Hong Kong is providing a grant of $5.79 million for emergency relief to flood victims in the Mainland, and another $960,000 to for flood victims in Bangladesh, through the Disaster Relief Fund.

An allocation of $2 million has been approved for World Vision Hong Kong to help flood victims in Henan Province. Another grant of $790,000 has been approved for Oxfam Hong Kong to help flood victims in Yunnan and Hunan Provinces. A further grant of $3 million has been approved for Hong Kong Red Cross to help flood victims in Henan, Yunnan, Hunan and Guangxi Provinces.

The funds earmarked for Bangladesh will also go to Oxfam Hong Kong.

The committee hopes the grants can help provide immediate relief to those in need.To ensure that the money will be used for the designated purposes, the committee will ask the three organisations to submit evaluation reports and audited accounts on the use of the grants after the relief projects have been completed.

The Disaster Relief Fund was established in December 1993 for emergency disaster relief in places outside Hong Kong.

The fund's advisory committee gives recommendations to the Government regarding the policy and practices regarding the disbursement of funds for disaster relief, advising on specific amounts to specific recipients, and monitoring the use of grants.