The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved today (April 23) a supplementary provision of $130 million to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund. Following the approval, the Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved a grant of $100 million to Qinghai Province to provide emergency relief to earthquake victims there.
A spokesman for the Government said that the committee had also set up a fast-track mechanism to respond quickly to direct appeals for aid in kind from relief agencies. Under this fast-track mechanism, the Government approved today a grant of $7.24 million to The Salvation Army to undertake a relief project for earthquake victims in Qinghai.
These grants are further to a disbursement of $4.5 million made earlier for The Amity Foundation to undertake a relief project in Qinghai. It takes the total value of grants for earthquake victims in Qinghai to $111.74 million.
In line with the established arrangements for grants made under the fund, the committee will request the recipient government authorities and relief organisations to provide information on the disbursement of the grant upon completion of the related relief activities.
Ends/Friday, April 23, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:18