The World Bank has approved its largest ever support package to Nepal potentially worth $782 million, designed to improve access to basic and primary education, enhance irrigation, expand rural roads, and improve living conditions, livelihoods, and empowerment among the rural poor.

The two-year new support package given through the World Bank's concessionary lending arm, the International Development Association (IDA), doubles the amount of development resources currently available from the Bank to Nepal.

The World Bank also said that that there are provisions for providing additional aid worth $100-200 to Nepal, and the IDA could give another $15 million to $20 million annually during the two-year period.

The aid is for financing the country's Nepal Education for All Project, which is designed to improve access to and benefits from basic and primary education for children, especially from disadvantaged groups.

Part of the aid is also for the Irrigation and Water Resources Management Project meant to improve irrigated agriculture productivity and management of selected irrigation schemes, and enhance institutional capacity for integrated water resources management.

The Road Sector Development Project will also get money from the aid package for upgrading roads in five hill districts, which currently lack all-season road access, which will help improve access to economic centers and social services.

Briefing executive directors of the World Bank Group and their advisors, Praful Patel, World Bank's vice president for South Asia, said, the grant programme intends to support the Nepal government's implementation of a development program that enjoys the backing of the seven party coalition in their efforts to sustain the peace and to build the New Nepal.

Patel said, ''We all know that peace is needed for development. But in Nepal we also know that development is needed for peace,'' he said. ''Addressing the root causes of the conflict will be key to ensuring lasting peace in Nepal. Rather than say we will wait and see, we have stressed in our dialogue that reinforcing the peace through development is a more inspiring message for the people of Nepal who are demanding positive change,'' he added.

Susan Goldmark, World Bank Country Director for Nepal said, ''This assistance package approved, demonstrates our commitment to ensure social and economic inclusion of the poor, marginalized groups, and less developed regions.''

Currently, Nepal is going through a political upheaval since the Maoist party had quit last month and communist Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal was sworn in.

A new constitution is being drafted since the country did away with its 239-year-old monarchy.