The World Bank on Thursday approved its largest ever support package to Nepal with US$ 253 million in grants designed to improve access to basic and primary education, enhance irrigation, expand rural roads, and improve living conditions, livelihoods, and empowerment among the rural poor, a statement by the bank said.
The new support package doubles the amount of development resources currently available from the WB to Nepal.
Briefing the Executive Directors of the World Bank Group and their Advisors, Praful Patel, World Bank Vice President for South Asia, said the grant programme intends to support implementation of a development programme that enjoys the backing of the seven-party coalition in their efforts to sustain the peace and to build the New Nepal.
He said, "We all know that peace is needed for development. But in Nepal we also know that development is needed for peace. Addressing the root causes of the conflict will be key to ensuring lasting peace in Nepal. Rather than say we will wait and see, we have stressed in our dialogue that reinforcing the peace through development is a more inspiring message for the people of Nepal who are demanding positive change."
US$100 million for the Poverty Alleviation Fund Project II (PAF II) supports the second phase of the PAF, a community-driven development (CDD) programme that has reached over 900,000 rural Nepalis over the last three years.
US$60 million in additional financing for the Education for All Project is designed to improve access to and benefits from basic and primary education for children, especially from disadvantaged groups, and from literacy programs to poor adults.
US$50 million for the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project is designed to improve irrigated agriculture productivity and management of selected irrigation schemes, and enhance institutional capacity for integrated water resources management.
Similarly, US$42.60 million for the Road Sector Development Project supports upgrading roads in five hill districts which currently lack all-season road access, which will help improve access to economic centres and social services.
The grants are from the International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank's concessionary lending arm
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