India gifts 2,000 bicycles to girls in Nepal

India has gifted 2,000 bicycles to poor dalit girls in Nepal to encourage them to enrol in schools and enhance the literacy rate among them.
Bicycles were given to poor dalit girls studying in different government schools in Nepal, the Indian Embassy said in a statement.
The gifting of bicycles to poor dalit girl students programme was conceived to enhance the literacy rate among girls in Nepal and also to encourage girls from poor and dalit families to enrol in schools.
The bicycles gifting programme received a total financial assistance of NRs 13.65 million by the Government of India under its Small Development Project scheme, it said.

The literacy rate in various districts of Terai is low and the region requires special attention in the field of basic education, community awareness and women empowerment, the statement said.
The acute problem of girls dropping out of schools has to be tackled by innovative methods and this programme is an effort by the Government of India in this direction, it said.

Apart from this, the Government of India has been extending assistance to various programmes for improvement of education and health services in all districts of Nepal.
India has also gifted 59 ambulances, 7 buses and one eye care van in four districts to cater to the medical and educational needs of the local people.

The India-Nepal Economic programme has an outlay of over NRs 76 billion with more than 529 large and small development projects completed or currently being implemented all across Nepal in cooperation with the Government of Nepal.
These development projects mainly focused in education, health and infrastructure development sectors recognising and responding to local needs to help the Government of Nepal achieving all inclusive socio-economic developments.