Partnership becoming fruitful to locals of Nepalgunj

Nepalgunj, Dec. 18 (RSS):

The "Village-town partnership programme" launched here since the last one and half years through the joint endeavour of His Majesty’s Government, United Nations Development Programme (undp) and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlement (unchs) has been found to be effective in the economic development of local people.

Strengthening economic and social inter-relations between village and town, informing local people of the economic opportunities identified at the local and regional levels through studies and research and ensuring local participation in carrying our economic and social development are the objectives of the programme.

Under the programme, loans totalling Rs 1,145,000 were disbursed to 48 groups in 11 wards of Nepalgunj Municipality. The returns from the investment have been quite encouraging and Rs 550,000 has already been recovered and deposited in a bazaar development fund, market development advisor to the partnership development secretariat, Nepalgunj Aman Jonchhe told rss.

The programme which is being implemented at wards No. 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15 and 16 of Nepalgunj Municipality will be gradually extended to other wards also, it is learnt.

The programme has also been extended to market centres at Bageshwari and Betahani VDCs of Banke district which have close economic and social ties with Nepalgunj Municipality.

The programme was launched under an agreement signed between Nepalgunj Municipality and the village-town partnership programme in May 1998.

The loan disbursed under the programme has created opportunities of self-employment and offered economic gains while the various activities conducted by the groups have further consolidated the inter-relations between villages and towns, fulfilled local demands to some extend and encouraged self-reliance, it is stated.

Other Stories

• Deal for water supply projects in Lumbini