NRA completes Reconstruction Policy draft

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has prepared the National Reconstruction Policy, execution concept and institutional structure for sectoral reconstruction agencies at different ministries.

NRA Chief Executive Officer Sushil Gyawali informed that the draft of the policy had been prepared and soon it would be presented to the National Reconstruction Steering Committee led by the Prime Minister.

While presenting the execution concept of reconstruction programmes and institutional structure before Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and other Ministers at the PM's residence, Baluwatar, Wednesday, he said, "We hope that the committee will endorse the policy within a week. Respective ministries and donor agencies have the common viewpoint on the policy."

He also informed that about 600 engineers had been mobilized in every district with the commencement of National Reconstruction Campaign while more 430 were obtaining training.

The campaign was launched on 26^th January by laying a foundation stone of a temple at the Ranipokhari by President Bidya Devi Bhandari.

 "Rural Residence Reconstruction will be launched on 24^th February from a Resource Centre in Dolakha. By 25^th March, reconstruction will be initiated in one Resource Centre in each quake-affected district, and by 28^th April, reconstruction will be started in every village," Gyawali said.

Gyawali said that the Authority would directly disburse the budget to the project implementation units in the respective ministries. "We need to apply the fast-track approach in reconstruction process as it has been delayed for more than 10 months."

Meanwhile, NRA Executive Committee Member Dr. Chandra Bahadur Shrestha said that the Authority would promote green recovery and reconstruction practices in the reconstruction drive, and urged the concerned stakeholders to suggest suitable model for the same.

He was addressing a seminar on 'Media sensitization on post-earthquake green recovery and reconstruction' organized by Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists in Kathmandu.

He said that the NRA would try to meet the expectation of the society and stakeholders. "There is a gap between what need to be delivered and what is being delivered. Therefore, people are not satisfied."

Bhuwan Karki, under-secretary at the International Economic Cooperation Division, Ministry of Finance (MoF), said that the budget disbursement was very slow due to the poor implementation of development projects.

According to the MoF, the government was so far unable to spend a single rupee from the reconstruction budget.

Then Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat allocated Rs. 74 billion for the NRA while Rs. 17 billion for the concerned ministries to initiate reconstruction works until the establishment of the Authority.