KATHMANDU: The Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA) has decided to provide relief to 3,000 tourism workers who suffered worst due to COVID-19.

NMA Chairperson Santabir Lama informed that they were distributing the relief materials to the financially poor tourism workers which were affected much by the coronavirus pandemic.

The assistance would be provided with the support of the Nippon Foundation, Japan. An announcement of this was made during a program organized in the presence of the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Prem Bahadur Ale, in the federal capital on Wednesday.

Chairperson Lama further said the relief would be distributed in the coming three months. The Nippon Foundation had made an agreement to provide nearly Rs 25 million to the NMA for the relief distribution to the poor workers. Even the people surviving leprosy are entitled to relief.

Among 11,000 workers affiliated with NMA, the beneficiaries would be selected and given relief materials as rice, pulse, sugar, cooking oil, salt etc.

Moreover, NMA has decided to distribute health safety materials to the isolation centers for the treatment of the COVID-infected ones. Similarly, cylinders of oxygen needed to climbers would be provided as assistance. As many as 500 climbers would be selected for life support.

At the program, Minister Ale appreciated the initiative taken by the NMA. It would be a huge relief to the tourism sector, he hoped. He lauded the role played by mountaineers to make Nepal known to the world. According to the Minister, efforts were on tourism recovery in the country.