115 families to get extra benefits from integrated settlement scheme

Kathmandu, Jan. 5:

At least 115 families in four village in Syangja, Sindhupalchowk and Ramechhap districts will be benefitted from additional government investment in infrastructure development as they decided to develop integrated settlements.

The government will provide additional Rs. 400,000 per family to the village to construct basic infrastructure, like road, electricity and water supply, in the integrated settlements. Each family is also entitled to the house reconstruction grant of Rs. 300,000.

"The government provides additional Rs. 400,000 for each family in the hill districts and Rs. 500,000 in mountain districts for infrastructure development in the integrated villages," said Manohar Ghimire, Deputy Spokesperson of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA).

A meeting of the NRA Executive Committee on Friday had approved integrated villages in Tildanda in Arjun Chaupari Rural Municipality – 4 of Syanjga, Haibung and Taramarang in Melamchi Municipality of Sindhupalchowk and Gumsal in Doramba Rural Municipality of Ramechhap district.

Tildanda Integrated Settlement will have 35 houses, Haibung and Talamaran 24 each, and Gumsal 30.

As per the reconstruction rule, Tildanda will receive Rs. 14 million for the construction of basic infrastructure. Likewise Haibung and Taramarang will receive Rs. 9.6 million, and Gumsal Rs. 12 million.

These projects will be implemented by the District Programme Implementation Unit of the NRA in coordination with the respective local bodies.

"This is a primary approval for the development of new integrated village in those four locations. The projects will start only after the respective local bodies complete the Detail Project Reports (DPRs) of those villages," said Ghimire.

Earlier, the reconstruction body had approved the development plan of integrated settlements in Jilu of Dolakha, Baguwa Milan of Gorkha and Melamchi Jarayotar of Sindhupalchowk districts. These villages are under construction while Jarayotar project is in the phase of completion.

Meanwhile, the NRA said that reconstruction of about 344,836 houses had been completed and 575,585 houses are under construction.

More than 99 per cent of the families that signed agreement with the reconstruction body have received the first installment of the grant and about 71 per cent families obtained the second installment.

About 737,751 families received the first installment of the money and 526,275 and 341,151 families received the second and third tranche respectively.

About 996,582 families were surveyed in the aftermath of the devastating 2015 Gorkha Earthquake and 823,385 of them were included in the NRA beneficiaries list.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 January 2019.