Donors urged to establish sustainable link with the quake-hit families

Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi said on Monday he wanted donors to establish a sustainable link with the families affected by earthquake; to enable them come out of trauma and resume their normal life.
He said this while addressing a gathering of philanthropists and industrialists in connection with the 'support a family' programme for rehabilitation of earthquake-affected people at Industrial Estate Area Multan.
Ministers, philanthropists, industrialists, doctors, industrial estate management staff, and town nazimeen undertook to take care of 255 families from the quake-hit areas.
Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Livestock Haji Sikandar Hayat Bosan, Punjab Minister for Agriculture Marketing Rana Qasim Noon, District Nazim Faisal Mukhtar, and Punjab Industrial Estate Development Management Company Chairman Mohsin Syed were also present.
Pervaiz Elahi pledged transparency would be maintained at all costs in that programme and added Punjab government would like to help donors meet the families they had promised to support.
Unlike charity organisations, who use 30 per cent of the funds on administrative expenditures, Punjab would bear all administrative costs of this programme to ensure that whatever has been donated should reach in full to the recipient families, Chief Minister said.
"We have National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) and army's help with us to carry out programme in a 'flawless manner," CM added.
Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi hoped they would pledge more saying the 'support a family' ceremony in Lahore had generated rupees 500 million for 5,000 families in just few hours.
He said families who had lost their bread-earners in the earthquake, those living with disability and others would get support under this programme and announced a permanent solution for their sustainable support would also be devised.
Multan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) president Khawaja Abdullah announced, on behalf of the MCCI members, to support 100 families. Doctors of Nishtar Hospital Multan pledged to support 25 families and as many families would get support from members of Board of Management of Industrial Estate Area Multan. Noted businessman Zeeshan Elahi would support another 25 families.
Federal Minister for Food Agriculture and Livestock Sikandar Hayat Bosan pledged to support 10 families; Punjab Minister for Agriculture Marketing Rana Qasim Noon 10 families; industrialist and chairman board of management Nishtar Hospital Khawaja Jalaluddin Roomi and relatives promised supporting 40 families; town nazim Mumtazabad Mian Jamil Ahmad 10 families; town nazim Shershah Abbas Akbar five families; industrialist Mian Tanweer Sheikh pledged to support five more families in addition to contributing support from the platform of MCCI.