More than ₹ 2.295 billion has been donated to Nepal Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund since massive flash floods wreaked havoc in the Himalayan nation.
Following the flash floods, Nepal government declared the affected areas disaster zones, prompting various organisations and individuals to donate to the fund. It received ₹ 1.91 billion within 36 hours from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday midnight, while assistance worth ₹ 385.5 million was donated on Friday alone, according to sources at the Prime Minister’s Office.
The government has designated the Ministry of Finance as the focal ministry for collecting contributions to the fund and coordinating assistance. Prime Minister Balendra Shah and members of his cabinet will also donate a month’s salary to the disaster relief fund. The Ministry of Finance said the deposits were made to accounts held at 10 different commercial banks. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle has been personally accepting contributions of ₹ 10 million or more from institutional donors, according to the minister’s secretariat.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting on Friday.
