Kathmandu: Interestingly, a few beneficiaries of the housing grant that the government has been providing to earthquake victims have started returning the first tranche of the grant that they received earlier citing that they will reconstruct their dwellings with their own investment.

As per National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) — the government body formed to deal with post-quake reconstruction activities — Ram Sharan Bhuluna and Tula Bahadur Lama have recently deposited back Rs 50,000 each at the government account. They had earlier received the money from the government as the first tranche of the housing grant.

Both Bhuluna and Lama are from Makawanpur district. While Bhuluna is one of the government identified beneficiaries for the housing grant from Indrasarowar Rural Municipality, Ward No 2, Lama is another such beneficiary from Hetauda Municipality, Ward No 8.

“Both these beneficiaries had requested NRA to delete their names from government’s beneficiary list and had said that they will reconstruct their houses on their own,” said Yam Bhoosal, spokesperson for NRA.

However, Bhoosal clarified that the intention of these beneficiaries was not to put financial pressure on the government.

Meanwhile, the executive committee meeting of NRA that sat on Thursday thanked both Bhuluna and Lama and decided to remove their names from the housing grant beneficiary list. Similarly, the meeting has also urged other identified beneficiaries who do not require financial support from the government to return the first tranche to the government and remove their names from the beneficiary list.

Bhoosal opined that if financially able quake-affected beneficiaries start returning the first tranche to the government, it will ensure that the housing grant reaches the needy beneficiary.

NRA had earlier published a notice urging financially able beneficiaries to return the first tranche to the government from the District Coordination Committee of NRA.