Nepal

Local government at village level: will it start working again?

January 14, 2016 Hans Andersen

Featured stories, Local Politics - Central Power / decentralisation, local government, Nepal, politics, power, reconstruction, VDC / 0 Comments

Local government in Nepal is now suffering almost as badly as during the height of the Maoist conflict. In post-quake communities, where the need for infrastructure and local services has never been greater, some locals can hardly find a VDC secretary! Indeed, VDC secretaries – officially in charge of Nepal’s Village Development Committees (VDCs) since 2002 – were always hard to recruit, let alone make attend regularly. But now it’s much worse as only…

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The NRA’s local offices: an issue in the making?

January 13, 2016 Hans Andersen

Featured stories, Local Politics - Central Power, The 2015 Earthquake Aftermath / decentralisation, earthquake, federalism, Nepal, nra, reconstruction / 2 Comments

The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) which finally “took off” on December 26 after a six months delay has now allocated some of the USD 4,4 billion supposed to be spent as quickly as possible on rebuilding houses and public infrastructure. So, what’s the allocation going to be spent on – so far an amount of 290 million rupees? Well, in one word, “administration”: the NRA is setting up seven local offices which it needs to plan and implement the…

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Temporary schools post-quake now a health hazard

January 12, 2016 Hans Andersen

The 2015 Earthquake Aftermath, Youth' Issues: School and Jobs / earthquake, Education, Nepal, reconstruction, school, students, tlc / 0 Comments

Temporary schools post-quake now a health hazard

Students going to school in Temporary Learning Centers (TLCs) – built after the earthquake – have started to fall ill in worrying numbers. Most TLCs are built of tin sheets without any insulation, so wind and humid cold air easily get inside. As winter bites, going to school has become a health hazard! In Ramechap, […]

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Ramechap freezing: when winter strikes post-quake

January 11, 2016 Hans Andersen

Featured stories, The 2015 Earthquake Aftermath / earthquake, Nepal, ramechap, relief, winter / 0 Comments

Ramechap district is freezing and locals are struggling to keep warm as temperatures are dropping below zero. Pisang Lama, 31, is just one of thousands living in temporary shelters completely unfit for winter. Like in most of the earthquake affected districts, also in this area south-east of Kathmandu the ruins of the old mud and […]

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SLC exams 2015/16: why it’s hard to be optimistic

January 11, 2016 Hans Andersen

Featured stories, SLC - and the school textbook scam!, Youth' Issues: School and Jobs / earthquake, Education, Nepal, school, slc, students / 0 Comments

Will this year’s SLC students have a better chance than, say, last year’s class? Well, it was always hard to get through the “Iron Gate”: 10th graders have had to struggle a lot – the pass rate is barely 35 percent – and this year it’s not likely to get better. In the districts hardest […]

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The NRA: reconstruction delayed by “politics”

December 29, 2015 Hans Andersen

Featured stories, Local Politics - Central Power, The 2015 Earthquake Aftermath / corruption, earthquake, Nepal, politics, reconstruction / 0 Comments

Out in the districts hit by the earthquake in April, locals have long-since started to build temporary shelters. How temporary – or permanent – those shelters are going to be is an open question. The answer, though, lies in no small part with the government and it’s National Reconstruction Authority (NRA). The government has already released 15,000 rs. (around USD 200) to every household whose home was destroyed – but they have pledged a lot more. Indeed, USD 4,4 billion are in the pipeline for reconstruction! However, the NRA, tasked with distributing all this money, has not really started working yet.

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