National
Less than half of quake-hit households have received aid
Less than half of the targeted 600,000 earthquake affected households of 23 districts have so far received the government-announced Rs 10,000 winter relief.Less than half of the targeted 600,000 earthquake affected households of 23 districts have so far received the government-announced Rs 10,000 winter relief.
The government had announced that it would distribute Rs 10,000 to each earthquake-affected household as immediate winter relief package so that they could buy warm clothes and blankets to shake off cold this winter.
According to Rameshwor Dangal, Chief of Disaster Management Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs, the government has allocated Rs 6 billion for earthquake survivors living in temporary shelters in 23 affected districts.
The government had identified 600,000 households as the beneficiaries. “But the number of households entitled to winter relief of Rs 10,000 cash has increased from targeted 600,000 to 700,000. If the increased households are genuine quake victims, we will provide cash to them as well,” said Dangal.
Earlier on Monday, the Commission for Investi-gation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) had directed the government to complete distributing the winter relief package to the needy households within seven days. The government on Friday said it would complete distributing the winter relief package within the next 10 days.
A meeting of the Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee headed by Home Minister Shakti Basnet had decided to mobilise government officials in the VDCs where VDC secretaries are not available and use security agencies’ vehicles or helicopters to make sure quake survivors get the relief package as soon as possible. So far only 270,000 households have received winter relief package of Rs 10,000.