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The Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved two grants from the Disaster Relief Fund totalling $2 million for two relief agencies to undertake relief projects for snowstorm victims on the Mainland.
These grants are further to a disbursement of $235.43 million made earlier for three provincial/municipal governments and four organisations to provide emergency relief to snowstorm victims in eight provinces/municipalities. It takes the total value of grants for snowstorm victims on the Mainland to $237.43 million.
Announcing the grants today (February 29), a government spokesman said that the committee hoped the grants ¡ª one of $1.2 million to The Association of Chinese Evangelical Ministry Limited for relief projects in Guangxi and one of $0.8 million to Cedar Fund for relief projects in Hubei ¡ª would help provide relief to snowstorm victims in the areas.
¡°To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the relief agencies have been asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grant after the relief project has been completed,¡± the spokesman said.
The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on the policy and practices regarding the disbursement of funding for disaster relief from the Disaster Relief Fund, which was established in December 1993 for emergency disaster relief in places outside Hong Kong, as well as advising on specific amounts to specific recipients, and monitoring the use of grants.
The Committee is chaired by the Chief Secretary for Administration. Members include Mr Jasper Tsang Yok-sing, Mr Andrew Liao Cheung-sing, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, Dr Kwok Ka-ki, Mr Michael Lai Kam-cheung, Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare.
Ends/Friday, February 29, 2008
Issued at HKT 16:33
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