Speaking at a discussion with local representatives of donor agencies, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat said that as the country is still in rescue and relief phase, the donor agencies need to work under the supervision of the government through single door.
"The Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA) teams are already in the field collecting data. We need assistance to prepare data of the victims for organized distribution of relief materials and prepare data for long-term planning," said Mahat.The PDNA team led by the government will collect the data using the methodology being acceptable and developed in support from international experts and institutions. The team will submit the report to National Planning commission (NPC) based on which NPC will prepare a concrete report by mid-June and submit it to the government.
"The PDNA is a broad framework of the need for seeking global assistance. Under PDNA different projects will be designed based on the need," said Mahat.
Mahat assured the donor agencies that the government will keep record of every penny received and a high-level mechanism has been formed to ensure that the funds are spent in transparent manner.
Mahat also urged the donor agencies to distribute relief in coordination with District Natural Disaster Relief Committee so that every individual will get the relief. At present due to lack of one-door policy for relief distribution some places have been getting more relief while some places have not received any relief at all.
According to Mahat, only Rs 1.8 billion has been collected in Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund so far. "No major donor agencies except for the Asian Development Bank (ADB) has supported in the PM Disaster Relief Fund. The government is not happy with the way international organizations including donor agencies are supporting as they have supported in their own way and many has not even informed the government," said Mahat.
The government has deposited Rs 4 billion in PM Relief Fund and has been spending from the fund.
Govinda Pokharel, chairman of the NPC said that they are working on a two stage plan. "We will firstly develop a transitional plan which includes providing temporary shelter and houses, ensuring food and drinking water to bring daily life back to normal. It also includes plan to reopen schools and health posts and making the market chain mechanism smooth. We will also simultaneously focus on relief packages. In the second phase, PDNA will be developed as a pledging document to seek international assistance," said Pokharel.
Local representative of the International Development Partners Group (IDPG) said that all the efforts made by the donor agencies must be in tandem with long term assessment. "The Chief District Officers and Local administration have more information on community needs so the donor agencies need to contact them to avoid duplication of relief efforts," said the representative.
Representatives of various donor agencies said priority should be given to provide shelter for victims, healthcare services and sanitation. In addition to that they also said that protection of current harvest and seed is urgent as food is most essential for present and future.
Takuya Kamata, World Bank's country manager for Nepal said that post disaster recovery strategy should be developed under the leadership of the government of Nepal. "We are ready to support the government based on PDNA and provide our experts if needed," said Kamata.
Donors Meet in June to seek international assistance
Finance Minister Mahat said that International Donors Meeting will be held in the last week of June to seek assistance and to gather funds.
Mentioning that the preliminary estimates have put the losses caused by the earthquake at around Rs 500 billion, Mahat said that the PDNA will soon come up with the exact loss report for presentation at the international meet.
"The PDNA report will help in identifying the sectoral needs and we will seek assistance from the donors on different sectors accordingly," said Mahat.
According to the government, the earthquake has affected 38 districts of which 14 districts are highly affected. More than 600 government buildings including the Prime Minister's Office and several ministries, Supreme Court, health posts and private properties have been damaged and the government requires billions of rupees for reconstruction.
"The impact of the earthquakes cannot be measured only in terms of destruction. It has affected the whole economy," said Mahat adding that tourism, banking and exports sectors are among the worst hit.
The government in the new budget is set to allocate Rs 200 billion for reconstruction. The earthquake has also affected the revenue collection which had increased by 20 percent before the earthquake.
"The government needs a reliable amount of international assistance to manage resources for Reconstruction and Recovery (R&R) for next year's budget and beyond," said Suman Sharma, secretary at the MoF.
Sharma said that in the absence of early announcement of a comprehensive R&R plan, unplanned sporadic interventions are being announced by individuals and agencies and this should be controlled immediately and one door policy should be adopted.
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