Ishaq Dar says additional Rs 12b approved for flood victims

ISLAMABAD: Federal Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that an additional Rs 12 billion has been approved for the flood victims, ARY News reported.

Addressing the National Assembly session, the Federal Finance Minister said that a total of Rs 100 billion were needed for the flood affectees and the government has spent Rs 80 billion whereas Rs 12 billion more has been approved. Rs 80 billion were distributed among the flood-affected people through Benazir Income Support Program (BISP), he added.

He said that $16.3 billion are needed for the complete rehabilitation of flood affectees where $11 billion will be spent on the projects in flood-affected areas as the loss in the country is estimated more than $30 billion.

Ishaq Dar told the National Assembly that a master plan has been prepared for the Sindh flood victims. The Sindh government has made a housing project for flood affectees which costs Rs 50 billion, where the federal government will give Rs 25 billion and the rest of Rs Rs 25 billion will be allocated by the provincial government.

Earlier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif assured Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah of allocating Rs25 billion funds for the flood victims in the budget 2023-24.

Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah held a one-on-one meeting with PM Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad today. Sources told ARY News that the chief minister raised the matter of special allocations for the flood affectees in the federal budget 2023-24.

He apprised PM Sharif that the Sindh government allocated Rs25 billion funds for the flood victims and the federal government should also allocate Rs25 billion for the rehabilitation of the flood affectees. CM Shah also demanded the premier for special allocations for the flood victims from global aid.