ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced 500,000 rupees of compensation money for each person killed in the recent earthquake in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Punjab.
According to the Office of the Prime Minister (PMO), Mr. Khan made the announcement during his telephone conversation with the president of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Lieutenant General Mohammad Afzal, who called the first.
Prime Minister Khan is currently in the United States to attend the session of the UN General Assembly.
The head of the NDMA informed the prime minister about the latest situation in Mirpur in the wake of the September 24 earthquake and its aftershocks.
The prime minister was also informed of the details of the loss of life, injuries and property damage in the affected areas of the Mirpur and Bhimber districts in AJK and the Jhelum district in Punjab.
Prime Minister Khan, while expressing his regret for the loss of precious lives, damage to property and the suffering of the people affected, ordered the president of the NDMA to provide all necessary assistance to the victims of the earthquake and to use all possible resources in this regard.
"In compliance with the directives of the Prime Minister, it has been decided to disburse financial assistance worth Rs 500,000 among the families of the deceased, while financial assistance to the injured and the loss of property will be announced in due time." said an official press release issued by the PMO.
The prime minister ordered that financial assistance be provided urgently, particularly to the families of those who lost their lives due to the earthquake.
In addition, he ordered that the loss assessment be completed as soon as possible to provide assistance to the affected people and restore and rebuild the communication links and services in the affected areas.
Prime Minister Khan expressed his desire to visit the affected areas to observe the losses and meet the affected people at the first available opportunity upon their return to the country.
The NDMA also decided to commemorate National Resilience Day (October 8, 2005) in the affected areas to express solidarity with people affected by the earthquake.
According to the NDMA situation report, the death toll from the devastating earthquake in southern AJK has increased to 38, and the largest number of victims belong to the Mirpur district. Other victims belonged to the districts of Bhimber and Jhelum. More than 500 people are being treated for injuries in different hospitals in AJK, Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Different survey teams from NDMA, Punjab and local administrations are inspecting sites affected by the earthquake and are evaluating property loss.
Posted on Dawn, September 28, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1507779/rs500000-announced-for-family-of-each-quake-victim