MAJOR PRO-POOR PROGRAMMES OF SINDH GOVERNMENT

Various reports show that the overall poverty in Sindh especially in rural Sindh is one of the highest and severest in Pakistan. This is on account of a complex set of structural issues relating to land holding patterns, vicious cycle of low water availability, low agricultural productivity, and most importantly low investment and weak governance in a range of rural economy sectors including agriculture, livestock, fisheries, land administration, rural credits and markets etc which over the years have combined to result into a situation where a large majority of people live on the margins and below the poverty time.

The urban slums which have overtime grown on account of rural urban migration present yet another dimension of poverty in Sindh.

Again, Sindh’s social indicators reflect a drastic contract. The urban Sindh’s indicators with 99 percent gross primary enrollment, a 72 percent literacy rate, and 87 percent of babies fully immunized, are comparable to other developing countries with similar per capita incomes.
On the other hand, the level of human development in rural Sindh is one of the worst in the region. With 58 percent gross enrollment at the primary level, a 38 percent literacy rate, and 62 percent of babies fully immunized. It has the worst gender ratio among all Pakistani provinces and the development indicators of its rural females have remained stubbornly low.

The new Government of Sindh’s policy as reflected in the announcements made by the Chief Minister and the Cabinet Ministers from time to time have emphasized that their policy framework is primarily pro-people and pro-poor.

It has been emphasized that in the short term the Government would concentrate on unfolding a set of urgent relief program for mitigating poverty and in the medium to long term they would work on programs for economic growth and a growth which is for large majority not for few.

Benazir Shaheed Youth Development Program

This has been initiated as an urgent relief measure in dedication to the PPP Chairperson, Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Shaheed. It entails a program for skill development of poor semi-literate and educated youth in Sindh for enhancing their employability. Under this Government intends to train more than 100,000 youth within two years in field linked to market demand, both local and international. By now Programs for training 61,000 youth have been finalized. Under this;

• Over 40, 000 matriculates and below will be trained in construction, and industrial skill for 3 to 12 months both through public sector institutions and then linked to job market.
• Approximately 9000 youth will trained in agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries extension and other trades.
• Approximately 5000 youth will be trained as paramedics and in midwife courses.
• Around 7000 youth will be trained in IT.

Sindh intends to take-up Skill Development on sustainable and institutional basis, and for this it plans to set-up the Sindh Technical and Vocational Training Authority (STEVTA) for undertaking modern technical training in accordance with market demand. This is believed to be critical for raising employability as well as preparing for wide scale industrialization in Sindh. The success of most of the East Asian Countries lies on this component, which helped their economies grow to phenomenal levels. Adequate budgetary allocations have been made and implementation details are being worked out in this regard.

Housing for Poor

Second major intervention of the Government is Housing for Poor. Federal Government has announced construction of 1 million houses for the poor and retired Government employees whereas the Government of Sindh has evolved its own program and under this it will provide 100,000 houses within two to three years. Following decisions and actions have already been taken:

• A dedicated unit called, “Peoples Housing Cell” has been created under a Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for spearheading this exercise.
• For facilitating speedy decisions, a high-powered Steering Committee has been notified under the Chief Minister having members from institutions like ABAD, SAIBAN and Urban Resource Center.
• Plan includes construction of Low Cost Housing Units in all major Towns of Sindh on available Government Land.
• It involves replacing katcha huts/houses in some of the 44000 registered villages in the first phase.
• Rs. 2 billion have been allocated in Revolving Fund.

Grant of Land to Landless Harees

Allotment of State Land to Landless Harees is one of the most significant programs of the new Government, which is aimed at poverty reduction of a population, which is clearly poorest of the poor. Again the Landless Harees of Sindh are not only the most marginalized; these have been recognized to be poorest of poor of Pakistan. In this regard government has already identified details of 2, 12, 864 acres of land in different districts of which 1, 36, 784 acres is Barrage land, which to be distributed among the poor landless harees of the same Taluka/Deh.

The Government has evolved a mechanism where other than observing the regular procedure under the revenue laws, the Rural Support Programs will also be involved for targeting genuine beneficiaries and then evolving a support package which will include micro finance, subsidized agricultural inputs, etc.

There are three major RSPs in Sindh namely Sindh Rural Support Organization (SRSO), NRSP and Thardeep, which are presently engaged with rural communities in various community organization and micro credit activities.

These RSPs have the capacity and the credibility and can be expected to deliver as partners to Government in this program. Currently the RSPs are present in 462 Union Council in Sindh and they are working on an extensive exercise for Poverty Card. Through this Card they would be able to categorize various levels of poverty such as destitute; chronic poor, transitory poor etc. This particular exercise would enable Government to target the poorest of the landless harees under this program in Sindh.

Under above program, preference will be given to provision of land to female members of the Landless Harees.

Scaling-up availability of Micro Finance for Poor

Government of Sindh is further considering partnership with a consortium of RSPs in Sindh for attending to poverty at a Union Council level. Under this the RSPs are already involved in an exercise of undertaking a detailed profiling of the poor through a Poverty Card. This enables them to categorize poor into three bands who are all under the poverty line but fall into the category of destitute; chronic poor and transitory poor.

