KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah in his meeting with NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik urged him to develop a database and system for his government so that the distribution of relief goods and transfer of cash to the affected people could be made transparent.

“We want distribution of relief goods in such a smooth and transparent way so that each and every affected family can benefit.”

The meeting held at CM House was attended by Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput, Secretary to CM Rahim Shaikh, and Col Anees of NADRA.

The chief minister said the heavy rains/floods have displaced around 1.5 million people and collapsed three million houses. “Presently over 600,000 people are living in camps and a similar number of affectees have temporarily settled along the main roads and highways,” he said.

The CM said the provincial and federal governments, friendly countries, and donor agencies were supporting us to provide relief goods to the affected people. “I want you (NADRA) to develop a database of the affected people on a union council basis with the provision of making entry of providing relief goods being provided to them so that it can be verified,” he said and added there must be digital details of the recipient and donor/administration giving them goods.

NADRA Chairman Tariq Malik told the chief minister that his organization would develop the best database so that donations could reach the deserving people, and it could be checked.

The NADRA chairman told that they have started stationing their mobile units in the areas where their [NADRA] offices have collapsed and stopped functioning. At this, the CM urged him to give priority to the people whose CNICs have expired.

The chief minister was told that all the expired CNICs have been validated up to December 31, 2022. “It means all the expired CNICs are valid till the end of December 2022,” he said.

The matter of cash transfer to the flood-affected people also came under discussion and NADRA chief suggested that the affected people would be given a facility to open their bank accounts only on their CNIC. “These accounts can be opened in mobile bank units to be stationed at relief camps/affected villages by partner banks,” he suggested.

The chief minister directed Chief Secretary Sohail Rajput to further discuss with the Chairman of NADRA and get a system/database evolved so that distribution of relief goods could be made properly.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022