Despite repeated strong notices of the federal government, the Women Development Ministry has failed to initiate speedy implementation on the Gender Reform Action Plan (GRAP).
Sources told Business Recorder that despite huge budgetary allocation of Rs 619.672 million, bureaucratic sluggishness and red tapism were some of the reasons due to which the Ministry had failed to speedily implement the project.
They said that Departmental Development Working Party (DDWP) had approved the project two years ago, to be completed in 5 years. The cost of Phase-I was Rs 418.563 million, and the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) allocation under 2007-08 was Rs 40 million.
They said that Rs 250 million had been released to all 111 district governments in the four provinces for the purpose of gender mainstreaming in local governments.
Sources said that the Ministry established gender development sections in the Ministry of Finance, Information and Broadcasting, Law and Human Rights, Establishment Division, Planning and Development Division, Establishment HRM and Capacity Development section in MoWD.
Under the project, the research and publication section and Human Resource Management (HRM) and Capacity Development (CD) sections were established in the Women Development Ministry, they said.
Sources said that the project was aimed at gender sensitisation of the government machinery at federal, provincial and district levels and to take measures for gender mainstreaming but due to slow implementation, the project lost its impact.
The major objective of the GRAP is to draw attention to gender-based discriminatory norms and practices at the individual and institutional levels, they said. The project is intended to raise awareness among government machinery about the social and economical effects of gender discrimination, sources said. The project was further focused on empowerment of women by giving them share in employment and representation at all decision-making levels.