'Emergency top-up cash used for short-term needs'

KATHMANDU, Feb 18: An Independent assessment report has shown that a majority of the beneficiaries of the Emergency Top-up Cash Transfer Program (ETCTP) have used the cash to fulfill their basic short-term needs.

The UNICEF report states that the 93 percent of target beneficiaries, who received the emergency top-up cash transfer, commonly used it to meet their short-term basic daily needs like food, medicine, clothing and other household essentials.


The government of Nepal, in cooperation with UNICEF, provided Rs 3,000 to the vulnerable groups in 19 most earthquake-affected districts as a top-up to the regular payment. A total of 467,409 people had sought social assistance benefits in the quake

affected districts.

Taking about the summary report during a program organized in the capital on Tuesday, Basanta Raj Gautam, joint secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD), said that they partnered with UNICEF to provide cash assistance to the vulnerable groups even as food and other in-kind transfers and services were initiated by the government and UN agencies and other NGOs and INGOs.

"We found that the existing system is available for large scale delivery but specific needs of vulnerable groups were not met," said Gautam.

The government has been running social assistance programs for senior citizens, widows and single women, disabled people, Dalit children and children from Karnali and endangered indigenous people.

Likewise, speaking at the program, Vice-chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC) Yubaraj Khatiwada opined that it is important to pre-locate funds in order to reach victims at times of crisis. He even stressed the need of a separate body to govern wider social protection schemes

in future.

The assessment summary report of UNICEF has suggested identifying strategies to make better use of local groups and networks for community mobilization, information dissemination and program linkages.

The government, in technical assistance of UNICEF, plans to provide at least Rs 4,000 to all children under five in the 11 most affected districts, scheduled with the regular social assistance payments in the second phase.

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