WEB DESK
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that the government has placed the order for the purchase of seven million tents which will be received in 30 to 45 days to ensure shelter for the people displaced by floods.
The prime minister arrived in Sindh’s flood-hit district of Kambar Shahdadkot on Monday. His plane landed at Sukkur airport.
Speaking during his visit to the relief camp in Kambar Shahdadkot, he said the country witnessed unprecedented loss due to floods.
PM Sharif mentioned that the compensation amount of Rs25,000 was being given to each flood-affected family to help them recover their financial losses.
He added the government had decided to increase the flood relief assistance under Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) from the existing Rs28 billion to Rs70 billion.
The 2.5 times increase in the volume of the assistance program has been made in view of the gross damages to lives, infrastructure, and crops in the wake of flash floods.
He 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 joint efforts at the national level were the need of the hour to mitigate the suffering of the flood-affected people.
The premier said the medical camps had also been set up at the relief camps to avert the spread of diseases.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to the friendly countries for extending assistance to Pakistan following the flood losses.
He said the magnitude of the disaster was bigger than the capacity of the country to effectively cope.
He urged the nation including intelligentsia and media to focus on the flood situation and set aside highlighting politics for later times.
PM Sharif interacted with the affected people at the relief camp and distributed among them cheques of compensation money.
