Pakistan: Situation Report No. 19

This report was issued by OCHA HQ with a coverage period from 16 September to 30 September 2009. The next report will be issued on or around 9 October 2009.

I. HIGHLIGHTS/KEY PRIORITIES

- The Government decided to de-link new IDP registration from the government cash grant of Rs. 25,000 (about US$300). New IDPs will be eligible for humanitarian aid only.

- Humanitarian aid to D.I. Khan and Tank Districts has come to a near halt, upon request by the military, because of security concerns.

- The funding requirement for the Pakistan Humanitarian Response Plan (PHRP) was increased to $680 million from $542 million.

II. Situation Overview

IDP Registration and Government Cash Grants

The government re-opened registration of newly displaced people, and de-linked registration from the distribution of the government cash grant of Rs 25,000 (about $300). All new registered internally displaced people (IDPs) will only be eligible for humanitarian assistance, but not for the government cash grant. IOM and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) are organizing a broad public information campaign about this decision.

According to The National Database Registration Authority (NADRA), there are 382,950 families, close to 2.7 million individuals, with official IDP status of which over 2.1 million have benefitted from the government cash grant. Some 68,000 have not yet received the government cash grant.

The government has previously agreed that IDPs who are already registered and verified by NADRA are eligible to obtain cash grants. Planning continues on the re-screening process for the IDPs remaining in camps and host communities. The proposed re-screening process will provide data on registered and unregistered vulnerable individuals currently residing in Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera and Charsadda Districts. A first 'desk review' will provide preliminary feedback by mid-October 2009.