Kathmandu, July 17

Identified eligible housing aid beneficiaries should collect the entire grant amount within this fiscal, as the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has set the deadline of mid-July, 2018 to distribute the grant amount to households whose houses were ravaged by the devastating earthquake of 2015.

“We cannot keep distributing the housing aid for an indefinite period,” said Govinda Raj Pokharel, CEO of NRA. “So, we would like to urge all the beneficiaries to use the facility extended by the government till mid-July next year.”

Though the NRA initiated the process of distributing the housing grant since March 13, 2016, the progress in reconstruction of individual houses has been dismally slow.

Till the date, only around 45,000 houses have been rebuilt and 115,000 are under construction. In contrast, the number of identified beneficiaries in the worst-hit 14 districts stands at 626,694, with additional 98,201 beneficiaries listed in less-affected 17 districts.

Out of the total 724,895 beneficiaries in 31 quake-affected districts, 594,150 have already received the first tranche till date, but the number of households coming forward for the second and third instalments of the housing grant is very low, as per NRA.

The NRA has set the deadline for the housing grant distribution as per the direction given by the steering committee meeting led by the Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba, which was held last week.

NRA CEO Pokharel said he expected the housing aid distribution to gather pace as the beneficiaries now have to collect the entire housing grant within this fiscal.

The NRA has been distributing the housing grant through central level project implementation units under the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, and Ministry of Urban Development in three tranches — Rs 50,000, Rs 150,000 and Rs 100,000.

Deadline to receive government aid

• Beneficiaries should have signed grant agreement with local bodies within November 16
• First tranche must be received within January 13, 2018
• Second tranche must be received within April 13, 2018
• Third tranche must be received within July 15, 2018