Firstly we will look into definition culture:
According to the classic definition of culture given by E.B Taylor "Culture is that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by the man as a member of the society”The definition states that culture Is that complex whole i-e a whole made up of complicated or interrelated parts…which includes all the knowledge we have in the form of books and literature, beliefs of a person, art and aesthetics including folk tales, handicrafts, all the moral codes norms, values, traditions, ethics and all the abilities of an indigenous individual acquired by him/her as a member of society…. so its clear that every person living in a given society conscious or unconsciously follows some codes of conduct and has a specific way of behavior which is called as culture…Another definition states that“Culture is the man-made part of environment”
So we have two types of environment.
1- Natural environment
2- Man made environment
Natural is the one which is given to us by god…. it includes all naturally occurring resources like water, minerals, fruits vegetables, sunlight, rainfall natural disasters etc.
Now when we talk about man made environment it refers to all those ways, tactics and procedures adopted by man to utilize these resources… e.g If we take the example of Eskimos….these people have to face hardships, but the way they manage to live is entirely different from those residing in other parts of the world….this is culture, that how they adopt to their environment. The way they cope with the situations…If we take another small example of Fruits…fruits are a natural blessing of god…its part of nature…. every society and its people are blessed with different sorts of fruits… now the way people make use of these fruits is different…. for example there can be difference in ways of eating, there can be difference in the way they cut it. Like if we take example of typical Punjabi culture…its totally different from the west…. Mango the most popular and most liked fruit is eaten very openly in our culture…many mangoes are placed in a large utensil usually a bucket with lots of ice or cold water…and than without caring about clothes, face and hands it is eaten very frankly…opposite to the west where it is cut with 100’s of styles and placed stylishly served in platter…and after so many steps finally eaten…this is all part of culture….I will give another example of dress patterns…. The universal phenomena is that all human beings need some thing to protect their bodies. Its natural… but the way people dress is different in all societies…this is culture and cultural differences. Reasons for decline in cultureDue to shortage of time I will very briefly discuss some reasons which i consider to be responsible for moribund of our culture…1-) Mass media…The main factor, which I personally think, is responsible for culture deterioration is Mass Media…. It includes both electronic and print media…. but I think electronic media is more responsible…now a days all the TV channels are promoting cultures of other nations especially Hindu culture…people are so much habitual of it that they are day by day forgetting their own golden culture and cultural values…people are following the dress patterns of the west, food habits are being adopted, lack of respect among the youth for elders, modernism and many other.2-) Acculturation…Acculturation is an other cause of cultural decline…. we are borrowing traits of other’s culture so hastily that we are gradually forgetting our original culture…the adaptation rate is very high…merging up of two cultures results in loss of one.3-) Globalization…Loss in culture is also the outcome of rapid globalization…. its due to the swift transfer of knowledge, technology, manpower, ideas from one country to another country, due to which our culture is fading out. 4-)Lack of ethnocentrism…I think due shortage of ethnocentric values among the native there is decline in our culture. People are no more ethnocentric…they don’t have much respect for their own culture.5-) lack of child socialization...Its due to parents neglect ion that the youth is going towards western culture…parents have given so much freedom to their children that they don’t even know where their children are going…what type of dress they are wearing…what sort of food they are taking…what are there ideas regarding religion and culture? and they don’t even have time to tell their children about their culture…6-)Lack of transmission of culture from generation to generation…Due to lack of transmission of cultural values by ancestors there is continuous loss in culture and cultural values…. this will also result in further loss when this generation will have nothing to transmit to their own generation except from the artificial culture which they have adopted of the west…but here we cannot give whole blame to the elders because some times it’s the youth who doesn’t want to receive and adopt their own culture willingly… 7-)Notion of Brain drain…I think the notion of brain drain has also some role for decline of our culture and cultural values…. e.g. when the. the cream of the country is taken away by the west…. When these people return back they become a source of inspiration for others…. these young people have some times fully or partially adopted the international cultures…so they become role models for others…resulting in cultural loss…8-)No conditioning of people…Due to lack of social conditioning and proper training of natives…we have to face culture deterioration…people are not aware of the importance of their own cultures…there is no training to create awareness among the masses how to safeguard their own culture…9-)Propaganda by west…Unhealthy propaganda by the west is also a cause for cultural decline…these people project their own culture in such a way that I seems that there culture is the only best culture of the world…we can see that even they had not left a single chance to hit our food habits too…. opening of international chains of KFC, McDonalds, or pizza hut…is an example…what they are doing is that they are now finishing this junk food in the own countries due to increasing rate of obesity among their youth, and they are throwing away the junk to country like ours… 10-)Elites as role models…There is a trend in our society that people follow the elite class blinding without looking at the consequences…. like if the high gentry is preferring going to KFC, McDonalds, or pizza hut…the lower class will also feel proud and elevated to visit such places even if they couldn’t afford to go there… 11-)Third world….Another problem of our country is that we are so called third world country and are so much impressed from these developed nations that we always think what they are doing is 100% correct….and we will surely succeed if we follow..12-)Migration…Migration to other countries is another cause of cultural turn down…in our country people prefer infact feel superior to work in foreign states…when lot of people move abroad, settle establish there automatically the adopt many of their cultural traits…. apart from adoption they also transfer many of these traits to their native cultures…. resulting in decline of their own culture…IS IT GOOD TO FOLLOW:NOW in my opinion its not good to follow the western culture blindly, but yes we can adopt good things, but only to such an extent that we retain our own culture and stop abondoning our own… regards,
