ISL AMABAD: The government on 12 June 2024 announced a Rs3.792 trillion national Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for fiscal year 2024-25, which represents a staggering 58 per cent increase from the Rs2.39tr to be spent under the head by the close of FY24. Of the total, Rs2.095tr has been allocated to provincial PSDP, compared to Rs1.56tr in the outgoing year. Of the remaining, Rs1.4tr will be spent on the federal PSDP, with another
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced a significant increase of 13 per cent in education budget for the 2024-25 fiscal, allocating a sum of Rs669.74 billion. This includes Rs 65.50 billion for development expenditure and Rs 604.24 billion for current expenses. The government has sanctioned Rs 42.50 billion for development schemes in school education. This budget will be used to renovate dilapidated school buildings and provide other basic facilities. New classrooms will be added,
RAWALPINDI: “There can be no better guardian for a child than his own mother, there is no substitute for the mother.” These were the remarks of a Rawalpindi Additional District and Sessions Judge with which he declared a father’s move to send his 10-year-old child over to a friend during his prison sentence as illegal and reunited the child with his mother. A case of family dispute has been ongoing between the child’s mother
ISLAMABAD:The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) commemorated the World Day Against Child Labour on June 12, 2024 by launching the State of Children in Pakistan portal and presenting its annual report for 2023-24. This event marks a significant step forward in the fight against child labour and the promotion of children’s rights in Pakistan. In her welcome remarks, Chairperson NCRC Ayesha Raza Farooq emphasized, “As we leave this room today, let
KARACHI: As countries observe World Day Against Child Labour on 12 June 2024, government officials, rights activists, members of civil society and other stakeholders asked the government and employers on 12 June 2024 to take collective measures to eliminate the menace of child labour from the country. At a seminar `Let`s Act on Our Commitments: End Child Labour`, the speakers highlighted the negative impacts of child labour which include health and safety risks, disrupted
RAWALPINDI: The Zahra Beau Welfare Foundation (ZBWF) has launched the first sample collection point for newborn screening at Holy Family Hospital (HFH). Rawalpindi Medical University (RMU) Vice Chancellor, Professor Muhammad Umar, officially inaugurated the free new-born screening, recognising it as a fundamental right for all new-borns, a news release said. Dr Shabina, Assistant Director of Medical Facilities of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination was invited to grace the occasion with
Police have arrested the principal of a private school in Orangi Town for allegedly attempting to sexually assault a matriculation student and beating her when she resisted. According to details, the incident occurred within the jurisdiction of Iqbal Market Police Station. The principal allegedly took the student into his office, made inappropriate advances, and attempted to assault her. When the student resisted, the principal reportedly subjected her to physical violence. The victim informed her
Lahore : Three suspects have been arrested by Johar Town police for allegedly raping a minor. Reportedly, the suspects approached the victim outside his residence. They asked him to come out and started torturing him. Later they force-fully took him to their residence and raped him. The suspects have been identified as Umar Kamal, Raza Mustafa and Habib Khan. SHO Johar Town stated that a case has been registered against them and police have
KHYBER: The deplorable condition of most of the public sector primary schools for girls, shortage of teaching staff and inaccessibility of students to educational institutions beyond primary level have been cited to be three major hurdles to promotion of female education in the militancy-affected Bara tehsil of Khyber tribal district. According to statistics of education department, 26 out of the total 30 completely damaged girls schools are in the process of rebuilding with the
IN March this year, the UN General Assembly declared that the International Day of Play would be observed annually on June 11. This announcement has come after a long advocacy campaign led by Unicef, global civil society, and organisations such as Right To Play. So, today the world is celebrating its inaugural Day of Play with the object of encouraging more conscious efforts to ensure that children across the world can exercise their right
The Pakistan Economic Survey is an annual publication by the Ministry of Finance that offers a comprehensive review of the country’s economic performance over the past fiscal year. It covers a wide range of topics, including GDP growth, sectoral contributions, fiscal and monetary developments, trade and balance of payments, and investment trends. In addition to these core economic indicators, the survey also addresses critical social aspects such as education, health and nutrition, the labour
ISLAMABAD: Chairperson of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Nilofar Bakhtiar on 8 June 2024 emphasised the need for focusing on the growth of differently-abled children, transgender children, and rehabilitation of children from sexual abuse. She was chairing the first meeting of the Steering Committee on the `Art of Parenting` initiative. The meeting was participated by partner organisations including the Aga Khan Development Network, the National Institute of Psychology from Quaid-i