Kathmandu : Various factures and figures documented by the National Planning Commission (NPC) here today shows that achieving the development agenda would be challenging in lack of adequate investment from both government and private sector.
The report provided by the Commission to the Parliamentary Committee has mentioned that enough attention was not paid by the concerned authorities and stakeholders to labour force participation as well as productivity in the economic growth.
According to Commission’s Vice-Chairman Dr Pushparaj Kandel, it has been increasingly difficult to gain demographic advantages in lack of human resources development projects and lack of good-governance in many projects and inability to capitalize on the natural and cultural diversity of the country.
The Commission concludes that the adequate coordination was not seen between the mobilization of public properties and economic development policy.
The report further states there was lack of formulation of laws based on research and studies and lack of respecting labour as well as entrepreneurship cultures among the people adversely affecting the realization of development agendas.
The Commission, in its report, has also reasoned political instability to be one of the reasons why the economic development had not gained importance in the country.
21.6 per cent poverty
The income poverty has fallen down to 21.3 per cent while the multidimensional poverty to 28.6 per cent. The average annual per capital income of Nepali stands at USD 1,400.
The net admission of students at primary level has reached 97.2 per cent while the child mortality rate is at 39 per cent per 1,000 children and maternity mortality rate has fallen down to 235 in every 100,000 according to the Commission.
The government confirms the access of drinking water to 90 per cent of the total populations while there has been remarkable expansion of telephone and internet services.
There is some 30,000 kilo metres of road network in the country while the electricity generation has reached 1,073 mega watt, according to the report.
The government has forwarded a long-term vision, aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a development agenda to end all forms of poverty, to protect planet, fight inequalities and tackle climate change among others.
Clean Energy
According to the report, the government has already prepared a draft in line with the policy level concept of Nepal to achieve 17 goals of the SDGs by 2030. There has been the estimation of the resources and the budget ceiling has been determined in the report to achieve the global goal-SDGs.
Commission’s Secretary Laxman Aryal shared that the plans were mooted for the distribution of clean energy, production and expansion of grid in all 753 local units by 2022.
9.5 per cent of economic growth
Nepal has prepared and submitted the document at policy-making level regarding upgrading Nepal from the Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing country by 2022 to the United Nations.
The Commission has also taken mid-term target to achieve 9.5 per cent of economic growth by fiscal year 2077/78 BS.
Towards this end, the Commission has already done review of the 154th Project obtained permit for the concept paper for the 15th Project. RSS