Nausheen Ahmed
Showing posts with label social issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label social issues. Show all posts
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Holistic Education (Protecting the Innocent)
According to a report issued by a child rights’ a monitoring of crimes reported in 27 national newspapers indicated that at least 1218 children were sexually assaulted
in the first nine months of that year. 1826 cases of sexual abuse of children were reported in 2003. 679 cases were reported in 2002. Because sexual abuse, rape, sodomy or incest (whether of minors or adults) are all taboo subjects in Pakistani society, experts believe the cases reported represent only the tip of the iceberg.The victims were abused in acquaintances homes, hotels, mosques, the workplace, churches, streets, fields and their own homes.Despite the disturbing statistics, only a handful or organizations or initiatives have chosen to focus on the problem of child abuse in Pakistan.One of the biggest peculiarities of life in our country is the insistence that, despite all evidence to the contrary, man is simply a head on a stick. Not only do we neglect the mind, we also pretend not to exist from the neck down. The human body, in all its indecipherable complexity, with all its myriad needs, remains a mystery to us for most of our lives. We don’t talk about it when we need to, and hence obsess about it when we shouldn’t.This attitude is damaging because it facilitates child abuse. Since no clear limits, no definitions of inappropriate contact or behavior are shared with children when they are at their most vulnerable, victims of child abuse tend to suffer in silence. Not only because they might not realize what is happening to them is wrong, but also because they don’t know who to talk to about it with even if they do want to talk. Open, honest communication with their offspring is something that Pakistani parents tend to be singularly bad at. They feel embarrassed, inadequate and seem to believe that talking with their children about traditionally taboo subjects will do more harm than good. Questions are discouraged. While the manifestation of sexual frustration is evident everywhere, a culture of silence about all things to do with the human body is fostered in children from an early age. Adult sexual predators in a culture like ours therefore find an ideal feeding ground. Because of the very silence they believe will nurture their children’s innocence, families place their children at greater risk even as they seek to protect them. Keeping this in mind, education can play a vital role in combating child abuse.In the absence of a parent child dialogue, teachers can talk to children about culturally sensitive subjects. In co-educational schools, this can be done in simple (segregated) sessions when children are old enough to grasp concepts like personal space. They can be given simple guidelines about how to respect an adult while making sure the adult is not disrespecting them. They can be taught how to react if someone is making them feel uncomfortable or making them do things they don’t want to do. There are forms of abuse other than rape that can have equally destructive impact on a child’s psyche, they can be taught to recognize them. They can be taught to ‘differentiate between a good secret and a bad secret’. And there are a variety of culturally non-threatening ways to do this. Information about physical boundaries can be imparted to children in the form of stories, where delicate issues are framed through characters and carefully phrased questions. Stories written specially for this purpose can subtly touch upon a variety of culture specific themes adults are generally reluctant to talk about with children. For example, children need to be made aware that the bonds of blood, some tenuous notion of kinship or fear of shaming their parents do not supersede their rights. In the majority of instances of child abuse, the abuse is perpetrated by relatives and acquaintances rather than by strangers. More than half of the victims tend to age 12 or younger. In other words, before they learn to set their own limits.In a country where there are probably ten Javed Iqbals for every one that comes forward, where the commodification of the girl child is an accepted reality, where abusing young boys is sometimes seen as a necessary rite of passage, it is imperative that some degree of self-awareness be inculcated in children.Organizations like Sahil, an NGO based in Islamabad, have already developed teaching training modules. Individuals have also made efforts to set up model schools or make PSD (Personal and Social Development) a part of their private schools curriculum. There is a variety of information and teachers’ resources available on the Internet to help individuals determined to do what they can on a personal level. But there needs to be a concerted, nationwide effort to educate the maximum number of teachers and caregivers in the identification, prevention and intervention aspects of child abuse.This effort should include:1) Understanding the types of child abuse. Abuse can be categorized under neglect (a failure on the part of the parents or caregivers to cater to the basic emotional and physical needs of the child like food, shelter and safety), emotional (consistently belittling, humiliating or punishing a child and destroying their self esteem), physical (actual bodily harm to a child, intended or unintended as a result of overenthusiastic corporal punishment) or sexual (taking advantage of a child’s age, lack of maturity or trust and involving them in a sexual act)2) Recognizing the symptoms of abuse and maintaining a patient, caring approach. Different problems manifest themselves in different ways. Without proper training or education, it is impossible (and inappropriate) for a teacher to make judgments about what is causing a pupil to behave a certain way. For example a sudden decline in school performance can be caused by neglect, while the behavioral extremes of apathy or aggressiveness that teachers note in certain pupils and tend to dismiss as laziness or ‘being difficult’ can be caused by emotional or physical abuse.3) Figuring out what to do if a teacher suspects there is something wrong. Or rather, who to approach and consult with. This is often the most difficult part in a nation as culturally resistant as ours is to open admission of the existence of sexuality. Parents obviously need to be involved, as well as a qualified, objective third party like a child psychologist or licensed counselor. While private schools can often afford to have such a person as a member of in house staff, government schools could benefit from some sort of pool system.This effort should be extended to all the operational educational apparatus in the country, whether private, public or religious. Assuming the concerned parties all have the best interests of the child at heart, and considering that material used in lessons for both teachers and children will be devised keeping societal norms and courtesies in mind, there should be no objections.A people or a nation can be accurately measured by the condition of its weakest and most vulnerable. As Pakistan trumpets its recent conversion to the cause of enlightened moderation, lets see whether our newly discovered progressive zeal translates into any kind of meaningful effort to safeguard the rights of our children.
