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Flood victims to get cash grants soon, says Gilani
[Pak Daily Times] The disbursement of Rs 20,000 in cash grant to the flood-affected families would start before Eid, but could take up to 40 days to complete as a large number of the affected were spread in far flung areas of the country, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday.The purpose of the grant was to help the affected families make a return to normalcy, he added, while talking to a delegation of the All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) led by its Secretary General Sarmad Ali, which met him at the Prime Minister's House. The prime minister said Rs 10 billion had already been pooled by the federal and provincial governments to disburse as cash grants, adding that "more would be added to the amount, soon". On transparency of funds disbursement, the prime minister said that soon all information regarding receipt of funds and goods, along with expenditure and disbursement would be available on a special website to be launched in the next few days. Highlighting significance of the National Oversight Disaster Management Council (NODMC), the prime minister said the organisation's objective was to ensure transparency and optimum utilisation of funds, so the affected population could benefit. The prime minister said he was confident that the support and assistance, both local and foreign, would increase after the damage-need assessment is completed by October 19. Value: Separately, talking to Baroness Valene Amos, the newly-appointed UN under secretary general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, who called on him at the PM's House, Gilani said the government appreciated the valuable contributions made by the UN Office of Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in providing timely and effective relief to flood-hit Pakistan. Posted by: Fred 2010-09-08 |
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