Rs100b rehabilitation fund drawn up for TDPs

Govt says Rs20 billion from that amount can be spent on security

ISLAMABAD:

Federal authorities have allocated Rs100 billion for the rehabilitation of temporarily displaced persons (TDPs) under the head of ‘security enhancement’ for the fiscal 2015-16.

According to government estimates, a sum of Rs80 billion is required for rehabilitating all those displaced from the tribal areas. The remaining Rs20 billion can be used for security/military purposes.

Last year, the military launched an operation codenamed Zarb-e-Azb in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas in an effort to flush out militants taking refuge in the tribal areas.

Up to 47 per cent of the infrastructure has reportedly been completely damaged during the military offensive in North Waziristan Agency, while 53 per cent has suffered partial damage, with Miramshah and Mir Ali being the worst affected areas in N Waziristan.

The government’s assessment documents show that the estimated financial requirements of N Waziristan are as follows: Rs12.5 billion for cash disbursement, Rs11.4 billion for rehabilitation, Rs15 billion for compensation of damaged properties and Rs30 billion for reconstruction.



The federal government has allocated Rs8.3 billion for the interior division in the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP).

The government has lowered the budgetary allocation for the National Security Division to Rs43 million -- Rs7 million less than what was allocated for the current fiscal year.

Of the total allocation in the PSDP, Rs8.2 billion have been allocated from local resources and Rs100 million from foreign assistance for new and ongoing projects of the interior division.

The federal government has earmarked Rs7.36 billion – Rs7.26 billion from local resources and Rs100 million from foreign funding – for the project of interior division other than the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT).

Of the total allocation of Rs7.36 billion, Rs4.33 billion have been allocated for the new projects, while Rs3.03 billion for the ongoing project of the interior division – Rs2.93 billion from local components and Rs100 million from foreign assistance.

Of the Rs4.33 billion for the new projects, Rs1 billion have been earmarked for raising six additional wings of the Civil Armed Forces (CAFs) for the security of Chinese nationals in Pakistan. Moreover, Rs2.5 billion has been allocated in the PSDP for raising 22 additional wings of the CAFs.

In other new projects of the interior division, Rs500 million have been allocated for accommodation and training of the proposed Rapid Response Force for Islamabad, Rs10 million for the construction of the Model Prison at H-16 in Islamabad, Rs300 million for the Machine Readable Passport Project (Phase-III) and Rs20 million for upgrading the Interior Division’s ICT Infrastructure for E-Office Application Suites.

In the ongoing projects, Rs100 million from foreign assistance have been allocated for the Safe City Project Islamabad, Rs34.73 million for the construction of a police station at Markaz I-16 in Islamabad, Rs24.42 million for the construction of pickets/posts for Chitral Scouts, Rs35.79 million for the construction of barracks at the Training Wing Korangi for the Pakistan Coastal Guards Karachi and Rs26.87 million for the construction of residential and non-residential buildings for 112 Wing GB Scouts Skardu.

Under the head of ‘ongoing projects’, Rs31.15 million have been earmarked for setting up the Federal Civil Defence Training School in Abbottabad, Rs100 million for setting up the National Forensic Science Agency and Islamabad Laboratory, Rs800 million for the Machine Readable Passport/Visas Project (Phase-II), Rs75.04 million for the National Response Centre for Cyber Crime, Rs10 million for the Pakistan Automated Fingerprint Identification System (Phase-II), Rs200 million for provision of security infrastructure in Malakand, Swat and other conflict areas, and Rs40 million for raising the Balochistan Constabulary.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 6^th, 2015.