Widespread disparity in Punjab aid distribution

Provincial govt uses outdated identification records to compile information for Watan card distribution.

LAHORE: There is widespread disparity in distribution of Watan cards to Punjab’s flood survivors as the provincial government has used outdated identification records to compile information on survivors and affected villages.

The deadline for distributing cards under the Punjab government’s Universal Compensation Programme (UCP) was October 25, but data compiled on survivors and families is based on outdated government lists instead of National Database Registration Authority’s (NADRA) latest records.

According to the UCP’s criteria, a village or area that is more than 50 per cent affected will be categorised as fully affected. In these areas, an elder of each family would be compensated. An area or village that is less than 50 per cent affected will be categorised as partially affected, and only those will be compensated who are found genuinely affected.

Disparity

Malik Khizer, who hails Muzaffargarh district, told The Express Tribune that according to the DCO, his village is among the 100 per cent affected areas. He is yet to be issued the card but many who had migrated from his village as many as 10 years ago have been issued cards. “A large number of people who have already migrated from the area have been included in the lists of affected people and areas that the Punjab government has issued,” Khizer said.

In some instances, all members of an affected family have been issued Watan cards.

Jara Gulfad, who hails from Rajanpur district, is the only elder of his seven-member family. The government has issued him seven Watan cards under the names of his sons and nephews and he has received Rs140,000 from the government. But Malik Ashraf Marha, who hails from the same village as Gulfad, has neither been issued the cards nor has his name been included in the lists.

Mismanagement

The worst example of the provincial government’s mismanagement is in Kot Addu, where addresses in the National Database and Registration Authority’s (NADRA) records do not match with the addresses provided by the Punjab government.

Resident Fareed told The Express Tribune that because of this discrepancy, NADRA has refused to issue Watan cards to many flood-affected people from the completely affected villages Pakki Shumali and Pakki Janobi.

Activation

Another problem that flood survivors have faced regarding their Watan cards is having them activated.

Sakhi Muhammad, from Muzaffargarh district, complained that he had tried at least 60 times to have his card activated but in vain. “I have spent 5,000 rupees only to travel back and forth after each failed attempt,” he said.

Malik Muhammad Hassan, from Rajanpur district, contacted the United Bank Limited branch manager only to be redirected to NADRA or to the bank’s head office in Karachi.

Political point-scoring?

A high-profile official in the Punjab government told The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity that Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif had ordered collection of data without any planning.

“The Punjab government had decided that before issuing the cards, they will conduct a comprehensive survey in flood-hit areas and compare their data with the army’s survey of damages and losses,” he said.

Lists were been prepared based on guesses and estimates, and date pertaining to the 1980s and 1990s, he said. “The data has also not been checked with assessment reports of the army.”

However, Director-General of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Khalid Sherdil claimed that lists had been prepared using satellite and images and all aspects were studied by the department.

“A survey was conducted by the revenue staff before lists were issued for Watan cards,” he said.

Alternative

Another scheme for distribution of Watan cards is survey-based compensation (SBC), which the Punjab government had launched on October 10. Under SBC, the government will compensate 79,172 flood survivors and from October 25, SBC will start covering the districts of Multan, Jhang, Sargodha and Khushab.

The Punjab government would compensate 812,172 flood survivors under UCP and SBC and Rs16.25 billion will be given. According to the Punjab government’s data till October 16, 360,000 Watan cards have been distributed under the UCP and Rs7.2 billion have been given.

The Watan cards scheme was jointly started by the federal and provincial government. Some Rs20,000 will be given to each affected family, half of which will be provided by the federal government and the other half by the provincial government.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 21^st, 2010.