Balochistan minister rejects Rs10bn grant from federal government
Mir Asadullah Baloch provincial minister for Agriculture rejected the Rs10 billion grant announced by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for the rehabilitation of flood victims in the largest province of Pakistan.
The entire communication infrastructure and agriculture were destroyed by torrential rains and heavy floods which estimates over 200 billion losses as per initial assessments, the minister said.
This relief was nothing compared to the level of devastation in the province, he endorsed.
Mr. Baloch said that if philanthropists in Balochistan donate to help the victims, that amount alone will exceed Rs100b, he criticised the grant announced by the federal government.
“The federal and provincial governments should be on one page to meet the challenge of rehabilitation,” he added, saying that around 1.3m people have become homeless.
The minister said that acres of rice, onion, tomatoes, barley crops, and various fruit orchards have been washed away which would ultimately lead to poverty and unemployment in the province.
He also advised the provincial government to hold a donor conference in Islamabad to secure aid from national and international bodies.