KATHMNADU: External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said on Wednesday that the reconstruction of 50,000 houses in Nepal's Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian-assistance has been completed as he applauded the spirit and resilience of the Himalayan nation that emerged from the ashes of destruction to undertake the task of rebuilding after the 2015 earthquake.
Addressing the International Conference on Nepal's Reconstruction virtually, Jaishankar underscored that India will always unhesitatingly step up to support the people of Nepal whenever called to do so. "Our partnership also testifies to the durability and strength of the ties between our two great countries," he said.
Jaishankar also said that the projects in the health, education and culture sectors are under progress.
Noting that India had pledged USD 1 billion as support for reconstruction after the 2015 earthquake, Jaishankar said that one-fourth of it was committed as grant assistance to be utilised for health, culture heritage, housing and education sectors. "Over the last five years and more, India has substantially fulfilled the commitment under various priority sectors identified by the Government of Nepal," he said.
He said that reconstruction of 50,000 owner-driven houses in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts under Indian-assistance has been completed. "The projects in the remaining sectors of health, education and culture are also under progress. Government of India is funding reconstruction of 70 schools and a library, 132 health facilities and 28 cultural heritage sector projects in various earthquake-affected districts of Nepal," he added.
The minister applauded the spirit and resilience of the Nepali nation that emerged from the ashes of destruction to undertake the task of rebuilding better and leaving no one behind in the process. He said that with such dedicated efforts, Nepal's reconstruction is nearing successful completion as the lessons learnt and capacities rebuilt get mainstreamed into its overall development priorities.
Jaishankar emphasised that India's development cooperation with Nepal is multi-faceted and multi-dimensional and has stood the test of time. "Our mutual cooperation extends to every area of human endeavor and is informed by the intertwined destinies and development paths that join the people of both countries," he said.
He said that as close partners with unparalleled civilisational and socio-cultural connect, mutual support and solidarity in times of need has been an integral part of India-Nepal bilateral ethos and action. India's Ambassador to Nepal Vinay Mohan Kwatra also attended the event.