• In a tweet, Parvez Elahi said Rs10 billion were approved to address losses of livestock and Rs2 billion for crops of flood victims.
• “The farmers would be given Rs5,000 for each acre and Rs0.2 million for a damaged mud house and Rs0.4 million for a damaged concrete house,” he said.
• The federal government has not given even a penny for the rehabilitation of the victims, he said.

LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi on Saturday said Rs12 billion funds had been approved for rehabilitation and assistance of flood affectees.

In a tweet, Parvez Elahi said Rs10 billion were approved to address losses of livestock and Rs2 billion for crops of the victims. “The farmers would be given Rs5,000 for each acre and Rs0.2 million for a damaged mud house and Rs0.4 million for a damaged concrete house,” he said.

“The government of Punjab is committed to rehabilitate the flood victims with its own resources and the Chief Minister’s Flood Relief Fund. The federal government has not given even a penny for the rehabilitation of the victims. The failure of the federal government to provide aid to the flood victims is regrettable and condemnable,” he said.

On October 28, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed the concerned departments to ensure the disbursement of all resources for early rehabilitation of the flood-affected people on top priority.

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He was chairing a meeting to review rehabilitation of the flood-affected people. He was briefed on Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) prepared with the assistance of the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations agencies.

Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal had briefed the prime minister on the extensive measures being taken to rehabilitate the flood-affected people.

The meeting was also attended by Lt Gen Zafar Iqbal of National Flood Response Coordination Centre (NFRCC) , Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman, Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar, Secretary National Coordination Nadeem Aslam Chaudhry.

Meanwhile, Shehbaz had also expressed gratitude to the United States for additional $30 million flood relief assistance for the affected people of Pakistan.

“Grateful to U.S. government for the announcement of an additional $30 million in humanitarian assistance for the victims,” he had said in a tweet. He had mentioned that with the onset of winter, the challenges of food, health and shelter still persisted.

Shehbaz Sharif had urged the international community to show urgency in contributing to the UN flash appeal on relief assistance for the heavy rain-struck people of Pakistan. “World should promptly contribute to UN aid appeal to mitigate the impact of tragedy,” he had said.