National Pride Projects

Nepal is a least developed country desperate to graduate to the status of a developing country. Keenly aware that without massive investment in mega infrastructural projects that dream is unlikely to materialise, 24 such projects – also known as National Pride Projects (NPPs) – have been identified and works to build them have been in progress. They include projects related to airports, expressway, irrigation, drinking water supply, religious sites, etc. While some have seen encouraging progress, most of the rest have been mired in woeful state due to frustratingly sluggish pace of construction. As things stand, many are likely to miss the deadlines. Needless to say, delay in completion brings cost overruns – the reason why several of them are now estimated to cost at least double or triple of what was estimated at the onset.