Nepal: Rural Connectivity Improvement Project

Agriculture, natural resources and rural development / Rural market infrastructure

In Nepal, the agriculture sector contributes 65-70% of employment and 35% of gross domestic product. Poverty however remains widespread in rural areas. The Government of Nepal signed the Agricultural Development Strategy (ADS) in 2015 recognizing that the agriculture sector was performing below its potential in providing food and fiber, materials for processing and manufacturing, and employment and income. The government recognized that dramatic changes in strategy were needed if the sector was to perform to its potential and raise the sectors long term annual growth rate from 3% to the government's goal of 5%. The ADS underscores access as one of the major constraints to the development of commercial agriculture value chains. Transport in many high-potential production areas is limited to basic tracks or undeveloped roads, resulting in high transport costs and losses of quality and quantity. Only 17% of the rural population in Nepal has access to all-weather roads, compared with 60% in India and 37% in Bangladesh.

The proposed project will focus on improving rural roads to all-weather standards, serving the agriculture sector and the rural population to access to market, business opportunities and benefits especially along agricultural value chains which will be a key to poverty reduction in rural areas.

Rural road conditions between the selected rural communities, productive agricultural areas, and socioeconomic centers improved

Capacity of rural infrastructure agency and road users in project areas enhanced

- Consultant supervision firm, Capacity Development Consultant, and Project Management Consultants recruited.

- 13 NCB packages including 2 additional contracts (NCB 12 and NCB 14), have been awarded, and construction is ongoing. Contract of NCB-04 was terminated due to poor performance of contractor. The package has also awarded.

- Contract awarded for livelihood related skill training.

- Recruitment of 5 consulting firms for DPR preparation has also been completed and the consultants have been mobilized. Field work of feasibility study of 2,937.69 km has been completed. Field work of detail engineering survey of about 1,579.64 km has been completed. Field work of IEE of 115 Km and CPP of 531.02 km has been completed. Survey of 25 numbers of bridges has been completed.

- 138 km rural roads improved to all-weather standards (blacktop) with safety features

- 1.78 million-person days employment generated by road construction, in all project districts up to this reporting period.

- 277 events have been organized for orientation and planning during project design where total participants were 8,162. Out of which, male 5,658 (69.32%), female 2,504(30.68%).

- Knowledge enhancement started in different level. Environmental and Social Safeguard, and performance-based maintenance has been started in field and PIU level.

- Conducted 19 events of technical training to DoLI staff, provincial and municipal staff. Out of 19-Construction Supervision Training two events, Pavement Design four events, Road Safety two events, two events of Workshop /training on safeguards and GESI to PIU staff and stakeholder, one event in each of Exposure Visit in India, Social Safeguards Training, Online training on Contract Management, Project Account online training, Online Procurement Training, Social Safeguards online clinic, Online training on GESI.

- Out of 934 participants, 737 (78.91%) were male and 197 (21.09%) were female.

- 2,297 people along project roads acquired knowledge on road safety for which 15 events of road safety awareness raising sessions were organized in 15 roads.

- 2,297 people of 15 roads acquired knowledge on human trafficking and STI (including HIV/AIDS) prevention.