05 March 2005	Saturday	23 Muharram 1426

KARACHI, March 4: Federal Minister for Social Welfare Ms Zobaida Jalal assured that the Baitul Mal would provide financial assistance for the rehabilitation of the flood and rain victims in the country.

She was talking to reporters after a visit to provincial headquarters of Sindh Boy Scouts Association here on Friday. Ms Jalal pointed that this would be a special package apart from other measures.

She said a sum of Rs10, 000 to Rs20, 000 would be made available to those whose katcha houses were damaged owing to rains, flash floods or heavy snowfall. The minister was optimistic that the monetary assistance under this head would be released within 20 to 25 days.

She added that for the pacca houses the amount would be Rs50, 000. Ms Jalal said she would also present a suggestion to the president and prime minister's secretariats for the provision of alternative land to those whose houses were damaged in Balochistan.

The minister said her efforts would be that wherever government land is available and could be used for residential purposes should be used for the resettlement of these victims.

Ms Jalal pointed out that the total population of Gwadar District was only 2, 00,000 and a mega project had been initiated there and thousands of people would be required for that very project.

She said these people would be from within Pakistan. As such there was no point in the propaganda that the local people of Gwadar would become a minority. Speaking on the occasion, Ms Jalal, who is also The Chief Commissioner of Boy Scouts Association Pakistan, highlighted the importance of the scout movement

Ms Jalal said that scouts could be sent to Balochistan or other flood-hit areas of the country, if needed, for the assistance of marooned people. During her visit she stressed on character building and viewed that both the educational institutions and even the textbooks failed to accomplish this purpose, however this gap could only be filled by the scouts.

She said that the scouts were part of the society and gave a real sense of humanism by helping the needy. The minister urged that the scouts must follow the rules and act upon them in letter and spirit.

She told that more than 50 scouts from all over the country were sent to Saudi Arabia to serve the Hajj pilgrims, and added that this year two each from Azad Jammu Kashmir and the Northern Areas would be sent for the same purpose.

She was briefed about the first ever 3-day City Scout Camporee, started from 4th March. Ms Jalal said that the government was trying to provide facilitates to the scouts' associations to promote the sense of scouts among the masses.

The minister also lauded the contribution of the International Scout Commissioner Ghazanfar Mashkoor. Provincial Scout Secretary Lt Col (Retd) Mohammad Shah Ali presented the vote of thanks and held out assurance to the chief commissioner that the scouts were ready to help the people anywhere in the country, and they would struggle hard to promote their activities.

Earlier, Provincial Scout Commissioner Ghulam Ali Shah Pasha presented welcome address. Later, she was presented an Ajrak, souvenir and shield. Officials of scouts associations, Prof Raees Alvi, EDO Ejaz Ali Khan and others were also present. -APP/PPI