Indian Ambassador to Nepal Mr. Rakesh Sood has underlined the importance of India-Nepal cooperation programme as a cornerstone of the overall relationship between the two countries. He expressed the hope that various developments projects being implemented under the programme would help the people of Nepal in their stride towards peace and prosperity. Mr. Sood, who is currently on a visit to district Jhapa in eastern Nepal, was addressing a programme at Birtamod on Wednesday after handing over two projects worth Rs. 5.48 crore built by India to the local community. These included a Tek Bahadur Giri Bus Park at Birtamod built with the Indian grant assistance of Rs. 3 crore. Birtamod, one of the major hubs of Mechi Zone in Eastern Nepal was under intense pressure of heavy flow of traffic as thousands of vehicles ply between India and Nepal through this town. The new infrastructure will provide much needed bus park for vehicles and a quality boarding place for the passengers.The Ambassador also handed over the newly constructed building for Shree Adarsha Vidya Mandir Higher Secondary School, Ghailadhubba – established in 1957. The new school building constructed at a cost of Rs. 2.48 crore will directly benefit more than 1500 students of the school. These projects have been implemented by the District Development Committee of District Jhapa under India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme in response to local needs and in partnership with the Government of Nepal.