Two infrastructure projects relating to hospital and cold storage have been inaugurated in Nepal, both of which have been constructed with grant assistance valued at US$764,151 from the Government of India (GoI).
On April 4, the newly upgraded Fateh Bal Eye Hospital located in Nepalgunj in Karnali province was inaugurated by Karun Bansal, Head of Administration (HoA) Wing of the Embassy of India to Nepal. Similarly, the newly constructed Rapti Cold Storage Building (RCSB) in Lamahi Bazar in Lumbini province was inaugurated jointly by HoA Bansal, the mayor, and other dignitaries of the local municipality on April 5.
According to the press statement issued on April 5 by the Embassy of India to Nepal, both projects have been completed under the ‘Nepal-Bharat Development Cooperation’ program as High Impact Community Development Projects (HICDPs).
The newly upgraded hospital contains a general ward, a private ward, an operating theatre, a training hall, doctors’ quarters, an internal road, and drainage systems.
The new 3200 MT capacity cold storage facility was constructed through joint funding by the GoI, the Government of Nepal (GoN), and the former’s user group.
The building is equipped to preserve vegetables, fruits, and perishable agricultural produce. It is also predicted that the facility will help farmers in the area to prolong the commercial value of their agri-produce and is expected to assist in raising the income of small and medium farmers in the area.
These projects were taken up as HICDPs by the GoI in an agreement with the GoN. Any proposal for the creation of infrastructure in the priority sectors of GoN, i.e., education, health, drinking water, agriculture, sanitation and public utilities, and connectivity such as bridges, capacity building, and vocational training, health camps in rural/remote areas which have an estimated cost of less than US$428,336 are considered as HICDPs.
- The GoI has so far provided grant assistance of US$2.861 million to Nepal Netra Jyoti Sangh (NNJS) which manages the Fateh Bal Eye Hospital to conduct 400 diagnostic screening and treatment camps and a camp for cataract surgery in 52 districts, for TT in 14 districts and for holding eye camps in schools in remote areas of Nepal
- The GoI has gifted a total of five vehicles to NNJS including a mobile eye care van for holding eye camps at schools to screen and treat eye problems in children
- These form part of the Nepal-Bharat Development Partnership program which was implemented to support and provide immediate benefits to people within the project area through local governments
- The health sector remains an important area of focus for both the GoI and the GoN
- Under reconstruction grant assistance of US$50 million from the GoI to Nepal, a total of 147 health posts are being built across 10 districts of Nepal affected by the 2015 earthquake
- Of the 147 health post, contracts for 25 have been awarded
- India has also gifted 823 ambulances to Nepal and not for profit organizations working in the health sector in Nepal
- Agriculture is also a priority sector in which both the governments of India and Nepal are working jointly to create the required infrastructure in Nepal
- To enhance marketing capability by establishing a direct link between farmers and consumers, earlier in March a Cooperative Promotion Centre was built in the Lalitpur district of Nepal
- India has also trained 59 agricultural scientists, farmers, and agricultural policymakers in the areas of organic farming, soil testing, and fertilizer science in India
- So far, India has completed 446 HICDPs in Nepal, of which 41 are in Province 5, including 6 in the Dang district
- GoI funded projects are under various stages of completion/implementation in the province
- The GoI has also funded US$5.97 million for the construction of a 33.5 km road from Lamahi to Koilabas, connecting the East-West highway and the India-Nepal border
The inauguration of these new buildings is considered to be a reflection of India’s continued development partnership with Nepal and complements the efforts of the GoN to augment the infrastructure in the agriculture and health sectors.
