Government Refrains from Ambitious Growth Target in View of Covid-19 Pandemic

WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 81 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 37.8 C 9.6 C Saturday, May 16, 2020 | 03-02-2077 Dipayal Jumla Indian Army chief alluding to outside Government refrains instigation in border from ambitious row irresponsible, objectionable: Analysts growth target in view Naravane’s hint at Chinese role in Nepal’s objection to of Covid-19 pandemic Indian road in Lipulekh Unlike previous years’ focus on physical infrastructure, could cause more friction. the upcoming year’s focus on the social sector will not ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, MAY 15 translate immediately into high growth, analysts say. Hours after Foreign Secretary PRITHVI MAN SHRESTHA Shanker Das Bairagi held a meeting KATHMANDU, MAY 15 with Chinese Ambassador Hou Yanqi in Kathmandu regarding the bounda- The KP Sharma Oli government’s pol- ry row with India over Lipulekh, icies and programmes for the upcom- Indian Army Chief MM Naravane ing fiscal year appear to have taken alleged that Nepal was acting ‘at the the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic behest of someone else’. into account and refrained from set- Though Naravane did not name any ting an ambitious growth target. country, it was apparent that he was The policies and programmes, pre- alluding to China. sented by President Bidya Devi The Indian Army chief ’s statement Bhandari to a joint session of the fed- comes after statements and coun- eral parliament on Friday, are largely ter-statements by Kathmandu and targeted towards strengthening the Delhi on May 9, followed by Nepal’s economy and making it more produc- handing of a diplomatic note to Indian tive at a time when most economies Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra in around the world are expected to con- Kathmandu on May 11. POST PHOTO: HEMANTA SHRESTHA tract in the wake of the pandemic. India, which has lately been wary Two young cyclists enjoy a ride on an empty road in New Baneshwor, Kathmandu, on Friday. According to Jagadish Chandra POST PHOTO:PRAKASH CHANDRA TIMILSENA of China’s increasing role in Nepal, Pokharel, former vice-chair of the President Bidya Devi Bhandari presents the was alarmed a few days ago after the National Planning Commission, the government’s policies and programme in Chinese envoy held a series of meet- government not mentioning a growth the federal parliament on Friday. ings with Prime Minister KP Sharma target for the upcoming fiscal years Oli and former prime ministers suggests that it has acknowledged the 2.9 percent in 2020-21 and 2.7 to 3.6 in Pushpa Kamal Dahal and Madhav Two years since merger, ruling party has impossibility of achieving the high tra- 2021-22. Kumar Nepal, both senior leaders of jectory of double digit growth for the These projections contrast sharply the ruling Nepal Communist Party next four years as envisioned last year. with the government’s target of a high (NCP). little to show except infighting, power play “The policies and programmes have growth trajectory throughout the The recent row with India is over clearly indicated the impact of Covid- coming years. As per the 15th periodic the southern neighbour building a 19 on Nepal’s future growth, although plan 2019/20 - 2023/24, the government road through Lipulekh, a strip of economic growth was impressive in had aimed for an average growth rate land in northwestern Nepal, to con- Nepal Communist Party had the possibility of transforming the country, given its massive the last two years,” said Pokharel. of 9.6 percent during this period. nect India with Kailash-Mansarovar In the last three years, Nepal wit- The government’s target of this in the Tibet Autonomous Region mandate and overwhelming strength. But it has squandered all opportunity, say analysts. nessed continued growth of over six high growth rate was based on its of China. As the road was percent, leading the government to focus on expanding physical infra- constructed under an understanding TIKA R PRADHAN agreed to the merger, albeit on the con- target an ambitious growth rate of 8.5 structure. But there have been numer- between India and China, there KATHMANDU, MAY 15 dition that they would lead the govern- percent this fiscal year. But after the ous setbacks in infrastructure devel- had been calls for Nepal to hold talks ment for two-and-a-half years each. Covid-19 pandemic began to have opment due to the Covid-19 pandemic, with China alongside its talks with Two years ago, when the then CPN- Party leaders, party cadre and severe effects on almost all sectors of according to the policies and pro- India. UML and CPN (Maoist Centre) well-wishers were very much excited, the economy, the Central Bureau of grammes. On Friday, while discussing the announced their merger, many