A budget of Rs310 million has been allocated for Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif’s initiative “She Threads.”
The project is a unique programme aimed at promoting economic empowerment and skill development of rural women in the textile sector.
Under the She Threads programme, women aged between 18 and 45 years from rural areas across the province, who have at least middle-level education are eligible to participate. During the training period, selected women will receive a monthly stipend of Rs15,000 along with a transport allowance.
The initiative offers 10 different training courses related to the textile industry for rural women. These training programmes are already successfully running in Lahore, Sialkot, Sheikhupura and Faisalabad.
Over the past two years, around 2,500 women have completed these training courses and 773 of them secured employment immediately after completion.
Officials stated that currently 1,150 women are undergoing training under the She Threads programme, while another 1,350 women will be trained in the coming year.
The programme includes courses such as Industrial Stitching Machine Operator, Fabric Quality Inspector and Fabric Cutting Expert. It also offers training in Apparel Planning and Merchandising, Apparel Supervisor, Pattern Making and Cutting, Pattern Drafting and Grading, Quality Control, Garment Finishing, Packing and Garment Waxing.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif said that empowering every woman financially and socially is a key commitment of the government. She added that skilled women are a valuable national asset and noted that the textile sector offers vast employment opportunities for trained women.
Earlier, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif, reaffirmed her promise made on International Women’s Day to create daycare centres for working women, which is now being implemented across the province through a special initiative by the Women Development Department.
A total of 650 daycare centres are set to be established in hospitals, educational institutions, and government offices throughout Punjab, with an allocation of Rs1 billion.
This initiative aims to assist working women by offering safe and supportive childcare facilities at their workplaces.
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