By Staff Reporter
LAHORE: The provincial Punjab government has handed out Rs6.39 billion in emergency compensation on Thursday to tens of thousands of people battered by recent floods, a milestone in one of South Asia’s most ambitious reconstruction drives.
Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb delivered the news at a bustling ceremony here in Jinnah Stadium, some 45 kilometers from Bahawalpur, where she oversaw the distribution of ATM cards to the first wave of recipients. The payout forms part of a Rs100 billion allocation under the Punjab Chief Minister Flood Rehabilitation Programme, a signature initiative led by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz.
“We have completed 90 percent of the flood assessment survey, covering data from 569,000 victims,” Aurangzeb told the crowd, flanked by provincial ministers and local officials. Data for 463,000 victims has already been verified by deputy commissioners across the province, she added, a step designed to inject transparency into the sprawling disbursement process overseen by the Punjab Disaster Management Authority.
By the numbers, the operation is moving at a deliberate clip: More than 98,000 ATM cards have been readied, and 37 camps have sprung up across 27 flood-ravaged districts. Payments flow through the Bank of Punjab, with each eligible beneficiary receiving Rs50,000 in cash alongside their card. Withdrawals are capped at 300,000 rupees a day from the bank’s machines, a safeguard against bottlenecks.
The rollout kicked off on Oct. 20 in 13 districts. The second phase, covering the rest, gets underway Nov. 3. Officials have established 19 camps spanning 36 tehsils, aiming to process 500 people per site with cash and cards in hand. Sites dot the hardest-hit corners: Bahawalnagar, Depalpur, Jhang, Nankana Sahib, Muzaffargarh, Chiniot and this district’s own Khairpur Tamewali.
Aurangzeb said Rs20 billion had been wired to the Bank of Punjab for the effort, with Rs11 billion already credited directly to victims’ accounts. “Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz would continue to stand by the flood survivors until their complete rehabilitation,” she said, “noting that the process had begun within a record 26 days.”
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