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In view of serious drought on the Mainland, the Hong Kong SAR Government will apply to the Legislative Council Finance Committee for a grant of $150 million to be allocated to the Disaster Relief Fund to provide relief for the drought victims.
A Government spokesman today (March 26) said that the Government proposed a direct allocation of $120 million to the three provinces/regions suffering severe drought, namely Yunnan and Guizhou Provinces and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with a grant of $40 million to each province/region. The remaining $30 million will be reserved for application by non-government organisations for relief work.
"The Finance Committee has decided to convene a special meeting on April 1 to examine our application. We are most grateful for this prompt arrangement by the committee," the spokesman said.
The spokesman said the Government will promptly consult the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee (DRFAC) once the funding application was approved by the Finance Committee so as to provide timely relief for the victims. The DRFAC will also adopt a special mechanism to enable the Government to respond quickly to applications from relief organisations with a view to providing relief to the victims speedily.
Ends/Friday, March 26, 2010
Issued at HKT 17:59
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