PDNA estimates Rs 666 billion for reconstruction

The preliminary report of Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) has estimated around Rs 666 billion to reconstruct the partially and completely damaged properties by the devastating earthquake of April 25 and repeated aftershocks.
Submitting the PDNA report to the Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, here today evening, National Planning Commission (NPC) vice chair Dr Govind Raj Pokharel said that the earthquake has hit public and private houses the most. "Tourism, education, agriculture, and health sectors suffer huge losses following the private and public buildings."
Led by the planning commission, experts from multilateral and bilateral development partners including World Bank (WB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), Japan and India were involved in preparation of the preliminary PDNA report that took three weeks to prepare.
The report that has assessed some 23 sectors' damage, loss and cost to reconstruct damaged infrastructure wil be helpful in planning reconstruction, during the international donors' conference that is going to be held on June 25 in Kathmandu, apart from estimating the reconstruction cost in the budget for the next fiscal year 2015-16.
Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat is currently in India to invite Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Likewise, the highlevel participation from northern neighbour China, Japan, the US, the UK and all the development partners is expected.
The development partners have so far committed $500 million , according to Foreign Aid Coordination and Cooperation Division under the Finance Ministry. However, the government is going to hold another international donors' conference in September in Japan as proposed by Japan government to following the June 25 conference in Kathmandu.