Kathmandu, January 23

The government has developed the Model Procedure for Implementation of People’s Housing Programme for provinces to make arrangement of housing for Dalits, disadvantaged Muslims and people from highly marginalised endangered communities.

With the approval of the procedure by the Council of Ministers, the responsibility of implementing the people’s housing programme will be transferred to the concerned provincial governments. Earlier, the programme was being implemented by the Government of Nepal since the fiscal 2007/08.

As per the procedure, this programme shall be implemented in places or settlements where at least 10 beneficiary families have been living. However, this restriction shall not be applicable in the case of Dom and highly marginalised and endangered ethnic people sparsely settled in any part of the country.

Except in cases where people need to be relocated due to natural disasters and land requisition, housing programme shall be implemented in existing places where the beneficiaries are living.

The concerned provincial government shall identify the beneficiaries on the basis of plinth area of the house they are currently living in, type of its floor, wall, roof and the area of land held by them. Any beneficiary family securing minimum 35 marks shall be entitled to obtain financial assistance under the housing programme.

The responsibility of selecting the beneficiaries has been granted to People’s Housing Coordination Committee of provincial assembly constituency. It requires the committee to give priority to senior citizens, single women, orphans and persons with disabilities. Under this programme, joint family will get only one housing.

“Urban Development and Building Construction Office or programme implementation unit of the concerned province shall provide amount in four instalments through construction committee for the construction of houses. Similarly, the beneficiary shall bear 10 per cent of total grant for housing construction as part of cost participation which could in the form of labour donation, cash or construction materials,” it states.

Before releasing the amount via banking channel, Construction Committee will enter into an agreement with the beneficiaries. The amount to be provided to the beneficiary by the government may differ from place to place depending on the financial condition of the concerned people.

If a beneficiary expresses his/her inability to purchase construction materials with the UDBCO, the concerned official will provide necessary assistance to him/her for the same. The housing unit constructed under grant assistance of the government should be quake-resistant and must have a toilet.