Jan 04 , 2016
News
Pakistan inching towards achieving MDGs
APPISLAMABAD: As part of its endeavours to achieve Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), Pakistan has introduced environmental monitoring system through stationary and mobile labs to monitor pollution levels in air, surface, ground water and soils.
Promoting environment-friendly technologies with special focus on clean energy was amongst the numerous steps taken to strengthen existing programmes for achieving or reaching close to MDGs by 2018.
Sources at Development and Reforms Division on Sunday said Pakistan is a signatory of global commitment signed in MDGs, which bounds it to cover targets pertaining to poverty, health, education and living condition. The sources said Pakistan adopted 16 targets and 41 indicators. The data until 2013 showed that for 10 of these indicators, Pakistan is on track, whereas its progress on 24 indicators is lagging far behind.
The sources said Pakistan’s performance on MDGs remained less satisfactory as compared to other countries in the region. Lack of coordination, political instability, security and back to back natural disasters have adversely hampered the development efforts.
Therefore, they said the government has taken steps which included provincial agreement on MDG Acceleration Framework (MAF) on education, comprehensive plan of action for each province to implement the MAF commitments, enhancing capacity of the people and improved access to clean water and sanitation and gender mainstreaming initiatives.
Provision of productive assets inclusive of micro-finance at individual level, Prime Minister Youth Loan Scheme and moving towards a comprehensive social safety net to protect the vulnerable and those suffering from natural or manmade disasters were another steps taken for the purpose.
The other measures were reforming and strengthening institutions for better delivery of public services to people, improving access and quality of education services, improving access and quality of health services and micro-health insurance programme of the prime minister.
Moreover, the sources said the government also allocated Rs 20 billion for MDGs and increased allocations for HEC in recent years (Rs 14 billion in 2011-12 to Rs 27 billion in 2014-15).
Besides, the sources said, campuses/sub-campuses of public sector universities were opened in every district headquarter to enhance access to higher education.
National Endowment Scholarship for Talent (NEST), establishment of National Curriculum Council for uniformity of educational and curriculum standards across the country, modernisation and standardisation of examination system, scaling up nutrition (SUN) movement to improve nutritional situation, Science Talent Farming Scheme (STFS) for 300 students per annum from all over Pakistan, holding of national games to explore young sporting talent, establishment of cancer hospital in Islamabad were some other initiatives towards achieving MDGs or reaching close to MDGs with adequate budgetary allocations.
Courtesy www.dailytimes.com.pk