KATHMANDU, July 16: The steering committee of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has set mid-July of 2018 as the last date for distribution for all the remaining quake reconstruction grants.
Many quake victims have yet to begin re-building their homes even if they have already received a first payout from NRA, as there has been uncertainty about when the rest of the funds would be distributed.
The decision of the NRA steering committee to make mid-July 2018 the cutoff date for all remaining grants is expected to encourage fund recipients to begin construction, said NRA spokesperson Yam Lal Bhoosal.
Five times more applications received for model farmer’s grants
Bhusal added that the Authority has acted in the hope of speeding up the grant dispersal process. The step was also taken to remind potential beneficiaries that grant distribution for private housing reconstruction was not open for an ndefinite period.
Under the just-released schedule, new beneficiaries should be able to sign the grant agreements and collect the first tranche of funds by mid-November, with a second round to follow in April 2018.
Those who received the first payments in mid-January 2016 were to receive the second round in mid-January of this year, and the third by mid-July, 2018. Those who get their second round in 2018 will receive the third installment by mid-June of 2018, according to NRA.
To date, 625,882 agreements have been signed with NRA for housing grants. Altogether 594,150 households have collected their first payments and 52,166 beneficiaries their second.
NRA had distributed Rs 13 billion in aid in the quake-impacted districts some six months ago.
