Updated

Nepal officially launched the much-delayed reconstruction of about 1 million homes and buildings nearly nine months after they were damaged by devastating earthquake which killed 9,000 people.

Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli unveiled plans to rebuild an old town south of Kathmandu to initiate the reconstruction campaign that is expected to take years and billions of dollars.

Nepal has been criticized for delaying reconstruction work because of disagreements among political parties, the country's new constitution, ethnic protests and severe fuel shortages while people are still living in tents in cold mountain villages.

Foreign donors have pledged $4.1 billion for earthquake reconstruction, but only a small amount of that money has reached Nepal because it took months to set up new agency to deal with the task.