Nepal: Community development initiatives and school buildings funded by India were launched

The official opening of the school and laboratory buildings of Shree Gautam Buddha Secondary School, Buddhabhumi Municipality, Kapilvastu District, which were constructed with financial assistance from the Government of India amounting to 33.23 million Nepalese Rupees (NRs) under the ‘Nepal-India Development Cooperation’ program, took place on Monday.

Mayor Keshav Kumar Shrestha of Buddhabhumi Municipality, Chief of District Coordination Committee Kapilvastu Baburam Acharya, and Deputy Chief of Mission Prasanna Shrivastava of the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu graced the inauguration ceremony. According to a press release, social workers, teachers, parents, students, government representatives, and representatives of the school administration were also present on this particular occasion.

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The “Nepal-India Development Cooperation” grant from the Indian government was used to build a three-story lab building and a double-story school building, as well as to purchase lab equipment and furnishings.

Under an agreement between the governments of India and Nepal, the project was taken up as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP), formerly known as a Small Development Project. The press release added that the District Coordination Committee, Kapilvastu, was responsible for carrying out this project.

The project, according to Prasanna Shrivastava, Deputy Chief of Mission at the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, is a crucial component of the strong development partnership between India and Nepal, which has advanced significantly in recent years and covers a number of priority areas for the Nepali government and its citizens. He reaffirmed the Indian government’s commitment to advancing the development partnership in line with the goals of the Nepali government, with the aim of benefiting the peoples of both nations.

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In 1978, Shree Gautam Buddha Secondary School was founded as a community-based school. It has been authorized by the Ministry of Education and is associated with the National Examination Board.

The educational programs offered by this school range from Play Group to 10 2 Level. There are currently over 1200 students enrolled in this school, with girls making up roughly 52% of the student body, the statement continued.

India has undertaken over 550 HICDPs in Nepal across a range of sectors since 2003, and 488 of those projects have been completed. Out of these, 60 projects—five of which are in Kapilvastu—are spread across different sectors in Lumbini Province.

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In addition, on the eve of India’s Republic Day and Independence Day, the Indian government donated 234 school buses and 974 ambulances to different hospitals, health posts, and educational institutions in Nepal. The release also stated that 160 ambulances and 35 school buses, including 18 ambulances and 4 school buses supplied in Kapilvastu District, have been gifted to Lumbini Province.

India and Nepal share extensive and multisectoral cooperation as close neighbours.

The execution of HICDPs is evidence of India’s ongoing support for Nepal’s government’s efforts to improve the lives of its citizens by expanding field-priority infrastructure, particularly in the country’s educational system.