Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal has stated that the floods have caused a loss of Rs50 billion to Punjab's economy. Addressing a ceremony for distributing relief goods to flood victims in Narowal, the minister said that standing crops on millions of acres of land in Punjab have been destroyed, while 4.3% of the agricultural area and 4.5 million people have been affected. 

The recent floods have once again set back agriculture and the economy, but this time the government would focus on self-reliance instead of external aid or loans, bidding farewell to dependency, he added. Ahsan Iqbal stated that the floods have once again shown us that climate change is not a future threat but a present reality. Today's distribution is not just about providing relief supplies; it is a message of solidarity and hope. 

The Punjab Relief Commissioner, in the meantime, said that the severe flood situation has affected 4,700 villages and caused the deaths of 104 people. A meeting of the agricultural departments of all four provinces has been called today.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)