ISLAMABAD: Negotiations between the government and the World Bank for launching an `early recovery package’ for temporary displaced persons (TDPs) of Fata have been concluded.

Under the package, a one-time grant of $350 per family and a livelihood support grant of $160 per family in four monthly instalments will be provided to about 120,000 families displaced by militancy.

All registered displaced families from the five tribal regions concerned will be eligible for the grants. The grant is expected to help them cover initial expenses on resuming livelihood activities.

*Also read: Displaced people from Waziristan, Khyber start returning home*

For families that choose to voluntarily return to Fata, the grant will be delivered at the `one-stop-shop’.

Official sources told Dawn that the World Bank’s executive board was expected to approve the assistance of $75 million for the Fata Sustainable Return and Rehabilitation Strategy (FSRRS) project next month. Financing for the $126m project will come from the International Development Association which lends money on concessional terms.

The timeline for the project, as envisaged by the Fata secretariat, is 24 months (2015-2016) and linked to a phased return of the displaced families planned to be completed by Dec 2016.

The 2010 post-crisis needs assessment and the FSRRS have recognised the importance of safety nets in the post-crisis situation and recommend cash transfers as the appropriate tool in the early recovery phase to assist the rehabilitation of displaced people. The proposed project builds on the FSRRS recommendations and aims at directly supporting the implementation of the recovery and rehabilitation phases of the project.

Meanwhile, projects supported by the Multi-Donors Trust Fund and other development partners will contribute to the reconstruction phase by building service delivery systems that can strengthen the state-citizen relationship and ensure sustainable and long-term development of Fata.

With the success of military operations against terrorists in most areas, the government has started the process of repatriation of displaced persons and more than 24,000 families have already voluntarily returned to their native areas. Returning families require immediate support to restore their livelihoods and restart their lives.

To address the challenges, the government, international organisations and national NGOs are contemplating relief and rehabilitation assistance. The government has already started the provision of relief measures such as a lump-sum grant of Rs35,000 per family.

Under the FSRRS, social protection has been identified as one of the top priority interventions, with cash transfers as an important tool for the emergency response and recovery.

To promote child health services in selected areas of Fata, some of such services will be offered to 40,000 families with children aged 0-24 months in four pilot one-stop-shops.

The selected services include child health awareness and counselling, screening of children for malnutrition using growth monitoring, immunisation and referral of complicated cases.

Registration of families with children under two years and periodic attendance of awareness sessions will lead to the payment of a child wellness grant. The cash grant aims at compensating for the opportunity costs of participating in the health awareness and counselling sessions and bringing children to health facilities for regular check-ups. A cash grant of Rs7,500 will be provided to a family in three instalments.

The National Database and Registration Authority will be the lead technical agency of the project as it will provide technical and operational support for its implementation.

Nadra’s competency is based on its experience gained from the past emergency operations including the earthquake and flood responses and supporting the implementation of the Benazir Income Support Programme.

The project’s operations manual, which has been developed by Nadra, will provide stakeholders with guidance on implementation procedures.

Published in Dawn, July 21st, 2015

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