ISLAMABAD: Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Shazia Marri on Tuesday said that the government has distributed Rs65.79 billion out of Rs70 billion among 2.6 million flood-hit families of the country so far to help them recover from the losses to some extent.

Speaking at a news conference along with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety, Faisal Karim Kundi, the minister said that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had approved Rs70 billion for flood-affected people of the country.

She thanked the prime minister for taking immediate relief measures and assigning cash disbursement task to the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP).

She said that the country is still struggling with the challenges of rehabilitation of around 33 million people displaced due to the catastrophic floods, adding that the people are residing in temporary shelters. She said that they are unable to move to their houses because the flood water is yet to recede.

She said that rehabilitation and reconstruction work is underway with the support of the Word Bank and the United Nations. The minister further stated that a donors conference in France in collaboration with the French president and the UN will be held soon to support the flood-hit people in the country.

She stated that the federal government will provide full support to farmers of Sindh and Balochistan as seeds will be provided to them.

Responding to a question, she said that since the poverty ratio in the country has increased, the BISP is planning to start a dynamic registry to include those people whose socio-economic status has changed due to inflation.

Commenting on the recent by-elections, Marri said that PTI Chairman Imran Khan had contested the by-polls for the satisfaction of his “own ego” and not for representing his voters in the Parliament.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022