TOBA TEK SINGH: Scores of women took out a rally on Friday to raise awareness among farmer women and maids about their rights as part of International Labour Day which will be observed on Saturday (today).

The rally started from TMA Complex and after marching on Jhang Road culminated at complex.

Earlier, at a seminar organised by the Society for Human Development (SHD) at TMA Hall speakers demanded rights for domestic women workers.

SHD Deputy Director Rafia Saloomi said her organisation had served rural women workers with programmes on micro credit, skills transformation, kitchen gardening, training of traditional birth attendants, formation of Peasant Women Workers bodies and strengthening school management committees through infrastructure development fund to increase girl enrollment in government schools.

She added that it had also initiated programme to raise awareness on the issues of domestic workers.

Advocate Sajida, Labour Party Pakistan’s Tariq Mehmood, Kulsoom Ashfaq, advocate Iffat Nazir, advocate Saba Banu, Clement Camie, Zubiada Begum, Kausar Begum and MNA Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry also spoke.

PROTEST: Hundreds of farmers of 50 villages of Chuttiana and Khikha will take out a procession of tractor trollyes on May 3 to protest the non-supply of irrigation water to their farmlands.

At a press conference, MPA Mian Muhammad Rafiq and Pakistan Kisan Committee President Chaudhry Fateh Muhammad said for the last three weeks both Jhang branch and Gogera branch canals had been closed and their crops had been destroyed as a result. They said a hunger strike camp would be set up at Toba.

PROBE: The Chief Minister’s Complaint Cell has directed EDO-health Dr Masood Iqbal Bukhari to probe into the alleged closure of cattle farm of Muhammad Azam, of Chak 289-GB, by Deputy District Officer (health) Dr Farooq Raza. The officer sealed the farm declaring it an illegal dispensary.
Source: Dawn
Date:5/1/2010