The Nepali government, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation has formalized their partnership in the Decentralized Rural Infrastructure and Livelihood Project (DRILP) in Nepal, the National News Agency RSS reported on Tuesday.

According to the RSS, the 69-million-dollar DRILP will be implemented over a period of six years and eight months under a memorandum of understanding signed here on Monday.

It aims to reduce rural poverty in the project area of 18 hilly and mountainous districts of Nepal through increased rural transport infrastructure providing improved access to economic and social services and enhanced social and financial capital, in particular for poor and disadvantaged groups.

The labor based, environment friendly and participatory approach of road construction is integrated together with a wide- ranging community development and livelihoods improvement schemes.

As a result, at least 200,000 households in the zones of influence of project infrastructure will have increased levels and more diverse sources of income in long run due to project intervention, according to the RSS.

Source: Xinhua