Kathmandu, April 7

Newly appointed Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), Maha Prasad Adhikari, said that he would prioritise driving financial indicators of the country towards positive direction.

Assuming office today, Adhikari acknowledged the immediate challenge to revive the economy from the spread of coronavirus pandemic and said, “Our immediate focus will be to cope with this unfavourable situation properly, facilitate businesses and ensure that the country’s economic indicators remain positive in the future.”

Earlier today, Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher JBR had administrated the oath of office and secrecy to newly appointed central bank Governor Adhikari. The Cabinet had appointed Adhikari to the top post at NRB on Monday.

Adhikari also said that the central bank will coordinate with the private sector and facilitate businesses that are completely shut down due to the coronavirus. “As we do not know how long it will take to contain the coronavirus, effective policy intervention will be done to facilitate businesses amid this critical phase,” he added.

Meanwhile, he also stressed on the need to enhance the capacity of the central bank and fully utilise the available manpower and other resources to maintain the decades-long legacy of NRB.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 08, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.