ADB Assistance
THE ASIAN Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide grant as well as loan
assistance to Nepal to undertake various development and infrastructure related projects.
His Majesty’s Government and the ADB have concluded separate agreements to
collaborate in Nepal’s social and economic development endeavours. These agreements
cover up, among others, the Melamchi Water Supply Project and Corporate and Financial
Governance Project. As a multi-lateral donor agency, Asian Development Bank has been
supporting Nepal’s economic and social development efforts in various forms for a
long time. Nepal is one of the poorest countries and its development level is one of the
lowest in the world. Almost 50 per cent of the country’s population live below
poverty line. Poverty has been the major challenge of the nation and His Majesty’s
Government has undertaken various programmes as the sole development agenda of the
country. The government, thus, has accorded top priority to poverty alleviation to uplift
the economic and social condition of the people, particularly those living below the
poverty line. In order to accomplish this lofty goal of poverty alleviation, the
government has integrated all development activities with poverty alleviation programme.
It has sought assistance from foreign donors for the reduction and eradication of poverty.
As the main goal of the Asian Development Bank is also to help poor countries in
succeeding poverty eradication programmes, its contribution in this field is crucial and
vital in Nepal. The present loan assistance of roughly 11 billion rupees, the second
largest loan ever approved by ADB for Nepal, is also expected to build infrastructure and
physical facilities, which are directly linked with poverty eradication programmes. The
part of loan assistance would be utilised to implement Melamchi Water Supply Project. As
the capital of the country has been suffering from chronic shortage of drinking water
especially during dry seasons, Melamchi Project is expected to ease the problem caused due
to the shortsupply of drinking water in Kathmandu. Another priority areas of ADB loan
assistance is agriculture sector and the present loan assistance seeks to support crop
diversification in twelve districts of Mid-western and Far-western regions of Nepal. This
assistance is aimed at raising the level of income of farmers and promoting agriculture
marketing. ADB has been an important development partners of Nepal for a long time and the
present grant as well as loan assistance are the reiteration of its commitment and
continuity of support for the social and economic development of the country.
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