in the first nine months of that year. 1826 cases of sexual abuse of children were reported in 2003. 679 cases were reported in 2002. Because sexual abuse, rape, sodomy or incest (whether of minors or adults) are all taboo subjects in Pakistani society, experts believe the cases reported represent only the tip of the iceberg.The victims were abused in acquaintances homes, hotels, mosques, the workplace, churches, streets, fields and their own homes.Despite the disturbing statistics, only a handful or organizations or initiatives have chosen to focus on the problem of child abuse in Pakistan.One of the biggest peculiarities of life in our country is the insistence that, despite all evidence to the contrary, man is simply a head on a stick. Not only do we neglect the mind, we also pretend not to exist from the neck down. The human body, in all its indecipherable complexity, with all its myriad needs, remains a mystery to us for most of our lives. We don’t talk about it when we need to, and hence obsess about it when we shouldn’t.This attitude is damaging because it facilitates child abuse. Since no clear limits, no definitions of inappropriate contact or behavior are shared with children when they are at their most vulnerable, victims of child abuse tend to suffer in silence. Not only because they might not realize what is happening to them is wrong, but also because they don’t know who to talk to about it with even if they do want to talk. Open, honest communication with their offspring is something that Pakistani parents tend to be singularly bad at. They feel embarrassed, inadequate and seem to believe that talking with their children about traditionally taboo subjects will do more harm than good. Questions are discouraged. While the manifestation of sexual frustration is evident everywhere, a culture of silence about all things to do with the human body is fostered in children from an early age. Adult sexual predators in a culture like ours therefore find an ideal feeding ground. Because of the very silence they believe will nurture their children’s innocence, families place their children at greater risk even as they seek to protect them. Keeping this in mind, education can play a vital role in combating child abuse.In the absence of a parent child dialogue, teachers can talk to children about culturally sensitive subjects. In co-educational schools, this can be done in simple (segregated) sessions when children are old enough to grasp concepts like personal space. They can be given simple guidelines about how to respect an adult while making sure the adult is not disrespecting them. They can be taught how to react if someone is making them feel uncomfortable or making them do things they don’t want to do. There are forms of abuse other than rape that can have equally destructive impact on a child’s psyche, they can be taught to recognize them. They can be taught to ‘differentiate between a good secret and a bad secret’. And there are a variety of culturally non-threatening ways to do this. Information about physical boundaries can be imparted to children in the form of stories, where delicate issues are framed through characters and carefully phrased questions. Stories written specially for this purpose can subtly touch upon a variety of culture specific themes adults are generally reluctant to talk about with children. For example, children need to be made aware that the bonds of blood, some tenuous notion of kinship or fear of shaming their parents do not supersede their rights. In the majority of instances of child abuse, the abuse is perpetrated by relatives and acquaintances rather than by strangers. More than half of the victims tend to age 12 or younger. In other words, before they learn to set their own limits.In a country where there are probably ten Javed Iqbals for every one that comes forward, where the commodification of the girl child is an accepted reality, where abusing young boys is sometimes seen as a necessary rite of passage, it is imperative that some degree of self-awareness be inculcated in children.Organizations like Sahil, an NGO based in Islamabad, have already developed teaching training modules. Individuals have also made efforts to set up model schools or make PSD (Personal and Social Development) a part of their private schools curriculum. There is a variety of information and teachers’ resources available on the Internet to help individuals determined to do what they can on a personal level. But there needs to be a concerted, nationwide effort to educate the maximum number of teachers and caregivers in the identification, prevention and intervention aspects of child abuse.This effort should include:1) Understanding the types of child abuse. Abuse can be categorized under neglect (a failure on the part of the parents or caregivers to cater to the basic emotional and physical needs of the child like food, shelter and safety), emotional (consistently belittling, humiliating or punishing a child and destroying their self esteem), physical (actual bodily harm to a child, intended or unintended as a result of overenthusiastic corporal punishment) or sexual (taking advantage of a child’s age, lack of maturity or trust and involving them in a sexual act)2) Recognizing the symptoms of abuse and maintaining a patient, caring approach. Different problems manifest themselves in different ways. Without proper training or education, it is impossible (and inappropriate) for a teacher to make judgments about what is causing a pupil to behave a certain way. For example a sudden decline in school performance can be caused by neglect, while the behavioral extremes of apathy or aggressiveness that teachers note in certain pupils and tend to dismiss as laziness or ‘being difficult’ can be caused by emotional or physical abuse.3) Figuring out what to do if a teacher suspects there is something wrong. Or rather, who to approach and consult with. This is often the most difficult part in a nation as culturally resistant as ours is to open admission of the existence of sexuality. Parents obviously need to be involved, as well as a qualified, objective third party like a child psychologist or licensed counselor. While private schools can often afford to have such a person as a member of in house staff, government schools could benefit from some sort of pool system.This effort should be extended to all the operational educational apparatus in the country, whether private, public or religious. Assuming the concerned parties all have the best interests of the child at heart, and considering that material used in lessons for both teachers and children will be devised keeping societal norms and courtesies in mind, there should be no objections.A people or a nation can be accurately measured by the condition of its weakest and most vulnerable. As Pakistan trumpets its recent conversion to the cause of enlightened moderation, lets see whether our newly discovered progressive zeal translates into any kind of meaningful effort to safeguard the rights of our children.
