GUJRAT: The number of daycare centres has been increased from 68 to 187 in the province in the last 30 months whereas laws relating to women’s right to inherited property are also being made more effective.

Punjab Minister for Women Welfare Ashfa Riaz Fatiana said this at the Gujrat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GtCCI) on Wednesday.

She said at least 16 hostels for working women had been functional in 12 districts whereas to regularise the private hostels of working women, a working women hostels authority had already been approved ensuring the protection of women residing in those hostels. She said working women could book a place in a hostel online.

She said the government was bearing expenditures on the establishment of daycare centres to facilitate working women and the salary of staff and utility bills would also be paid by the government for at least one year.

She said though the law of ensuring the provision of women’s share in inherited property was already present, the government had proposed changes to it so that the share of women remained safe.

She said the implementation of the women quota in the government jobs had been ensured whereas the 15 per cent of job quota for women in scale four jobs had also been fixed.

The minister said the Punjab government encouraged the women to initiate their own businesses for which the women were being given priority in the soft loans under Ehsaas programme.

She urged the business community to enhance job opportunities for women in labour and offices.

GtCCI President Chaudhry Waheeduddin said there were 100 women members of the chamber.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2021