HYDERABAD, Aug 10: The Sindh minister for Zakat, Ushr, Auqaf and Minority Affairs, Irfan Gul Magsi, has said that Rs100,000 each would be paid to the heirs of those people who had died during the rains and Rs5,000 each would be paid to the injured from the Zakat fund.

He was speaking as the chief guest at a reception hosted in his honour by the chairman, Zakat and Ushr Committee, Latifabad Taluka, Shaikh Shaukat Ali, on Sunday.

He said Sindh had received Rs300 million more in the Zakat fund during the current year.

He said this amount would be given in addition to the special package announced by the Sindh government.

He said Sindh received an amount of Rs2,060 million annually from the Zakat fund but this year Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali had increased this amount by Rs300 million.

He said following the recent heavy rains, Sindh had demanded an additional amount of Rs170 million from the federal government.

Dr Magsi said that 40 per cent of the Zakat fund was being spent on the self-employment scheme, and added that the monthly Zakat payment would be further increased.

He said collective marriages of the poor people would also be arranged through Zakat funds.

The minister made it clear that Zakat fund was a trust and no malpractice in the distribution of Zakat fund would be tolerated.

He urged the local chairmen to distribute Zakat money after thorough investigation.

He said that he had suspended the Zakat administrators of Naushahro Feroze, Thatta and Tharparkar due to irregularities, and added that he had also received complaints against some chairmen.

He, however, assured that no action would be taken against any chairman on the basis of political affiliation or religious affinity.

He said vigilance committees were also being constituted to establish a system of check and balance in the distribution of Zakat fund.

He said that even though tens of thousands of people were living in Latifabad but it was being ignored regarding development schemes.

COMPENSATION DEMANDED: The president, Sindhi Mazdoor Tehrik, Arif Junejo, has said that thousands of workers had been rendered jobless due to the destruction of mills, factories and oil fields in the wake of heavy rains and demanded compensation for the poor workers.