Western, southern Punjab
Every second household living in absolute poverty
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
By Mansoor Ahmad
LAHORE: More people live in poverty in western and southern regions of the Punjab comprising fourteen districts than in Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP combined as development and facilitation remain lopsided in the Punjab.
The districts in southern Punjab include Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran and Vehari while Layyah, DG khan, Muzafargardh, Rajanpur, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mianwali are in the west.
According to a study conducted by Dr Ali Cheema and his associates at the Lahore University of Management Sciences every second household in these region lives in absolute poverty irrespective of the parameter used to evaluate poverty.
The combined population of western districts of the Punjab according to provincial government statistics is 11.14 million and in south Punjab it is 17.49 million. The combined population of these two regions is 28.63 million which is higher that the 23 million population of Sindh, 17.7 million population of NWFP and 6.3 million population of Balochistan.
The affluent regions of Punjab are in its north and center. The northern region comprising Rawalpindi, Jehum, Chakwal and Attock districts is the most affluent region of the Punjab, followed by central Punjab which consists of seventeen districts comprising Faisalabad, Jhang, T T Singh, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Sialkot,Kasur, Okara, Shiekhupura, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Lahore.
Government data revealed thatthe western and southern regions of the Punjab have remained deprived of education, health and social and economic benefits compared with the people living in the north and central Punjab.The statistics being quoted are official.
In north Punjab the percentage of boys that never enrolled in school are 6.3; it is 17.26 per cent in central Punjab, 30.27 in southern and 26.8 in west Punjab. The situation is grimmer in case of girls as the percentage of girls that never enrolled in schools is 15.98 in the north, 22. 96 in the center, 43.82 in south and 44.36 per cent in the west.
Access to electricity in these two regions is far less than in north and center, as 93.6 per cent of the population in the north has access to electricity while in center, south and west 93.3, 72.6 and 70.9 per cent household have access to electricity.
In case of natural gas the disparity in the availability of this service are starker. Percentage of households having access to natural gas is 43 in the north, 29 in the center, 17 in the south and only 5.8 in the west.
Only in sanitation northern Punjab lags behind with 33.93 per cent over central Punjab where sanitation coverage is 54.6. Sanitation facilities are available to 33 per cent of the households in south Punjab and to only 24.2 per cent in west Punjab.
On the economic side only 5 per cent of the registered factories are located in the north, 73 per cent in the center, 16 per cent in the south and only 6 per cent in the west. In this parameter west Punjab is at par with the north Punjab while south Punjab is way ahead. The quality of employment, however, was found to be better in the north as only 36 per cent of adults in the north reported daily wage as primary occupation, 42.9 per cent in the center, 60 per cent in the south and 52.1 per cent in the west report daily wage labor as primary occupation.
The daily wage workers are mostly non-skilled or semi-skilled workers because they cannot learn skills due to lack of education.
More over there is no guarantee that wage worker would get work regularly. This explains more poverty in the south and west Punjab.
For the households in the north 14.26 per cent of their income comes from remittances which explains their comparative affluence, it is 4.4 per cent in the center, 2.14 per cent in south and 3.03 per cent in the west.
Government job is permanent associated with perks like health and education facilities and assures regular income. In this regard 27.3 per cent of the working age population has government job in the north Punjab, while 10.5 per cent in the center, 6.7 per cent in the south and 8.4 per cent are government employees.
Every second household living in absolute poverty
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
By Mansoor Ahmad
LAHORE: More people live in poverty in western and southern regions of the Punjab comprising fourteen districts than in Sindh, Balochistan and the NWFP combined as development and facilitation remain lopsided in the Punjab.
The districts in southern Punjab include Bahawalnagar, Bahawalpur, Rahim Yar khan, Multan, Khanewal, Lodhran and Vehari while Layyah, DG khan, Muzafargardh, Rajanpur, Bhakkar, Khushab and Mianwali are in the west.
According to a study conducted by Dr Ali Cheema and his associates at the Lahore University of Management Sciences every second household in these region lives in absolute poverty irrespective of the parameter used to evaluate poverty.
The combined population of western districts of the Punjab according to provincial government statistics is 11.14 million and in south Punjab it is 17.49 million. The combined population of these two regions is 28.63 million which is higher that the 23 million population of Sindh, 17.7 million population of NWFP and 6.3 million population of Balochistan.
The affluent regions of Punjab are in its north and center. The northern region comprising Rawalpindi, Jehum, Chakwal and Attock districts is the most affluent region of the Punjab, followed by central Punjab which consists of seventeen districts comprising Faisalabad, Jhang, T T Singh, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Hafizabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Narowal, Sialkot,Kasur, Okara, Shiekhupura, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Sargodha and Lahore.
Government data revealed thatthe western and southern regions of the Punjab have remained deprived of education, health and social and economic benefits compared with the people living in the north and central Punjab.The statistics being quoted are official.
In north Punjab the percentage of boys that never enrolled in school are 6.3; it is 17.26 per cent in central Punjab, 30.27 in southern and 26.8 in west Punjab. The situation is grimmer in case of girls as the percentage of girls that never enrolled in schools is 15.98 in the north, 22. 96 in the center, 43.82 in south and 44.36 per cent in the west.
Access to electricity in these two regions is far less than in north and center, as 93.6 per cent of the population in the north has access to electricity while in center, south and west 93.3, 72.6 and 70.9 per cent household have access to electricity.
In case of natural gas the disparity in the availability of this service are starker. Percentage of households having access to natural gas is 43 in the north, 29 in the center, 17 in the south and only 5.8 in the west.
Only in sanitation northern Punjab lags behind with 33.93 per cent over central Punjab where sanitation coverage is 54.6. Sanitation facilities are available to 33 per cent of the households in south Punjab and to only 24.2 per cent in west Punjab.
On the economic side only 5 per cent of the registered factories are located in the north, 73 per cent in the center, 16 per cent in the south and only 6 per cent in the west. In this parameter west Punjab is at par with the north Punjab while south Punjab is way ahead. The quality of employment, however, was found to be better in the north as only 36 per cent of adults in the north reported daily wage as primary occupation, 42.9 per cent in the center, 60 per cent in the south and 52.1 per cent in the west report daily wage labor as primary occupation.
The daily wage workers are mostly non-skilled or semi-skilled workers because they cannot learn skills due to lack of education.
More over there is no guarantee that wage worker would get work regularly. This explains more poverty in the south and west Punjab.
For the households in the north 14.26 per cent of their income comes from remittances which explains their comparative affluence, it is 4.4 per cent in the center, 2.14 per cent in south and 3.03 per cent in the west.
Government job is permanent associated with perks like health and education facilities and assures regular income. In this regard 27.3 per cent of the working age population has government job in the north Punjab, while 10.5 per cent in the center, 6.7 per cent in the south and 8.4 per cent are government employees.