Nepal gets a whopping grant

$253m for PAF, education, irrigation and roads

The World Bank (WB) has sanctioned its biggest ever support package to Nepal with $253 million in grants. The support package is designed to improve access to basic and primary education, build irrigation facilities, expand rural roads, improve livelihoods and empower the rural poor.
The new support package doubles the amount of development resources currently available from the bank, states a press release.
Earlier, briefing executive directors of the World Bank Group and their advisers, Praful Patel, WB vice-president for South Asia, said the grant programme intends to help Nepal implement its development programmes that enjoy the backing of the seven-party coalition in its efforts to bring about sustainable peace and build a new Nepal. “We all know that peace is needed for development. But in Nepal we have experienced that development is also needed for peace,” he said, adding that addressing root causes of the conflict will be key to ensuring lasting peace.
“Inequality and social exclusion are among Nepal’s foremost development challenges,” Susan Goldmark, WB country director for Nepal, said, adding that the package approved demonstrates the WB’s commitment to ensure social and economic inclusion of the poor, marginalised and less developed regions.
“Through improved schools, roads, water provision, and income-generating activities, we hope these projects will help the country step up the delivery of basic services,” she added. Out of the total amount, $100 million is for the Poverty Alleviation Fund Project II (PAF II), a community-driven development programme that has reached over nine lakh rural Nepalis over the last three years. The PAF II will cover all 75 districts and be accessible to some one million rural households.
A sum of $60 million is for the Education for All Project and $50 million for the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project.The sum of $42.60 million is for the Road Sector Development Project.