DURING their presentations at a function organized by Karachi Chamber
of Commerce and Industry experts have revealed that the instance of
poverty in rural areas of the country was as high as 55% and that rural
Sindh, southern and northern Punjab and Northern Areas were abode of the
poorest of the poor.
It is encouraging that both the Government and the private sector were
gradually focusing on poverty alleviation and a number of initiatives
have been launched to address the problem. While the Government is
implementing programmes like Benazir Income Support Programme, Food
Stamp Scheme and assistance from Baitul Maal, the private sector is also
playing a complementing role by launching micro-finance schemes. First
Micro-Finance Bank Limited deserves special mention as, according to its
vibrant President Hussain Tejani, the institution is reaching out to the
deprived low income entrepreneurs who were unable to receive adequate
financial services throughout the country. It is also appreciable that
the First Micro-Finance Bank was focusing on women, who constituted 40%
of borrowers of the bank and 70% of the amount was being disbursed in
rural areas. However, the magnitude of the problem demands that other
public and private sector organizations and institutions too should come
forward and contribute towards poverty alleviation especially in rural
areas. Rural areas are backbone of the economy where 70% of the
country’s population lives but unfortunately the focus so far has been
on urban centres. It is because of this lack of focus that we have been
witnessing enormous migration from rural to urban areas putting
unbearable burden on the limited infrastructure of the big cities. There
is, therefore, need for launching income generating schemes in rural
areas like development of cottage industry so as to create employment
opportunities for the rural youth at their doorstep. Former Prime
Minister Shaukat Aziz announced launching of one such programme — One
Village, One Product – but regrettably it remained as a paper project
only. Similarly, infrastructure development especially construction of
roads should receive priority in rural areas as these would be helpful
in accelerating the pace of socio-economic development in far-flung
areas.
