The Government of Nepal and the Government of Japan have recently entered into a grant agreement to facilitate the implementation of the third phase of the Human Resource Development Scholarship (JDS) program. The agreement was formalized during a ceremony at the Ministry of Finance, with Finance Secretary Arjun Prasad Pokharel and Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Kikuta Yutaka signing the document.
According to the terms of the agreement, the Japanese government will allocate a grant of Rs 385 million (equivalent to 424 million Japanese yen) for the years 2023 and 2024. This grant will be dedicated to providing scholarships to civil servants pursuing postgraduate and PhD studies. Japan has been extending this kind of support to Nepal since 2015.
As part of the JDS program, Japan has granted scholarships to 100 government officials in two stages spanning from 2016 to 2022. In the third phase of this scholarship initiative, 20 individuals will have the opportunity to pursue a master's degree, while two individuals will have the chance to pursue a PhD.
Furthermore, the agreement program witnessed the participation of Sreekrishna Nepal, who serves as the head of the International Economic Coordination Division within the Ministry of Finance, and Iizuka Kenichiro, a senior representative from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
