Country will move ahead with ambitious projects: PM Oli

Kathmandu, Mar. 3: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the country now has political stability and policy foundation for the long-term development and will move ahead with ambitious projects.

“Therefore, the government will move ahead with ambitious development projects to lead the country in the higher growth trajectory. Without ambitious plans and projects in physical development, education and health sectors, we will lag behind,” Prime Minister Oli said while addressing the meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) in the capital on Wednesday.

He chairs the NDC.

“People have overcome the situation in which there would be a new government in every few months, and created a policy and political stability. The government with the majority mandate from the people will take a clear vision on development, and the plans will be formulated and implemented on the basis of that vision,” said PM Oli.

He urged one and all to participate in the mega campaign of national development. “This is not the time to have divisions in the name of politics or the like but to cooperate to support in the national development,” he said.

According to Prime Minister Oli, the international community is also interested to support Nepal in its development initiatives, which was reflected in the overwhelming participation in the recently held Nepal Investment Summit 2019.

He said that the government had the policy to increase the productivity of agriculture through mechanisation.

 “The mechanisation in agriculture will not curb employment but it will create new job opportunities. There will be transformation of employment,” he said.

PM Oli stressed on greater coordination among the three levels of the governments, and understanding and unity among the political parties for the balanced development.

He said that the 15^th plan of the country had created the framework of development for the next 25 years and given a clear development roadmap up to 2099 BS (2042 AD).

The 2-day meeting will give the final shape to the draft of the 15^th five-year plan (2019/20 to 2014/25).

Vice chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Prof. Dr. Pushpa Kandel said that the development plan had set the national goals and targets for national development, giving attention to the ‘Prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali’ national campaign.

“It has incorporated the commitments of the manifestos of the major political parties. In the next 25 years, Nepal will be a developed country and its citizens will be prosperous and happy,” he said.

The long-term development vision has projected that the country will be attaining the growth of 10.5 per cent by 2042, and the contribution of agriculture, manufacturing and service sector would be 9 per cent, 30 per cent and 61 per cent from the current 27.6 per cent, 14.8 per cent and 57.6 per cent respectively.

“There will be no poverty by then while the multi-dimensional poverty rate will be 5 per cent which now stands at 28.6 per cent,” he said.

Likewise, the Vision 2042 aims at increasing the youth literacy to cent per cent, life expectancy to 80 years, universal electricity access and constructing 2,200 km of railways.

Secretary at the NPC Laxman Aryal said that the next budget and Mid-Term Expenditure Framework would be developed on the basis of this 5-year plan while the local levels would also align their budget and programmes to this document.

We have received suggestions from 3,100 experts and representatives of the governments and other organisations, he said.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 4 April 2019.