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Saturday, May 2, 2015

Nepal government criticised for blocking earthquake aid to remote areas

Finance secretary denies material is subject to import duties, as police stop private aid trucks and state orders all overseas money to be paid into its fund
 Nepalese soldiers load relief aid from residents of Sikkim, India, at Kakarvitta on Saturday. Photograph: Diptendu Dutta/AFP/Getty Images
A young boy, Gigar Rama, eats lunch inside a temporary shelter in Kathmandu on Saturday. Nepalese soldiers load relief aid from residents of Sikkim, India, at Kakarvitta on Saturday.
A young boy, Gigar Rama, eats lunch inside a temporary shelter in Kathmandu on Saturday. Photograph: Buddhika Weerasinghe/Getty Images
 and  in Kathmandu-Saturday 2 May 2015
The Nepali government is increasingly under fire for blocking private initiatives bringing desperately needed assistance to remote areas, and allegedly obstructing the flow of relief to the country.
Suman Prasad Sharma, the Nepali finance secretary, on Saturday denied charges made by NGOs and top international officials that the government was levying import taxes on aid or had blocked consignments.
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