Poverty has many faces:
POVERTY has many faces. One sees it in different forms on a daily basis: a child beggar standing at the traffic signal; or a young flower-vendor standing in the corner of a road. One can either buy his stuff or bring him home for sexual gratification, paying him Rs10-15. Poverty can also be seen in the form of the maid who covers long distances on shabby public transport busses to work in the so-called posh localities where she is often verbally or physically abused. Then there are those who earn on a daily basis, and whose livelihood can be disrupted by frequent strikes and police excesses. The list can go on and on and after 59 years of freedom we, as a nation, have not been able to come out of the trap of poverty and there is no light at the end of the tunnel. The divide between the rich and the poor is increasing due to faulty government policies.However, this is one side of the coin, and the life on the other side of the divide is really a bed of roses. The so-called privileged section of society — which includes politicians, feudal lords, civil and military bureaucracy and industrialists — is having a ball in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Life has never been so easy and enjoyable for them because in a Third World country they can enjoy the luxuries of any developed nation: their neighborhoods are clean; their children go to quality schools; they enjoy the best medical facilities; and common civic problems such as electricity breakdowns and water scarcity do not affect them since their money can take care of these minor hitches. The exclusive shopping malls, branded stores and franchise restaurants, rave parties, designer clothes, and super markets do not make them miss their foreign abodes where they spend half of their time.In this regard, it would be apt to mention what Mohsin Hamid writes about the subject under discussion in Moth Smoke: “There are two social classes in Pakistan. The first group, large and sweaty, contains those referred to as masses. The second group is much smaller, but its members exercise vastly greater control over their immediate environment and are collectively termed as the elite ... and they have managed to recreate for themselves the living standards of, say, Sweden, without leaving the dusty plains of the subcontinent.”Although poverty has been the major problem for all the developing countries, its impact on Pakistan is colossal, to say the least. According to a Human Development Report, while less than one-third of Pakistanis are income poor, nearly one-half suffer from serious deprivations. Access to basic services like primary healthcare and safe drinking water is denied to nearly half of the population. Aabout 38 per cent of the children under five are malnourished. There is a mismatch in the supply and demand for skills. And poverty levels have increased from 21 per cent to 35 per cent since 1998-99.Poverty is a multidimensional concept that constitutes not only economics but also social deprivations. Its two important facets are income poverty and poverty of opportunities. Income poverty is measured against the notion of a poverty line. However, the poverty of opportunities is analysed primarily in relation to access to corresponding inputs such as healthcare, drinking water, sanitation facilities and education. Amartya Sen has explained the many dimensions of poverty as the lack of ‘capability’— the capability to overcome violence, starvation, ignorance, diseases, disparity and voicelessness.Explaining this point further, Akbar Zaidi, a researcher and freelance consultant in areas of political economy, governance, institutions and the social sectors, says: “Poverty’s definition should include issues of justice, rights, participation and equality and to all intents and purposes all form of social and economic segregation, which are usually based on imbalanced material relations.”When we examine the trends in poverty during the last 59 years, it becomes clear that it has been an uneven traverse. However, poverty has always been studied in relation to economic growth as experts believe that it is the foundation on which its reduction can be achieved. As Akbar Zaidi has mentioned in Issues in Pakistan’s economy, in the ’50s growth was stagnated and poverty persisted; in the`60s there was a rapid increase in growth and poverty increased whereas in the ’70s growth was slow and stagnated and poverty declined. In the ’80s, however, there was a rapid increase in growth and decline in poverty. In the `90s, there was a substantial decline in growth and poverty increased considerably.After toying with the idea of macro-economic stabilisation for quite some time, poverty alleviation has become the new catchphrase among the official planners. Realising the dangers posed to the social fabric of society, the government has initiated a Poverty Reduction Strategy, as stated in the Economic Survey 2005-06. Its five aims are accelerated economic growth and maintaining macroeconomic stability, investing in human capital, augmenting targeted intervention, expanding social safety nets and improving governance and following this programme they expect to reduce transitory and chronic poverty on a sustained basis. In short, the official line is still the ‘trickle down theory’ which has failed to make positive impact, time and again.Faisal Bari, Associate Professor in LUMS and an economist working with the Mahbabul Haq Human Development Centre, says: “There is no doubt that the government has taken some positive measures to increase the growth rate and achieve fiscal stability. However, in lieu of macro-economic raison d’être, their results would come, say, in two or three years. The government is rightfully claiming that poverty levels are coming down but at the same time inequality is increasing at an alarming rate which has given rise to certain social problems.”Poverty has created many social and psychological problems as well. Years ago this scribe had attended a conference addressed by the late Dr Akhtar Hameed Khan, who prophesied that Pakistan would be heading towards an explosive situation because there were islands of prosperity amidst oceans of