Japan provides Rs 274.1 million grant assistance for JDS Scheme

Kathmndu, July 13: The government of Japan is to provide 282,000,000 Japanese Yan, the equivalent of about Rs 274.1 million grant assistance to Nepal for Human Resources Development Scholarship (JDS) Scheme in Japan’s Fiscal year 2018.

At a programme organised at the Ministry of Finance today, Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Rajan Khanal, and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Masamichi Saigo, signed and exchange a set to Notes today on behalf of their respective governments.

Similarly, Chief Representatives of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Jun Sakuma, and Joint Secretary of the International Cooperation and Coordination Division of the Finance Ministry, Shreekrishna Nepal, have also signed and exchanged a grant agreement for the implementation of this Scheme.

The JDS grant is designed to support human resource development of friendly nations through accepting highly capable, energetic, and young government officials in eight designated Japanese universities as JDS fellows. These officials are then expected to engage in formulation and implementation of socio-economic development plans and programmes, and are also expected to be future leaders or engines for development in their respective countries.

Another objective of the JDS Scheme is to strengthen partnership between recipient countries and Japan by utilizing human relation chains to address future global needs.

Twenty Nepalese government officers were selected as the third batch of Nepalese JDS fellows through a strict evaluation process.

Similarly, on Japan’s fiscal years 2016 and 2017, a total of 40 Nepalese government officers enrolled in the same eight Japanese universities.

On the occasion, Japanese Ambassador Saigo expressed belief that all JDS fellows would play a pivotal and note-worthy role in the socio-economic development of Nepal, and thereby strengthen the existing cordial relationship and cooperation between the peoples of Japan and Nepal.

Expressing sincere appreciation towards the Japanese government for its continued support in development activities of Nepal, Secretary Khanal expressed belief that Japan would provide further support in Nepal’s development in days ahead. RSS