The Indian Embassy in Kathmandu on Sunday gifted 35 ambulances and 66 school buses to various organisations.

The keys of the vehicles were handed over by Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava in the presence of Minister for Finance Barshaman Pun, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said in a statement.

Out of the total 101 vehicles gifted today, two ambulances were handed over on location in the earthquake-affected Jajarkot and West Rukum districts by the representative of the Indian Embassy in the presence of district officials and local residents.

The Indian government has been gifting ambulances and school buses on the occasion of Independence Day and the Republic Day of India for the past three decades to various organisations in different parts of Nepal.

Speaking at the event, Minister Pun in his remarks, appreciated India’s various ongoing developmental projects in Nepal and expressed that these will continue to strengthen people-to-people connectivity and bilateral relations between the two countries. He emphasised that this flagship programme is very beneficial for the people of Nepal.

Ambassador Srivastava said the initiative will bolster the efforts of the Nepali government of Nepal to strengthen its infrastructure in the health and education sectors.

The ambassador further highlighted that this is a part of the robust and strong development partnership between India and Nepal and has a geographical spread throughout Nepal, touching people’s lives and bringing out tangible progress in the development journey of Nepal.

Since 1994, India has gifted 1,009 ambulances and 300 school buses across Nepal, including those gifted today.

It is part of the Indian government’s continued support for the efforts of Nepal to strengthen its health and education facilities and to facilitate easy physical access to these services, the embassy said.