poverty. Elaborating the point, Dr Wasif Ali, a practising psychiatrist says: “Basically this is the era of communication technology which has made information and exposure accessible to everyone irrespective of their class and social standing. This single factor has created many problems as it creates split in the minds of deprived people and generates feeling of deprivation, hopelessness and helplessness.” On the individual level these feelings convert into depression, anxiety disorders and suicidal tendencies and on the societal level they translate into escalating violent behaviour, mob violence and petty crimes. This dichotomy is injurious to the mental health of the people in any unjust and class-ridden set-up, adds Dr Ali.According to the Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP), the gap between the rich and the poor as measured by Gini Coefficient has increased from the ratio of 3.76 to 4.15, over the last four years. It also shows that amplified GDP is being pre-empted by the higher stratum while the people on the other side of the fence are not gaining much from the higher level of development. Explaining the reasons for the widening gap between haves and have-nots, Dr Asad Saeed, an eminent economist, says: “This is the logical outcome of the liberalised economy as in this system it is the market that is going to decide allocation and distribution of resources. The market forces don’t have any consideration for the marginalised sections or lofty aims as creating egalitarian society or reducing poverty levels.”In the end, it could be safely said that a pro-poor growth strategy is the need of the hour. The government needs to identify the predicament, gather the political resolve and utilise its writ to close the gap between haves and have-nots. Dr A. R. Kamal, an eminent economist serving in the public sector says: “There is an urgent need to create more employment opportunities to fight poverty.” In this regard, he especially mentions the potential of the agriculture sector and particularly the livestock section which accounts for 40 per cent of its GDP, manufacturing and light engineering industries which are labour intensive and can create more jobs.However, there is a need for an integrated approach that should promote broad-based economic growth that encourages labour intensive industries, development of a conducive environment for the private sector, increasing employment and income generating opportunities for disadvantaged groups such as women, urban poor and landless peasants through micro financing, improving governance by ensuring the transparent use of public funds, promoting effective delivery of public services and maintaining law and order. Last but not least there is a need for social development which targets human capital, adequate budgetary allocation for developing human resources, targets basic services for marginalised people, and removes gender discrimination in all spheres of life.
An Essay on Poverty Alleviation
Outlines:
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
Wakeup Pakistan
Past, Present & Future:
1947:
Muslims of India gain independence after seven years of struggle. Motivated by the dreams of Iqbal and Jinnah, the Muslims of India decide that they need a seperate country to practice Islam freely while embracing the changing times. Jinnah and Iqbal dreamt of a country where democracy was the way of the government and Islam would be of prime importance. Both of them believed that this was acheivable without hurting Islam or democracy. They believed that there was a reasonable logic behind getting a new country rather then muslims living in India after the Britons have left. They sincerely believed that we should create our own culture- a more Islamic culture. In my opinion, they were right, and this was our past.
2000 till date:Muslims of Pakistan are very advanced. If Jinnah was alive, he would have cried and most likely commited suicide. Pakistan is nothing what he dreamt of. Now, you see women without Dupattas and scarfs and wearing sleeveless shirts and low-cut, skin tight jeans. Perhaps, today's pakistani women is forgetting how Ms. Fatima Jinnah observed her dressing? Sorry, if I am very explicit, but the pakistani women are being used for selling products that otherwise won't sell. I can point several billboards in the city of Karachi alone that have explicit and very embarassing images, but, I will let you find a few. Specifically, you will find a few on Shahrah-e-Faisal.Turn on the radio and you will only hear Indian songs on Pakistani FM Channels. It is sad to see how we are destroying our younger generations and making them a slave of indian culture. Like a notable channel is FM 96 which only plays very explicit english songs. Songs that would be censored in the United States, are freely broadcasted without anyone taking a notice. Sadly, some lady (I believe her name was Mrs. Sheerazi) wanted to listen to Black Eyed Peas - My Humps. I won't tell you what the lyrics sound like, but be warned they are very explicit and shouldn't be aired on free waves, SPECIALLY in the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN?Geo Network is trying to revolutionize the television experience by broadcasting indian dramas and shows. ARY's Fashion TV Pakistan is yet another slap in the faces of the people who fought for this country in 1947. Indus Vision shows cartoon shows for kids around 5 pm every day with dubbing in hindi - yet another innocent attempt at corrupting the young pakistani generation and sadly, Urdu. Musik TV broadcasts a program called "Bang tu Bajega", which has teenagers discussing and idolizing indian actors and fashion. Once, they showed an episode where one team (boys) were arguing with another team (girls) about skin tight clothes and fashion in general in Pakistan. I guess, by now you get the picture but I have listed very few examples. You will find countless attempts of corrupting pakistanis (young and old, man and woman, etc.) minds, destroying our heritage and historical past, and Jinnah's dream of a modern democratic and yet Islamic state in newspapers and print media, television and radio, and pathetically educational institutes.
