Kathmandu, July 22:

The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) and UN-HABITAT today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to provide $ 427,954 for pro-poor urban governance and environment sectors. Out of the amount, the UN sector will provide US$ 200,454 and DUDBC will fund US$ 227,500.

Surya Bhakta Sangachhe, director general of the DUDBC and Antone King, director programme support division of the UN-HABITAT signed the MoU today.

The project will held in Banepa, Bharatpur, Hetauda, Kamalamai, Itahari municipalities and Attaraiya Village Development Committee.

“The project will focus mainly on the three components - poverty mapping, gender assessment and need for identification for the poor on environment sanitation; urban environment guidelines and rainwater harvesting,” said Dr Roshan Raj Shrestha, chief technical advisor of the UN-HABITAT Water For Asian Cities.

He said that the main objective of the project is to enhance pro-poor urban governance practice at local governmental level, through the availability of poverty information system identifying need at poor settlement.