Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, said this arrangement will allow quake-hit families to make plan as per their convenience and also collect additional resources for rebuilding their house.
The government is in the final stage of distributing the first installment, or Rs 50,000, of the Rs 200,000 housing compensation announced for people who lost their homes in the earthquake. "The fund won't expire for three years. Quake-hit families will also get an additional six months. People needn't hurry," he added.
The government so far has signed agreements with only the World Bank and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for receiving financial aid of US$ 300 million for 100,000 households. It has not been able to arrange budgetary support to distribute the fund.
This agreement covers distribution of housing grants in five districts -- Gorkha, Dhading, Sindupalchok, Dolakha and Nuwakot -- in the first phase.
"Discussions with other donor partners to sign agreement are going on," Bhattarai said, adding, "Housing grants in all quake-hit districts will be distributed simultaneously."
He, however, said he cannot say when the quake-hit families will receive the grant.
Government officials are worried about proper use of funds as rumors are doing rounds in villages that they will get the fund simply by digging foundation for their buildings.
The government plans to release remaining two instalments -- Rs 100,000 in the second phase and remaining Rs 50,000 in the third phase - to the affected households only after they furnish bills of the expenditure made using the first installment of the grant. Also, they should comply with the building standards set by the government.
The government plans to complete all the reconstruction works within five years. But nothing has been done in this direction even though it has already been eight months since the earthquake ravaged the country.
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