KATHMANDU, April 15: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has departed for the US to participate in the spring meetings of the World Bank Group (WBG) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Accompanied by a four-member delegation, Minister Pun boarded a Qatar Airways flight bound for Washington DC at 2:30 this morning.

The delegation comprises Sri Krishna Nepal, Chief Joint Secretary of the Ministry's International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division, Kanchan Basnet, Under Secretary responsible for the World Bank desk within the same division, and Bhupal Raj Shakya, an additional Under Secretary serving as the Minister's private secretary.

During his three-day visit to the US, Minister Pun will engage in discussions with key figures such as Anna Bjerde, the World Bank's Managing Director of Operations, Martin Raiser, the World Bank's Vice President for South Asia, Akihiko Nishio, the World Bank's Vice President for Development Finance (DFi), Guangzhe Chen, the World Bank's Vice President for Infrastructure, Riccardo Puliti, the Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), and Bo Li, the Deputy Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

Likewise, Minister Pun is scheduled to hold separate meetings with high-ranking officials from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), representatives from the US International Development Finance Corporation (DFC), and leaders from the private sector, including Atul Keshap, the president of the US Chamber of Commerce. He also plans to engage with non-resident Nepalis residing there.