Soaring Wings

India has decided to increase by five times its assistance to Pakistan for flood relief from five million US dollars announced earlier to 25 million US dollars.

In a Suo Moto statement in Lok Sabha today, the External Affairs Minister Mr. S.M. Krishna said that 20 million US dollars out of the total assistance will be contributed to the emergency response plan launched by the UN and the balance five million dollars will be contributed to the World Food Programme for its relief efforts in Pakistan.

The Minister said that the decision to increase assistance to Pakistan has been taken after more concrete assessment emerged of the damage because of floods and the urgent needs of the people. He informed the House that Pakistan has conveyed its deep appreciation of India’s offer of assistance. Pakistan has requested India to channel its contribution to the flood victims through UN saying that the world body has launched an appeal asking for contributions from the International community.

The recent floods in Pakistan have been described as the worst in that part of the world in the last 80 years. According to latest figures given by UN, 17.2 million people have been adversely affected by the floods and the death toll is more than 16 hundred. More than 1.2 million houses have also been damaged or destroyed and infrastructure, crops and livestock have also suffered damaged. All the four provinces in Pakistan and Pak Occupied Kashmir have suffered the consequences of floods. The latest report say that flood situation in Sind continues to deteriorate even as flood water recedes in Pakistan.

AIR