“Chitral is a very backward area where 85 per cent of people live below the poverty line. Hence, the growth of their children is badly affected,” the press release quoted Commandant Chitral Task Force Col Nizamuddin Shah as saying.
To ensure proper nutrition and growth of these children, the army and Chiral Scouts have launched the boiled egg programme on the special directives of General Officer Commanding (GOC) Malakand Maj Gen Ali Aamir Awan.
Under the initiative, the distribution of free boiled eggs has been started among the students of schools located near the Chitral Scouts battalion, wing and company headquarters and posts. An amount of Rs4.5 million would be spent on the project a year, said the press release.
The villages where the free boiled egg programme has been launched in the first phase include Broghil, Kishmanja, Yarkhun Lasht, Dubargar, Povur, Brep, Mastuj, Arandu, Damel Nisar, Langorbat, Mirkhani, Bumburate, Rumbur, Birir, Jinjirate Koh, Shah Salim, Ursun, Bighoosht and Garam Chashma.
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Prov. District Percentage of People below Poverty Line
Sindh Karachi 9.15 1
Punjab Rawalpindi 11.32 2
Punjab Lahore 11.6 3
Punjab Jhelum 12.32 4
Punjab Gujrat 12.72 5
Punjab Sialkot 13.96 6
Punjab Attock 14.11 7
Punjab Mandi Bahauddin 17.33 8
Punjab Chakwal 18.09 9
Punjab Bhakkar 18.21 10
Punjab Toba Tek Singh 18.95 11
Punjab Gujranwala 19.04 12
Punjab Narowal 19.3 13
Punjab Faisalabad 19.84 14
Pukhtunkhwa Mansehra 20.74 15
Pukhtunkhwa Abbottabad 21.17 16
Punjab Sahiwal 21.66 17
Sindh Hyderabad 23.13 18
Punjab Hafizabad 24.04 19
Punjab Khushab 24.37 20
Sindh Sanghar 24.67 21
Sindh Sukkur 24.96 22
Punjab Sargodha 25.66 23
Punjab Sheikhupura 26.2 24
Pukhtunkhwa Haripur 27.25 25
Pukhtunkhwa Swat 27.3 26
Sindh Khairpur 27.41 27
Pukhtunkhwa Nowshera 27.98 28
Punjab Kasur 28.18 29
Pukhtunkhwa Kohat 28.53 30
Sindh Mirpur Khas 28.53 31
Sindh Tharparkar 28.92 32
Pukhtunkhwa Batagram 29.22 33
Punjab Okara 29.98 34
Punjab Vehari 30.03 35
Punjab Jhang 32.25 36
Punjab Bahawalnagar 32.45 37
Sindh Nawabshah 32.68 38
Sindh Naushahro Feroze 33.11 39
Pukhtunkhwa Bannu 33.2 40
Baluchistan Quetta 34.15 41
Sindh Jacobabad 34.16 42
Pukhtunkhwa Lower Dir 34.62 43
Pukhtunkhwa D. I. Khan 34.63 44
Sindh Badin 34.83 45
Pukhtunkhwa Tank 34.87 46
Punjab Mianwali 35.38 47
Pakhtunkhwa Kohistan 35.56 48
Sindh Dadu 36.44 49
Pukhtunkhwa Peshawar 36.51 50
Punjab Pakpattan 36.7 51
Pukhtunkhwa Karak 36.93 52
Punjab Multan 38.4 53
Punjab Khanewal 38.84 54
Pukhtunkhwa Malakand PA 39.19 55
Punjab Bahawalpur 39.46 56
Pukhtunkhwa Swabi 39.64 57
Sindh Ghotki 40.8 58
Pukhtunkhwa Charsadda 40.83 59
Punjab Leiah 40.86 60
Pukhtunkhwa Chitral 40.96 61
Baluchistan Ziarat 41.29 62
Baluchistan Kalat 41.89 63
Baluchistan Mastung 42.34 64
Pukhtunkhwa Mardan 42.46 65
Pukhtunkhwa Hangu 43.2 66
Sindh Larkana 43.33 67
Baluchistan Jaffarabad 44.14 68
Pukhtunkhwa Buner 45.38 69
Baluchistan Bolan 45.56 70
Punjab Rahim Yar Khan 45.87 71
Pukhtunkhwa Lakki Marwat 46.49 72
Sindh Thatta 46.87 73
Baluchistan Gwadar 47.55 74
Punjab Lodhran 48.37 75
Baluchistan Panjgur 49.68 76
Pukhtunkhwa Shangla 50.79 77
Baluchistan Khuzdar 50.96 78
Punjab D. G. Khan 51.01 79
Sindh Shikarpur 51.03 80
Baluchistan Loralai 52.1 81
Baluchistan Barkhan 52.84 82
Baluchistan Jhal Magsi 53.42 83
Punjab Rajanpur 54.16 84
Baluchistan Musakhel 54.26 85
Baluchistan Kech 54.4 86
Pukhtunkhwa Upper Dir 54.53 87
Baluchistan Kharan 55.52 88
Baluchistan Sibi 55.81 89
Punjab Muzaffargarh 56.29 90
Baluchistan Nasirabad 57.27 91
Baluchistan Killa Abdullah 58.82 92
Baluchistan Killa Saifullah 60.66 93
Baluchistan Awaran 61.54 94
Baluchistan Pishin 62.36 95
Baluchistan Zhob 65.99 96
Baluchistan Lasbela 66.4 97
Baluchistan Chagai 76.91 98
Baluchistan Dera Bugti Survey Not Conducted
Baluchistan Kohlu Survey Not Conducted
Great initiative. . . Salute to Army officials. At least this will highlight the issue of malnutrition in Chitral.
I appreciate the effort and initiative made by our GOC Malakand and his team against one of the problems faced by this marginalized community but “Feeding on eggs once a year or so on” isn’t the only solution to improve poor health condition/Mal-nutrition of the people in the above stated regions. The poverty level, 85% as mentioned above, is far less than the actual ratio in comparison to the life-standard of the people living, specifically, in rural and hard areas of the district. Instead, the amount could also be utilized in facilitating and upgrading the health facilities in DHQs or any other health centers or vise-verse. It seems the wastage of time and the amount as it could only result into a short-time game of eating and feeding. It will have no long lasting impact on improving health conditions etc as it will not be continued throughout the year and even will not be distributed properly among the targeted community because the general public is not aware of the project. In most of the areas, listed above, the mobility of the people is paralyzed due to heavy snow falling and land sliding resulting into road blockage etc. It is not facilitated rightly in the upper regions as I belong to Yarkhun valley where these facilities and provision have not yet been exercised and we haven’t seen such distribution anywhere in the region.
So, I appeal the managing authorities to re consider the project for the well being of these afflicted people. Investment in such stuff will have no long lasting impact……
Ya Akbar agree with u, it is not sustainable project and great chances of mismanagement
School lunch programs are great initiatives to improve the nutritional status of children. It is the job of Public Health department of kpk to initiate such projects. Army starting a public health projects seems a bit strange. This effort is appreciable though. It can be an interesting research project, if they compare nutritional status of children before and after the intervention. I wish it could be a sustainable project.
This will have both positive as well as negative effects. Positive on improved health of children receiving the aid. It can develop dependency syndrome and deprivation among those who are otherwise eligible but do not receive the facility. Sustained delivery and how long it could be continued might pose a challenge. The poverty ratio as reported appears to be overestimated.