Kathmandu. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle has held a meeting with local representatives of development partners.

The high-level meeting was attended by ambassadors of various countries, heads of missions and representatives of development partners including international agencies.

In the meeting, the stakeholders reviewed the issues related to search, rescue and early recovery, rapid disaster needs assessment and damage assessment after the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi floods.

In the meeting, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Dr. Ghanshyam Upadhyay

Chief Executive Officer of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Dr. Dharma Raj Upreti informed about the status of search, rescue and initial recovery.

On the occasion, Joint Secretary of the National Planning Commission, Arjun Bhandari, informed about the Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment.

Division Director for Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka, David N. Sislane presented the highlights of the ‘Global Rapid Post-Disaster Damage Estimate’ report.

In the open discussion, the development partners expressed their views on the necessary support and cooperation in post-disaster reconstruction. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle said that the partnership with the donor agencies will be made more effective and the reconstruction will be accelerated.

Dr. Wagle praised the rapid damage and damage assessment done by the National Planning Commission, the NRA and the World Bank. He stressed that the direct contribution to the Prime Minister’s Natural Disaster Relief Fund should reach the affected people directly without any administrative cost for immediate relief and early rehabilitation. He said that the government is committed to transparent good governance and resilient long-term reconstruction.