Watan cards come to Gilgit-Baltistan

“This is a gift from the present government to the poverty-stricken people of the country,” says CM Mehdi Shah.

GILGIT: Chief Minister Mehdi Shah inaugurated the Watan card scheme in Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) on Saturday.

He appealed to the public for austerity in daily life.

“This is a gift from the present government to the poverty-stricken people of the country,” said Shah.

He said that the rehabilitation of the flood victims will begin next month.

The chief minister said that though the money that was offered to the flood victims under the scheme was insufficient for the reconstruction of houses, he maintained that  it could still be used at least to initiate some form of reconstruction of the houses.

It may be mentioned that the flood victims of G-B have been provided an amount of Rs60 million under the “Watan card” scheme.

Each beneficiary will receive Rs20,000 in the first stage and then get Rs80,000 in the next. The purpose of this financial assistance is to enable the flood victims to build shelters for themselves.

The chief minister announced that a separate NADRA office would be set up for women in Gilgit.

He added that his government had always stood up for the rights of  women’s. He urged people to adopt austerity measures as it will greatly trigger prosperity for the nation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 31^st, 2010.