Kathmandu, Aug 15 (PTI) The Indian Embassy in Nepal on Thursday disbursed dues worth Nepali Rs 55 million to the widows and next of kin of deceased Gorkha soldiers who served in the Indian Armed Forces as it celebrated India’s 78th Independence Day.
The celebrations at the embassy began with the hoisting of the national flag by India’s Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava who at the ceremony, apart from dues, also handed over Nepali Rs 125.5 million, covering benefits under the Army Group Insurance (AGI) programme, to the widows and next of kin of 107 deceased members of the Indian Armed Forces.
The Nepali Rs 125.5 million payment under the AGI programme included death-in-service benefits, extended insurance benefits, and AGI maturity payments for 2024, an Indian Embassy statement said.
Apart from the monetary benefits, the embassy also gave a blanket to each of the widows and next of kin of Gorkha soldiers who died while serving in the Indian Army.
The event was marked by playing the video address to the nation by President Droupadi Murmu where she highlighted the progress made by India in various fields in the past 77 years and paid tribute to freedom fighters who laid their lives for the independence of India.
The Embassy also gifted books worth more than Nepali Rs. 3 million to 21 educational institutions and libraries across five provinces of Nepal.
The programme, attended by members of the Indian community in Nepal and friends of India apart from Embassy staff and their families, also featured recitation of patriotic songs and dance performances by teachers and students of Swami Vivekananda Cultural Centre of the Embassy and Kendriya Vidyalaya in Kathmandu.
Keeping with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call for ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’, the Embassy here also organised various programmes for planting saplings.
During his visit to Nepal, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri on August 11 planted a sapling of Nili Gulmohar tree in the Indian Embassy complex.
Similarly, Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, the Nepali Minister for Forests and Environment, also planted a Nili Gulmohar sapling at the Indian Embassy premises in Lainchaur, Kathmandu, in memory of his late mother Tara Devi Shahi as part of the ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’ campaign.
In alignment with the ‘Ek Ped Ma Ke Naam’ initiative, the Ambassador, other officials, and their families planted 78 saplings at the Embassy premises to celebrate India’s 78th Independence Day.
“This effort was part of our commitment to enhancing environmental sustainability,” the statement said. PTI SBP PY PY PY
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