India gifts 43 ambulances, 50 school buses to Nepal

INTERNATIONAL DESK: India on Sunday gifted 43 ambulances and 50 school buses to Nepal under the Nepal-India Development Partnership Programme.

At a ceremony held in the embassy premises, Nepal’s Minister for Science, Education and Technology handed over the keys to beneficiary organizations in the presence of the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava.

Addressing the event, the Minister for Science, Education and Technology, Ashok Rai, thanked the Indian government for vehicular support stating it would facilitate students during their studies.

“Currently, the schools are unevenly distributed. Previously there was no mapping of the schools but now we are planning to merge them. The merger of two-three schools into one would obviously make the students travel more. This is precisely why our schools need more means of transport. There is an increased demand for buses. In the coming days, such support from the Indian government would help us cater for those needs and we will continue to receive this support from the Indian Embassy and the government. I am confident that the assistance from India would certainly help our children avail good education,” Rai said.

Under the Nepal-India Development Partnership Programme, which has been in vogue since 1994, a total of 974 ambulances and 234 school buses have been gifted by the Indian government till date.

Announcing continued support in the health and education sector, the Indian Ambassador to Nepal, Naveen Srivastava, promised to raise the number of school buses in the days to come.

“As the mapping of schools is going on, we also have noted that the demand and desire for school buses has gone up significantly in the recent past. Catering to the need and demand, last year, this year and in the coming years as well, the number of school buses would go up in comparison to ambulances,” Ambassador Srivastava said

“The Indian Embassy as well as the government will work with neighbouring and supporting Nepalese citizen for their development,” the Ambassador added. (ANI)