By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan. 27: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) is expected to complete reconstruction of individual houses by the end of the current fiscal year. The entire reconstruction work is in the final phase, Chandra Bahadur Shrestha, Executive Committee Member of the NRA, informed. 
Meanwhile, a task force has been formed to decide whether to extend NRA’s term or not. If the NRA’s term is extended, almost 90 per cent reconstruction work of every sector will be completed, Shrestha said. “If the term is not extended, the remaining work will be handed over to concerned ministries,” he informed. 
The NRA is making preparations to organise an international conference from November 27 to 29, 2020 to share experiences and knowledge gained after the Gorkha earthquake in 2015.
Nepal has achieved a lot of experience and knowledge in fighting the disaster and the international conference would be an ideal platform to share knowledge to those countries facing similar situation, said joint-spokesperson and Information Officer of NRA Manohar Ghimire.
The April 2015 Nepal earthquake had affected 31 districts and killed nearly 9,000 people.
Ghimire said that around 1,000 participants from home and aboard were expected in the conference. It will feature papers on earthquake from Nepali and foreign experts, he added. 
Ghimire said the conference was going to be a collective reminder of the learning and experience of reconstruction and rehabilitation process.Shrestha said that the conference aimed at sharing experiences of best practices during the disaster and its aftermath. 
He said that the papers would be presented in two categories – scientific and institutional, where experts, scientists and institutions working in the field of earthquake would share their views.
Government officials, representative of donor agencies such as UN, World Bank, ministers from various countries, experts and scientists are expected to participate in the conference.
Shrestha said that the work done by the NRA in reconstruction phase was satisfactory and had gained praise from every level.
A similar international conference was organized in Kathmandu four years ago to solicit relief funds and donations to fight the disaster, while the upcoming

conference would disseminate the knowledge of what the country learned from the earthquake, Ghimire said. “All the preparations are going on for the conference,” he said. 
According to NRA, reconstruction has reached more than 80 per cent on an average basis, and 86 per cent of the beneficiaries have rebuilt and shifted into their new homes. 
Over 800,000 private homes were destroyed by the earthquakes and required reconstruction. 
NRA said 73 per cent of the reconstruction of 553 damaged school buildings has been completed.