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KARACHI, May 21 (APP): Federal Minister for National Heritage and Culture Aurangzeb Khan Khichi, on Wednesday, said that the government is establishing National Cohesion Centers to foster national unity and cohesion across the country through cultural means.
The centers will carry out extensive research and analysis, policy formulation, and work for implementation of strategic initiatives aimed at promoting national cohesion while they will also play effective role for women empowerment and development in collaboration with relevant organizations, the minister outlined while addressing a seminar titled “Women in agriculture: Leadership, Innovation and Impact”.
The seminar was organized by Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) in collaboration with the International Trade Center under the Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Progress (GRASP) project.
Federal Secretary National Heritage and Culture Division Asad Gillani, Sindh Minister for Women Development Shaheena Sher Ali, Chief Executive Officer PPAF Nadir Gul Barech, senior executives of BISP, PPAF, representatives of partner organizations and women entrepreneurs attended the event.
The Federal Minister Aurangzeb Khichi, speaking at the occasion, emphasized that the proportion of the women in the national population was more than the men and their participation in economic activities was vital for national development.
The National Heritage and Culture division is taking various measures for women empowerment which included training courses in music, storytelling, traditional handicrafts and other such fields, the minister said and assured possible cooperation to stakeholders for the cause of empowerment and development of women.
He termed it as a matter of pride that women have been contributing actively in the agriculture sector of the country and stressed on extending appreciation to the substantial contribution of women and their capacity building for maximizing output.
The seminar is aimed at empowering the women in the agriculture sector, he said and hoped that the discourse in the seminar will open new avenues of progress and advancement for the women.
The minister urged the banking sector of the country to extend support to make the PM’s initiatives aimed at development and empowerment of women and youth a success. He also lauded the efforts of the Sindh government for women development.
Sindh Minister for Women Development Shaheena Sher Ali, addressing the seminar, highlighted the provincial government’s programs for economic empowerment of women and said that his ministry is planning to organize an international exhibition of traditional handicrafts for providing the skilled women of Sindh a platform to showcase their talent and skills.
The Sindh government is granting ownership rights of houses to the women to empower them socially and financially, she said, adding that short courses are being offered to women inmates at Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur prisons to equip them with vocational skills so that they could be able to earn a decent livelihood.
CEO PPAF Nadir Gul Barech highlighting the objectives of the seminar informed that the event was aimed at providing a common platform to all the organizations for women development in Sindh so that they could exchange the knowledge and experiences, develop linkages and harness the existing potential of women of the province.
The event concluded with distribution of souvenir shields among the distinguished participants, panelists and the best performing partner organizations.