National
Indian govt gifts cycles to girl students
The Indian government has gifted 2,000 bicycles to female students from the Dalit community from several government schools in Banke, Siraha, Dhanusha and Sarlahi districts.The Indian government has gifted 2,000 bicycles to female students from the Dalit community from several government schools in Banke, Siraha, Dhanusha and Sarlahi districts.
Senior Indian Embassy officials, including Deputy Chief of Mission Vinay Kumar, handed over the bicycles amidst separate functions held in the respective districts. A sizeable number of students in Tarai use bicycles to go to schools because of its affordability. The 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, said the embassy. It received a total financial assistance of NRs 13.65 million through the government of India under its Small Development Project scheme.
Literacy rate in various Tarai districts has been low and the region requires special attention in the field of basic education, community awareness and women empowerment, said the mission while giving reasons behind gifting the bicycles. “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.”
Apart from this, the Indian government has been extending assistance to various programmes for improvement of education and health services in all districts of Nepal.