NRA sets new deadline to obtain housing grant

Kathmandu, Nov. 6

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has announced a new and last deadline for the families affected by the devastating 2015 earthquake to obtain the housing reconstruction grant.

A meeting of the NRA’s executive committee had decided to extend the window to sign the grant agreement with the beneficiaries by mid-December 2020 and secure the first tranche of the grant by the end of January 2021.

Likewise, the beneficiaries who have received the first instalment of the grant must start the reconstruction of their house and apply for the certification at the respective local bodies by mid-February 2021.

According to the NRA, all reconstruction and retrofitting beneficiaries must apply to their respective local body for the third or last installation of the grant by mid-May next year.

Since the tenure of the reconstruction body is going to end by January 2021, this would be the last deadline regarding the grant, said Deputy spokesperson of the NRA Manohar Ghimire.

“Therefore, we request to all reconstruction beneficiaries to sign the grant agreement with the government at the earliest and apply at the local bodies if they are yet to receive the instalment,” he said.

Retrofitting beneficiaries should apply at the District Project Implementation Unit (Building).

The house reconstruction beneficiaries are entitled of Rs. 300,000 which are distributed in three installments – Rs. 50,000, 150,000 and 100,000.

There are about 834,911 housing grant beneficiaries and 77,325 retrofitting beneficiaries. The NRA has signed grant agreement with 791,767 families.

Reconstruction of 507,623 houses has completed. Similarly, 784,950 families received the first tranche, 677,094 second and 605,083 the third tranche.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 7 November 2020.