Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal Department, Government of Punjab

Initiatives of SW&BM for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs)
Vibrant societies are not oblivious of the needs of their marginalized people and create conducive and enabling environment for persons with disabilities (PWDs). The PWDs are specifically catered in a manner that disability, instead of becoming a barrier for them, turns into an opportunity through various enabling actions of the public, private and NGO sector in the countries around the world. Pakistan and the province of Punjab is no exception in this regard. The lead department to assist the PWDs is the Social Welfare and Bait ul Maal Department (SW&BMD). Currently the department is assiduously engaged in working on many aspects related to policy, strategy, legal and procedural, recruitment, training, and rehabilitation of PWDs. The Department has developed the first provincial policy and attendant strategy for the disabled persons. This policy will be the guiding document for future course of orchestrated planning and implementation. The Policy concerns creation of educational facilities, skills development, employment and rehabilitation of persons with disabilities and disability inclusive disaster risk reduction. This policy envisages at integrating the work of all government departments through a synergistic relationship. The department has also completed the task of revising its law and Rules in consonance with the international obligations and contemporary realities.
The implementation of 3% employment quota for the PWDs had been a challenge in the public sector. The Department undertook this gigantic task to coordinate with all the public sector entities to make them identify and recruit PWDs and resultantly most of the provincial departments and districts have now advertised more than 3500 posts against which more than 1500 PWDs have already been recruited and process is expected to gain crescendo after the Local Elections. All three categories of PWDs, i.e. visually impaired, physically disabled and hearing impaired persons are being employed.
The SW&BMD did not remain complacent only with public sector recruitment and also consistently endeavored to coax the private sector to complement the governmental efforts. As a result Metro cash and carry has come forward to offer employment to PWDs in Lahore and Rawalpindi followed by Faisalabad. The Department has also made efforts to collect fines from those private entities which show slackness in implementing the PWDs employment quota. These funds are spent on the welfare and rehabilitation of PWDs. There are 36 special district facilitation cells have been created in all districts to provide information to the PWDs and facilitate them in employment process. A provincial facilitation cell is working at Lahore to coordinate with all these cells to clear the bottlenecks on daily basis and monitor the employment process. In order to augment these efforts an active website for the disable has also been created and upgraded.
Reforming assessment of disability and identification of soft jobs for PWDs has also been initiated by the department since the existing assessment system required changes and there was no system of identification of soft jobs for the PWDs. These initiatives are under way and are expected to complete soon.
The Department has also initiated the much needed data gathering project of PWDs and have started by registering the visually impaired persons. The date is being statistically analyzed to feed into policy actions for the PWDs.
In order to tap the potential of NGO sector for the benefit of PWDs the department is channelizing the governmental grants to progressive NGOs through Punjab Welfare Trust for the Disabled. The training prowess of renowned NGOs is being utilized to train the PWDs. This year alone the training budget has been substantially enhanced.The department is also extending financial assistance to the needy PWDs and 10% funds have been earmarked by the Punjab Bait ul Maal for the disabled. Department is also coordinating with Zakat and Usher Department to provide financial assistance to the needy PWDs
This year low vision clinics are being established in13 districts to prevent blindness. This project, in collaboration with the Health Department, will be expanded to other districts.
In addition to this many other rehabilitative and welfare actions taken for PWDs are as follows:
No age Limit for taking admission in any Educational Institution of Punjab.
All educational Charges including Tuition fee, Hostel fee and Utility Charges will be waived off on admission
One seat reserved for admission in Higher education i.e. MPhil and Ph.D.
On admission at Public University, a laptop will be awarded to PWDs as an incentive and Wheel Chair will be provided on passing out from University.
Access to banking services as it was not available to blind persons before
Allow for Helper to sit in CSS and other competitive exams.
Provision of Special pathways/Ramps/Parking and Toilets in all Government Buildings and Wheel Chair will be provided at the entrance of the each office.
Issuance of Special CINCs to PWDs.
50% concession in Air, Rail and Road fare.
Facility to import duty free car/disability friendly vehicle for persons with disabilities.
Provision of free medical treatment to PWDs and their family members in all Government Hospitals/Dispensaries.
Age relaxation up to 10 years in the upper age limit of PWDs for entering into Government Service.

For Security Plan

Finaly got approved STRATEGIC PLAN of SOCIAL WELFARE DEPARTMENT from Minister (sw) and planing for its Launching.
Special thnx to UNICEF , Institute of Adminstrative Sciences , SP technical working group and Muhammad Suleman Director Planing ,Shafiq Awan Director (Admin) Hafiz Muhammad Akram Director( Prog) for their support and guidance by Irshad Waheed (D.D P&PR)

MPDD (Management and Professional Development Department), Punjab kezeraytarbiatdaswien (10th ) Public Policy and Governance course ke 7 rukniwafadka Directorate General Social Welfare kemutalatidoray (study visit) kemoqa per DG Social Welfare, Muhammad YasrabHanjrakehamrah group photo

Social Welfare wings
Key functions of the wings are:
• Creation of social awareness by motivational methods
• Professional and financial assistance to registered voluntary social welfare agencies
• Socio-economic development of the people, particularly women
• Training and rehabilitation of the destitute and under privileged and neglected sections of the society such as orphans and widows
• Training and rehabilitation of the handicapped and chronically sick
• Eradication of social evils
• Relief and rescue services during calamites and national emergency

Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal Department
The Department of Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal (SWD) ensures and promotes the effective participation of the people of Punjab in improving their quality of life, and helps the poor and marginalized communities overcome socio-economic challenges through the provision of :
• Relief and rehabilitation services
• Medical, legal and social protection
• Shelter homes & institutional care
• Vocational & technical training
• Income-generating programmes