India extends Rs 2.1 bn aid to Nepal for rebuilding earthquake-hit houses

India today extended an aid of 2.1 billion Nepalese rupees to Nepal as reimbursement of the first tranche of housing support to over 42,000 government of India-supported beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha districts to rebuild houses damaged in 2015 earthquake.

Central Nepal's Gorkha district was the epicentre of the devastating earthquake which struck the Himalayan nation in April 2015, claiming over 10,000 lives and flattening thousands of houses.

India and Nepal had in February 2016 signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for USD 100-million grant to support reconstruction of 50,000 private houses in the two districts of the Himalayan nation.

"Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjiv Singh Puri handed over a cheque of 2.1 billion Nepalese rupees to Nepal's Finance Secretary Rajan Khanal, towards reimbursement of first tranche of housing support to 42,086 government of India-supported housing beneficiaries in Nuwakot and Gorkha," an official statement said here.

"In September 2016, both the countries agreed to utilise an additional amount of USD 50 million from the USD 750 Line of Credit towards payment of third tranche of housing grant to 50,000 hosing beneficiaries supported by the Government of India," it said.

Since March 2018, in India partnership with the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Office for Project Services is working to provide socio-technical facilitation to the housing beneficiaries in the two districts and to ensure that houses of the beneficiaries comply with Nepal's earthquake resilient norms.