NRA to facilitate distribution of land ownership certificates

Kathmandu, April 8

The National Reconstruction Authority has decided to make necessary arrangements to conclude the housing grant agreement with beneficiaries who are yet to receive the relief due to lack of land ownership certificate.

A meeting of the executive committee presided over by NRA Chief Executive Officer Govinda Raj Pokharel had recently made a decision to the effect. For this purpose, a panel led by executive committee member Dhruba Prasad Sharma was formed to offer suggestions on policy provisions that could be made to address the problem.

A press release issued by the NRA said the panel will submit a report to the committee with a recommendation within one week. The government had already entered into grant agreements with 548,255 out of 636,036 identified or recorded beneficiaries of the housing grant in 14 districts worst-hit by the quakes.

Despite being genuine beneficiaries, as many as 77,781 households are still deprived of the facility for want of land ownership certificate.

The government provides beneficiaries a total of Rs 300,000 each to reconstruct their homes damaged by the quakes in three instalments. Land ownership certificate is required by the local levels to sign the grant agreement with the beneficiaries. Quake survivors without land ownership certificate have to register their land with the district survey office and land revenue office to receive the certificate as per existing NRA guidelines.

Earlier, the NRA had directed the Ministry of Land Reform and Management to instruct its line agencies to expedite land registration for those lacking the certificates. It even issued the Guidelines for Land Registration, 2016 after holding consultations with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Land Reform and Management to resolve the issue.

Meanwhile, the NRA said it has completed a survey in 17 districts least affected by the quakes, identifying 44,443 beneficiaries of housing grants.