Financial assistance to flood victims: Punjab government to give first instalment before Eid: Minister

Punjab Finance Minister Mujtaba Shuja-ur-Rehman has said that the provincial government will ensure payment of first instalment of financial assistance to the flood affected people before Eid-ul-Azha and arrangements were being made for issuing flood relief cards to them for the purpose. He expressed these views while presiding over a meeting here on Tuesday with regard to providing financial assistance to flood affectees, disclosed an official.
Aamir Arshad of Habib Bank, President of J S Bank Khalid Imran, President of Muslim Commercial Bank Imran Maqbool, President of KASB Bank Bilal Mustafa, President of UBL Wajahat Hussain, President of First Women Bank Tahir Raza, Managing Director of Bank of Khyber Imran Samad, President of Bank of Punjab Naeem-ud-Din Khan, senior officials of other financial institutions, MPA Ayesha Ghaus Pasha, Senior Member Board of Revenue, Chairman P&D, Secretary Finance, DG PDMA and other officers were present on the occasion.
The Minister said public and private sector banks and financial institutions would extend all-out co-operation to the affectees. He said the biggest relief operation of the country's history has been started for the rescue and rehabilitation of flood affected people. "Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif is personally monitoring relief activities and visiting flood-hit areas on war-footing. The entire nation is standing with flood affectees and all out resources will be utilised for their rehabilitation," he said.
According to him, 2,909 villages and crops over 1,690,166 acres of land have been affected by the recent flood and 34,052 houses have been damaged. Also, 240 people were killed while 2,227,487 people have been affected by the natural calamity. The Punjab government had set up 429 relief camps and 709 medical camps and shifted 526,416 marooned people to safe places. Medical assistance has been provided to 152,679 people and food is also being provided to the flood affectees. Assessment of losses caused to roads, crops, houses and buildings will be made soon. He said the government will continue its efforts till complete rehabilitation of flood affectees. He asked officials of the district administration to assess losses so that financial assistance could be provided to the flood affectees at the earliest.