The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved, on February 18, seven mega projects relating to various sectors.
The list of projects includes construction of a National Monument of Pakistan (whatever that means) at Islamabad at a cost of Rs 427.698 million.
According to the Human Development Report of UNDP 2003, Pakistan is ranked 143 out of 175 countries based on basic criterion of per capita income and social services such as education, health and nutrition.
The official assessment is that over 32% of our total population of about 150 million lives below the poverty line, which is defined as Rs 748.56 per capita per month.
That also means 48 million of us lack access even to basic needs of clean drinking water and proper sanitation, not to mention the ever increasing un-employment in the country.
In the given scenario is there any justification for affording the luxury of constructing a monument said to reflect national culture and civilisation, as if it would be a means of its sustenance?
At this stage one can simply express profound sorrow in the wisdom of the authorities who opted to approve this project, instead of utilising this huge amount to facilitate socio-economic well-being of the poor.
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