Punjab govt will use relief cards for flood victims instead of aiding them through BISP: Azma Bokhari
By Dawn.com
Copyright dawn
Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said on Tuesday that the provincial government would use issue relief cards to the flood victims on their personal names using its own resources instead of using the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) to assist them.
Addressing a press conference at the Directorate General Public Relations, the provincial minister emphasised that disaster relief should not be politicised.
“The relief cards will ensure that help reaches the right people without making them suffer further. We are focused on serving, not politicising,” she said.
“Should we take advice from those who have turned Sindh into archaeological ruins?” she added, taking a jibe at the Sindh government.
The provincial minister criticised those who she claimed were using the crisis to “advance their political agendas”.
“Our focus is on relief and rehabilitation. Not everything should be turned into politics,” she said. “These relief buses and programmes are for the people, not for headlines.”
The Punjab government has announced a compensation package including Rs20,000 per acre for crop loss, Rs1 million for completely destroyed homes, Rs500,000 for partially damaged homes, and Rs500,000 for the loss of cattle.
“All of these funds are from the Punjab government’s own resources. We haven’t asked anyone for financial aid,” Bokhari emphasised.
“The [Punjab] chief minister and her team are continuously on the ground, working tirelessly in flood-affected areas. You haven’t seen such governance before.”
Despite the disaster, development work in the province has not stalled, the minister claimed. Under the Apni Chhat, Apna Ghar housing scheme, 80,000 houses are under construction, with the number expected to reach 100,000 by December, she added.
Bokhari highlighted that several federal leaders, including PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Senate Chairman Yousuf Raza Gilani — both belonging to the ruling party in Sindh — have acknowledged the Punjab government’s efficient handling of the flood situation.
“Of course, questions can be raised about why preparations weren’t made during previous floods. But this time, we are fully ready on every front,” she said.
