Federal Minister & Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Farzana Raja has said that all the IDPs will receive all financial assistance through the newly launched Benazir Smart Cards initiated by federal government with the co-ordination of NADRA.
She was addressing the IDPs and Media persons on Friday at Kacha Garhi camp near Peshawar on the eve of the launching ceremony of the newly introduced Benazir Smart Cards. A Report to this effect has been presented to the President, Asif Ali Zardari and the Prime Minister, Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani.
She further said that all IDPs families will get financial assistance package of Rs 1,000 per month under Benazir Income Support Programme as long as they live in the camps. She said that the newly announced assistance package of Rs 25,000 for the IDPs of Swat, Dir and Buner or any other future assistance for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the IDPs will be given to these displaced persons only through the Benazir Smart Cards.
She, therefore, urged all the IDP families to register themselves as soon as possible with NADRA authorities. She said that the Benazir smart cards will be given to all the IDPs free of cost. Commenting on the utility of Benazir Smart Cards, she said that earlier the poor were to be paid financial assistance under Benazir Income Support Program through the Post offices. After the displacement of millions of people of Dir, Swat and Buner, it was something impossible to assist them under the Postal system. So it was decided by the government that all the financial assistance for the IDPs will be paid through Benazir Smart Cards.
She said that keeping in view the traditions and customs of the IDPs, their women have been exempted from the condition of photo on the Smart Cards. She also appreciated the painstaking and strenuous efforts of NADRA authorities and said the government expects it to show the same zeal and determination in solving the registration issue of the IDPs.
Commenting on the situation of the IDPs, she said that they suffered due to the satanic and nefarious activities of the enemies of Pakistan and foreign agents, but assured that they will soon be in their homes. She said that the IDPs are the members of one Pakistani family, and maintained that it would be inappropriate to say that we are assisting them.
"They are our guests and we are merely entertaining our guests". She observed. Later on she distributed Benazir Smart Cards among 539 women of IDPs families. Chairman NADRA Ali Arshad Hakim, G.M NADRA Muhammad Safdar and D.G Benazir Income Support Programme Dr Akram Ghani were present on the occasion.
Later on, the Federal Minister & Chairperson Benazir Income Support Programme Farzana Raja, while briefing the members of NWFP Assembly about rehabilitation and financial assistance of all IDPs from Swat and Malakand, said that the people's government is a part of their sufferings and no stone will be left un-turned to help them out. She further said that more than two hundred fifty thousand IDPs from Swat and Malakand would be provided relief under Benazir Income Support Programme. She appealed to the members that they should help the IDPs to get them registered with Benazir Income Support Programme and NADRA so that they could get financial assistance under BISP.
She said that the BISP Offices have been set up in IDPs Camps where they could easily get themselves registered. She said that the financial assistance would be provided through Benazir Smart Card and health insurance, accident insurance and vocational training will also be given through the same card.-PR