From schools to water supply, Indian grant assistance for community development projects in Nepal continues

Reiterating its commitment to the developmental partnership with Nepal, the Indian government is providing grant assistance to four more High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs) in the country.

The Embassy of India, Kathmandu and the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal signed Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) for undertaking these projects on August 4, 2023.

While three of these projects are in the education sector, one project deals with water supply and sanitation. The total estimated cost is NPR 170 million, according to information provided by the Indian Embassy in Nepal last week.

These four projects are construction of School Building of Shree Galainath Secondary School, Shailashikhar Municipality; School Building of Shree Himalaya Secondary School, Byas Rural Municipality in Darchula District; School Building of Diding Primary School, Chichila Rural Municipality in Sankhuwasabha District and construction of Shreepur Water Supply and Sanitation Project, Triyuga Municipality in Udayapur District.

The projects shall be implemented through the local authorities of Shailashikhar Municipality; Byas Rural Municipality; Chichila Rural Municipality and Triyuga Municipality.

The construction of these projects will provide better education facilities and water supply & sanitation facilities for the local community and improve the quality of life for people in Nepal, the Indian Embassy pointed out.

The MoUs were signed just a month after three school buildings and one campus building built with Government of India's financial assistance of NPR 108.60 million in Dailekh under ‘Nepal-India Development Cooperation’ were formally handed over to the local authorities concerned.

Since 2003, India has taken up 546 HICDPs in Nepal in the areas of health, education, drinking water, connectivity, sanitation and creation of other public utilities across all seven provinces of Nepal. Of these, 483 projects have been completed and remaining 63 projects are under implementation. The total cost of all the projects are around NPR 1220 Cr (INR 762 Cr.). These projects are mostly implemented through local authorities of Nepali Government.

Additionally, 974 ambulances and 234 school buses have been gifted by India across Nepal since 1994 to various hospitals, health posts and educational institutions in Nepal on the occasion of India's Independence Day and Republic Day. India had gifted 34 ambulances and 50 school buses to health and education organisations across Nepal in July 16, 2023.

India and Nepal have a robust and multi-faceted bilateral partnership. India's assistance to Nepal covers a wide range of sectors, including infrastructure, education, health, agriculture, and capacity building. This reflects the close relationship between the two countries, which is based on a shared cultural heritage and people-to-people ties.

On June 1, 2023, India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Nepal's Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' participated virtually in the groundbreaking and inauguration ceremony of several projects, giving a boost to cross-border connectivity and trade in addition to creating energy infrastructure. The event took place in New Delhi during the Nepalese Prime Minister's visit to India.