Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah and his Council of Ministers on Friday decided to contribute one month’s salary to the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund following devastating floods in the country.
The decision was announced by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) in a Facebook post after a Cabinet meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
The Cabinet also gave in-principle approval to Krishi Samagri Company Limited to procure 25,000 metric tonnes of DAP fertiliser from India through government-to-government (G2G) procurement.
The Finance Ministry has been directed to prepare a relief and rehabilitation package for individuals and business organisations affected by the floods in Rasuwa, along the Bhotekoshi River and in downstream areas.
“The government has decided to deposit one month’s salary/wages of all members of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held at the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers today,” the PMO said.
“Similarly, the meeting has decided to direct the Ministry of Finance to prepare a relief and rehabilitation package for individuals and business organisations affected by the floods that occurred in the districts of Rasuwagadhi and Bhotekoshi River and lower coastal areas on Wednesday,” it added.
The Cabinet meeting was convened to take decisions on the extensive damage caused by the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa and review ongoing rescue, relief and reconstruction operations.
The crisis followed a catastrophic flash flood along the Tibet-Nepal border on August 26, sending large volumes of water, sediment and boulders through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems and causing widespread destruction in Rasuwa and surrounding areas.
Authorities are also concerned about the possibility of fresh flooding after a large barrier lake near the confluence of the Chhochen Khola and Purepu Tsangpo rivers reportedly breached on Friday.
The Kathmandu Post reported that Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar said the Nepali Army had informed him that the lake had breached.
Residents in the Trishuli area were evacuated again after a heavy flow of water from upstream threatened to raise river levels. The evacuation followed a 5.1-magnitude earthquake that struck Longchang City in southwest China’s Sichuan province, according to Nepal Police.
Rescue teams have so far recovered 475 bodies in connection with the disaster, The Kathmandu Post reported.
(ANI Inputs)
