By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: In areas of the nation affected by recent flash floods and rain, the government has begun distributing monetary assistance worth 25,000 rupees per family right away. The first round of distribution began on Friday among Balochistan flood victims, including Jhal Magsi, Khuzdar, and Qilla Abdullah, which continued to be the areas most severely affected by rain and flooding.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated during a ceremony held in Islamabad in this regard that all pertinent institutions and international partners are working nonstop to aid those impacted by the floods. A total of 37 billion rupees will be given out through the Benazir Income Support Program to flood victims across the nation, he claimed, beginning on Friday in Balochistan.
The damage assessment in flood-affected areas will be done with cooperation from provincial governments and international partners after this urgent cash assistance, according to the prime minister. He stated that this is an opportunity for all of us to put politics aside and assist our kin who are in need.
Speaking at the event, Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal, who also serves as the chairman of the Flood Relief Coordination Committee, said that during the initial relief operation, we gave the populace quick access to food, medicine, and other essentials as well as monetary help. In the following step, he explained, we are assessing the damages in conjunction with the NDMA and the provincial governments in order to carry out rehabilitation and reconstruction in the flood-affected areas.
The Minister stated that this will be followed by a thorough examination of the nation’s current infrastructure, as well as its redesign and overhaul, with assistance from our international partners, including the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, and the World Bank, which are offering us specialised services in this regard. He claimed that the goal of this work is to effectively combat future natural disasters.
Shazia Marri, the minister for poverty alleviation and social safety, joined the ceremony via video link and declared that this financial assistance would be given to flood victims in a transparent manner using accurate and validated data from BISP. She pleaded with all parties involved to assist the administration and identify any gaps in this plan.
Lieutenant General Akhtar Nawaz, the chairman of the National Disaster Management Authority, had stated that this financial assistance is not compensation because that decision would be taken in light of the ongoing joint damage assessment. According to him, this financial assistance is intended for places that have been labelled as disaster areas or will be in the days ahead as the rains continue to fall heavily. He claimed that compared to the previous thirty years, this year’s rainfall increased by 150 percent.
Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb, Minister for Finance and Revenue Miftah Ismail, Advisor to Prime Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira and others attended the ceremony. He said hundreds of people died due to these rains and flash floods including our senior army officers and ‘jawans’ who laid their lives while serving their fellow countrymen in pain.
