Provincial minister inaugurates media cell

KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Saturday inaugurated a provincial media coordination cell here.

The cell has been set up in the Information Department on the directives President Asif Ali Zardari to provide media with updated information data about the rains and flood victims, and the relief and rehabilitation activities being carried out in the flood-hit areas of the province. The Minister informed the media about it during the inaugural ceremony.

Headed by the Director General, Sindh Information Department, this cell will be working round-the-clock. The representatives of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and a group of government officers of the flood affected districts will be present there.

For ensuring a fast flow of information to media and the public, a chain of such cells will be established in District Coordination Officers (DCO) offices of all the affected districts. Information Officers will be posted at these centres.

To a question, Memon said around 7.5 million people were affected in the province. The Federal and Provincial Governments, NDMA, PDMA, District Governments, NGOs were busy in the relief and rehabilitation work.

He said that President Asif Ali Zardari has been personally supervising the relief activities. The President has met the important people representing different sections of the society including businessmen, NGOs, artistes of film industry to gather maximum support and donations for the vast number of people affected by rains -floods in Sindh.

The President is also pursuing the international agencies and donor organisations for relief assistance.

Pursuing the directives of President Zardari, Sindh Government ensured immediate shifting of the affectees to relief camps and supply of food, water and medicine to them.

Special funds have been set for the worst affected districts, that is, Badin, Mirpurkhas, Tando Muhammad Khan, Tando Allahyar, Umerkot, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Khairpur.

The Sindh Information Minister said all the affected families have been issued 'Watan' cards and they will get Rs 20,000 each through these cards.

PPP Ministers and Advisors especially the Provincial ones are making detailed and regular visits to the affected areas to monitor the relief work.

He underlined the need for collective and result-oriented efforts to cope with these natural calamities, like the nation did in the past.

Copyright APP (Associated Press of Pakistan), 2011