ISLAMABAD, Nov 3: The National Assembly was informed on Monday that as many as 26,481 deserving persons in district Rawalpindi were receiving financial assistance from the Pakistan Baitul Maal (PBM).

Adviser to the prime minister on women development, social welfare and special education Nelofer Bakhtiar in a written statement said an amount of Rs11.7 billion had been allocated by the government to the PBM from October 12, 1999 till date to extend financial assistance to the deserving people.

She said out of the Rs11.7 billion, a sum of Rs728.3 million was earmarked for the Baitul Maal head office while Rs622 million was allocated for Islamabad capital territory, AJK and the Northern Areas; Rs5.5 billion for Punjab, Rs2.4 billion for Sindh, Rs1.98 billion for NWFP and Rs488 for Balochistan.

She said an amount of Rs96 million had been distributed as assistance among 10,343 deserving people from the PBM from January 1, 2003, to July 2003. Out of this amount, Rs46 million was given under the general category, Rs34 million under category of medical and Rs1.3 million to the needy students while Rs13.8 million was allocated for rehabilitation purposes.

She informed the house that no record of disbursement to the deserving people through the PBM was maintained constituency- wise. However, at present the total number of deserving recipients of the PBM in district Rawalpindi was 26,481, while the amount distributed since 2000 to 2003 was Rs129.7 million.

She said under the general category, financial assistance was given to a poor suffering from misery.