They have proposed a package of solution for each of this category comprising of subsistence grants; vocational training for a child from a certain percentage of households and interest free micro credit through a community manages revolving fund.

The proposal stands discussed with the Government and presently work on the program implementing mechanism and costing is underway.

Village Electrification and Provision of Gas to un-served Gas

Village electrification has been taken up as a major initiative, and the
Government in its first few days in office released Rs. 1.3 billion for this
program. HESCO has been instructed to prepare feasibility and based on initial surveys it would be determined as o how many villages would be provided electricity through this allocation.

Similarly Rs. 1 billion has been allocated for prevision of gas to villagers in the budget 2008 – 09.

Abolishment of license system for fisherman for fishing in fresh water lakes in Sindh.

Government of Sindh has decided to do away with license system for
Fishing in the fresh water lakes and other water bodies in Sindh.
This is very clear pro-poor policy initiative and its singularly aims
Strengthening incomes of the poor fisherman by a way of removing
The middle men who hold licenses and create innumerable hurdles for
The fisherman. This step is expected to proof major relief to fisherman
Who can know earn their livelihoods without any involvement of the
Licensees.

Health insurance for Poor.

Government has decided to provide “Health insurance for the Poor”,
Through the Peoples Primary Health Initiative Programs and the
Rural Support Programs in Sindh. In this context the program
Design, which has been discussed involves seeking proposals
From various Insurance Companies and then working detailed
Modalities of implementation. Approximately 100,000 house holds
Are to be targeted in the first phase that would be insured for costs
Of hospitalization including pregnancy, accident, chronic diseases etc.
Government has budgeted necessary resources in the current budget.

Improving primary health through peoples primary health initiative.

The Chief Minister has announced full support to the program of handling over Rural Health Centers (RHCs) and Basic Health Centers (BHUs) to the Peoples Primary Health Initiative (PPHI) and has committed to expend it to whole Sindh in phases. It has been announced that given the visible improvement of Basic Health Services in the health units taken over by PPHI, Government would support this program by way of enhancing Health Budgets of BHUs and RHCs for ensuring availability of standard list of staff and medicine at primary level all over Sindh. In addition to above PPHI has been tasked to take over the non functional MCH centers and to operationalize these and future link them with the strong referral system for a better mother and child care Sindh.

Fighting Hepatitis in Sindh.

Due to multiple issues relating poverty, health care related of practices of public and professionals and lack of universal access to health care, Viral Hepatitis especially B, C & D has emerged as a serious public health issue in Sindh. The spread of diseases is compound by the fact of highest rate of unsafe injection delivery in the provinces as compared to the region lowest level of knowledge about modes of diseases, relatively higher Urbanization. The current estimated number of patients in Sindh as per the federal ministry of Health is as follows:
1.5 Billion People are hepatitis B reactive; 1.7 Million people are Hepatitis C reactive and 24000 patients are estimated to be present at district kamber alone.
In order to cater for comprehensive program to fight this menace, the government has devised a holistic diseases control program for Hepatitis Free Sindh has been undertaken with a total cost of Rs. 3.3 Billion for 03 years. It address prevention; chronic infections; raising awareness and improving health systems management.

Education

Under education sector the government recognizes that the situation is serious and it require consistent policy frame work for fighting complex issues of low enrolments and low learning out comes. It stands clearly recognized that approximately 50% children remain out of school and those who are in school cannot read and write. Government has examined the reform frame work, which was under discussion with the donors especially the World Bank and the European Commission and has committed to support these reforms fully.
The Education Reforms are pillared on a three fold policy frame work that attends to improving fiscal sustainability and expenditure effectiveness for sustained investments in education sector; education management and governance which addressed a host of issues related to management at all levels of government and finally improving access to quality education which looks at issues of access and quality in an integrated manner. The program entails; improving the quality of data for policy making; better service delivery of incentives like text book and stipend distribution; A comprehensive School Rehabilitation Program for proving missing facilities; improving teacher education; Education Management Reforms, by way of creating a dedicated cadre and developing community participation through SMCs.
An important component agreed by the new government is partnership with new the Government is partnership with low cost private schools to provide quality education to less privileged strata. Under this program government would support low cost private schools by financing cost of fees for students in return for quality assurance to be monitored through a well through out oversight mechanism.

There are only a few significant pro-poor programs
Which are aimed at urgent redressal of rising poverty
And chronic joblessness in both rural and urban areas
Simultaneously sincere work is under way to facilitate
Better agriculture productivity through multiple interventions
And through policy reforms which can reduce obstacles to
Growth in agriculture; in livestock and in fisheries sectors
On the manufacturing side one of the policy reforms under
Consideration is improving the estates of infrastructure in
Industrial estates by way of bringing in private sector led
Management companies which facilitates a more efficient
Management of these estate and which in turn can spur
Investment environment.

It stands recognized that it’s a long and arduous journey which
Requires stability and political cohesion and peace in Pakistan
For enabling the Government in Pakistan and all Provincial
Governments to unfold their policies and programs which
Could usher socio economic development of large majority
Of the population especially those who have remained
Impoverished for last many decades.