The National Assembly Standing Committee on Women Development has taken serious notice of the huge embezzlements in the Gender Reforms Action Plan (GRAP) and Women Crisis Centers funds. The committee expressed grave concern over misuse of funds allocated for the projects pertaining to women development.
The committee met with Begum Mehnaz Rafi, MNA in the chair to discuss the budget proposals and utilisation of funds by the women development ministry. The committee recommended that budget for the next fiscal year must be increased and the ministry should focus mainly on backward areas along with big cities because the women are most suppressed in rural areas.
The committee also directed the Ministry to develop co-ordination between the local government and the law enforcement agencies to take immediate action, so that justice could be provided to the aggrieved women at their doorstep.
Mehnaz directed the ministry to provide basic facilities in women crisis centers to keep them functional as most of them fail to provide legal assistance as well as shelter to the victims. The meeting was attended by MNAs Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Rahila Yahya Munawar, Asysha Azeem, Saira Tariq, Shabina Talat, Dr Farida Ahmad, Jamila Ahmad, Khalida Mohsin Ali Qureshi, Shamshad Sattar Bachani and Rukhsana Bangash besides senior officers of MoWD.