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Health education is the key to implement poverty reduction, income
distribution, employment, nutrition and social protection plans, as all these
issues are inter-related. Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Federal Minister for
Privatisation & Investment stated this while chairing meeting of the Ninth
Five Year Plan Committee on Poverty Reduction, Income Distribution,
Employment, Nutrition and Social Protection here today.
Dr. Hafeez Shaikh, who is also Chairman of the Committee said that as per
Pakistan Institute of Development Economics' (PIDE) latest survey based on the
blood samples of 12000 people, 50 percent of infant mortality and child death
caused by malnutrition, increase in under weight children due to 45 percent
iron deficiency in women caused by food deficit in terms of availability
demanded for an effective and integrated poverty reduction, income
distribution, employment, nutrition and social protection program.
The Minister reiterated the importance of providing well-defined targets with
clear monitor able indicators in each of the sectors of the Plan. He said that
care should be taken to ensure synergy amongst the various interventions being
proposed within holistic framework. The strategic prioritization of the
poverty reduction issues to address in the Plan should keep in view the
overall resource envelope, he added.
He expressed concern over the worsening trends in nutritional status
especially of the vulnerable groups such as children and pregnant and
lactating women. He asked for the better integration of the sub-strategy on
improving nutritional status with other main elements of the Plan.
He highlighted the importance of addressing both inter and intra personal and
regional income inequalities and the need for identifying innovative
employment generation strategies especially in the rural areas to increase the
income of the poor and reduce overall inequalities. The meeting also reviewed
the status of the work of the different sub-committees.