NPC finalising 15th plan on Thursday

Kathmandu, Apr. 2: The National Planning Commission (NPC) will give final shape to the concept paper of the fifteenth Periodic Plan (2019/20-2023/25) of the country by April 4, Thursday.

The NPC is holding a 2-day national meeting of the National Development Council (NDC) in the capital to have a final discussion on the paper and incorporate the suggestions of the experts and lawmakers from the federal and provincial parliament.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will chair the NDC meeting which is expected to witness the presence of the politicians and experts from various sectors.

Deputy-prime ministers and ministers of the federal government, vice-chairman of the NPC and members, leader of the main opposition party in the House of Representatives, chief ministers of the provinces and planning ministries and agencies, chairpersons of the house panels of the federal parliament, governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank, chief of District Coordination Committee, Representatives of the local governments and 25 nominated experts are the members of the NDC.

Earlier, the national planning body has completed the province-level discussion on the concept paper.

The development plan has set the national goals and targets for national developing giving attention to the ‘Prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali’ national campaign.

“In the next 25 years, Nepal will be a developed country and its citizens will be prosperous and happy,” said Vice-Chairman of the NPC Prof. Dr. Pushpa Kandel.

The plan aims at graduating the country to the developing one by 2022 and a middle-income nation by 2030.

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

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 3 April 2019.