After haggling for days, the ruling and the main opposition parties on Wednesday agreed to follow the middle path, following which the Nepali Congress let the House resume its business and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli addressed the Parliament.

As per Wednesday’s deal, the government will release the housing aid in two tranches (Rs 150,000 and Rs 50,000), instead of three.

The NC had been obstructing Parliament for the past one week, demanding that the government release the housing aid of Rs 200,000 to earthquake survivors in one go, instead of three tranches.

The parties have also agreed to review the verification of earthquake victims, provide housing grant to those who have already built their houses in line with government guidelines and ease the process for quake victims to float a loan.

Following the agreement, PM Oli on Wednesday afternoon addressed the Parliament. “The government is ready to provide the housing grant [to earthquake survivors] in two tranches instead of three,” PM Oli told the House. “However, we need to change the existing directives and consult donor agencies before we start distributing the money.”

As per the existing directives, formulated on the basis of an agreement reached with the World Bank, beneficiaries are entitled to housing aid of Rs 200,000 in three tranches—Rs 50,000, Rs 80,000 and Rs 70,000.

“We have no reservations about releasing Rs 200,000 even in one go. However, the directives formulated by the erstwhile government led by the NC itself and the agreement reached with the World Bank in August last year bar the government from doing so,” said PM Oli.

On “sluggish reconstruction works”, a charge levelled against the government by the NC, PM Oli argued that the Directive Committee and Advisory Committee of the National Reconstruction Authority, whose vice-chairman is the leader of the opposition, can “always guide the reconstruction process”.

“But instead of discussing the issue at the committee, the NC resorted to House obstruction,” said PM Oli. “The government is equally sensitive about expediting the reconstruction works, but it is possible only if we get support from the opposition.”

PM Oli’s address to the House was punctuated by NC lawmakers’ objection, as they stood up and said the prime minister’s address lacked clarity. Speaker Onshari Gharti then ruled that NC lawmakers wait for the prime minister to complete his speech.

“I have failed to understand what the opposition is seeking. What I am saying [now] is all based on the agreement that we have reached,” PM Oli said.

Though the NC on Wednesday let the House resume its business, it has said it will “wait and see how the government translates its commitment into action”.

“We won’t tolerate if earthquake survivors do not get the housing aid in line with the agreement,” NC President Sher Bahadur Deuba told reporters after Wednesday’s Parliament meeting.