A total of 720 households in various four quake-hit districts have received the second installment of relief assistance, according to the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development.

As many as 600 households in Makawanpur, 73 in Sindhuli, 41 in Gorkha and 6 in Nuwakot who were rendered homeless by the quake have received Rs 150,000 each, shared Ganeshraj Wasti, Chief of Central Project Implementation Unit at the Ministry.

The incumbent government has pledged to increase the aid from Rs 200,000 to Rs 300,000 to each quake- affected households to help them rebuild their quake-damaged houses.

The NGOs working in tandem with the National Reconstruction Authority for the post-quake relief operation handed out the second trench of the relief aid, said Chief Wasti.

According to him, more than 20,000 quake-hit households in 14 worst-affected districts have made an agreement with the stakeholder NGOs in their respective areas to draw the relief aid.

A total of Rs 11 billion was recently released by the concerned Ministry to distribute the second installment of house rebuilding grants to 73,00 beneficiaries in 14 badly affected districts including Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Okhaldhunga, Sindhuli, Kavrepalanchowk, Makawanpur and Gorkha.

Remaining aid-Rs 100,000- will be distributed after the recommendations furnished by the technicians deployed by the Ministry of Urban Development at the construction site where quake-resilient houses are being built. RSS