Future:I will let you decide the future. I, personally, believe that we are a dead nation. We have reached a point from which a return won't be easy. Perhaps, most people already know all of the above and are anticipating the outcome but then again most people who are reading this are well educated and learned. What about the majority of the uneducated and illiterate nation that believes and practices what it sees on TV and hears on radio? You be the judge.
Thankyou..
Feel free to drop your comments and suggestions..
1947:
Muslims of India gain independence after seven years of struggle. Motivated by the dreams of Iqbal and Jinnah, the Muslims of India decide that they need a seperate country to practice Islam freely while embracing the changing times. Jinnah and Iqbal dreamt of a country where democracy was the way of the government and Islam would be of prime importance. Both of them believed that this was acheivable without hurting Islam or democracy. They believed that there was a reasonable logic behind getting a new country rather then muslims living in India after the Britons have left. They sincerely believed that we should create our own culture- a more Islamic culture. In my opinion, they were right, and this was our past.
2000 till date:Muslims of Pakistan are very advanced. If Jinnah was alive, he would have cried and most likely commited suicide. Pakistan is nothing what he dreamt of. Now, you see women without Dupattas and scarfs and wearing sleeveless shirts and low-cut, skin tight jeans. Perhaps, today's pakistani women is forgetting how Ms. Fatima Jinnah observed her dressing? Sorry, if I am very explicit, but the pakistani women are being used for selling products that otherwise won't sell. I can point several billboards in the city of Karachi alone that have explicit and very embarassing images, but, I will let you find a few. Specifically, you will find a few on Shahrah-e-Faisal.Turn on the radio and you will only hear Indian songs on Pakistani FM Channels. It is sad to see how we are destroying our younger generations and making them a slave of indian culture. Like a notable channel is FM 96 which only plays very explicit english songs. Songs that would be censored in the United States, are freely broadcasted without anyone taking a notice. Sadly, some lady (I believe her name was Mrs. Sheerazi) wanted to listen to Black Eyed Peas - My Humps. I won't tell you what the lyrics sound like, but be warned they are very explicit and shouldn't be aired on free waves, SPECIALLY in the ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF PAKISTAN?Geo Network is trying to revolutionize the television experience by broadcasting indian dramas and shows. ARY's Fashion TV Pakistan is yet another slap in the faces of the people who fought for this country in 1947. Indus Vision shows cartoon shows for kids around 5 pm every day with dubbing in hindi - yet another innocent attempt at corrupting the young pakistani generation and sadly, Urdu. Musik TV broadcasts a program called "Bang tu Bajega", which has teenagers discussing and idolizing indian actors and fashion. Once, they showed an episode where one team (boys) were arguing with another team (girls) about skin tight clothes and fashion in general in Pakistan. I guess, by now you get the picture but I have listed very few examples. You will find countless attempts of corrupting pakistanis (young and old, man and woman, etc.) minds, destroying our heritage and historical past, and Jinnah's dream of a modern democratic and yet Islamic state in newspapers and print media, television and radio, and pathetically educational institutes.
Future:I will let you decide the future. I, personally, believe that we are a dead nation. We have reached a point from which a return won't be easy. Perhaps, most people already know all of the above and are anticipating the outcome but then again most people who are reading this are well educated and learned. What about the majority of the uneducated and illiterate nation that believes and practices what it sees on TV and hears on radio? You be the judge.
Thankyou..
Feel free to drop your comments and suggestions..
ALLEVIATING POVERTY:
Outlines:
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
ALLEVIATING POVERTY:
Outlines:
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
1. Poverty is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation.
2. Poverty exists everywhere. However its proportion is higher in rural areas than in urban.
3. The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood.
4. Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations.
