Kathmandu: India has donated 81 school buses to various educational institutions in Nepal, including in disaster-affected districts of Koshi province, an official statement said on Wednesday. The donations were part of the "long-standing development partnership and friendship" between India and Nepal, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement. The 81 buses were donated to various educational institutions across 48 districts in Nepal, including disaster-affected districts of Ilam, Jhapa, and Udayapur in Koshi province. Earlier this month, many people were killed in the province because of landslides and floods triggered by torrential rainfall.
The donation also covers remote districts including Humla, Mustang, Sankhuwasabha, Darchula, Baitadi, and Achham. Over the past 30 years, India has provided a total of 381 school buses to institutions across the Himalayan nation, according to the Indian Embassy. "The school buses provide students with a safe and economical mode of transportation to commute to school, especially in far-flung areas," it said.