Relief efforts will have to reach out to eight million people
GN Bureau | April 30, 2015
Around $415 million are required to get the quake-ravaged Nepal back to normal, a UN report estimates.
The report, ‘Flash appeal for response to the earthquake’, has estimated the requirements to reach over 8 million people with life-saving assistance and protection over the next three months. This was done by assessing the requirements like food security, health, sanitation and hygiene, shelter, education and others.
READ: Death toll rises to 5,000
Going by this assessment, over 70,000 houses have been destroyed. Over 3,000 schools located in the 11 most severely affected districts are damaged. Up to 90 percent of health facilities in rural areas have been damaged. Hospitals in the district capitals, including Kathmandu, are overcrowded and lack adequate facilities. Many temples and heritage sites have collapsed. The more modern structures have withstood the severity of the quakes.
Among the affected population, 32,00,000 are women and children. Of the total women, 5,25,000 are in the reproductive age, of whom 4 percent (21,500) are pregnant. Also, 21,00,000 affected
population is below the age of 18.
READ: What happened in Nepal
The Food Security Cluster of the UN estimates that around 30,50,000 people are in need of food assistance in the country. Of these, 7,50,000 people live near the epicentre of the earthquake in poor quality housing. Impact on agriculture-based livelihoods and on food security is expected to be extremely high.
The strength of the Supreme Court is set to go up from 33 judges to 37 judges, paving the way for a more efficient and speedier justice. The Union Cabinet on Tuesday approved the proposal for introducing The Supreme Court (Number of Judges) Amendment Bill, 2026 in Parliament to amend The Sup
The political map of the country is set to be redrawn with the BJP set to win the West Bengal assembly elections, apart from Assam and the union territory of Puducherry. In Kerala, meanwhile, the Congress-led UDF is set to regain power. The filmstar Vijay-led TVK has emerged as the front-runner in Tamil Na
India, the second-largest importer and consumer of LPG after China, faces growing pressure due to supply constraints. Most of India`s LPG imports transit through the Strait of Hormuz, a focal point of global turmoil. Given that LPG forms the backbone of household kitchens and the restaurant industry, any s
The government has initiated preparations for Census 2026 in Maharashtra, introducing a hybrid approach that combines optional self-enumeration with comprehensive door-to-door data collection to ensure complete coverage across the state. According to senior officials, the Self-
A Touch Of Genius: The Wisdom of India’s Nobel Laureates Edited by Rudrangshu Mukherjee Aleph Books, Rs 1499, 848 pages
The Income Tax Department organised an outreach programme in Ghatkopar, Mumbai, to raise awareness about the key features of the Income Tax Act, 2025, effective April 1, 2026. The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to promote taxpayer awareness, simplify compliance, and strengthen a transparent, eff
