Kathmandu, February 25:

The government is firm on action against bank loan defaulters.

“Defaulters will not be spared,” said Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai addressing the first central convention of the National Employees’ Association of Nepal (Agriculture Development Bank Ltd — ADBL) here today. He, however, also urged bureaucrats to be honest. “Without the involvement of bureaucrats, none can default on loans,” he said adding that they should be vigilant.

Urging them to help the government function better, Dr Bhattarai said the government must perform at any cost. “If the government cannot fulfill the wishes of people at the earliest, people will not wait forever,” coordinator of the newly-formed government mobilisation committee Dr Bhattarai said. He was of the view that the Maoist-led government has a long way to go and it has no alternative but to perform and deliver.

For centuries Nepal has been dependent solely on agriculture but this trend did not develop the country, he said. “This must change,” the Maoist ideologue said while stressing on the need to bring a complete change in the traditional agricultural system. “Only reforms and industrialisation of agriculture can help develop Nepal,” he said adding that dependency on agriculture should be brought down to 25 per cent from the present 80 per cent. “The government has marked transformation of the agriculture sector as its top priority.”

Only socio-economic change can sustain political change, according to Dr Bhattarai. ADBL could play an effective role in financial mobilisation, said. “ADBL can be a vehicle for socio-economic change as it loans out to the rural populace,” he opined. “There will be no sustainable peace until the country witnesses socio-economic change in line with the current political change.”