Lalitpur, July 19:

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government’s $10 million project to promote the socio-economic status of poor and rural women would be foiled if the latter fails to meet the conditions of the loan agreement.

According to Keshab Prasad Regmi, director of the Department of Women’s Development, the ADB’s conditions for the effectiveness of the loan agreement are to draft an Act to eliminate discriminatory provisions against women, draft a national women’s commission act and national dalit commission act and make women development officers permanent.

“The agreement was made in 2004 but could not be implemented because ADB’s conditions were not met,” said Regmi.

The DWD will execute the pact under the project “Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women Equality” in 15 districts.

“To execute this project, we have started working on another project ‘Capacity Building for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women’ under a technical assistant grant worth $0.3 million from ADB, which would strengthen the executive agency DWD,” said Regmi.

Another supporting project would also be started in Bajhang, Jumla, Rautahat and Mahottari, to uplift 1000 ultra poor households.