Himalayan News Service

Manila, April 18:

Despite relatively rapid growth over the last decade or so, poverty levels in Pakistan have remained high, with the numbers of absolute poor climbing during the last decade from 24 million in 1990 to 42 million five years later. About 30 million people in Pakistan cannot meet their minimum nutritional norms, 58 million have no access to health facilities, and 28 million are without safe drinking water, states a press release from ADB. Child mortality accounts for more than 740,000 deaths annually, half of them due to malnutrition. An estimated 36 per cent of children under five years of age

in the country are moderately or severely underweight or stunted. Women and girls in poor households bear the highest burden of poverty due to low social status, and have limited access to economic options and social services.