**********************************************************
The Government has accepted the advice of the Disaster Relief Fund Advisory Committee and approved three grants from the Disaster Relief Fund totalling $2.3 million to two relief agencies to undertake relief projects for earthquake victims in Yunnan Province on the Mainland and Japan.
Announcing the grants today (March 25), a government spokesman said that the Committee hoped the three grants would help provide relief to earthquake victims in the Mainland and Japan. Details of these grants are as follows:
* $0.8 million to The Association of Chinese Evangelical Ministry Limited for providing relief to earthquake victims in Yunnan;
* $0.5 million to Save the Children Hong Kong for providing relief to earthquake victims in Yunnan; and
* $1 million to Save the Children Hong Kong for providing relief to earthquake victims in Japan.
"To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the two relief agencies have been asked to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grants after the relief projects have been completed," the spokesman said.
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 include Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, Mr V Nee Yeh, Mrs Sophie Leung Lau Yau-fun, Mr Wong Sing-chi, Mrs Alice Chong Yuk Tak-fun, Mr Leo Kung Lin-cheng, the Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury and the Secretary for Labour and Welfare.
Ends/Friday, March 25, 2011
Issued at HKT 19:22
NNNN
