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Minister Shazia Marri presented cheques to winners under GRASP

She expressed her gratitude to the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for encouraging agribusiness in Sindh by distributing matching grants worth nearly RS 269 million to 128 beneficiaries.

Islamabad, 18 February 2023 (GNP): Shazia Marri, the current Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety and the Chairperson of the Benazir Income Support Program attended the event under Growth for Rural Advancement and Sustainable Development (GRASP) on 17 February 2023.

She expressed her gratitude to the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund (PPAF) for encouraging agribusiness in Sindh by distributing matching grants worth nearly RS 269 million to 128 beneficiaries.

GRASP is a project financed by the European Union (EU) and conducted by the International Trade Center (ITC), PPAF, and Food & Agriculture Organization (FOA). It held its matching grant cheque distribution ceremony on Friday at the Movenpick Hotel Karachi.

The program supports small and medium-sized businesses from six districts in the province, including Hyderabad, Tharparkar, Sajawal, Maitiari, Khairpur, and Tando Muhammad Khan, to maximize agriculture and general economic growth in Sindh.

During her media talk, Federal Minister Shazia Marri applauded the EU and ITC for investing in Pakistan’s agriculture sector, significantly enhancing the environment for investment and agricultural value chains in the aimed districts. 

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She said this program had accelerated the trend of entrepreneurship in rural regions. No poverty, Zero hunger, gender equality, work & economic growth, and climate change are among the five Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that have received much attention. More emphasis needs to be placed on financial and digital literacy, and women should be empowered to join the workforce, she added.

Shazia Marri concluded her speech by praising all the global organizations for their services in Pakistan and urged different NGOs to collaborate and aid those impacted by the floods. 

She said, “Inaction is no longer an option. Pakistan’s people and the economic system that has to drive the quality and pace of recovery from a flood that destroyed 33 million lives have sustained a huge exogenous shock. We are not big emitters but rather, quite the opposite. Long-term climate financing instruments are needed to plug severe capacity deficits in developing countries. What has happened in Pakistan will certainly not only stay in Pakistan; we are seeing climate change impacts crossing borders.”

After the Speech, she awarded the cheques to the winners.

 

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