India pledges $1 bn aid to quake-ravaged Nepal

Kathmandu, June 25

India pledged an assistance of $1 billion to the quake-ravaged Nepal for its massive re-construction programme.  The announcement was made by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj during the International Donors’ Conference in Kathmandu today.

Led by India and China, global donors pledged over $3.5 billion as aid to Nepal, meeting half of the $6.7 billion needed to rebuild the nation, as Nepalese Prime Minister vowed “full transparency” and “zero-tolerance” to corruption in disbursing the relief money to the victims.

Pledging the aid, Swaraj asserted India would strongly stand behind the Nepalese Government, which is seeking to “wipe the tears” of every Nepalese citizen.

She said one-fourth of the $1 billion assistance will be in grant and will be over and above India’s existing bilateral developmental assistance of another $1 billion over the next five years which takes the total assistance to $2 billion.

At the conference, China pledged $483 million to help the country rebuilt after the quake, saying it wanted to focus on sustainable development of the nation.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi also offered a concessional loan from Silk Road Fund to Nepal’s reconstruction efforts. China will offer training opportunities for 1,500 Nepalis over the next year.

Japan announced an assistance package of $260 million and said it would focus on three areas: school rebuilding, housing and infrastructure.

Japan will help rebuild 7,000-earthquake resilient schools destroyed by the earthquake in collaboration with Asian Development Bank, Japanese State Minister for Foreign Affairs Minoru Kiuchi said.

Nepal also received additional pledges of $600 million from the Asian Development Bank, $130 million from the US, $100 million from the EU as well as an earlier announcement of up to $500 million from the World Bank.

Nepal has said it needs around $6.7 billion to recover from the disaster, which killed nearly 9 000 people and destroyed nearly half a million houses and left thousands in dire need of food, water and shelter. — Agencies

Swaraj raises Lakhvi issue with China

• External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj raised with her Chinese counterpart Wang Yi the issue of China blocking India’s move in the UN for action against Pakistan over 26/11 mastermind Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi’s release, saying it was at “variance” with progress in ties
• In a meeting held on the sidelines of an international donors’ conference in Kathmandu, Swaraj told the Chinese Foreign Minister that Lakhvi was “no ordinary terrorist” as he masterminded the Mumbai terror attack in which more than 166 persons were killed
• “She said China’s stand on the matter appears to be at variance with the excellent progress otherwise being achieved in India-China bilateral relationship,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said