KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 2
Minister for Finance Prakash Sharan Mahat has emphasised the need for strengthening the scope of economic journalists considering the accelerated development of the mass media sector as a whole in recent times.
Speaking during the inaugural session of the 25th annual general meeting of Society of Economic Journalists of Nepal (SEJON) here today, Minister Mahat shared that the accelerated development of digitisation has created not only challenges for the journalism sector but opportunities as well.
He also shared that the government is striving to revive the economic activities across the country and sought the assistance of the private sector, the general public and journalists to achieve the goal.
"The government and its subordinate bodies are making efforts to revive the country's economy and we expect the same kind of support from the journalism world, banking, and the private sector as well," he said.
He also stressed the need for positive discourse among the stakeholders concerned to revive economic activities.
"We don't need to be overly pessimistic. There is a need for positive discourse to boost the morale of the businesses and the general public. While there are some issues in the lending scenario at present, which has discouraged the public from taking risks, we must realise that some risks are imminent when it comes to business operations," he said.
"With improvements in remittance inflow and the tourism sector, foreign exchange reserves have reached sufficient levels. The government is trying to address the existing problems and is positive that the country's economy will head in a positive direction very soon," Minister Mahat added.
Meanwhile, Chandra Prakash Dhakal, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI), shared that while the private sector has repeatedly submitted its suggestions and demands to the government, they have not been addressed, leading to the present economic condition.
"The general public's confidence is also affected at present while the decrease in demand and supply has also demotivated the private sector. Although it is encouraging to the increase in remittance flow and tourists inflow, there is still a need for policy stability to accelerate revival of the economic sector," he added.
Also, Rajendra Malla, chairman of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC), stressed the coordination among all to uplift the economic situation of the country.
"Although various meetings have been held, things have not moved forward due to noncompliance with the regulators and subordinate bodies of the government," he said. He called on the government to hold a discussion in the Cabinet for immediate revival of economic activities in the country.
A version of this article appears in the print on September 03, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
