October 18: The Infrastructure Development Bank has been also allowed to reschedule loans for projects affected by natural disasters such as floods, landslides and earthquakes. Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) on Monday revised the Unified Directive allowing the loans provided by the Infrastructure Development Bank to be rescheduled. Earlier this facility was given only to commercial banks, development banks and finance companies.

According to the instructions of the central bank, the Infrastructure Development Bank can reschedule loans invested in hotels and restaurants, cement, bricks and other such industries in the construction sector. Similarly, loans given to the education, health projects affected by natural disasters like floods, landslides, earthquakes, etc can also be rescheduled upon the request of the borrowers. This can be done by taking at least 10 per cent of additional interest and after analyzing the cash flow and income of the industry/business and the decision must be based on need and justifiable.

A provision has been made that banks and financial institutions can also reschedule and restructure loans up to Rs 50 million invested in hotels and restaurants, animal husbandry, the construction sector and all other sectors upon the request of the borrower after analyzing the cash flow and income of the industry/business based on need and justification. 

Likewise, the Infrastructure Development Bank has also been instructed to implement a 0.5 per cent 'counter-cyclical buffer'. Earlier, the NRB had issued instructions to the commercial banks to implement a counter-cyclical buffer of 0.5 per cent within the current fiscal year.

Meanwhile, NRB has extended the time to publish the financial reports of the first quarter of the current fiscal year of banks and financial institutions. Banks have to publish their financial report within 7 days of the end of every quarter, but this time they have given it till November 3. NRB informed that the period for publishing the report has been extended due to the public holiday of Dashain this year.