Watan Card: Rs.28.6 billion distributed to flood affected families

Press Release: Govt. of Pakistan has distributed Rs.28.6 billion among 1.483 million flood affected families through Watan Card prepared by national Database and Registration authority (NADRA) as Rs.20,000 cash assistance was provided to every family, said Tariq Malik, Deputy Chairman NADRA here on Saturday.

Selection of beneficiaries is one of the most contentious aspects of any post disaster cash transfer programs in various countries. NADRA walked extra miles as our aim was to protect the most vulnerable among the flood victims like women household, widows, special persons and minorities. Malik said while the UN delegation during their visit to NADRA Headquarters.

The UN delegation headed by Margareta Wahlstrom, representative of the Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction who visited NADRA Headquarters today for briefing on Flood Relief System.

Tariq Malik while elaborating overall progress said that in Punjab, 608,824 flood affected families received Rs 11.96 billion while in Sindh 558,997 families received Rs.10.11 billion. In Baluchistan Rs.1.85 billion have been distributed among 102,945 families and Rs.3.8 billion were disbursed among 199,414 families in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

He said in AJK and Gilgit Baltistan Rs.188,450,000 distributed among 10,173 families and Rs.61,626,000 given to 3,263 families respectively. Whereas, 120,081 watan cards were given to the households headed by women folks in the remotest areas of Pakistan, and 11,746 Watan cards were given to minorities notified by the provinces, he added.

Emphasizing on Grievances Redressal System, Tariq Malik explained that 3.2 million people visited Watan Card centers, 335,044 complaints were received and NADRA has verified that 167,063 were eligible of Watan Cards of which around 155,000 have been given Watan Cards.

Fifty percent of complaints were not genuine as these included people who already had gotten Watan Cards or their family member had received Watan Card. “We are not closing complaints redressal system, and would like to entertain all complaints on case to case basis,” he added.

He urged media, international donor agencies and NGOs to focus on facts and real data, not on anecdotes or stereotypes or politically motivated press reports aiming generalization based on isolated incidents.

Neva Khan. Country Director Oxfam, Madhavi Malagoda ARIYABANDU, Regional Programme Officer, UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction were among the members of delegation.