The Japanese government will provide Myanmar grant aid assistance for two projects worth a total of 468 million yens (about 3.8 million U.S. dollars), according to a press release of the Japanese Embassy available here Friday.

Notes regarding the provision of the grant aid to the two projects of human resources development scholarship and afforestation in the dry zone respectively worth 407 million yens and 61 million yens were exchanged between Japanese Ambassador Nobutake Odano and Myanmar Minister of National Planning and Economic Development on Thursday.

The human resources scholarship project, which started in 2002, offers opportunities to promising youths of Myanmar, both from government and non-governmental organizations, for further studying at Japanese universities to attain masters’ degrees, the release said, adding that 103 young Myanmar people have already been sent to Japan under the project.

The project for afforestation in the dry zone aims at combating desertification and mitigating the effects of drought by establishing sustainable operation and maintenance of afforestation sites in the dry zone of Myanmar, thus further contributing to the environmental development of the region and providing the local residents with required resources and improved living environment, the release also said.