Nepal and UK Ink Rs 13 Billion Grant Aid for Resilience and Social Development

Nepal and the United Kingdom have signed MoUs worth Rs 13 billion to enhance resilience, adaptation, and inclusion, as well as improve gender and human development outcomes. The RAIN and Samartha programs, focused on disaster risk management, climate change, and social services, will be implemented across various provinces.

Nepal and the United Kingdom have formalized two MoUs amounting to nearly Nepalese Rs 13 billion in grant aid, officials confirmed on Wednesday. One programme, funded with Rs 6.5 billion, emphasizes resilience, adaptation, and inclusion, while another, of Rs 6.58 billion, centers on gender and human development outcomes.

The six-year Resilience, Adaptation, and Inclusion in Nepal (RAIN) initiative, to be managed by the Ministries of Home Affairs and Forest and Environment, seeks to bolster disaster risk management and climate change adaptation efforts in Karnali, Lumbini, and Madhesh provinces.

The seven-year Samartha programme aims to strengthen provincial and local governance systems to enhance access to quality social services, particularly in education and health sectors, across Lumbini and Madhesh provinces, spearheaded by the Ministries of Education, Science and Technology, and Health and Population.

(With inputs from agencies.)