The government has finally appointed the Chief of the National Reconstruction Authority, raising hopes for the start of post-earthquake reconstruction projects.
A cabinet meeting appointed Govind Raj Pokhrel as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Reconstruction Authority, which is chaired by the Prime Minister, late Thursday evening. Pokhrel is Vice Chair of the National Planning Commission (NPC).
Amid criticism about delay in forming the Reconstruction Authority, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala persuaded the UML Chair KP Oli to agree on Pokhrel's name. After securing Oli's consent, Koirala had called the cabinet meeting. Information and Communication Minister Minendra Rijal informed journalists about Pokhrel's appointment.
A month after a 7.8 magnitude earthquake devastated central Nepal, the government had issued an ordinance to form the Reconstruction Authority. But the dispute between the Nepali Congress (NC) and the UML had delayed naming of the CEO. The UML was backing former Chief Secretary Madhav Ghimire, but Koirala persuaded Oli to agree on Pokhrel.
Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam, Finance Minister Ram Sharan Mahat, Urban Development Minister Narayan Khadka and Tourism Minister Kripasur Sherpa will be members of the authority, according to Rijal.
Before he was appointed as the NPC Vice Chair, Pokhrel had served as Executive Director of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). As the NPC Vice Chair, he had headed the task of preparing the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) report, which was unveiled just before the 25 June meeting of donors in Kathmandu.
At the International Conference of Nepal's Reconstruction, donors had pledged nearly half the reconstruction budget (US$ 6.7 billion). But the delay in naming the authority's CEO had also led to delay in allocation of budget and the start of reconstruction works. Pokhrel's experience as the NPC Vice Chair is expected to help Nepal's reconstruction projects.
Also read:
Authority to rebuild, Editorial
Better build back, Sonia Awale