AJK Government Announces NCOV Fund, Relief Package For Daily Wagers

Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haoider Khan Saturday announced a novel corona virus (NCOV) combat fund to contain the spread of pandemic and treatment of patients besides a relief package for daily wagers to compensate them during lockdown in the region

MUZAFFARABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 28th Mar, 2020 ) :Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haoider Khan Saturday announced a novel corona virus (NCOV) combat fund to contain the spread of pandemic and treatment of patients besides a relief package for daily wagers to compensate them during lockdown in the region.

Briefing the media persons about government's measures to handle the crisis here at Press club, the prime minister said the government was procuring the personal protective equipments for medics.

He said so for a total 90 suspected COVID- 19 patients had been tested out of which only two found positive while results of 17 are awaited and 186 people had been quarantined.

He said government had identified 5000 thousand people having foreign travel history in the region while a list of another 16000 people had been received from immigration who would be identified and segregated from the community to avert the spread of disease.

He said his government initially allocated Rs 150 million to fight the pandemic, Federal government had announced Rs.200 million while more funds were being diverted from other heads to meet the requirements.

"I have established COVID-19 combat fund and account No. of which has been given.

I appeal to overseas Kashmiris as well to donate in this fund besides the local philanthropists to help overcome the crisis," the prime minister said.

He said his government was preparing a relief package for poorer and daily wagers, details of which would be announced soon to help this class during the lockdown while special centers would be established in Rawalpindi to keep the daily wagers belonging to AJK as the government will not allow them to enter in the state.

He said goods transportation to Azad Kashmir was completely open and there had been no shortage of food items in the region while government was procuring 90 thousand ton additional wheat from federal government.

He said quarantine centers had been established in each district and a private hotel had been also acquired in Muzaffarabad for the purpose while a diagnostic laboratory had started working in Muzaffarabad while three more would be working soon at Mirpur, Kotli and Rawalakot.

He expressed his gratitude to Chief Minister Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah and opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif for donating 33 thousands face mask and 15 portable X-ray machines to AJK and said the ventilators would be provided to every district headquarter hospital.