KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 28

The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) started distributing food relief materials from today under the project being implemented with financial support from the Nippon Foundation of Japan.

NMA organised a commencement ceremony today at its premises.

Director General of the Department of Tourism Taranath Adhikari, and President of NMA Santa Bir Lama started the process by handing over the packets of rice, lentil, salt and cooking oil to mountaineers.

Famous climbers Maya Sherpa and Mingma Gyabu Sherpa, NMA General Secretary Kul Bahadur Gurung, Secretary Tikaram Gurung, Board members Sarki Tamang, Singi Lama had also accompanied the president and the chief guest.

Two hundred and two mountaineers (NMA book holders) received the food materials on the very first day of the distribution.

Every mountaineer received 50- kg rice (Jeera Masino), five kilos of lentil (Musuro), two-kg salt (aayo) and two-litre soybean oil.

NMA will continue distribution of the relief materials this week from NMA.

A total of 3,000 mountaineers will be provided with the same amount of food materials as the relief package under the project.

However, only 1,600 mountaineers are selected for the first phase.

Among the 1,600 mountaineers, 490 will receive relief materials from NMA Secretariat at Nagpokhari Naxal and remaining mountaineers will receive it from Kapan.

NMA had carried out a survey to select 3,000 recipients from 11,500 NMA registered mountaineers.

Mountaineers had also expressed their desired place to receive the relief materials. NMA is distributing the relief materials accordingly.

The distribution will resume on Wednesday after the Mahashivaratri break on Tuesday.

Thereafter the distribution will be carried out in Kapan.

Director General of Department of Tourism Adhikari wished for success of the project.

'I also got the chance to participate in the mid-term review meeting of this project. I know the project will help mountaineers cope with the situation trigger by the COVID-19 pandemic,' Adhikari said, 'I'd also like to thank NMA and the Nippon Foundation for making all this possible.'

Programme Director of the Nippon Foundation Wada Makoto and Programme Officer Masuda Remi had also participated in the programme through Zoom.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 1 2022, of The Himalayan Times.