Kathmandu, August 14

Home Minister Janardan Sharma today instructed government secretaries to ensure that relief materials for victims of floods and landslides were distributed only through government channel. He issued the instruction during a meeting of Central Natural Disaster Rescue Committee held in Kathmandu today.

According to a press release issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs today, donations made by individuals and non-government organisations would have to be deposited at the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund for distribution. The minister directed the secretaries to adopt one-door policy in relief distribution, arguing that if relief materials were distributed through non-government channels, the materials might not reach all those affected by floods and landslides.

After Minister Sharma’s instruction, a Relief Collection Coordination Committee was formed under Kedar Neupane, joint secretary at the MoHA. The home ministry has urged all donors to hand over relief materials such as tents, utensils, rice, lentils, salt and cooking oil to the Neupane-led government committee. Relief materials collected thus will be kept at godowns of Thapathali-based Nepal Food Corporation office and godowns of World Food Programme at Tribhuvan International Airport. Minister Sharma also directed bureaucrats to prepare details of property losses incurred by individuals and the government in the recent natural disasters.

Chief Secretary Rajendra Kishor Chhetri apprised the meeting of disruption of power supply in eastern parts of the country.