Govt sets up fund to help victims of terrorists

Kathmandu, Feb. 25 (RSS): The cabinet meeting today decided to set up a "Prime Minister's Relief Fund" under the Prime Minister's Office at Singha Durbar to provide assistance to the families of Royal Nepalese Armymen, armed police, police, employees, political workers and the people in general killed in attacks by Maoist terrorists, who have been perpetrating violence and terror over the past few years.

The fund will also provide assistance to those injured or dismembered in Maoist attacks.

According to the cabinet secretariat, the council of ministers has made a public appeal for industrialists, businessmen, civil service employees, university and school teachers, all organisations and institutions and the people in general to generously contribute to the fund.

With the objective of operating and managing the fund by involving civil society also, the cabinet meeting decided to form a fund operation committee comprising former hmg chief secretary Damodar Prasad Gautam as chairman, the president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry as member and the secretary at the Prime Minister's office as member secretary.

As decided by the meeting amounts contributed to the fund will be tax exempted.

His Majesty's Government will appropriate Rs. 100 million for the fund. The Prime Minister, ministers, ministers of state and assistannt ministers are to make donations equivalent to one month's salaries to the fund.

Likewise, in view of the state of emergency that the country is undergoing today the cabinet has, as an austerity measure, decided that functions like receptions, luncheons and dinners will not be organised from government level except for diplomatic purposes.

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