Govt asked to activate Reconstruction Fund

Kathmandu, Mar. 22: The Development Committee under the Legislature-Parliament Wednesday directed the government to activate the Reconstruction Fund within a month.

The Reconstruction Act, 2015 has envisioned a separate fund for post-quake reconstruction, but it has not been implemented even after 14 months of the Act’s promulgation and establishment of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA).

Article 15 of the Act states that a separate fund for reconstruction would be established, where money received from the government, the Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund, organisations, associations or individuals and other sources would be deposited.

Due to the failure in establishing the fund, the reconstruction body has been facing a shortage of budget at various stages, and it has had to make the rounds of the Ministry of Finance (MoF) in order to get the budget allocated, authorised and disbursed.

The Rising Nepal had published news last month on the government’s failure to activate the much-needed Reconstruction Fund.  

After the activation of the Fund, all the money dedicated to the reconstruction will come to it, and the reconstruction body will be relieved of making the rounds of the MoF.

Committee chairman Rabindra Adhikari directed the government, MoF and NRA to expedite preparations to bring the fund into operation.

Although a meeting of the NRA Steering Committee earlier had decided to formulate a fund mobilising mechanism under the leadership of the chief secretary, it couldn’t materialise.

Responding to questions of the lawmakers, NRA Chief Executive Officer Prof. Dr. Govinda Raj Pokharel said that the progress of the reconstruction body had been slowed down owing to the rigmarole of the bureaucratic processes.

“If you look at the Reconstruction Act, the NRA looks even weaker than a division of the National Planning Commission. It is better to scrap the organisation if it is rendered a toothless tiger,” he said.

He claimed that the work procedure of the reconstruction body was so complicated that it was certain to fail even if it was to be implemented in Europe.

Dr. Pokharel told the meeting that the NRA was amending the working procedure to address the grievances of the people who had failed to be listed eligible for the government reconstruction grant and other facilities.

“We are trying to provide facilities to the quake victims as fast as possible. Grant distribution in the moderately-hit 17 districts will begin in a few days,” he said.

The House panel criticised the NRA for its failure to establish a construction materials bank in the quake-hit areas.

It said that the NRA mechanism was more like a regulating than a facilitating body in reconstruction, and directed the reconstruction body to make the necessary changes in the organisational structure, and MoF to provide sufficient budget required for the reconstruction drive.

Expressing its dissatisfaction, the Committee has decided to call the Prime Minister and representatives of other concerned stakeholders to the panel.