Policies, programmes should pay heed to election manifesto: Economists

KATHMANDU: Economists have suggested the government to bring its new policies and programmes by considering the constitution, election manifesto and sustainable economic development.

At an interaction in Kathmandu today, they said that the policies and programmes should be based on 'transfer policy' since half of the total budget is allocated to the local levels. On the occasion, economist Dilliram Khanal said that the policies and programmes should incorporate the contents for socio-economic transformation adding that country's industries was in a shambles and infrastructures were developed in an imbalanced way.

Likewise, former ambassador Rajeshwor Acharya suggested that the government should win the trust of both India and China and praised the steps of the Prime Minister in that regard. He argued Nepal's prosperity was likely in a decade provided that Nepal won the confidence of India and China.

Also speaking at the programme, former governor Deependra Bahadur Chhetri said that the budget for the upcoming fiscal year would be slightly different as half of the budget of the federal government would go to the local budget and added that Nepal's economic growth rate would be 6.0 per cent in this year against 7.3 per cent of the last fiscal year.

Similarly, former finance minister Shanker Koriala suggested to constituting the fiscal commission to reduce the loads of the finance ministry.