National pride projects allocated Rs 20.98b

THE government has allocated Rs 20.98 billion for national pride projects for the current fiscal year. The resources will be spent for 16 big infrastructure projects ranging from road, hydropower, irrigation, railway to drinking water. In terms of the budget size, Melamchi Drinking Water Project (MDWP) has received the largest budget of Rs 5.24 billion—up 107 percent compared to Rs 2.53 billion allocated in 2012-13. Other three projects getting biggest resources are Postal Highway, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project and South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (SATDP). Sixteen projects receiving budget under 19 budget sub-heads this year do not include projects such as Second International Airport at Nijgarh and West Seti Hydropower Projects that are under the purview of Investment Board of Nepal. So far, the government has named 21 projects as national pride projects. The budget for this fiscal year had added four projects— Pashupati Area Development Trust, Lumbini Development Trust, President Chure Conservation Programme, and Bheri-Babai Diversion Multipurpose Project—on the list of national pride projects. These four projects have been allocated Rs 1.20b for this fiscal year. Mid-Hill Highway, North-South Highway, Railway and Metro Development, and South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development have received more resources this year. The government has allocated

Rs 1.92 billion for Mid-Hill Highway, Railway and Metro Development got Rs 1.40 billion, North-South Highway Rs 510 million, and South Asia Tourism Infrastructure Development Project (SATDP) Rs 2.12 billion. Under the SATDP, the government is planning to develop existing airports of Pokhara and Bhairahawa as regional international airports. However, budget for projects such as Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track road, Babai Irrigation, and Rani- Jamara-Kulriya has declined this year. Fast Track has got Rs 500 million. The highway will link the Capital with Tarai’s Nijgadh (Bara) where the government has a plan to build the SIA. The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT) that oversees five national pride projects on road and railway sectors has said it has been provided more funds this year to expedite black-topping on different sections of the Mid-Hill Highway, continue detailed study of railway and sign multi-year contracts for the North South Highway. “We are preparing to sign performance contracts with project managers for achieving targets,” said Tulasi Prasad Situala, secretary at MoPIT.