KATHMANDU, Aug 18: The task of house reconstruction grant distribution to the victims in the 11 districts worst hit by the earthquakes has gathered pace since the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) launched a month-long 'special campaign' Monday.

In the last two days, the NRA has transferred Rs 50,000, the first tranche of the grant, in the bank accounts of 25,274 earthquake victims, taking the total number of victims receiving the first tranche of the grant to 70,803.  

Until before the campaign, the NRA was able to transfer the first tranche just to around 2,000-3,000 quake victims per day who have signed the grant agreement. Even as 338,898 of the total 533,155 house owners identified as eligible for the grant amount had already signed the grant agreement with the local authorities, the NRA had barely managed to transfer the first tranche in the bank accounts of only 45,529 victims.

"The work will gather pace as we have deployed additional manpower from the NRA as well as other authorities," NRA spokesperson Ram Thapaliya said, adding, all the quake victims will receive the first tranche within the next one month as the local-level staffers involved in grant distribution will carry out their work seven days a week and also during public holidays for the next one month.

He said that along with NRA staff, experts and members of the NRA have also reached the districts to oversee and facilitate in the distribution process to make the campaign successful.

On Monday, the NRA had launched a month-long "special campaign" in the 11 districts aimed at completing the distribution of the first installment of the house reconstruction grant within a month after Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal instructed the NRA to complete the distribution of the first tranche to the victims within the next 45 days.  

NRA officials said that the local authorities will complete the task of signing grant agreements with all the identified house owners by the next one and a half week and release the first installment.

Thapaliya also said that the NRA is also making necessary arrangements to take up complaints related to the grant amounts lodged by victims in the 11 districts. As of now, as many as 134,299 victims in the districts have already lodged the complaints with the local authorities. 

 
• house reconstruction
 
• national reconstruction authority
 
• special campaign
 
• earthquakes
 
• 11 districts