An agreement aimed at granting this aid to the targeted population was signed between the ministerial departments concerned and Caisse de dépôt et de gestion (CDG), said Lekjaa who made a presentation at a joint meeting of the finance committees in the two Houses of Parliament, dedicated to following-up the measures taken by the government to deal with the impact of the earthquake that struck several provinces of the Kingdom, adding that a budget of 30,000 dirhams ($ 2920) will be allocated to each family over a period of 12 months.

In this regard, he recalled that the program for reconstruction and general upgrading of the regions affected by the earthquake, whose overall forecast budget is estimated at 120 billion dirhams ($ 12 billion), and which was presented during a working session chaired by HM King Mohammed VI, on Wednesday at the Royal Palace in Rabat, is structured around four main components: rehousing affected people, reconstructing houses and rehabilitating infrastructure; opening up and upgrading territories; accelerating reduction of social deficits, particularly in mountainous areas affected by the earthquake; and promoting economic activity and employment as well as encouraging local initiatives.

This program, he pointed out, is based on two fundamental pillars, the first of which concerns the reconstruction of houses and the upgrading of infrastructure affected by the earthquake, while the second is related to the development of an ambitious and integrated plan for the development of the High Atlas regions, through structuring projects.

As part of the first pillar, the minister stressed that a budget of 22 billion dirhams ($ 2.15 billion) will be allocated, of which 8 billion dirhams will be devoted to the emergency aid to families and financial aid for reconstructing and upgrading houses that were totally or partially damaged, while 14 billion dirhams will be used to open up the earthquake-stricken areas, rehabilitate dams and water stations damaged by the earthquake as well as health centers and educational facilities, relaunch local economy and preserve cultural heritage and religious buildings.

At a cost of 98 billion dirhams ($ 9.5 billion), the second pillar concerns the development of infrastructure and the promotion of agricultural and tourist activities in these provinces, support for the emergence of integrated rural centers and he rehabilitation of cities and ancient towns, as well as as strengthening the quality of public services, notably markets, bus stations and slaughterhouses.

Regarding governance, Lekjaa said that an agency will be created to ensure the effective implementation of this program, noting that this agency, which will operate for a determined period, will monitor the payment of financial aid, the implementation of reconstruction, rehabilitation and socio-economic development projects, as well as coordination between the different sectors and stakeholders concerned.

According to the presentation, made in the presence of the Speakers of the two Houses of Parliament, Minister Delegate in charge of Relations with Parliament and Government Spokesman and representatives of political parties represented in Parliament, the number of municipalities affected by the earthquake reached 163, representing 68% of the overall number of municipalities in the affected areas, while the number of affected villages reached 2,930, with a population of 2.8 million people.

The number of damaged buildings reached 59,674, of which 32% were completely destroyed.