ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday announced Rs8 billion package for rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) under which each family will get Rs25,000 as one-time cash grant.

The package was announced by the President Asif Ali Zardari at a high level meeting presided over jointly by him and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani at Aiwan-e-Sadr.

Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira, while highlighting the meeting, said in a press conference that the cash grant had been announced for 125,000 displaced families which have sought refuge in relief camps and those staying independently or with their relatives in different parts of the country.

'We want rehabilitation of IDPs on war footings and therefore the cash grant will be disbursed among them in weeks not in months,' the information minister said.
 
Giving details about the meeting, spokesperson of the President Farhatullah Babar said the meeting decided that displaced students of professional colleges of Swat and Malakand will be given admission in professional institutions in other districts of the province.

'Students of Malakand/Swat studying in other parts of the country will be exempted from payment of tuition fee while relief goods and equipment donated for the IDPs will be allowed duty free import,' the spokesman said.

President Zardari directed Pakistan International Airline (PIA) to airlift relief goods free of cost and the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) was asked to waive, one time only, the prescribed conditions for issuance of smart cards to enable displaced people to benefit from it without hassle.

The BISP will neither require the internally displaced people to produce computerized identity cards nor insist on making payment to the female member of the family, as is required at present. 'This relaxation will however be allowed one time only,' the spokesman said.

The meeting decided that the federal government would ensure that essential medicines are invariably available for the IDPs in the camps and off camps.

In order to provide better rehabilitation facility to the IDPs, the government decided to provide soft loans and defer repayment of loans from Zarai Taraqiati Bank (ZTB) and House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC).

National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) was directed to increase its staff and registration units manifold and expeditiously issue smart cards to the displaced persons. 'Special training programmes will be launched by NAVTEC to train people in trades and enable them to take up gainful employment on return,' the presidential spokesman said.
  
Addressing the meeting the President said the internally displaced people had made huge sacrifices for the survival of the country and the government will do everything possible to rehabilitate them.

The president said he will shortly meet members and organizations of national and international business communities to adopt villages for rehabilitation and reconstruction on voluntary basis, the spokesman said.

The President also directed that the registration of displaced persons and distribution of cash, food and relief goods must be done in an absolutely transparent manner.

Talking about the war being fought by the security forces against militants, the President said: 'We must win the fight, we will.'
 
The government, he said, had urged the international community for greater assistance and that he would be going to the EU Summit next month to seek greater international support.

'With international support and marshalling our own resources, Pakistan will soon be able to overcome the difficult situation,' the president said.

Speaking on the occasion, that Prime Minister Gilani said the war against militants was fully backed by the people and the parliament, political parties, the cabinet and religious leaders were on board along with the security forces.

'Military solution however, is not the final solution and the government has also adopted a 3R approach. Relief, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction to mitigate the sufferings of the IDPs,' he said.