KATHMANDU: Nepal on Monday signed an agreement with the World Bank for USD 150 million credit for a digitisation project that aims at expanding the civil registration records and modernise the delivery of social security allowances.

Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi and World Bank's Country Manager Takuya Kamata signed the agreement at the Ministry of Finance in Kathmandu today.

The five-year project, officially named Strengthening Systems for Social Protection and Civil Registration Project, would support the Government of Nepal in establishing a comprehensive national population register and introducing electronic-payments to deliver social security allowances in 25 districts in different phases.

Saying digitisation of civil registration which includes registration of vital events such as birth, marriage, migration, divorce and death, would streamline the social security programmes of the government, Secretary Subedi expressed his belief that the project would would ensure delivery of social security allowances to public through e-payment.

Likewise, Kamata the project would enable the automation of civil registration and security distribution which could be managed more efficiently and with limited human resources.