PM Shehbaz Sharif establishes flood relief fund, asks people to donate

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has setup a flood relief fund for those affected from heavy rainfall and floods in the country and asked philanthropists and general public to donate for the cause, ARY NEWS reported.

The prime minister said that above normal rainfall has led to a disaster in Balochistan while losses were witnessed in Sindh, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) provinces.

“Despite tough economic conditions, the government has released Rs5 billion for the flood affectees,” he said and asked philanthropists to come forward and help government in rebuilding the structures of those affected in the disaster.

PM Shehbaz Sharif also directed the provincial governments to declare the affected areas as calamity-hit so that relief work could be expedited in those areas.

The funds for the flood affectees could be transferred to account number G-12164 of Prime Minister Relief Fund 2022.

It is pertinent to mention here that the prime minister has already announced to impose emergency in areas hit by severe monsoon rains and floods, and ordered the finance ministry to issue Rs 5 billion to National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)for rescue and relief programs.

According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s House, a state of emergency has been imposed in areas severely hit by floods and rains.

Additionally, the PM has ordered to form a joint committee of NDMA and PDMA to commence rescue and rehabilitation programs for the flood-affected people.

The PM said ordered the Finance Ministry to issue Rs 5 billion for the rescue and relief programs, saying the programs are their utmost priority. We will have to think about the people in distress over our political conflicts, the PM added.

The committee formed by PM includes Ahsan Iqbal, Asad Mehmood, Abdul Wasay, Murtaza Javed, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Chairman NDMA and Secretary communications. The committee would hold its inaugural session today and formulate a coordination policy.

The PM added that they need to formulate a short-term and a long-term strategy to overcome the situation. The provincial government have been ordered to submit reports to the federal government by the PM.