Two years ago when the Embassy of India was approached by the people of Triyuga Municipality seeking Government of India's cooperation for construction of a water tank to bring safe drinking water to their households, most of the women of the Municipality were forced to source water by climbing several kilometres of hilly terrain of 2 to 3 hours duration one way, leaving them with little time for their other essential duties and social activities. Under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme, Government of India funded construction of a water tank-cum-pump house and linked distribution channels for more than 1500 households in Wards 7,8,9,10 & 11 of Triyuga Municipality for NRs. 73,45,000/-. Construction of an additional water distribution network, including a water tank, to supply 4 more villages has also been committed, for NRs.15,00,000/- in Phase-II of this project.
In Rajabas, 1100 students living within 3 lakh strong community in neighbouring VDCs will also benefit from improved infrastructure, including a brand new school building with furniture, computers and books for Ambebar Janata Secondary School. The improved infrastructure would not only encourage more students to achieve their goals through education, but also provide a good finishing platform for students who are about to embark on distinct careers in universities.
Ambassador of India inaugurated the two projects at a public function on November 15, 2006 in the presence of representatives of DDC, Udayapur, local administration, Members of Parliament and the local residents. In his address Ambassador of India reiterated the essence of neighbourly relations between the two countries, i.e., what is good for Nepal
is good for India. Referring to the commitment of the Government of India made during the visit of Prime Minister of Nepal in June 2006 for tripling the development assistance and doubling the scholarships for students in Nepal, he emphasized the need for prioritizing education as the most important sector for development cooperation. Under the Small Development Project Scheme, District Udayapur has already been a beneficiary with three projects in the areas of education and infrastructure being released within a span of less than two years.
Currently, the bilateral cooperation programme between the two countries is witnessing the realization of 160 projects in education, health and infrastructure sectors in 65 districts of Nepal with an outlay of NRs.2000 crores. These are ongoing projects and distinct from the economic package of NRs.1600 crores announced during the visit of Prime Minister Koirala to India in June 2006. Following the historic decisions taken by the leadership of the SPA led by Prime Minister G.P. Koirala and the CPN (Maoist), the Government and people of India are always ready to extend their full support to the efforts for economic well-being for the people of Nepal.
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