Nepal Foreign Minister Sujata Koirala has lauded the economic and technical assistance provided by India to Nepal, saying that India remains one of the major development partners of Nepal that has provided both economic and technical assistance to built physical, industrial and cultural infrastructure.Addressing a reception organized by Indian Embassy in Kathmandu this afternoon to mark the 26th anniversary Indian technical and Economic Cooperation Programme, the Nepalese Foreign Minister stressed the need to further consolidate this close friendly relations in economic and cultural fields to realize Nepal’s goal of brining rapid socio-economic change.Speaking on the occasion, Indian Ambassador Rakesh Sood said that Indian technical assistance is a small way of sharing India’s huge technical resource with Nepal in the best possible manner. He expressed hope that those who get trained in India will come back and serve the country with enhanced skills and capability.Nepal’s Education Mr. Ram Chandra Prasad Khushwa and Youth and Sports Minister Ganesh Nepali also addressed the gathering.Indian technical and economic cooperation programme known as ‘ITEC’ began in Nepal in 1964 as a bilateral programme of assistance of government of India . Since its inception, more than 300 persons from government of Nepal, as well as private and from public sectors have befitted from attending short-term professional courses in India in the fields of computer, engineering, journalism, banking education, empowerment and various other fields of study. India has spent about 500 million rupees annually on Indian technical and economic cooperation activities. Since 1962, India has provided under the programme over 2 billion dollars worth of technical assistance to developing countries including neighboring.