Indian and Nepali officials jointly laid the foundation stone for the construction of an agriculture promotion centre, being built with financial assistance from India, in the Sudurpashchim province for the collection and distribution of food grains.
Bharat Bahadur Rokaya, chairman of Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality, and Avinash Kumar Singh, counsellor, Embassy of India, Kathmandu, on Wednesday jointly laid the foundation stone for the building, the Indian mission said in a statement.
“Building of Agriculture Promotion Centre is being built with the Government of India’s financial assistance at the project cost of NRs.31.41 million under ‘Nepal-India Development Cooperation’,” the statement said.
India’s grant under ‘Nepal-India Development Cooperation’ is being utilized for the construction of the building for storage and distribution of grains comprising distribution desk, record room, and other allied facilities, it said.
“The project is being taken up as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) and is being implemented through Swamikartik Khapar Rural Municipality, Bajura,” it added.
Chairman Rokaya and other political representatives and stakeholders appreciated the developmental support being provided by India to Nepal, the statement said.
They expressed confidence that the infrastructure would help ensure proper collection and storage of agricultural products in the mountainous region, where transportation and communication infrastructure is limited.
It would also enable the storage of food items for an extended period of time, contributing to the food security.
Since 2003, India has taken up over 573 HICDPs in Nepal in various sectors and has completed 495 projects. Amongst these, 43 projects are in Sudurpashchim Province, including two projects in Bajura.
In addition to these, India has gifted 1,009 ambulances and 300 school buses to various hospitals, health posts and educational institutions in Nepal.
“As close neighbours, India and Nepal are engaged in wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of HICDPs reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in the growth and development of its people by augmenting infrastructure in priority sectors,” the statement added.
Political representatives, government officials, social workers and community members were present on the occasion.
