The Sindh government is likely to abandon the Rs 7 billion Benazir Women Support Programme (BWSP) to ensure availability of funds for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood survivors, it is learnt. The stopping of this program would directly affect at least 200,000 poor women of different districts of the province who are receiving Rs 1,000 per month, sources told Business Recorder on Saturday.
The floods have played havoc, displacing millions of people, and their houses were washed away; crops worth billions were destroyed; infrastructure was badly affected, they said, adding that huge funding was required to take the flood affected people to normalcy besides facilitating them in rehabilitation process. The President had chaired a meeting during his recent visit to flood hit areas and instructed the Sindh government to divert all unnecessary funds for the relief and rehabilitation of the flood victims.
He also directed to divert Rs 7 billion of Benazir Women Support Program for flood victims and assured that the registered women of this program would be accommodated under the federal government's Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), sources added. The Finance Department of the Sindh government was also establishing a separate fund for the relief and rehabilitation of flood survivors so that provincial and federal funds, foreign aid etc could properly be utilised for flood hit people, they said. The finance department has also forwarded a summary for the chief minister of Sindh for abandoning this program and seeking approval for diversion of Rs 7 billion funds to the Relief Fund, sources said.
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