Nepal to get £20-mn UK aid

Kathmandu: British Minister for International Development Mike Foster announced the United Kingdom's fresh financial aid of £20 million (Rs. 2.4 billion) to carry out various development activities in Nepal for the next two years.

Speaking at a press meet, Foster said, 'The amount will be used to support the peace process and programmes on poverty reduction that would bring real change in rural Nepal.'

Earlier this week, Department for International Development (DFID) had announced £102 million (Rs. 10.4 billion) support for the Nepal Peace Trust Fund, health and education sectors, building good governance, improving public financial management, rural infrastructure and livelihoods and addressing climate change for year 2008/2009 and 2009/2010.

He called on the political parties to use the historic opportunity to build lasting peace in the country. 'It is imperative that the Nepal Government utilise the people's mandate by building lasting and inclusive peace.'

He said the leaders he had met assured him that they would do the needful to build peace and reduce poverty.

During his stay here, he met Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bam Dev Gautam, Finance Minister Dr. Baburam Bhattarai, Foreign Minister Upendra Yadav, Minister for Environment and Science and Technology Ganesh Sah, Constituent Assembly members belonging to marginalised groups, UN Secretary General's Special Representative Ian Martin, donors, climate change experts, community groups and private sectors, according to a statement released by DFID.

DFID will also provide £ 500,000 (Rs 66,32,45,000) to the Constituent Assembly, said the British minister.

The British minister, who had arrived here for a four-day visit, had announced a financial support of £1.4 million (around Rs 168 million ) for the Koshi flood victims and pledged £4.5 million (Rs 542.655 million) to build two bridges in the eastern Nepal.

Similarly, the minister had announced aid of £660,000 (Rs 795.894 million) by the British government to National Adaptation Plan of Action (NAPA) for climate change in Nepal.

Druing his meeting with Prime Minister Dahal, he discussed issues of peace agreements and poverty alleviation. Foster said the Prime Minister was determined to work for the economic empowerment of the rural people.