Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz launched on Monday a flood rehabilitation drive, under which she said around Rs100 billion would be distributed among the affected people.

“We are distributing the first cheques today”, she said while addressing the attendees at a camp set up in Dipalpur, Okara to begin the distribution of relief cards among the families and individuals affected by the recent floods.

Last month, the Punjab government announced that it would be issuing relief cards for flood victims to receive aid without them having to wait in long queues.

After distributing the cards today, CM Maryam said the rehabilitation drive was funded entirely by the Punjab government’s resources.

“I did not ask for assistance from the rest of the world […] I did not ask anyone for help,” she remarked, adding that by limiting the funding for flood relief and rehabilitation activities to Punjab’s resources, she had been mindful of the “self-respect of the people” of the province.

The chief minister elaborated that 70 per cent of the survey launched earlier to assess the losses caused by the recent floods in the province had also been completed.

“The biggest survey in history and the most transparent survey” was initiated and Punjab’s resources also financed it, she said.

Following the partial assessment, the government was now beginning the provision of compensation in 15 districts of Punjab, namely Okara, Jhang, Multan, Bahawalpur, Nankana, Muzaffargarh, Sahiwal, Lodhran, Bahawalnagar, Sargodha, Toba Tek Singh, Vehari, Kasur, Narowal, and Gujranwala, she announced.

The CM asserted that under the initiative, Rs100bn allocated for flood victims would only go to them as “I have blocked all means of corruption”.