By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, FEB 09, 2021: INDIA and Afghanistan signed an agreement for the construction of the Shatoot Dam in Kabul, during a virtual meeting between Prime Minister Mr Narendra Modi and Afghan President Mr Ashraf Ghani on Tuesday.

Signalling New Delhi's continued commitment to its neighbour and the importance of India-Afghanistan relations, the leaders held summit-level talks - the first virtual summit for Mr Modi this year.

President Ghani thanked India for delivering 5 lakh doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

"Y our decision to provide us with 5,00,000 doses of the vaccine at this critical time... there could not be a greater gift," he said.

Mr Modi spoke about India and Afghanistan's developmental ties in infrastructure, capacity building, agriculture, education, health and other sectors.

"The foundation of the Shatoot Dam will not be laid only by bricks and mortar, but on the strength of India-Afghanistan friendship," said the PM.

The dam will provide clean water to about 2 million residents in Kabul, provide irrigation to nearby areas and also generate electricity. It will be built at a cost of USD 286 million, taking three years to complete.

The project is part of the New Development Partnership between India and Afghanistan which was unveiled last November. India is taking up 150 community projects worth USD 80 million in Afghanistan to develop small communities and have a direct impact on the lives of the people.

The Prime Minister also expressed concern about the increase of violence in Afghanistan and called for an "immediate stop" to the targeted killings.

"Both India and Afghanistan want to see the region free of terrorism," Mr Modi said, adding that India supports an Afghan-owned, Afghan-led and Afghan-controlled peace process.