Grants approved for cyclone victims in India

     The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved from the Disaster Relief Fund three grants totalling $13.479 million to three agencies for providing relief to cyclone victims in West Bengal and Odisha, India.
 
     Announcing the grants today (July 27), a spokesman for the Government said that the cyclone had affected around 18 million people in West Bengal and Odisha. The three grants – one of $5.099 million to Habitat for Humanity Hong Kong, one of $4.52 million to Save the Children Hong Kong and one of $3.86 million to World Vision Hong Kong – will be used to provide hygiene kits, food kits and education kits as well as household items and shelter materials to benefit around 104 040 victims. The Committee hoped the grants would facilitate the provision of timely relief to the victims and help them restore their normal living. The grants, together with those approved earlier for this cyclone in India, will take the accumulative value of grants and number of beneficiaries to $25.593 million and 189 590 respectively. As the targeted localities of relief agencies are different, there will be no overlapping of resources.
 
     "To ensure that the money is used for the designated purposes, the relief agencies will be asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grants after the relief projects have been completed," the spokesman said.