called saying that the merger would provide Statistics, late last month, had project- “The priorities have been changed boundary dispute with Hou, Foreign it an extraordinary moment for a new dimension to the communist ed the country’s economic growth at a due to this pandemic. The priority of Secretary Bairagi reminded her of the Nepal’s communist movement. KP movement, not just in Nepal but in meagre 2.27 percent. the government will be health, educa- diplomatic notes Kathmandu had dis- Sharma Oli and Pushpa Kamal Dahal, South Asia and beyond. This will be the lowest growth rate tion, employment and economic recov- patched to Delhi and Beijing in 2015, who were leading the UML and Maoist In terms of size, the Nepal since the 2015-16 fiscal year when the ery,” said Bhandari. after the two governments agreed to parties, respectively, declared them- Communist Party (NCP) is the fourth economy grew by just 0.2 percent amid Last year, the government’s priority expand a trade route via Lipulekh, selves co-pilots of the newly minted POST FILE PHOTO largest in Asia—after China, Vietnam the effects of deadly earthquakes and areas were infrastructure develop- which Nepal claims as its territory, Nepal Communist Party, the largest Ruling party chairs still harbour mistrust. and North Korea—in terms of mem- the subsequent Indian trade blockade. ment, agriculture and tourism, the without including Nepal in the communist force in Nepal’s history. bership. It is among the strongest gov- But analysts say that even a 2.27 latter of which has been hit hardest by discussions. The Oli-Dahal jet, however, met Oli and Dahal, who had formed the ernments ever in the history of mod- percent growth rate is optimistic, the pandemic with some estimates >> Continued on page 4 with turbulence, almost immediately, party by trusting each other, see the ern Nepal, with a near two-thirds given that the impacts of the pandem- suggesting losses to the tune of Rs160 and even two years on, still con- other as adversary—suspecting each majority in the federal parliament, ic on sectors like hotels, restaurants billion. According to the Central tinues to struggle to cruise statement the other makes,” said controlling six out of seven provincial and tourism are expected to continue Bureau of Statistics, the hotels and smoothly. Party insiders and Yubaraj Chaulagain, a central com- governments and 60 percent of the 753 beyond the end of the health crisis. restaurants sector will see a negative analysts say the unification was mittee member. local-level governments. Although the statistics bureau has growth of 13.3 percent in the current riddled with suspicion, which At least half a dozen leaders the “But things turned sour by the day,” forecasted that all other sectors will fiscal year. has only grown of late. Post spoke to blamed the top leader- said Dilu Panta, a central committee head towards normalisation by mid- The social sector, such as education The party is currently on the ship for the woes of the country’s member. “People started to feel uneasy May, much remains to be seen, as and health, has received priority after verge of a split with the relation- largest communist party. and suffocated as the top leadership Covid-19 cases continue to increase more than a decade and a half. During ship of the two once-cordial When the two parties came together continued to fight for their own petty across the country. the Maoist conflict years, the focus of co-chairs at rock bottom. The in an electoral alliance for the 2017 interests.” The World Bank, in its ‘South Asia successive governments was on the party has organised itself into polls, no one had expected that they When leaders announced the merg- Economic Focus’ report, early last social sector as infrastructure factions, with two top leaders would go on to merge, given their frac- er, they had promised to complete the month projected Nepal’s growth rate development was difficult due to the constantly jostling for support. tious history. But the two leaders man- merger process within three months. in the range of 1.5 to 2.8 percent in the insurgency. “Two years after the merger, aged to put aside their differences and >> Continued on page 4 current fiscal year, followed by 1.4 to >> Continued on page 4 C M Y K SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020 | 02 MEDLEY Inside the Post Quote of the day Two years since merger, ruling party has little to show National except infighting, power play, Page 1 The government has announced a plan to provide initial capital to returnee migrant workers for starting their own ventures in the country. The plan is aimed at absorbing the Nepali migrant workers who are likely to return “Despite its overwhelming strength, which from the Covid-19 hit labour destination countries into the domestic labour market.

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