KATHMANDU: The Mangala Devi Singh Memorial Girls Hostel Building at Padmakanya Secondary School in Dillibazar, Kathmandu, constructed with financial assistance from the Government of India, was inaugurated today.

The project, part of the ‘Nepal-India Development Cooperation’ initiative, was completed at a cost of Rs. 32.36 million.

Santosh Budathoki, Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Kathmandu, and Avinash Kumar Singh, First Secretary at the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, jointly inaugurated the facility.

The ceremony was attended by political representatives, government officials, social workers, school management representatives, teachers, parents, and students.

The Indian grant facilitated the construction of a four-story hostel building with 39 rooms and various essential infrastructures, including a kitchen, dining hall, store rooms, warden room, guard room, visitors room, office room, library, multipurpose hall, waiting area, green room, laundry, toilets, bathrooms, and a solar backup system.

The project was classified as a High Impact Community Development Project (HICDP) and was implemented under an agreement between the Governments of India and Nepal.

The District Coordination Committee of Kathmandu oversaw the project’s execution.

Officials, including the Chief of the District Coordination Committee and the Chairman of the School Management Committee, expressed gratitude for India’s sustained developmental support in key sectors.

The newly constructed hostel is expected to significantly enhance the residential and educational facilities available to students of Padmakanya Secondary School, fostering an improved learning environment and contributing to the broader development of education in the region.

Since 2003, the Government of India has undertaken over 551 HICDPs across Nepal, completing 490 of these projects.

In Bagmati Province alone, 106 projects have been completed, including 41 in Kathmandu District.

Additionally, India has donated 1009 ambulances and 300 school buses to various institutions in Nepal, with 236 ambulances and 98 school buses allocated to Bagmati Province, and 70 ambulances and 53 school buses provided in Kathmandu District.

This initiative underscores the robust cooperation between India and Nepal, highlighting India’s commitment to supporting Nepal’s development efforts, particularly in the education sector.