President Alvi says digitalization vital to empower women, bring other deprived segments into the mainstream
ISLAMABAD, Dec 06 (SABAH): President Dr. Arif Alvi on Monday said that the digitalization of the economy was essential to empower women and bring other deprived segments into the mainstream.
President Dr. Arif Alvi, 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 empowerment.
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 Dr. Arif 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.
Highlighting the strengths of the Pakistani nation, he specifically mentioned the hosting of millions of Afghan refugees by the country which the developed countries could not do rather let them drown in the oceans.
He also referred to the Pope Francis’ recent statement during his visit to a refugee camp at Greek Island of Lesbos, in which he termed the neglect of refugees “shipwreck of civilization.”
“Let us not let our sea (mare nostrum) be transformed into a desolate sea of death (mare mortuum),” he said, Pope had said according to media reports.
President Alvi also asked the think tanks to ensure that their work was also bought by the opinion makers like the government and parliamentarians which otherwise would not have any impact base in the decision making.
Criticizing the trend of the fake news, the president urged the people to be cautious of the phenomenon which could adversely impact the nations and damage the people’s mindset.