- The Government of Japan has provided a grant assistance of 2.6 billion rupees for the reconstruction and maintenance of the BP Highway.

- The agreement was signed between the Government of Nepal and the Government of Japan at the Ministry of Finance.

- It is believed that this assistance will make a significant contribution to the restoration of the sections of the highway damaged by floods and landslides.

The Government of Japan has provided a grant assistance of 2.6 billion rupees for the reconstruction and maintenance of the BP Highway.

The Ministry of Finance stated that during a program organized at the ministry on Thursday, an agreement related to grant assistance was signed between the Government of Nepal and the Government of Japan. In the presence of Finance Minister Rameshwar Prasad Khanal and Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal, the agreement was signed by the ministry’s secretary, Ghanshyam Upadhyay, and Japan’s ambassador to Nepal, Toru Maeda.

The 159-kilometer-long BP Highway, stretching from Bardibas in Mahottari to Dhulikhel in Kavre, is one of Nepal’s major national highways connecting the eastern Terai with the capital, Kathmandu. The highway was originally constructed with grant assistance from the Government of Japan.

According to the ministry, various sections of the highway suffered severe damage due to floods and landslides last year. In particular, some areas around the Roshi River were completely destroyed. The ministry stated that the Government of Japan has provided assistance for the reconstruction and maintenance of the damaged sections.

At the same ceremony, the grant agreement was signed by Dhaniram Sharma, Joint Secretary of the Foreign Aid Coordination Division at Nepal’s Ministry of Finance, on behalf of Nepal, and Mitsuzaki Mizuki, Chief Representative of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal, on behalf of Japan.

At the ceremony, Finance Minister Khanal stated that Japan has been a reliable and trustworthy development partner for Nepal. He expressed gratitude for Japan’s continued support in Nepal’s socio-economic development and infrastructure building. He further remarked that the grant assistance provided on this occasion represents another important symbol of friendship and cooperation between Nepal and Japan.

Japanese Ambassador Toru expressed confidence that the grant assistance provided by Japan would help restore the damaged sections of the BP Highway. He also recalled the decades-long friendly relationship between Nepal and Japan. JICA Chief Representative Mitsuzaki shared his views on the various areas of cooperation and the Nepal-Japan relationship.

Senior officials from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu, and JICA were present at the signing ceremony.

Kantipur