Nadra issues 500,000 Watan Cards to flood-hit families | Pakistan Press Foundation (PPF)

Pakistan Press Foundation

Nadra issues 500,000 Watan Cards to flood-hit families

ISLAMABAD: National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) dispelled the impression that the Cash Assistance Formula through Watan Card was not carved by Nadra, but the Council of Common Interest (CCI) approved this formula after thorough discussion.

“Business rules, eligibility criteria for Cash assistance and responsibility matrix of four major functionaries of Watan Card Scheme, which includes Provincial governments, Nadra, PDMA and Partner banks was okayed by CCI”, said Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman, Nadra here on Monday.

He said that Nadra has issued about 500,000 Watan Cards worth Rs 10 billion cash assistance to flood affected families. Nadra has established 70 sites to disburse the first instalment of Rs 20,000 per family through Watan Cards, Malik said while talking to media.

Malik said that Nadra staff is striving to help the people in the affected areas through 70 centers in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhawa and has set up 30 sites in Punjab, 32 in Sindh and 8 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The Nadra will also establish seven more sites in Sindh and seven in KPK provinces while similar efforts in the remaining areas would also be initiated soon, he added.

He said that Nadra has adopted zero error policy to ensure that only deserving families should benefit from the scheme. The system does not allow any human intervention giving space to corruption. The concerned banks have been directed to increase cash points to facilitate flood affected people, Malik maintained.

The role of Nadra is restricted only to the verification of the lists comparing them with the data provided by the provincial governments, he said, adding that ensuring law and order at the centers is responsibility of local administration and respective provincial Governments.

He requested flood affected survivors to record their complaints through the District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs) for inclusion and exclusion of their names from the lists. It is the prerogative of the concerned provincial governments to notify Nadra about the necessary actions as per policy.

He said that unscrupulous elements for monetary gain manage to hoodwink common citizens before entering the centers but no Nadra staff is involved in any kind of corruption. He urged provincial and local governments to take action against corrupt elements. He said the concerned DCOs are duty-bound to properly guide the flood victims, which will not only avoid influx of irrelevant people at the centers but would also help in ensuring security enabling the staff to perform their duties more effectively. He said to date Nadra has processed approximately 175,000 CNICs of the flood affected people on emergency basis.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:10/12/2010