Second tranche in Watan Cards: Govt yet to give go-ahead to Nadra | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Second tranche in Watan Cards: Govt yet to give go-ahead to Nadra

SLAMABAD: Government has yet to give the go-ahead to the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) to inject second tranche in Watan Cards as the second installment of relief to 2010 flood victims, informed sources revealed to Business Recorder on Tuesday.

NADRA was asked to resolve complaints of the affected people before the second installment is paid out, sources in Interior Ministry revealed, as some provinces as well as international donor agencies have demanded that complaints of those affected people who were not issued Watan Cards be redressed first.

Sources further revealed that the government was ready to provide Rs.20,000 as second tranche to about 1.1 million families out of a total of 1.68 million Watan Card holders, include widows and handicapped.

After resolution of complaints, NADRA will conduct a survey to ascertain the exact number of people who would be eligible to receive the second installment of relief, sources said.

After completion of Watan Card process NADRA began hearing complaints under its Complaints Redressing System and resolved over 205,923 complaints. People who were declared eligible and legitimate beneficiaries after the hearing have received cash assistance like other Watan Card holders, sources added.

Federal Government has distributed more than Rs.32 billion among 1.68 million flood-affected families through Watan Cards out of a total of 1.8 million victims estimated initially, while 95 percent of legitimate beneficiaries have got the cash assistance.

Interior Ministry sources said that the Federal Government directed the provinces for background information regarding the complaints of flood- affected persons who were not issued Watan Cards. However, two provinces including Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu Kashmir have also demanded that complaints of the affected families be addressed, they added.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:8/3/2011