By Abdul Ghani

The federal government has directed the Ministry of Housing and Works (MoHW) to expedite the operationalisation of a Working Women Endowment Fund with a proposed seed fund of Rs2 billion to provide financial assistance to working women.

According to an official document available with Wealth Pakistan, the MoHW, designated as the lead agency, has been directed to develop a scheme under the fund to reimburse a portion of the rental expenditure incurred by working women from different parts of the country on renting accommodation in Islamabad.

The move follows directions from the Special Committee of Parliament on Gender Mainstreaming and is part of the implementation of the Prime Minister’s Women Empowerment Package-2024 and related directives.

The document also records another financial support involving a non-lapsable grant of Rs500 million. The Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning, and the Ministry of Human Rights have been assigned responsibility for disbursing the grant through NPOs, NGOs/CBOs, and public-sector organisations.

The parliamentary committee’s directives also include establishing a Day Care Fund at the national level to support working women and promote women-friendly workplaces.

Credit: INP-WealthPk