ISLAMABAD: At a time when local government in the provinces are losing power, the federal capital administration has decided to empower poor rural women by extending the micro credits scheme to them and create income-generating opportunities for them.

On Thursday, Islamabad’s Chief Commissioner Fazeel Asghar distributed cheques of Rs20,000 each to 30 deserving women of three union councils – Tarlai, Sohan and Chirah — under the micro credit scheme at National Centre for Rural Development, Chak Shahzad.

So far 500 women have benefited from the scheme. Also, credit amounting to Rs3 million had been distributed among deserving women for starting small businesses.

Mostly, they use the credit to set up shops, purchasing and rearing livestock and buying sewing machines for making garments.

The chief commissioner was informed that the scheme was launched in outskirts of Islamabad in 1994.

The Women Development Wing of the capital administration has also imparted training to 500 women prior to starting their business about basic concept of micro business and proper utilisation of loan.

The scheme is running successfully under the revolving fund and recovery rate of loans is 94 per cent. Selection criteria for giving credit to the deserving women are transparent and verification of applicants is made through local Zakat committees.

The chief commissioner was also informed that the capital administration had launched various development projects in the rural areas for the uplift of women under which vocational training centers, computer literacy centres and sewing and embroidery centers in nine union councils of capital had been set up and training was being given free of cost.
Source: Dawn
Date:7/17/2009