Computerised cards to be issued to flood victims
* President asks govt to invite all NGOs to supplement relief, rehabilitation efforts
* Calls for early completion of damage assessment reports
ISLAMABAD: The government on Friday decided to issue computerised identification cards to all flood-affected people that will be used to provide them with financial aid and to make the distribution process more transparent.
The decision was taken at a high-level meeting that was chaired by President Asif Ali Zardari. Talking to reporters after the meeting, presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that the government would provide computerised IDs to flood-affected people, as was done in the case of internally displaced persons (IDPs) last year.
“This (step) is critical for making a correct and credible assessment of the relief needs as well as ensuring that relief goods reach the right people in a timely manner,” Babar quoted President Zardari as saying.
The president further stated that the computerisation of records and their needs would “inspire donors and international agencies to generously support the government’s relief efforts”.
President Zardari also directed the officials to work out a plan to provide compensation and financial assistance to people whose homes have been destroyed in the floods.
Babar said that the president also asked the govt to invite all non-govt organisations (NGOs) in the country to help the government in providing relief and rehabilitation to the people. “The government may have to re-prioritise budgetary allocations and divert resources towards relief and rehabilitation operations,” President Zardari said.
He directed the finance minister to devise a totally transparent and foolproof mechanism for the aid distribution process. The president also called for an early completion of damage and need assessment surveys in the flood-affected areas. Earlier, the president was briefed about the scale of the floods and the relief efforts.
He was informed that a total of 71 districts — 24 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 19 in Sindh, eight in Punjab, seven in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, seven in Gilgit-Baltistan and six in Balochistan — were affected by the floods.
Source: Daily Times
Date:8/14/2010
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