The government has constituted a conference preparation committee under the coordination of Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat. The committee says it is working at a war footing in preparation for the conference and the preparations have reached the final stages.
Minister Mahat said the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report would be presented and a high-level mechanism would be set up to take forward the post-quake reconstruction, rehabilitation and rebuilding works in a transparent manner and the utilization of the assistance, adding that the donors would be thus taken into confidence.
Finance Minister said efforts would be made to take grant from the donors as far as possible and if not concessional loan. He made it clear that the government would not take conditional loan.
The government will assure the donors of the transparency in the aid expenditure explaining them that the expenses would be audited by the Office of the Comptroller General and also monitored by the Legislature-Parliament.
“Invitation along with the PDNA report to be presented in the conference have been sent to various countries and agencies. The entire programme and the agenda for June 25 conference has been completed. Arrangements have also been made regarding the hotels where the guests would be staying as well as the security matters,” Mahat said.
The donors would be shown around the earthquake-affected areas a day before the conference. Similarly, the donors would be given a real glimpse of the damage caused by the devastating earthquake by means of a documentary depicting the major destinations of the country before and after the earthquake which would be shown during the conference.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Mahendra Bahadur Pandey said the government has already invited 62 countries and donor agencies for their participation, adding that his ministry was carrying out the required works in close coordination with the Ministry of Finance.
He said, “The donor agencies’ conference had to be convened as it would not be possible to rebuild and recover the damage caused to the physical infrastructure through own resources.”
Minister Pandey hoped all the program would be concluded on a single day as the discussions would be focused on the main agenda aimed at making the conference organized to collect financial support necessary for reconstruction fruitful.
The other objective of the conference is to deliver positive message that most of the touristic destinations were not damaged and infrastructures are also safe from the devastating quake.
National Planning Commission (NPC) Vice-chairman Govinda Pokhrel said that the PDNA report would convince the foreign donors to support Nepal as it was prepared by following international procedures based on reality. He added that all things should not be expected from the conference though they have pointed out the need of Rs 666 billion fund for the reconstruction operations.
Pokhrel further added that all expectations would not be fulfilled only from the conference itself as the budgetary system in Nepal and foreign countries are based on different modality, however they could express their commitment to support the reconstruction projects in the conference.
NPC Vice-chair Pokhrel said that the reconstruction projects could be launched if they got financial support to be needed for five years from neighboring countries and development partners.
Prior to this, the government has set up a reconstruction fund of Rs 200 billion and government itself has deposited Rs 20 billion so far and has expected to collect remaining funds from donors.
Though, the government so far has not formed a high level mechanism to operate the reconstruction projects, it is in progress, it is learnt.
The foreign donors may draw their attentions in its mechanism expecting a high level reconstruction authority.
However, the NPC has already suggested the government to form a National Resettlement, New-construction Implementation Committee on the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
As per the NPC report, other members of the commission are Ministers for Home Affairs, Finance and Urban Development, NPC Vice-chairman, chief secretary and Chief of Army Staff. RSS
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