Pakistan plans national framework to cut poverty b...

Summary

• The federal government is working on a national framework to reduce poverty and improve coordination between federal and provincial authorities.
• Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation Pir Syed Imran Ahmed Shah has said three provinces have responded positively to the proposal, while the fourth is yet to submit its response.
• Shah emphasised the need for a comprehensive national framework that would improve data-sharing among federal and provincial governments, as well as organisations involved in poverty alleviation.

AI Generated Summary

The federal government is working on a national framework to reduce poverty and improve coordination between federal and provincial authorities. Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation Pir Syed Imran Ahmed Shah has said three provinces have responded positively to the proposal, while the fourth is yet to submit its response.

The proposed framework aims to bring government departments and poverty alleviation institutions under a coordinated approach. The minister said the initiative could reduce the cost of poverty reduction programmes by up to 75 per cent. He stressed that better coordination would help avoid duplication and improve the use of public resources.

Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Shah said provincial governments were not subordinate to the federal government. He noted that the centre could not directly monitor provincial administrations. He called for cooperation between the two levels of government to ensure that poverty reduction policies produced meaningful results.

The minister also criticised the World Bank for categorising Pakistan under the Middle East and North Africa region instead of South Asia. He alleged that the classification was intended to damage the country’s image. He also challenged the bank’s assessment of poverty in Pakistan.