Earthquake in Nepal (Image source: ANI)

India has announced grant assistance worth Nepali Rupees 560.2 million (approximately Rs 35.1 crore) for the construction of 14 schools in quake-hit regions of Nepal as part of its continued support for the country’s reconstruction and development efforts.Nepal continues to rebuild its public infrastructure more than a decade after the devastating 2015 earthquake, the country’s worst in recent history, which claimed nearly 9,000 lives.India continues support for Nepal’s post-earthquake reconstructionSigned by Nepal’s Central Level Project Implementation Unit-Education under the Ministry of Education and Sports under the Government of India-funded reconstruction programme, the new schools will come up in eight districts- the regions worst affected by the devastating earthquakes in recent years.The eight districts are -Gorkha, Nuwakot, Dhading, Dolakha, Kathmandu, Kavrepalanchowk, Ramechhap and Sindhupalchok.The new schools will be constructed according to Nepal government norms for earthquake-resilient infrastructure and will include academic blocks, fully furnished classrooms and separate sanitation facilities for boys and girls, according to the statement.In January 2024, India completed and handed over 70 schools across eight districts, along with the Tribhuvan University Central Library in Kathmandu, under its post-earthquake reconstruction grant programme.What happened in 2015?Two earthquakes hit Nepal in the year 2015 causing massive damage.In April, 2015, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake hit Nepal with an epicentre in Gorkha. Several people were injured and many got displaced. Homes, schools, roads, and centuries-old heritage sites were turned into rubble.Important UNESCO World Heritage Sites such as Kathmandu Durbar Square, Patan Durbar Square, Bhaktapur Durbar Square, Changu Narayan Temple, Boudhanath Stupa and Swayambhunath Stupa were also destroyed in the natural disaster.On Mount Everest, the quake triggered an avalanche, which killed around 22 climbers, marking the deadliest accident in the mountain’s history.After the main earthquake, the country faced aftershocks every 15-20 minutes.On May 12, 2015, another earthquake of 7.3-magnitude aftershock struck near the Chinese border, between Kathmandu and Mount Everest, causing more deaths and injuries.