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The Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved three grants from the Disaster Relief Fund totalling $210 million for three provincial/municipal governments to undertake relief projects for snowstorm victims on the Mainland.
These grants are further to a disbursement of $8 million made earlier for the Hong Kong Red Cross to provide emergency relief to snowstorm victims in six provinces. It takes the total value of grants for snowstorm victims on the Mainland to $218 million.
Announcing the grants today (February 5), a government spokesman said that the committee hoped the grants - one of $100 million to the provincial government of Guizhou province, one of $100 million to the provincial government of Hunan province and one of $10 million to the municipal government of Shaoguan - would help provide relief to snowstorm victims in the areas.
In line with established arrangements for grants made under the fund, the recipient government will provide the Hong Kong Government with an evaluation report on the disbursement of the grant in six months.
The Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee is responsible for advising the Government on 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 comprise 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/Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:23
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