At a well attended public function held at Bhadrapur, Jhapa on Thursday, May 31, 2007, Ambassador of India, Shri Shiv Shankar Mukherjee inaugurated the new building of a 25-bed maternity hospital, which is part of the Mechi Zonal Hospital, and has been constructed and provided with necessary furniture and equipment with a grant assistance of NRs.2,50,02,367/- from the Government of India.
Earlier, there was no maternity hospital in Bhadrapur Municipality, and its people had very little option other than either going to the Indian side of the border or travelling long distances to get maternity health services. The new infrastructure created with the Indian assistance will directly benefit about 16 lakh people of district Jhapa and adjoining regions through quality maternity and child health services and will go a long way in reducing child and mother’s mortality during birth. This is among seven projects, including three educational ones, implemented with the assistance of Government of India in district Jhapa under the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme. In addition, five ambulances have been gifted by the Government of India to various health organizations in that district.
At a separate public function held in district Ilam on the same day, Ambassador of India laid the foundation stone for the new building of Shree Karfok Vidya Mandir in Panchkanya VDC being constructed with a grant assistance of NRs.2,25,61,275/- from the Government of India. The school, established in 1955 as secondary school and upgraded to higher secondary level in 1988, has about 1600 students, which includes special academic and boarding facilities for about 25 physically challenged students. Presently, the school functions from a single-storied dilapidated building, which is quite inadequate and unsafe. The new three-storied building, being constructed with the assistance of Government of India, would meet the infrastructure requirement of the school to accommodate increasing number of students and provide a more conducive environment for teaching and learning. The project will be implemented by DDC, Ilam, with an Oversight Committee consisting of representatives from DDC, School Management Committee and District Education Office to monitor the project to ensure quality construction and effective utilization of the grant. This is the first educational project in district Ilam undertaken with the assistance of Government of India. In addition, two ambulances have been gifted to different hospitals in that district.
In his address at these functions, Ambassador of India underlined the emphasis on educational and health infrastructure as part of the India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme and reiterated the commitment of the Government and the people of India to support the people of Nepal in seeking lasting peace and development.
Currently, under the ongoing bilateral economic cooperation programme between India and Nepal, more than 200 large and small projects are being realized in the sectors of education, health, community development and infrastructure covering all the districts of Nepal with an outlay of over NRs.2000 crores.
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