President Arif Alvi called for taking immediate measures for digitalization of the economy, which was essential to empower women.
The president, addressing the plenary session of the 24th Sustainable Development Conference here, said the disbursement of the cash assistance to women under Ehsaas program directly to their banks accounts would make the women more financially empowered. It will also uplift other deprived segments into the economic mainstream of the country.
He said the banks had also introduced schemes for women to make them establish their own businesses which would ultimately make them play a constructive role in the society. The president said the COVID-19 pandemic had shown the world multiple ways to do the things online and the nations making the decisions accordingly would excel. He lauded the society’s support as well as the government’s prudent police of smart lockdown and data-driven decisions to support the poor and economy which saved the people as well as the economy.
He also spoke high of the government’s mass vaccination drive which he said had helped to aware the masses about the importance of preventive care instead of curative one which was also costlier. He said Pakistan was the fourth largest country for the prevalence of diabetes which was also preventable.
President Alvi said the COVID pandemic also provided an opportunity to promote the online learning which the nation could not adopt earlier despite availability of tools. The president said the think tanks like Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI), the organizer of the conference, should identify the new trends and exploit them.
