Kathmandu, December 18

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has backed the proposal of National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) to amend ‘Guidelines on Grant Distribution to Private Houses’, which has proposed to distribute Rs 150,000 and Rs 100,000 as second and final tranche, respectively to households in quake-affected districts and raise the incentive of engineers working in quake-affected districts by 75 per cent.

Engineers who have been mobilised in the field had launched protests demanding a hike in incentives and threatened the government that they would halt works if their incentive was not revised accordingly.

The NRA will submit the amendment proposal to the Cabinet for its nod as MoF has approved its proposal, according to Ram Prasad Thapaliya, spokesperson of NRA. Though the government has announced to distribute Rs 150,000 and Rs 100,000 as second and third instalment as government’s aid to rebuild quake ravaged individual houses, distribution will start only after the Cabinet endorses the amended guidelines.

According to NRA, second instalment will be distributed based on the recommendation of the engineers mobilised in the field. Beneficiaries will get second instalment after completion of foundation construction and third instalment for constructing the roof. Beneficiaries must spend 25 per cent of last instalment (Rs 25,000) for installation of solar panels or bio-gas.