5. So far, the Government of Pakistan has tried to control poverty through various steps.
6. The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty.
POVERTY is simply a state of human ill-being and unacceptable human deprivation. Its concept extends from low levels of incomes and consumption to lack of education and poor health. Different people view poverty in different perspectives. The worst kind of poverty is when people do not have access to basic food and water to fulfil their basic physical needs, therefore they are undernourished, weak and very susceptible to diseases. Another kind of poverty is where people have adequate food but do not have access to other basic needs, i-e: water for sanitation, public health services, clothes and housing. Poverty is not so simple that limits itself to food, cloth and housing. It includes other social dimensions like powerlessness, insecurity, vulnerability, isolation and social exclusion. The poors suffer from stunted growth due to malnutrition, diseases like diarrhoea which result from unsafe drinking water; and low level of schooling. They are not supplied with basic amenities like clean water and a place to live. They have no protection under the law. They are the most vulnerable to crimes. They are deprived of every security that a government provides to its citizens. They have been totally excluded from our societies just as they are not one of us.Poverty exists everywhere. Recent global level estimates suggest that almost half of the 6 billion population of the world live on $2 a day, and about one-fifth live on less than $1 a day. Around 44% of the world’s poor population live in South Asia only. Although the poor population living under $1 a day declined from 1987-99, however the actual number of poor has increased. According to estimates, if the present situation persists, the total number of poor living under $1 a day is going to increase from 1.2 billion to 1.8 billion by 2015. However there is a regional variation in the incidence of poverty. East Asia, North Africa and Middle East have so far been able to cope with poverty and have relatively less number of poor population. But, in other regions, conspicuously, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa the number of absolute poor have increased since the last one and a half-decade. These two regions consist of the world’s 70% poor population that lives below $1 a day. Within South Africa there is a variation among countries in respect of poverty. Recent researches reveal that poverty in Nepal and Bangladesh is the highest followed by Pakistan and India. Some surveys suggest that Pakistan has a population of about 141.5 million. The population has grown at a rate of 2.5% since ‘90s. The population density of Pakistan is about 183-persons/square km. The gross national income is $59.6 billion, which means per capita gross national income is $421. The life expectancy in Pakistan is 63 years and under child mortality rate is 110/year. Adult literacy rate in Pakistan is 57%. Official stats also suggest that 33% population lives below poverty line. In the poor population of Pakistan, 38% population lives in Urban areas while 62% is found in rural areas.The causes of poverty are complex, deep-rooted and often less understood. The main causes of poverty are lack of education; inequality in distribution of incomes and assets; and pervasive corruption along with several other causes including natural calamities, inflation, unemployment, flawed policies of Govt. and disturbed law & order situation. The more superior cause among these is the inequality of distribution of assets. In Pakistan, the initial pattern of land distribution is very skewed, largely due to the allocation of large tracts of newly irrigated lands to loyal nawabs, sardars, khans and jagirdars by the British in pre-partition India. The inequality in land distribution has since then widened itself. The pattern of income is even worse in the industrial sectors. The benefits of high growths in the ‘60s were not distributed evenly. It is an astounding fact that two-thirds of the country’s industrial assets are controlled by 22 families. A recent SPDC study reveals that out of every increment in the GDP of one rupee, 48 paisas accrues the richest 20 per cent and only 7 paisa to the poorest 20 per cent. This shows how inequally the wealth is distributed in Pakistan. The other biggest cause of poverty is lack of education. Education is the only key to human and social development. Education is the only quality which incites in the people the quality of decision-making and planning effective strategies. Simply it is the key through which people can know how to tackle their problems i-e: poor health, powerlessness, insecurity and isolation etc. Education is the only way that poors can empower themselves to attain their rights. The third main problem is the corruption in the government system. The government allocates a large amount of funds to alleviate this menace (poverty) but the system is so corrupt that hardly a small portion of the funds reach the poor to assuage their grievances. The poor are deprived of all the rights and privileges due to the corrupt system. The rich are prioritized over the poor in the fields of justice, protection and freedom of choice and action. Thus a sensation of powerlessness is felt among the poors. Besides other reason, natural calamities also count. Most of the time the worst hit due to the natural calamities are the poor as they are the least protected. The destruction further reduces them to more poverty. Inflation too is a real hazards for the poor. With their meagre resources they are hardly able to make both ends meet. Meanwhile, when the ugly monster of inflation rears up its head, and engulfs the poor in its grip. Inflation raises the prices of basically needed commodities while luxurious commodities like Cars, Refridgerator, A.C, Television feel a major fall in their prices. So this alludes that inflation only affects the poor, not the rich. Employment too is elusive for the poor. They can't afford the market rates of jobs and merit doesn't count much in present state of affairs. Govt. Policies too are playing a vital role to nurture this menace. For instance, consider tax policies. The direct taxes which hit the rich are decelerating however the indirect taxes which effectively strike the poor are on the rise. These were the main reasons behind the upsurge in poverty. The list is still unending.Poverty creates more poverty and destroys the productive capacity of individuals, communities and nations. There are a far more severe consequences of this chronic poverty. Poor want to survive and to do that, their poverty leaves them with no choice except stepping into the world of crimes. Poverty is the major source of the crimes. The poor involve themselves in heinous crimes like prostitution, extortion, drug-addiction, kidnapping for ransom and contract-killings etc. These kinds of crime lead into dire deadlocks, which