Kathmandu, November 27:
The earthquake-survivors mobile fund operated by Aarughat Rural Municipality in Gorkha district has been effective. A fund with Rs. 1 million has been set up targeting those who have not been able to rebuild their houses even after taking the first tranche due to financial problems.
Aarughat Municipality has approved a strategy for the operation of the mobile fund. Very poor, Dalits, single women, helpless, people living with disabilities and vulnerable households lacking human and financial resources can borrow up to Rs. 100,000 from such mobile fund to reconstruct their houses. There will be no interest on such credit.
Chairperson of Aarughat Rural Municipality Purna Bahadur Dahal said the mobile fund has been amazingly effective. According to Dahal, 27 persons from Aarughat Rural Municipality have already taken such credits so far for house construction.
According to Dahal, the Rural Municipality lends Rs. 100,000 to the beneficiaries who have taken the first tranche but have not been able to advance house construction due to financial constraints until they receive the second tranche. The beneficiaries will return the amount to the Rural Municipality after they lay the foundation of the house and receive second tranche from the NRA.
Beneficiaries will have to take recommendations from their ward chairpersons to receive credit from the mobile fund. The ward chairpersons will have the responsibility to collect the money from the beneficiary who has taken the recommendation from them, informed Dahal.
Dahal said the Rural Municipality has coordinated with the local bank to make recommendation from the ward chairpersons mandatory while receiving second tranche to prevent any irregularity in the borrowed amount.
The guideline has a provision to stop all services, facilities, recommendations and documents from the Ward and Rural Municipality offices if the borrowed amount is not returned. Chairperson Dahal informed that such issue had not come so far.
Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality has also approved a guideline to operate a mobile fund like that of Aarughat Rural Municipality. The Rural Municipality has allocated Rs. 900,000 for the fund. Chairperson of Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality Ramesh Thapa Magar has informed that the amount would be provided as per the demand of the beneficiaries as the guideline had already been approved.
Likewise, Gandaki Rural Municipality is also preparing to launch such mobile fund.