PM Shehbaz Sharif NFRCC, orders survey of flood-hit areas

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has visited the National Flood Response and Coordination Centre (NFRCC) and ordered to immediately conduct a survey of the flood-hit areas across the country, ARY News reported on Monday.

PM Shehbaz Sharif chaired a high-level session at NFRCC which was attended by the centre’s deputy chairman, national coordinator, federal ministers and senior civil-military officials to review the rescue and relief activities for the flood victims.

The premier was briefed on the NFRCC functionality. PM Sharif directed the concerned authorities to start a survey of the flood-affected areas at the earliest.

Earlier, PM Sharif announced that the government had decided to increase the flood relief assistance under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from the existing Rs 28 billion to Rs70 billion.

READ: FLASH FLOODS CLAIM ANOTHER 24 LIVES ACROSS PAKISTAN

According to details, the 2.5 times increase in the volume of the assistance programme has been made in view of the gross damages to lives, infrastructure and crops amid flash floods triggered by heavy monsoon rains.

Speaking during his visit to the relief camp set up in Qambar Shahdad Kot, the prime minister said that the country witnessed unprecedented loss due to floods.

PM Shehbaz Sharif mentioned that the compensation amount of Rs 25,000 was being given to each flood-affected family to help them recover their financial losses.

The premier also expressed concern that the cotton crop in the flood-hit areas of Sindh, which was means of livelihood for locals, was entirely damaged by floods.

He said provision of shelter to the displaced persons was direly needed, adding that the government had placed the order for the purchase of seven million tents. Medical camps, he said, had also been set up at the relief camps to avert the spread of diseases.