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The Finance Committee of the Legislative Council approved today (April 1) a supplementary provision of $150 million to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund (the Fund). Following the approval, the Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee (the Committee) and approved three grants, each of $40 million to Guangxi, Guizhou and Yunnan Province/Region (totalling $120 million) to provide emergency relief to drought victims there.
A spokesman for the Government said that the Committee had also set up a fast-track mechanism to respond quickly to direct appeals for aid in kind from relief agencies. Under this fast-track mechanism, the Government approved today a grant of $2.8 million to World Vision Hong Kong to undertake a relief project for drought victims in Guangxi and Yunnan.
These grants are further to a disbursement of $1.4 million made earlier for The Amity Foundation to undertake relief project in Guangxi and Yunnan. It takes the total value of grants for drought victims on the Mainland to $124.2 million.
In line with the established arrangements for grants made under the Fund, the Committee will request the recipient government authorities and relief organisations to provide information on the disbursement of the grant upon completion of the related relief activities.
The Committee is responsible for advising the Government on the policy and practices regarding the disbursement of funding for disaster relief from the 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 include Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, Mr V Nee Yeh, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, Mr Wong Sing-chi, Mr Victor Lo Chung-wing, Mr Irving Koo Yee-yin, Mrs Alice Chong Yuk Tak-fun, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare.
Ends/Thursday, April 1, 2010
Issued at HKT 13:19
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