Three Year Interim Plan aims to upgrade Nepal's status

The Three Year Interim Plan (2010-11 to 2012-13) aims Nepal to upgrade the country from its current status of Least Developed Country (LDC) to Developing country (DC).

"Apart from status upgradation of the country, the TYIP also aims at creating employment and ensuring high economic growth by reducing the number of people living under the poverty line," said Dr Jagdish Chandra Pokhrel, vice-chairman of National Planning Commisson (NPC) during the inauguration ceremony of Nepal Development Council (NDC) meeting that is intended to finalise the approach paper for the TYIP (2010-2013).

The draft of approach paper also envisions a society where there will be no legal, social, cultural, lingual, religious, economic, gender, racial and any other kind of discrimination. "The target of the plan is to have a sustainable economic growth for the overall improvement on the living standard of people, which will also aid Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)," he said adding that the target will be possible only through the creation of employment opportunities, reduction of economic inequalities, achieving the regional balance, and elimination of social exclusion.

Addressing the meeting, the Prime Minister Madhav Kumar Nepal outlined six areas -- that need focus -- commercialisation of Agriculture, development of tourism, hydropower, industries, infrastructure and skill for better job opportunities. "The plan will focus on creating more employment opportunities," he said adding that during the last TYIP (2007-2010) the poverty level has come down to 25.4 per cent, which is encouraging.

"Though poverty level has come down, rich poor gap has widened," said finance minister Surendra Pandey. "Non-economic issues have hurt the economy," he said addig that the country has a potential of achieving six t oseven per cent growth, hyad there been no non-economic issues that have hurt the economy.

The TYIF (2010-2013) -- the second in a row -- has two major objectives that include poverty alleviation and establishment of sustainable peace through the employment centric inclusive and justifiable economic growth.

To achieve the objectives, the plan has also focused on generation of employment opportunities, development of infrastructures, inclusive and justifiable development, and good governance. "The government will emphasise on the internal and foreign employment creation," the plan reads.

Similarly, in order to achieve decentralised development and keeping the probable federal governance in mind, government will strategise to construct economic infrastructures in the way that the probable federal regions’ can benefit. The strategy of inclusive and justifiable development will be for the achievement of improved living standard of marginalised, geographically and economically backward population which will also aid the establishment of sustainable peace.

The plan also aims at developing physical and social infrastructure, agriculture, tourism, industry, essential services such as drinking water, energy, electricity, roads, foods, medicines and education, environment conservation, investment for elimination of discrimination which will aid the economic development.

The government has estimated Rs 1,023.7 billion for the three year interim plan (2010-2013) -- the continuation of the present three year interim plan (2007-2010). The last three year interim plan (2007-2010) was allocated Rs 511 billion.

The national think-tank is holding Nepal Development Council meeting today and tomorrow to finalise the Approach Paper for the next Three-Year Interim Plan that has targetted 5.5 per cent growth. The current Three Year Interim Plan had estimated 5.5 per cent growth but the average growth stands at 4.4 per cent.

Last three year interim plan was the second such periodic plan. The first such three-year interim plan was implemented in 1962 after the demise of democracy and introduction of the party-less Panchayat system, Nepal has seen a periodic plan since 2013 BS