are adverse for the every individual in the country. These crimes create the sensation of insecurity among people, repel foreign investment and create hatred in the hearts of rich for the poor etc. Thus everybody suffers the repercussions of poverty.The government of Pakistan has taken some serious steps in alleviating poverty. For example, it has launched micro-credit-financing schemes. Micro-credit schemes are very effective instruments of providing self-employment opportunities to the poor. Pakistan has two complementary micro-credit programmes through the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) and the Khushali Bank (KB). PPAF has disbursed Rs. 4 billion in the past five years and KB Rs. 3 billion in three years. For intellectual development it has set the cost of education in Government institute free or nominal. To raise the influx, the government is providing several incentives to students on various occasions throughout the year. Scholarships are also awarded to deserving people. This policy in the long-term is going to be an effective strategy to alleviate poverty at the grass-roots level. The government has also commenced several mega projects including dams, industries, ports and small and medium enterprises. These projects are targeting help directly at the poor. These mega projects will create a lots of employment alongwith facilities and services, all for the poor. In reality, these projects will help boost the country's economy and achieving larger growth rates. The Government also has signed various pacts with Malaysia which has promised to recruit 100,000 people from Pakistan for employment there. The employed ones will send remittances to Pakistan ultimately influencing straight on the poor sector. At the end, Pakistani Government is encouraging competition in the Telecommunication Sector which is attracting a lots of Foreign Investors. Thus creating too many employment opportunities as well as cheaper and better services.The Government of Pakistan still needs systematize its present plans and take more steps to check poverty. The micro-credit programmes (PPAF and KB) disburse Rs. 4 and 3 million respectively. Thus the annual rate of disbursement is Rs. 1.8 billion, which ultimately makes Rs. 25000-30000 to a small proportion of the poor population. However, it doesn't remove the poverty permanently. The Government has provided incentives and funds in education sector. But it has failed to maintain a standard quality of education. It needs to work out sincerely to breakaway the barriers of mediocrity. The mega-projects which have been introduced are a good step. But the projects are still less to satisfy the needs of such a large population. The Government needs to keep the good work up and introduce as more mega projects as it can. The employment contract signed between Malaysia and Pakistan is somewhat encouraging. But 100,000 won't make such a big difference. Pakistan needs to attract other countries towards its cheap labour and sign contracts with other countries. Such a large drop-out from the country will pacify the load on the country's economy in terms of petty resources alongwith drag in a huge amount of remittances. Just as the competition in Telecommunication sector has begun, the Government needs to attract more foreign investors in other fields in order to arrange more employment, provide quality services at cheaper rates. These were the recommendations to add 5 stars to the achievements of the Government of Pakistan. Now lets see what is more needed to be done. The Government's present Tax Policies are anti-poor and pro-rich. This thing needs to be reversed to properly distribute assets and wealth between rich and the poor. Presently, the taxes collected in the National Exchequer prove the be a major part of the income of the poor due to flawed direct and indirect tax policies. The direct taxes should be given a limit of around Rs. 25000. The direct taxes should be forgiven to people earning less than the limit amount. While it should be imposed vigorously, transparently and cruelly imposed on people earning more than the limit. This is how the poor and middle class will breakaway through the direct taxes. And for indirect taxes, the base should keep minimizing. The strategy should be like nobody suffers, neither the poor & middle class nor the Government. The luxurious and noble commodities and services specifically utilized by the rich should be taxed fervently. This is the way to fill the wide gap of inequality. If we can't make the poor rich, lets make the rich poor. This will ultimately eradicate the sense of elitism. Thus the universal goal of unity and brotherhood will be achieved. In the agriculture area, the distribution of lands need to be looked out. The jagirdars, sardars and nawabs should be deprived of their land and the recovered land should be alloted to tenants. Side by side modern techniques should be introduced for better production. The Farmers should be given technical education in sync with the modern scenario. Crop cultivation should be done strategically. The more water-consuming crops should be imported and the available amount of water should be used carefully and cautiously. This will solve the major problem of water crises in our country. The industrial area needs some concessions. The industries should be provided with basic necessities at their service with cheap costs. This will help calling down prices. Everyyear, the government collects a huge amount of Zakat (poor-due). This amount is most efficiently used up by white-collar criminals to fill up their bank accounts. Only a small proportion of this amount reaches the poor which doesn't help long. Instead the Government should allocate the zakat (poor-due) fund of every district and invest that fund in the owning districts to establish industries, factories or small enterprises. Doing this will create employment opportunities and the yearly profits from the invested-sector can be used to aid the poor just like the Government does. By the other hand, the Zakat collection by the Government everyyear can be used on development projects thus enhancing the standard of life. Nowadays mediocrity has been on a rise in Pakistan. It is all due to the falling standards of educational institutions throughout the country. The remedy to this situation needs some time, meanwhile what the Government needs to work on is Technical Education. For instance, if you want to build a bungalow, you will get the finest architect in Pakistan but if you've got a leaking tap, you will never find a skilled plumber. The government needs to encourage people to step in the world of technical education. This will help solve the unemployment problems.All these steps can achieve striking results only if followed with total integrity and transparency. These two features in the Government can prove to be a cornerstone in building a STRONG AND PROSPEROUS PAKISTAN. - Ameeen.
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