The Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Murtaza Javed Abbasi, informed the National Assembly that the current government had allocated emergency relief funds of Rs70-74 billion to assist flood victims under the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). During the Question Hour, he added that compensation cheques amounting to Rs1 million had been distributed to the legal heirs of 115 flood victims who lost their lives in Punjab.
Abbasi further stated that the government had provided Rs500,000 and Rs250,000 for fully destroyed and partially destroyed houses in the flood, respectively. However, three cheques for legal heirs were still pending clearance from respective deputy commissioners of the districts.
The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) had received data on the houses destroyed in recent floods from three provinces, but data from two federating units was still awaited, said Abbasi. He added that the government had already released funds to the NDMA to facilitate their operations.
The minister emphasized that the provincial and district departments had the primary responsibility to manage disasters with all allied activities. The NDMA acted as national backup support at the federal level, effectively coordinating disaster-related activities with the provincial governments, on the direction of the prime minister and the federal government, he said.
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Furthermore, Abbasi mentioned that the rates for loss of agriculture land and livestock had been revised upwards. Pakistan’s Disaster Management System was structured in a three-tier devolved system with the primary onus on provincial and district levels. In conclusion, the minister urged everyone to work together in the larger national interest to manage disasters effectively.
