SAARC Diary: School Reconstruction Begins
NEW DELHI, Feb 24: The ground-breaking ceremony for the reconstruction of Shree Champa Devi Secondary School in Dakshinkali Municipality, Kathmandu, was jointly performed by Naveen Kumar, Head of Press, Information and Culture of the Embassy of India, Sushil Gyawali, CEO of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) of the Government of Nepal and Mohan Basnet, Mayor of the Dakshinkali Municipality. The event was also attended by School Management Committee leaders and local community members.
In a release the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu stated, this is the 66th school being rebuilt under the grant of assistance for reconstruction in the education sector by the Government of India. India has pledged US$ 50 million to restore a total of 71 educational institutions in Nepal’s eight districts. India has also pledged another $200 million in grants for health, cultural heritage and housing rehabilitation projects.
Champa Devi Secondary School is being renovated at a cost of NRs 68.5 million and will be constructed as per the government of Nepal’s earthquake-resilient reconstruction requirements. The new infrastructure will comprise two blocks, each with 13 classrooms, practical rooms, administrative room, library and boys’ and girls’ sanitation facilities on each level. The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) Roorkee, the leading earthquake-resilient reconstruction institute in India, will provide technical handholding for the building of these schools.
The Indian Embassy is also working with the NRA to start work on 147 health buildings and reclaim 28 cultural heritage sites affected by the 2015 earthquake in a total of 11 districts of Nepal.
(Venkatesh Iyer)
