$205m US aid for Nepal

KATHMANDU - President Barack Obama’s government has announced a $205 million aid for Nepal intended for humanitarian crisis and peace measures.

Over the next five years, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will disburse the funds for peace measures, to strengthen democracy and governance and improve health services.

Kapil Dev Ghimire, joint secretary of the ministry of finance, and Kevin A. Rushing, mission director of USAID/Nepal, signed the agreement in Kathmandu Tuesday, the US Embassy in Nepal said.

The lion’s share - $82.5 million - will be used to provide quality health services, particularly the poor, and to pursue the 2015 Millennium Development Goals for health.

Part of the aid will also support humanitarian assistance and recovery programmes, including flood recovery in the Terai plains bordering India.