63 years, official sources told APP here on Sunday.
The government, they said, believed that no society could make any progress without the participation of women. "Turkey and Malaysia are big examples of women empowerment and they are role models to us," sources added. During the current financial year, a number of mega projects have been initiated while dozens are in the pipeline.
The government has already earmarked separate Rs 1.5 billion for establishment of new women universities. The universities will be set up in Faisalabad, Sialkot, Multan and Bahawalpur.
Special emphasis is also being laid to enhance the literacy rate among women in southern Punjab. Besides, sources added that hostels for working women are being built on priority basis. "A Gender Reform Action Plan is also on the cards," sources said.