At two separate public functions held on August 22 and 23, 2008, Ambassador of India Shri Rakesh Sood, laid the foundation stones for new buildings of Shree Janapriya Multiple Campus, Pokhara and Shree Jana Adarsha Secondary School, Kobhang in district Mustang. These buildings are being constructed with grant assistance of NR 26.27 million and NR 29.90 million, respectively, from the Government of India.

Shree Janapriya Multiple Campus, established in 1991, is a community-based institution in Pokhara affiliated to Tribhuvan University and is providing Bachelor’s level education to about 2500 students, of which about 35% are girls. Existing infrastructure of the campus is inadequate to meet the requirements of growing number of students. The new double-storied building with 16 classrooms and a multipurpose hall, being constructed with the Indian assistance, will enable the campus to overcome its present space constraint and also introduce new courses of B. Ed. and Master of Business Studies in future.

Shree Jana Adarsh Secondary School at Kobhang, established in 1952 as a primary school and upgraded to secondary level in 1980, is among the oldest schools in Mustang. The school is providing education to about 150 students. Existing infrastructure of the school was constructed more than 50 years ago with stones and mud and has lasted beyond its expected life. New infrastructure of the school, including provision of furniture and computers, will enable the school to upgrade to Higher Secondary level.

Both these projects are being implemented by the concerned District Development Committee, while separate oversight committees consisting of representatives from the relevant beneficiary organizations monitor the project implementation.

Speaking on these occasions, Ambassador Sood underlined the importance of educational infrastructure in Nepal's overall national development and expressed the hope that various development projects being implemented under India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme would make a significant contribution in that direction. He congratulated the people of Nepal on formation of the new government and said that India will continue to stand by the people of Nepal in consolidating their developmental efforts and peaceful democratic transition. During the visit, books and educational material worth more than NR 60,000/- were also presented by Ambassador Sood to these schools and other educational institutions in Mustang and Kaski districts.

These school projects are among five projects each in districts Kaski and Mustang undertaken by the Government of India in recent years and overall, are among more than 290 large and small projects currently being implemented under India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme in the sectors of education, health, community development and infrastructure covering all districts of Nepal with an outlay of over NR 23 billions.