ISLAMABAD - The National Assembly was informed yesterday that 53.7 percent of children less than five-year age were suffering from Anaemia and Stunting ratio had touched 40 percent.
“We do not have any data for children 6-10 years, but 53.7 percent children less than five years age have Anaemia and stunting is 40.2 percent,” informed the Minister for Health Services and Regulations, quoting a survey conducted by National Nutrition Survey.
The minister, in a written reply, said that the National Task Force had prepared a comprehensive PC-1 for the entire country including the federal areas with the title ‘Tackling Malnutrition Induced Stunting in Pakistan’. To another question, Minister for Industries Makhdoom Khusro Bukhtiar said that price of cement had gone up by 26.5 percent during tenure of the present government from 586/50 kilogram in August, 2018 to Rs741.25/50 Kilogram in December, 2021.
Quoting the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), he said there were 25 cement manufacturing companies in the country. The reasons for increase in cement prices as conveyed by APCMA include significant increase in prices of coal, exchange rate impact of the imported inputs, increase in cost of electricity in terms of fuel price adjustments and increase in tax rates.
Students from Swabi college witness National Assembly proceedings
To another question regarding antibiotic consumption, the minister for health said that Pakistan was amongst the largest consumers of antibiotics. Among major causes, he said self-medication in more than 51 percent of the population, large number of quacks, availability of over-the-counter antibiotics and inappropriate prescription of antibiotics.
Meanwhile, a group of students and staff of government postgraduate college Swabi on Wednesday visited the National Assembly and witnessed its proceedings. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser announced their presence in the guests’ gallery, parliamentarians welcomed them by thumping desk.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday adjourned the House proceedings till 10:30 am on Friday due to lack of the quorum. As the session started and the speaker moved to the first agenda item the ‘questions,’ Riazul Haq of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) pointed out lack of the quorum.
Speaker Asad Qaiser ordered for the member-count and adjourned the House till Friday morning after finding the quorum incomplete.
Besides the question-hour, the House was scheduled to take up two call attention notices regarding ”non-accommodation of those Pakistani medical students, in different medical colleges of the country by Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC), who were previously enrolled in medical colleges of Afghanistan” and “acute shortage of Urea fertilizer in the country.”
In legislative business, the House was to consider passage of three bills including the Whistleblower Protection and Vigilance Commission Bill-2021; the Pakistan Global Institute Bill-2021; and The Pakistan Maritime Zones Bill- 2021.
Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar was to introduce a bill to further amend the Private Power and Infrastructure Board Act, 2012 [The Private Power and Infrastructure Board (Amendment) Bill, 2022].
Laying of some annual reports and papers, presentation of different standing committees’ reports, debate on the situation arising out of the killing of a Sri Lankan Factory manager by a mob in Sialkot, and Motion of Thanks to express gratitude to the President of Pakistan for his address to both Houses assembled on September 13, 2021 were also among the agenda items.
