Nepal is gearing up to establish a reconstruction authority headed by Prime Minister Sushil Koirala nearly two months after a massive earthquake jolted the Himalayan nation, government officials said. Government spokesman Minendra Rijal said an Ordinance on Authority for Reconstruction of the Structures Damaged by Earthquake has been forwarded to President Ram Baran Yadav for endorsement on Sunday.

President Yadav is set to issue the ordinance on Monday on the recommendation of the council of ministers to form the reconstruction authority, the president's legal advisor Surya Dhungel told Xinhua.

The government has planned to form such an authority ahead of the International Donors' Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction scheduled for Thursday with the theme "Towards a Resilient Nepal."


A meeting of the ruling parties agreed on Saturday to constitute the ordinance in the absence of the regular session of the parliament. The authority is designed to supervise post-quake reconstruction following a 7.9-magnitude earthquake on April 25 and ensuing aftershocks.

"The authority is very much essential to convince the international community during the conference to extend support to Nepal in its bid to rebuild the country," a Nepalese told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

According to Minister for General Administration Lal Babu Pandit, the 11-member authority would be created under the leadership of prime minister with four ministers.

Similarly, a chief executive officer, three experts and chief secretary and vice-chairman of
National Planning Commission will be in the authority. "The tenure of the authority will be five years," the minister said.

Nepal will establish such an authority after the massive earthquake and aftershocks struck the Himalayan nation, killing 9, 000 people and leaving 22,000 injured with thousands of houses destroyed or damaged.

The government is calling the conference to seek resources for reconstruction in Nepal, Officiating Foreign Secretary Shanke Das Bairagi said.

"This is going to be a major conference seeking to support mobilization of resources for Nepal's reconstruction in the aftermath of devastating earthquake and together with its subsequent aftershocks. Our intention is to invite the traditional as well as new partners, UN agencies and other relevant organizations," the official told Xinhua.

According to the Nepalese government, 50,000 private houses were destroyed and 30,000 houses partially damaged in the devastating quakes.

Nepal needs 666.31 billion Nepali rupees (6.7 billion US dollars) in short and medium terms for recovery of all its 23 sectors, according to a report of the Post Disaster Needs Assessment.