KATHMANDU, Sept 3: More than Rs 5.20 billion has been collected in eight days in the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, operated by the Cabinet and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to provide relief and rescue assistance to victims of the Bhotekoshi flood.
As of 5 pm Wednesday, the Fund had Rs 7.376 billion. A senior official at the Office of the Prime Minister said the Fund held Rs 2.17 billion before the flood. After deducting that amount, the Fund has received Rs 5.206 billion in new contributions over the past eight days, according to Hemraj Aryal, spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office.
The amount includes contributions collected in Nepal and abroad for the rescue and relief of Bhotekoshi flood victims. According to the official, US$7.158 million was contributed from various countries during this period, equivalent to around Rs 1.88 billion.
Disaster Management Fund to get Rs 1 billion
The Fund operates under the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund Operation Regulations, 2006.
Under the regulations, the vice chairperson of the National Planning Commission serves as coordinator of the Fund. The secretaries of the former Ministry of Local Development, now the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, the Home Ministry, and the former Ministry of Health and Population, now the Ministry of Health and Food Hygiene, serve as members.
The secretaries of the ministries responsible for infrastructure development, agriculture, and forests and environment also serve as ex officio members.
Following the Bhotekoshi flood, a meeting of the Disaster Relief Fund Operation Committee held last Tuesday decided to immediately release Rs 1 billion to the affected areas.
The meeting decided to transfer the amount into a Fund to be mobilised under the leadership of the Home Ministry secretary and release it for relief operations. The amount deposited in the Everest Bank account has already been released.
Under Section 22 of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017, the disaster management Fund will be mobilised by a committee coordinated by the Home Ministry secretary. The money will be used for immediate rescue and relief and to arrange temporary accommodation for flood victims.
What can the Fund be used for?
Under the 2006 regulations, money from the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund can be used to rescue people affected or potentially affected by disasters and protect their property. It can also be used to establish temporary camps for immediate relief and purchase essential items such as food, clothing, medicines and educational materials needed for victims’ survival.
The Fund can also cover medical treatment for people injured or made ill by disasters.
Financial assistance can be provided to relatives of people who die in disasters for funeral and burial expenses. The Fund can also be used to dispose of waste and pollution caused by disasters, establish temporary shelters or rehabilitate disaster victims, and provide financial assistance to repair residential houses, occupational tools and workshops damaged by disasters.
It can also finance public awareness programmes, precautionary measures and preparedness activities aimed at preventing or reducing disaster impacts.
However, the regulations prohibit the Fund from being used to pay salaries, allowances, remuneration or other benefits to government or non-government employees. It cannot cover travel or similar expenses for such employees, provide donations, prizes, gifts or grants, or offer financial assistance to individuals for purposes unrelated to disasters.
