National 6 (Spotlight Weekly)

Grass-roots Generosity

The focus of Indian assistance to Nepal shifts toward smaller and local projects

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

The Indian government has shifted its focus of assistance to Nepal from giant infrastructural projects to smaller grass-roots level ones.

In the past, the Indian government helped Nepal in big infrastructure-oriented projects in various sectors like roads and hospitals. But now it concentrates on projects like rural electrification by using solar energy, drinking water schemes in villages and health posts.

Earlier India financed projects like East West Highway, Bir Hospital, Dharan's BP Koirala Medical Institute and so on that cost tens of millions of rupees. "Now we are more into smaller projects that directly benefits the people," said Shyam Saran, ambassador of India to Nepal.

Last week, Indian Embassy donated 16 different ambulances to various social organizations of Nepal. "We hope these ambulances will be greatly helpful in catering to the immediate health needs of rural people in villages," he said. "These organizations will carry the banner of Nepal-India friendship."

The ambulances costing Rs.13 million were handed over to social organizations spread across the country.

Describing the shift in Indian policy, envoy Saran said, "We thought may be it is better to take cooperation to the grass root level that will directly help local people. The handing over of ambulances is the part and parcel of that cooperation."

In recent months, India has extended help in several small projects like drinking water schemes, education, health and solar electrification.

India has helped in the building of small drinking water schemes that helped the local community† in several districts like Palpa, Udayapur and Syangja.

It has announced 50 scholarships to selected Nepalese students for undergraduate courses in Nepal to commemorate the golden jubilee of Nepal-India economic cooperation. That apart, the Indian government has also decided to offer scholarship to 500 students of 11 and 12 classes in Nepal. This new scheme has been named after Mahatma Gandhi.

The Indian government gave grant assistance worth Rs.53.86 million for solar electrification to villages in districts of Baglung, Dhading and Sarlahi in recent months. Last year, similar solar electrification projects with total outlay of Rs.25 million were executed in two villages in Gulmi and Paanchthar districts.

"I urge the committed NGOs who are working in the local level to avail of Indian government's policy of grass root cooperation," said Saran. "The NGOs working at local level can benefit from the new policy. If there are some projects of drinking water, requirement of other materials and things like that, the government of India will be happy to finance them."

"The Indian assistance in different sectors be it infrastructure, utility, education or others have been instrumental in Nepal's development efforts. Now the priority of Indian government has shifted towards rural infrastructure and social sector. This sector also is the priority of the government of Nepal. We have realized that unless people are educated or are healthy, development cannot take place," said Dr. Bimal Prasad Koirala, chief secretary of Nepalese government.

Dr. Koirala† added that the cooperation in the grass-roots level would go a long way in realizing the objective of poverty alleviation.

As the economic policy of one of the largest development partner of Nepal shifts, planners now should take advantage of it and utilize it to develop countless villages in the country. "There are many such small projects that could benefit from the current shift in Indian policy. It provides a big window of opportunity to our NGOs who have been impressively working in these areas," said an economist.

Schools, health posts, drinking water schemes, rural roads, alternative energy are some of the areas where this cooperation can be channelized to obtain better results.