Bill submitted in Senate

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League chief and Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan Senator Salim Saifullah Khan submitted a Bill on the rehabilitation and financial assistance to the victims of natural calamities and for matters connected therewith in the Senate.

“Our country is prone to various natural calamities, such as floods, droughts, storms, hailstorms, cyclones, landslides and earthquakes, which cause extensive damage to life and property,” Khan said.

He said the occurrence of natural calamities cannot be stopped but certainly with combined efforts we can minimise the miseries of victims by providing them with timely financial relief and extending the rehabilitation programmes to them. Highlighting key points of the bill, he said that in case of loss of life financial assistance in the form of a compensation of not less than Rs500,000 shall be given to the next of the kin of the deceased; and suitable employment shall be provided to one of the dependents of the deceased.

Khan said that in case of severe injury medical treatment free of cost; and such financial assistance as, in the opinion of the commissioner appointed under the said act, is necessary for his rehabilitation, subject to the limit of a minimum amount of Rs50,000 and maximum amount of Rs200,000.

He added that in case of damage to the dwelling unit (home), he shall be provided with such financial assistance as is required for the repair or reconstruction of the damaged dwelling unit (home).

“In case of irreparable damage to the cultivable land, he shall be provided with cultivable land of equal area at a reasonable distance from the place of his residence; in case of damage to the standing crops, he shall be given compensation in proportion to the losses suffered by him,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2010.