"The country will not return to normalcy unless and until we put in effort ourselves. We should look upon the help we are getting from abroad as a motivation, but we should not become over reliant on it," said Minister Paudel as he addressed the villagers of Nayagaun, a hinterland in Kavrepalanchowk district.
Former secretary of Nayagaun VDC, Tog Bahadur Waiba, described their the poor condition of his village as "darkness under the lamp" as the place is just behind the hills of Nagarkot in Bhaktapur district but is considered remote in absence of roads and lags behind in terms of development.During the visit, Minister Paudel narrated a tale of Asiad medalist Sabita Rajbhandari's children raising Rs 1 lakh in the USA for the victims of the devastating earthquake on April 25. According to the minister, the children saved their pocket money for lunch and persuaded their friends to donate money.
"That little amount is not enough for rebuilding the entire nation but it will certainly gives us inspiration," he said.
Minister Paudel urged the locals to take the initiative of rebuilding their village because the government is only capable of providing relief but not a long lasting solution.
"The government is there to support and provide immediate relief but the scale of destruction is so great that it is practically not possible for the government to restore each and every damaged building. It is time to realize that we have to become self reliant," he said, adding, "Let's make our villages ourselves."
During the function organized by Child Watawaran Center Nepal (CWCN) with the support from Japan-based Pflaster Co Ltd, Keiki University and Kashiwa Nishi Rotary Club, Minister Paudel handed over corrugated sheets to 60 households of the village.
Meanwhile, volunteers distributed mosquito nets to 80 households of a neighboring village.
According to coordinator of the event, Dharma Kumar Shrestha, who is also the secretary of UML's sports wing Nepal Confederation of Sports, the relief materials worth Rs 4.5 lakhs were collected on the initiatives of Tajima Miyuki of Keiai University and Nepali judo player Shyam Maharjan, who has been residing in Japan for the last seven years.
"It is a good sign that we are getting help from abroad but we should not become dependent on it," said Minister Paudel.
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