PM orders release of Rs5bn to NDMA

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the Ministry of Finance to release Rs5 billion to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) immediately.

The prime minister chaired a review meeting regarding the flood situation after visiting those areas, which was attended by federal ministers, advisers, members of parliament, the chief secretaries of all the provinces including Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, senior government members, chairman NDMA and DG, Department Meteorology attended. In the meeting, the prime minister was informed in detail about the ongoing rescue and relief operations in the country.

On the instructions of the PM, the federal government imposed an emergency in the rain- and flood-affected areas and the PM stated that responsibility to rescue, relief and rehabilitation of flood victims was a national duty. “We have to help the people above our party interests.”

He said “this is above politics, which can be done later on as the time demands to heal those who are in a grave situation.”

The PM said that during his visits to the flood-affected areas, he spoke of unity and national unity so that this huge challenge together could be tackled together.

He also established a high-level committee between NDMA and Provincial Disaster Management Authorities (PDMAs) to carry out the rescue and relief work efficiently.

The premier said the committee should hold its meeting on Friday and present its suggestions to improve coordination to the federal and provincial institutions. He said he would also hold the meeting today (Saturday) through a video link.

He said that in view of climate change in the country, there was a need to formulate a medium-term to long-term strategy and wanted that provincial governments should send reports based on authentic information to the federal government so that the damage caused by floods and rains could be estimated as soon as possible.

He said that development works in the country needed to be adapted according to the climate change priorities in order to avoid the damages of floods and rains in the future. The meeting was informed about the issues related to rescue and relief.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022