E-Kantipur

KATHMANDU, NOV 02 -  

The Relief and Rehabilitation Unit (RRU) under the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction has not been able to distribute assistance to thousands of conflict victims for the last three months due to the government's delay in amending directives related to relief distribution.

The families of over 2,000 people killed during the Maoist insurgency have been waiting for compensation for the last four years. Only the families of 13,964 of the total 16,719 individuals killed during the Maoist conflict have received the compensation package worth Rs. 100,000 each.   

The reason for the delay is Clause 7 of the Citizens Relief, Compensation and Economic Assistance Procedure 2009, which states that RRU could only distribute relief assistance to the victims' families until mid-July.

"It's been months since we requested the line ministry for amendment in the procedural rules, but nothing has been done so far," complained Ganesh Prasad Upadhyay, chief of RRU. "We cannot distribute the relief money unless the law is amended."

According to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the government is required to provide relief packages to the kin of the conflict victims (killed during Feb.13, 1996 to Nov. 21, 2006). The compensation packages are provided to persons who were maimed during the war, to the widows, to the abducted, to the internally displaced persons and to those who lost their properties during the insurgency period.

"Even if the full budget is endorsed, we will not be able to distribute the received funds due to the legal restriction," said Upadhyay.

Despite halting the distribution of relief assistance, RRU, however, provided 24 scholarships to children of the conflict-hit and pensions to martyrs' families earlier this year.

So far, RRU has distributed around Rs. 5.8 billion to various conflict-affected groups. Approximately Rs.1.39 billion has been spent in assisting the families of the deceased and Rs. 3.70 billion has gone for the reconstruction of public properties, providing assistance to 1,968 of the total 5,600.

Compensation is distributed through the respective District Administrative Offices (DAOs). "We provide the required budget to the DAOs which then distribute relief assistance to the needy and eligible people," Upadhyay stated.

Posted on: 2010-11-02 09:16

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