Government Has Sufficient Resources to Tackle Disaster, Says Finance Minister Wagle

Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle said the government will not allow a shortage of resources to hinder efforts to respond to the ongoing natural disaster. Speaking after a meeting of top leaders of major political parties in Singha Durbar on Thursday, Wagle said the government is working rapidly to mobilize resources for rescue, relief, and reconstruction. Twenty-two helicopters are currently being deployed to rescue missing and stranded Nepali citizens and foreign tourists despite adverse weather and difficult terrain. He said the government has also secured around Rs. 25 billion in assistance in coordination with the World Bank, while China, India, Japan, the Asian Development Bank, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have also pledged support. The current fiscal year’s budget has allocated Rs. 10 billion for disaster management, while Rs. 2.34 billion remains in the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund and Rs. 1.17 billion in the Ministry of Home Affairs’ fund. Preliminary assessments indicate damage to 25 concrete bridges and private-sector hydropower projects with a combined capacity of around 700 MW. Wagle stressed the need for the government, political parties, private sector, and civil society to work together and launch a science- and evidence-based reconstruction campaign similar to the post-2015 earthquake rebuilding effort.