ISLAMABAD, Sep 08 (APP):The Ministry of Housing and Works has been asked to expedite the operationalisation of the Working Women Endowment Fund, while the government is also advancing initiatives to expand day-care facilities and make workplaces more supportive for women. According to a document on the implementation of decisions made by the Special Committee of Parliament on Gender Mainstreaming, the proposed endowment fund, which will have a seed fund of …
Ministry asked to expedite operationalisation of working women endowment fund
ISLAMABAD, Sep 08 (APP):The Ministry of Housing and Works has been asked to expedite the operationalisation of the Working Women Endowment Fund, while the government is also advancing initiatives to expand day-care facilities and make workplaces more supportive for women.
According to a document on the implementation of decisions made by the Special Committee of Parliament on Gender Mainstreaming, the proposed endowment fund, which will have a seed fund of Rs2 billion, is intended to reimburse a portion of the rental expenditure incurred by working women from different parts of the country who hire accommodation in Islamabad.
The ministry has also been asked to ensure the disbursement of a Rs500 million non-lapsable grant through national philanthropic organisations, non-governmental and community-based organisations, and public-sector organisations.
The Ministry of Housing and Works is the lead agency for implementing the relevant prime ministerial directives under the Gender Women Empowerment Package 2024. The ministries of Finance, Planning and Human Rights have also been assigned responsibilities.
Alongside housing assistance, the government is pursuing plans to strengthen childcare support for working women.
A national-level Day Care Fund has been proposed to support working women and make their workplaces more women-friendly. The Ministry of Human Rights is the lead agency for the initiative, supported by the ministries of Finance and Planning and the National Commission on the Status of Women.
The Departmental Development Working Party approved a project titled “Establishment of Day Care Centres in ICT, AJK, and GB” on April 7, 2025, at an original cost of Rs700 million. The project cost was subsequently revised to Rs804.743 million for the PSDP 2026-27. The project has also been made the main component of an umbrella PC-I titled “Human Rights & Women Development Initiatives.”
The umbrella PC-I is currently at the pre-Central Development Working Party stage.
The document, available with Wealth Pakistan, further said the Cabinet Division has facilitated the establishment of day-care centres in public-sector entities to support working women.
A flagship day-care centre has been established in the Pakistan Secretariat as a model facility to provide childcare services to employees in compliance with the prime minister’s directive.
The directive calls for establishing day-care centres across all public-sector entities. The Cabinet Division is the lead agency for its implementation, assisted by the Establishment Division and the Ministry of Human Rights.
