INDIA PRESIDENT PLEDGES E12M FOR NDMA

LOBAMBA – He spent less than three days in Swaziland but the good news is that what he left will benefit the kingdom for decades.

For a country that was ravaged by the El-Nino drought two years ago, it is indeed good news that visiting President of the Republic of India, Ram Nath Kovind, has promised millions.

The president, who jetted out of the country yesterday after having arrived on Monday, announced a donation of US$1 million, which is equivalent to about E12 million.

The donation is for the National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), which is tasked with minimising community vulnerability to hazards and effectively prevent and mitigate the impact of disasters within the context of sustainable development.

Before announcing the gesture, the president expressed his regret for the two successive years of drought experienced by Swaziland, due to the El-Nino climatic phenomenon.

An additional in-kind donation of 700 tons of rice and 300 of beans has also been donated to the NDMA, and would be used as food aid for Swazi communities who were affected by the drought and other natural disasters.

According to Kovind, both the Republic of India and Swaziland have agreed that the expansion of renewable energy could help in containing the effects of climate change.

He conveyed India’s decision of setting up 20 solar charging stations in various low electricity access areas in Swaziland, and said the project would be financed from the India grant-in-aid programmes.

As if to prove that the government of India was dedicated to improving the lives of the Swazi nation, First Lady, Savita Kovind, made a donation of 500 blankets to Philani Maswati Foundation and the Khulisa Umntfwana Project, both of which are charitable initiatives patronised by Her Majesty the Queen Mother.

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