Pokhara, February 19

Province number 4 has abundant prospects for development with the huge availability of fundamental resources. However, it has been facing various problems due to political and diplomatic complexities, said experts at an interaction in Pokhara today.

“All the 11 districts of the province are rich in terms of various natural resources like water, tourism and agriculture. So, there is a need to maintain mutual trade relations among the provinces,” said the speakers.

Presenting a paper, former president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Chandi Raj Dhakal, said that the province is rich in terms of all kinds of necessary natural resources. He also stressed on the need to prolong the tourists’ stay by increasing various attractive tourism related activities in the region. “Though the economic status of the region has been hit hard due to the political instability and prolonged transition, there are boundless opportunities to recover from the past obstacles if those resources are properly utilised,” he said.

Another former FNCCI president Ananda Raj Mulmi, said that though the province has abundant natural resources and a lot of development prospects, it is difficult to materialise them for want of skilled manpower. “If large-scale hydropower projects can be established in the region, this province will be a milestone to bring about economic change and other developments of the country,” said Mulmi.

Speaking at the interaction, former chairperson of National Planning Commission Deependra Bahadur Kshetry said that four districts of the province had the highest per capita income. “If the per capita income of other districts is increased, it will play a crucial role for the prosperity of the entire region,” he said. However, he stated that lack of skilled and technical human resources was a major problem of the region.

Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Bishwo Shankar Palikhe said that the interaction was organised to better look for alternatives for the development of the region. He said that the prosperity of Pokhara had direct relation with the prosperity of other parts. Hence, he stressed on identifying the resources and ways to utilise them properly. Vice President of FNCCI Shekhar Golchha said that the province had unlimited possibilities of development. However, he underscored the need for capable political leadership.