The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) is helping cyclone survivors in Myanmar to rebuild their storm-ravaged houses in Laputta, one of the hard-hit townships in Ayeyaewaddy delta, a local weekly journal reported Sunday.

The UNDP is offering each survivor with 120,000 kyats (102 U.S. dollars) as maintenance cost to rebuild their houses which were lost in the storm, the Voice said, adding that so far 70 villages out of 489 destroyed in Laputta has been so provided.

According to the report, the UNDP has also supported each low- income workers in the 70 villages in Laputta with 70,000 Kyats (60 U.S. dollars) to restart their work.

Meanwhile, the government's National Disaster Preparedness Central Committee has assigned a total of 30 private companies to undertake reconstruction work in 17 disaster-affected areas.

Myanmar has been reclaiming land plots in the cyclone-hit areas and planning to build up to 100,000 low-cost provisional housings for homeless storm victims.

Deadly tropical cyclone Nargis hit five divisions and states on May 2 and 3. It killed 84,537 people and left 53,836 missing and 19,359 injured.

(Xinhua News Agency August 17, 2008)