ISLAMABAD – Adviser to prime minister Ghazanfar Gul told the National Assembly that the government distributed Rs 32 billion among flood survivors from Prime Minister’s Flood Relief Fund through the Watan Cards.
Responding to a calling attention notice regarding un-utilisation of flood-funds, Gul said that there was only Rs 6.6 billion left in the fund that too would be distributed soon among the flood-victims. “There is no massive un-utilised fund and the government has distributed Rs 32 billion among the flood-stricken people. The government wants to give Rs 80,000 as an additional aid to every flood-stricken family but it does not have Rs 120 billion for this purpose,” Gul said.
Member National Assembly Sardar Bahadur Khan Sihar said that the advisor admitted that Rs 6.6 billion was still unused in the prime minister’s relief fund and asked the advisor whether the fund could be used for repairing rivers’ embankments to stave off the floods danger in future.
The adviser said that the fund could not be used for embankments repairing. MNA Marvi Memon said that the government embezzled huge amount in seeds and fertilizers’ distribution among the flood-hit farmers and the adviser must take the house into confidence that the fund would not be misused.
166,000 still displaced six months after floods: UN
GENEVA – About 166,000 people are still displaced six months after devastating floods swept away homes and drowned livestock in Pakistan, the UN refugees agency said Tuesday.
“Six months after devastating floods first hit Pakistan in July 2010, some 166,000 people are still displaced and living in over 240 camps and spontaneous settlements,” said Andrej Mahecic, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
“This is substantially down from the peak levels in September and October when 3.278 million people were living in camps, but it still represents a substantial population in need of help,” he added. Most of those who are still homeless are located in Sindh. AFP
