31 Oct, Kathmandu: Of the development projects in the country, Asian Development Bank (ADB) funded projects related to urban development and drinking water have made remarkable progress.
ADB has provided financial and technical support to a total of 19 projects in the five sectors – civil aviation, energy, urban development, drinking water and road infrastructure.
ADB has pledged to provide USD 2.30 billion in financial assistance for the same. It is the highest assistance provided by the ADB to Nepal so far.
Furthermore, ADB has been supporting the post-quake reconstruction efforts in Nepal.
At a programme organized to review the progress reports on the ADB-funded projects here today, it was shared that the two projects related to civil aviation and airports improvement were slow. They were improvement and expansion of the Tribhuvan International Airport and Gautam Buddha Airport.
Likewise, ADB has assessed that the progress of the two more projects related to drinking water – Melamchi Drinking Water Project and Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited -were stunted lately.
Present at the programme were representatives from the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Ministry of Energy, Ministry of Urban Development, Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development and Ministry of Energy as well as the ADB.
Speaking at the programme, Secretary at the Ministry of Finance Shankar Tiwari shared that the Ministry was doing homework for the financial management as per the federal structure of the country and had prioritized on financial transparency and good governance.
Similarly, ADB’s Deputy Director Diwesh Sharan urged the government of Nepal to improve the progresses level in the projects funded by ADB.
He also pledged to continue ADB’s assistance for the development works in Nepal in future.
Also, ADB Country Director for Nepal Mukhtor Khamudkhanov and Head of ADB’s Portfolio Management Unit Sarosh Khan shed light on the various aspects of ADB-funded projects.
