KATHMANDU, APRIL 22
The foundation stone for the construction of the Panchayat Secondary School building in Sundarharaicha Municipality, Morang District, was laid today in a joint ceremony.
The event was graced by Panchakarna Rai, Minister of Social Development, Koshi Province; Kedar Prasad Guragain, Mayor of Sundarharaicha Municipality; and Garima Nautiyal, Second Secretary at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu.
The ceremony saw the presence of political representatives, government officials, social workers, school staff, students, and their parents, highlighting the significance of the project for the local community.
The new school building is being constructed with financial assistance from the Government of India under the 'Nepal-India Development Cooperation' initiative. The project, with a total cost of Rs 28.10 million, is being implemented as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) through Sundarharaicha Municipality.
Established in 1965, Shree Panchayat Secondary School caters to students from Nursery to Grade 12 and currently has around 750 students, 60% of whom are girls. The upcoming infrastructure will include a triple-storey building and additional facilities aimed at enhancing the educational environment.
Speaking at the event, stakeholders including the Minister, the Mayor, and the Chairperson of the School Management Committee expressed their appreciation for the continued developmental support from the Government of India. They emphasized that the new infrastructure would significantly improve the learning experience for students and contribute to the broader development of the education sector in the region.
Since 2003, the Government of India has undertaken over 573 HICDPs in Nepal, completing 495 projects across various sectors. In Koshi Province alone, 91 such projects have been initiated, including 16 in Morang. Additionally, India has gifted 1009 ambulances and 300 school buses to institutions across Nepal, with Morang receiving 21 ambulances and 15 school buses, according to the press release issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.
As close neighbours, India and Nepal are engaged in wide-ranging and multi-sectoral cooperation. The implementation of HICDPs reflects the continued support of the Government of India in bolstering the efforts of the Government of Nepal in growth and development of its people by augmenting infrastructure in priority sectors, the release further states.
