National Reconstruction Authority CEO Gyewali and Indian Embassy DCM carry out groundbreaking ceremony 

KATHMANDU, Feb 18: A groundbreaking ceremony was organized for the reconstruction of Shree Kanti Bhairab Secondary School at Kageshwari Municipality in Kathmandu, on Thursday.

Sushil Gyewali, chief executive officer (CEO) of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and Namgya C Khampa, deputy chief of Embassy of India in Kathmandu attended the groundbreaking ceremony.

The event was attended by officials from the municipality, federal government, NRA and representatives of Shree Kanti Bhairab school management committee.

The school is being reconstructed at a cost of Nepali rupees 266 million and will be built as per earthquake-resilient reconstruction norms of the Government of Nepal, according to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu.

The new three-floor building will have 30 classrooms, a library and lab/practical rooms, separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls and also furniture. The Central Building Research Institute (CBRI), Roorkee, a premier institute in India in the field of earthquake-resilient reconstruction, will provide technical hand-holding for construction of these schools.

During the ground-breaking ceremony, an Memorandum of Understanding between the Indian Embassy and CLPIU (Education) of NRA was also signed for the construction of six secondary schools at a total cost of Nepali Rupees 518 million.

Of the six schools, four - Kanti Bhairab Secondary School, Champa Devi Secondary School, Dhapasi Secondary School, Bishnu Devi Secondary School  - are located in Kathmandu district and two - Siddheshwar Secondary School and Harisiddhi Secondary School  - are located in Kavre district.

Addressing the ceremony, CEO Gyewali said that the school building is being constructed as per the Nepali traditional design. "I hope that the school will also be able to offer quality education in the coming days," he said. Gyewali thanked the Indian government for providing grant assistance to rebuild the earthquake-ravaged school building.

On the occasion, deputy chief of Indian Embassy, Khampa said that the ground breaking was a testament to the strong and robust development partnership between India and Nepal. She further said that India remains committed to continue collaborating with the Government of Nepal and its agencies for the socio-economic development of Nepal, including post-earthquake reconstruction projects in the country.

According to the embassy, the Indian government has pledged a grant of US $ 250 million for reconstruction projects in the education, health, cultural heritage and housing sectors. For the education sector, India has committed a grant of US $ 50 million.

Under this grant, 71 educational institutions damaged during the 2015 earthquake are being reconstructed in eight districts of Nepal. Eight schools have been completed in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts and 56 schools are under-construction, while the tender to award of the work of reconstruction of Tribhuwan University Central Library is also underway.

 
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