LAHORE : Chief Minister Punjab Usman Buzdar on Thursday said that the recently-launched Nai Zindagi programme is aimed at providing cost-free treatment to victims of acid attacks and helps them lead a life of dignity.

The provincial minister said that the initiative not only covers free skin grafting treatment but also interest free loans and skill building for livelihood support.

Buzdar was responding on Twitter to an alert about a rickshaw driver in Peshawar who reportedly saved two female passengers who were being teased by some men. Due to his resistance to the act, “they threw acid on his face,” wrote the person sharing the incident.

The chief minister said that the victim can come to any burn unit in Punjab with the copy of a first information report (FIR) of the incident and can get treated free of charge.

Last month, the minister had launched the Nai Zindagi programme under which treatment facilities are provided to the men and women that are victims of acid attacks, besides the rehabilitation of such patients.

The social rights of acid attack victims should be safeguarded, besides providing them with the opportunities to earn a livelihood with dignity, Buzdar said.

The chief minister said that state-of-the-art burn units have been set up at Jinnah and Mayo Hospital in Lahore, Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, Nishtar Hospital in Multan, Allied Hospital in Faisalabad and Holy Family Hospital in Rawalpindi. He added that the government will bear the complete cost of treatment of acid victims.

Buzdar also stated that interest-free loans for skill development and self-employment opportunities will be arranged for the affected people. He said that initially, Rs200 million have been allocated for the programme.

Acid attack victims will be the responsibility of the state, he asserted.