Rabat, May 19 (IANS) Morocco’s large-scale anti-poverty National Initiative for Human Development (INDH), a signature project launched by King Mohammed VI in May 2005, has benefited 10 million people, about a third of the nation’s population, a senior official said.

These promising results have been achieved thanks to royal supervision, and was seen as a development project undertaken by and for Moroccans, INDH national coordinator, Governor Nadira El Guermai, told the MAP news agency on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of INDH.

Around 38,000 projects have been launched as part of INDH since 2005, El Guermai noted, adding that 80 percent of these projects have already been completed.

Over 10 million people from various social categories have benefited from INDH projects (jobs, education, health and social protection), El Guermai said, adding that 7,500 income-generating activities have been created, which has improved the socio-economic condition of beneficiaries.

In the field of health, INDH has established 100 haemodialysis centres that have served 40,000 patients since 2006, El Guermai pointed out, adding that the royal initiative has created 182 maternity hospitals in the rural area to provide medicare for pregnant women, and around 54,000 women benefited from these centers.

The INDH programme has been touted as one of the most successful anti-poverty programmes anywhere and has been seen as instrumental in taking Morocco — a nation of 33 million people — from a developing nation to an emerging economy.

— Indo-Asian News Service
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