The board of directors of NDRMF recently approved this amount for ten projects related to disaster risk reduction in the federating units which also include grant financing up to Rs 3.6 billion. These projects will be implemented by the Punjab, Sindh and Gilgit-Baltistan irrigation departments, Provincial Disaster Manager Authority (PDMA) Sindh, Communication and Works department, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJ&K), Rescue 1122 Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan Meteorological Department, Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Fund and Muslim Aid Pakistan.
The projects include activities related to flood protection works, tsunami & earthquake early warning system, landslide control management, emergency response services, weather radar system, drought mitigation, and community-based disaster risk management.
The total cost of the approved projects is Rs 4.923 billion out of which NDRMF will finance Rs 3.61 billion which is 73.23 percent of the total amount through a grant whereas the remaining 26.77 percent amounting to Rs 1.32 billion will be arranged by the respective government and non-government entities. The projects are anticipated to protect vulnerable communities while enhancing Pakistan's resilience to natural and climatic hazards.
The NDRMF's board of directors has also previously approved funding for projects to be implemented by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Punjab Irrigation Department (PID), Pakistan Red Crescent Society (PRCS), Islamic Relief Pakistan (IRP) and a joint venture of Aga Khan Foundation (AKF) & Aga Khan Planning & Building Services. These projects also focused on disaster risk reduction and preparedness.
The NDRMF is committed to reducing socio-economic and fiscal vulnerability of the country & its population to natural hazards and climate change, through financing investments in disaster risk reduction and preparedness that have high economic impacts. All projects, which NDRMF is grant financing, have undergone rigorous evaluation process as per Fund's devised Project Selection and Evaluation Criteria, while promoting gender equality along with ensuring environmental and social safeguards.
The NDRMF has also put in place a strong monitoring framework to ensure that all the funded projects are implemented in an effective and transparent manner, thereby reducing disaster risks and protecting the
local population from disasters.
The NDRMF's board of directors meeting was chaired by Secretary Finance Division Naveed Kamran Baloch and attended by Additional Secretary Economic Affairs Division (EAD), Zulfiqar Haider Khan, Secretary Ministry of Climate Change, Hassan Nasir Jamy, Country Director Asian Development Bank (ADB), Xiaohong Yang, Chief Executive Officer (NDRMF), Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed (retd) and Company Secretary (NDRMF) Muhammad Mehran Afzal.