South Asia Public Policy Conference starts
Lalitpur, July 4
Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj
Khatiwada said on Thursday that public policies could contribute to the
economic growth when participation of larger section of population was ensured.
"Participatory policy making can help in the national
development efforts," he said while addressing the third conference on
'Public Policy and Governance in South Asia: Expanding public choices and
market opportunities' here.
Addressing the first session of
the two-day conference, he pointed towards the need of providing better
alternatives right from the policy formation initiative.
To make the growth inclusive,
public policy should also be the like but the capacity should be an important
element of inclusiveness, he said.
Dr. Khatiwada suggested including
the role of the private sector and cooperatives while formulating policies.
"We must give the work which the private sector is capable of to it. The
public sector must move ahead in collaboration with the private sector,"
he said.
According to him, cooperatives
may have an important role to play in the areas where the government has not
reached, and the private sector does not want to go due to profit risks.
The Finance Minister said that
taxation system and financial resource management are important topics in
public policy creation. "In a country like Nepal, where social security is
implemented, the taxation system should support in fulfilling the liability of
the welfare responsibilities as well," he said.
Likewise,
Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration Lal Babu Pandit said
that poverty was forcing the countries in the South Asia to increase
productivity and unemployment was forcing to create more employment through
development efforts.
"At
the same time, it has also forced the youth to leave the country in search of
jobs abroad thus we are facing brain drain," he said while addressing the
inaugural session of the conference.
He urged
the policy makers to support in creating coherence in education system and
market demand.
"We
are facing a challenging situation where educated human resource is unemployed
while there is a shortage of manpower in several sectors. Our education system
and the demand of market do not match," he said.
According to him, all south Asian countries are facing a
similar challenge while delivering public service. "Need of a country must
be the supreme priority for both the people and governments and they need your
support in guiding the policy initiatives in the region, increasing the quality
of services of the government."
The
resolution of this conference might be useful for Nepal as we have recently embraced
the federal system from the unitary system of governance, he said.
Professor at the North South University of Bangladesh
Tawfique M Haque said that understanding each other and increasing business and
people exchanges were important in South Asia.
Similarly, Vice Chancellor of the Kathmandu University Prof.
Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju stressed on the need to focus on policy research and
training as they were requisites for robust public policy building.
The event is jointly organised by Nepal Administrative Staff
College, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development Bangladesh, Institute for
Social and Environmental Transition Nepal, Institute of Public Enterprises
India, Niti Foundation Nepal, North South University Bangladesh and Southasia
Institute of Advanced Studies.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 5 July 2019.
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