Kathmandu, Oct 6: Finance Minister Dr Swarnim Wagle held a bilateral meeting with president of the World Bank Group, Ajay Banga, in USA.
Minister Dr Wagle, who arrived in the US, leading a delegation at the invitation of the World Bank president, held the high-level meeting with Banga in Washington DC, USA, on Monday.
The discussion featured the issues such as reconstruction of physical and economic infrastructures damaged by the catastrophic Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods, need for macro-economic reforms and mobilization of resources worth about one billion US dollars for insurance and social protection, according to Minister Wagle’s private secretariat.
World Bank president Banga expressed grief over the loss of lives and damages caused by the disaster in Nepal and pledged that the World Bank’s significant assistance for the reconstruction drive.
Banga appreciated the measures taken by the government for policy and institutional reforms and underlined the need for expanding investment in infrastructure and creating jobs within the country.
President Banga informed that the World Bank would take initiatives to expand joint investment in Nepal’s priority sector, taking together development partners, including the Asian Development Bank and the International Finance Corporation.
World Bank’s country director for Nepal, David Sislen, said it was the first direct bilateral meeting between the World Bank president and the Finance Minister of Nepal in the past three decades.
The meeting was attended by high-ranking officials, including vice presidents of the World Bank, Johanes Zutt and Junaid Ahmed.
