Kathmandu, June 1 (IANS) The Indian government has gifted 2,000 bicycles to poor Dalit girls studying in government schools in Banke, Siraha, Dhanusha and Sarlahi districts of Nepal to stem the dropout rate.
These bicycles were handed over during functions organised in the respective districts by senior Indian Embassy officials, including Deputy Chief of Mission Vinay Kumar.
Students in the Terai region of Nepal mostly pedal to schools since bicycles are an affordable means of conveyance.
The gifting of bicycles to the poor Dalit girl students was aimed at enhancing the literacy rate among girls in Nepal and also to encourage girls from such families to enrol in schools, the embassy said.
The government of India extended a financial assistance of Rs 8 crore under its Small Development Project scheme.
The literacy rate in various districts of the Nepali Terai is low and the region requires special attention in the fields of basic education, community awareness and women empowerment, the mission said.
The government of India has been extending assistance to various programmes for improvement of education and health services in all districts of Nepal.
The India-Nepal Economic Programme has an outlay of over 76 billion Nepali rupees, with more than 529 large and small developmental projects completed or under implementation across Nepal in cooperation with the government of the Himalayan nation.
