LASHKARGAH (SW) – Thousands of disabled people and heirs of martyrs in Helmand claim they have not been paid their due financial rights for months.
In conversation with Salam Watandar, one such person Juma Gul said he has all documents completed, but the concerned officials keep denying him the due financial compensation for his martyred family member. He charged the officials for deliberately delaying the payment even for years to some deserving and needy people.
Waiting in a long queue outside the directorate of martyrs and disabled persons, an elderly man who wished not to be named in the report told SW that no one has addressed his case in the past two years. He went on to say the relevant officials ask for bribery against payment of due financial compensation for the martyrs and disabled persons.
Meanwhile, the provincial administration has discarded such an allegations. Idress Afghan, head of the directorate of martyrs and disabled persons, told SW that all deserving candidates get their rights on time. He said there is a need for some AFN 612 million to address the needs of all needy people in this regard, but the available funds are meagerly around AFN 188 million that eventually causes constraints.
The total number of disabled persons alone in the province reaches to 11,000, he said. Idress Afghan said the issue could only be resolved if the budget is increased by the government.
ENDS
