Sindh passes law to recognise agri-women as formal labourers

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The Sindh Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed into law a groundbreaking legislation which recognises women workers of the agricultural sector as formal labourers.The Sindh Women Agricultural Women Bill-2019 will protect the social security rights of female labourers working in the agricultural section. The newly passed law will recognise and safeguard the rights of women workers associated with the sectors of cultivation, fisheries, poultry, and animal husbandry.This law will enable the female workers of the agricultural sectors to get financial assistance from the endowment fund of the Benazir Income Support Programme. Rights of women agricultural workers will be equal to industrial labourers of the province in view of the concept of universalisation of social security, according to the new law.The newly passed law will enable a woman labourer of the agricultural sector to demand a contract of employment if she needs so. It will also enable woman agricultural workers to get rights related to collective bargaining, social welfare including child health, community development, economic profit, and for accessing publicly supplied goods and services.The bill was passed by the assembly in view of the report of a select committee of the house, which was constituted to review draft of the proposed law. The report of the select committee was presented in the house by its chairman Shahid Abdul Salam Thahim, an MPA of the Pakistan Peoples Party.Later, Sindh Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Mukesh Kumar Chawla presented the bill in the house for clause-by-clause consideration in view of the report of the select committee of the house.It should be recalled here that the Sindh cabinet in its meeting held on August 25 approved draft of this bill. One that occasion, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah had termed the preparation and adoption of the bill a historic moment.The CM was of the viewpoint that the role of agricultural women had not been recognised appropriately despite a central role of rural women in Sindh’s predominantly agro-based economy.Meanwhile, the house also passed into law the Government Bill no 28 of 2019 of the Sindh Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Bill-2019. The bill was passed in the light of the report of the Standing Committee of the house on Primary Health and Secondary Health. Chairman of the Standing Committee Dr Sohrab Sarki of the PPP presented the bill. Basic health unitsSindh Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho informed the house during the question-hour that there were total 796 basic health units (BHUs) in the province and a majority of them were functional.The minister informed the house that some 22 basic health units were non-functional but they were present in such areas of the province where there was no shortage of doctors.Dr Pechuho said she was willing to make functional a BHU in any area of the province if anyone gave information about such a non-functional unit. She said buildings of some of the basic health units were not in suitable condition while some of these units had been facing shortage of the essential staff.Speaking on the occasion, Opposition legislator Muhammad Hussain Khan of the Muttahida Quami Movement-Pakistan complained that BHUs in several parts of Karachi were not functional, including three such units in Korangi area.The health minister said a majority of the BHUs in the city had been functioning and that three functional units were present in Karachi’s district East while four units had been providing health services in Korangi area.MPA of Opposition Grand Democratic Alliance Arif Mustafa Jatoi expressed concerns over statistics showing that 230,000 patients were suffering from Hepatitis B and 36,000 patients were having Hepatitis C in Sindh.The health minister said Hepatitis B was a curable ailment and efforts were being made to treat the patients. She hoped that number of these patients would soon drop in the province.She said some 4,425 patients of Hepatitis C in the province were yet to get health treatment services.

from The News International - Karachi https://ift.tt/2PIKxWl
The News International - Karachi