WASHINGTON-The World Bank approved a $3 million grant this week to help finance technical assistance needs of its reform agenda. The Economic Reform Technical Assistance Project intends to strengthen home-grown reforms in the areas of public sector capacity, service delivery, social inclusion, governance and reducing unproductive public sector intervention in the economy, all of which will be critical to placing Nepal on a higher growth path. "Key policymakers in Nepal are keenly aware that these improvements are central to promoting social equity and building lasting peace," says World Bank Country Director for Nepal, Kenichi Ohashi. The project is structured to provide flexibility in the use of the funds, which can finance the hiring of skilled professionals, consultants and training.