Cabinet raises flood cash aid to Rs70b

PM orders strategy on restoring infrastructure

ISLAMABAD:

The federal cabinet on Tuesday increased the total cash assistance grant from Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) which would be distributed as one-time payment of Rs25,000 per flood-affected family.

Chairing a meeting of the federal cabinet, Shehbaz emphasised the need for devising a comprehensive strategy, jointly chalked out by the federal and provincial governments, for the restoration of infrastructure in flood-hit areas.

“Federal cabinet today decided to increase the cash assistance from Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion as one-time payment at the rate of Rs25,000 per family. This increase was made keeping in view the scale & extent of flood damage.

The money is being distributed through BISP,” the prime minister posted on his Twitter handle after the cabinet meeting.

At the outset of the meeting, the cabinet offered Fateha for the martyrs of the armed forces as well as those killed by the flash floods across the country.

Later, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) briefed the meeting about the flood situation.

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The ministers were informed that the floods had hit 6,615 union councils of 81 districts of the country – 32 districts in Balochistan, 23 in Sindh, 17 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), six in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) and three in Punjab.

The floods had killed 1,325 people – 522 in Sindh, 289 in K-P, 260 in Balochistan, 189 in Punjab, 42 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) and 22 in G-B. Around 12,703 people were injured – 8,321 in Sindh, 3,844 in Punjab, 348 in K-P, 164 in Balochistan, 21 in AJK and five in G-B.

The monsoon rains damaged 1.68 million houses, 246 bridges, 5,735 kilometres stretches of road and washed away 750,000 livestock.

The meeting was also informed that the flood victims faced a multitude of problems.

The National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC) told the cabinet that almost 80-90% of land would be made cultivable for wheat crop, which, otherwise, could risk a severe food crisis.

Considering the massive losses caused by the floods, the cabinet increased the flood relief cash amount to Rs 70 billion, and also formed a committee for its fair disbursement. The government would also provide Rs1 million each for the families of the deceased.

Shehbaz directed the authorities concerned to ensure the effective enforcement of the zoning regulations regarding the utilisation of land in river beds to avert the recurrence of destruction as had taken place in Swat consequent to the floods.