Relief distribution to disaster-hit people already in place: PM Oli

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the distribution of relief support to the people hit hard by floods, landslides and inundation following incessant rain has already started.

At a press conference organized at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar today, he said the search and rescue of the citizens in the disaster would be completed within the next two days.

Prime Minister Oli made it clear that necessary arrangements have been put in place for free treatment to the injured and to prevent and control the public health problems that may arise after the disaster.

The government was proactive in operating basic services including water supply, roads, telephone and electricity, he claimed.

According to information shared on the occasion, so far 224 people have lost their lives, 24 are still missing and 158 have been injured due to the disaster while 4,331 people who are at high risk have been rescued and shifted to safer places.

Kavrepalanchowk, Lalitpur, Dhading, Kathmandu, Sindhupalchowk, Sindhuli and Makawanpur are among the 21 districts most affected by the disaster.

PM Oli appeals for support to disaster survivors

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has appealed to all to help the people suffering due to floods, landslides and inundation, by considering it as the pain of the nation.

At a press conference held today at the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers at Singha Durbar, Prime Minister Oli urged one and all to support the search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation efforts underway across the country. "This pain is not only the government's concern, but the whole society's pain. We are all saddened by the disaster," Prime Minister Oli said.

"Damage has also occurred due to some structural shortcomings. In the future, when the structures are built it will be made as such to withstand disasters and stronger in the long-term," he noted.

On the occasion, Prime Minister Oli expressed his commitment to correct shortcomings, if any, in the rescue and search operations due to the large-scale disaster that the government had not anticipated and hence not prepared for. He emphasized that the state and the society should make maximum use of the available resources to address the current adverse situation in the country.

 

Post-disaster response is government high priority: Home Minister

Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak has said that the recent flooding and landslides caused by the monsoon rains have so far resulted in 218 deaths, the missing of 27 people, and 143 injuries. He said the government is engaged in the post-disaster response with high priority.

In a meeting of the State Affairs and Good Governance Committee, House of Representatives, today, the minister said that the government is focused on the search, rescue, and relief efforts in the wake of disasters.

Search and rescue operations are underway, he said. The distribution of relief materials to the affected is going on. The injured are being treated free of cost.  The District Disaster Management Committees are focused on the dispatch of relief materials and the rehabilitation of the survivors in an effective way.

According to the minister, a total of 4,022 people trapped in the districts were rescued with the help of the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and volunteers.

The Kathmandu Valley and the Bagmati Province were affected the most by the rains which is said to be the most significant in the 50 years.

A total of 3,906 Nepal Army soldiers, 14,802 personnel of the Nepal Police, and 12,023 of the Armed Police Force have been mobilized for the search and rescue operations after the disasters.

 

Foreign Minister Rana, MCC CEO Albright hold talks

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba and Chief Executive Officer of Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), a US agency, Alice P Albright, held a meeting on Monday.

The meeting held at Nepali Embassy in the US witnessed a discussion on issues like enforcement of the activities under the MCC project that Nepal signed in 2017. Timely completion of the project was stressed in the discussion, the Nepali Embassy stated.

The transmission line and road upgrade under the MCC project are being implemented in Nepal. Nepal has been provided USD 50 million assistance for the projects.

The meeting was held before Foreign Minister Rana left for Doha.

Minister Rana had arrived in the US to attend the 79th UNGA.