MS BOKHARI
ATTOCK: All provinces must allocate a reasonable budget for health and education sectors to ensure better health of the people and education of the young lot . Participants from different walks of life demanded this during a critical dialogue session “Health and Education Budget Allocations in Pakistan” which was organised by CPDI ( Center for Peace and Development Initiatives and STEP(Society for The Empowerment of People ). The session was attended by educationists, journalists , social workers and students . The participants said , although budgets for health and education sector were being revised and increased every year by the federal and provincial govts but this budget was not enough to meet the requirements of the ever increasing population and added that more than twenty million children were out of school while in hospitals were facing shortage of 589122 beds which was alarming and specially the provinces of Baluchistan and KP are facing lot of problems in both the sectors. The participants said that as per the international standard 6.4 percent of GDP be allocated for education sector and availability of clean drinking water, severage and hygiene facilities must also be ensured specially in rural areas and urged upon the policy makers to ensure equal distribution of the country’s resources .
