KATHMANDU, July 28: Japan has pledged grant assistance of up to ¥410 million (approximately Rs390 million) to Nepal to support scholarships for government officials under the Project for Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS).
The agreement was signed on Tuesday by Japanese Ambassador Maeda Toru and Finance Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyaya. Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle and JICA President Akihiko Tanaka were present at the signing ceremony.
Japan provides Rs 274.1 million grant assistance for JDS Scheme
Under the JDS programme, young Nepali government officials receive scholarships to pursue two-year master’s degrees and three-year doctoral programmes at leading Japanese universities.
Japan has already supported the higher education of more than 200 Nepali government officials through the programme.
Ambassador Maeda said the JDS has successfully strengthened the capacity of Nepali civil servants while expanding cooperation between Japan and Nepal. He expressed confidence that the new grant would enable more government officials to enhance their skills and contribute to Nepal’s development through effective policymaking and project implementation.
The announcement comes as Japan and Nepal mark the 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. The Embassy of Japan said it expects the programme to strengthen further bilateral friendship, cooperation and people-to-people ties between the two countries.
