Finance Ministry brings detailed action plan

Finance Ministry today brought the detailed action plan based on the government's ambitious Immediate Action Plan that has focused on agriculture, tourism, energy and infrastructure to create half a million employment in next six months.
The Finance Ministry has planned to direct Rastirya Banijya Bank, Nepal Bank and Agriculture Development Bank to lend minimum of five per cent of their loan portfolio to the agriculture sector.
By the six months, Agriculture Development Bank will focus on creating 5,000 employment by lending Rs 1 billion to youth under self employment programme, said finance secretary Krishnahari Baskota.
The three banks coupled with Small Farmers Development Bank will focus on lending to furits, commercial and high-value crops, livestock to generate employment and contribute to economic growth, he said, adding that it will not only help substitute import but also empower the remote Karnali region that will have a special 'Apple Mission' project.
Though, the government has promised 'a great leap forward', its first relief measure brought some five months ago failed to cheer the people giving people enough room to suspect that the current plan also won't bear any fruits and the people will continue to suffer.

Personal performance evaluation
KATHMANDU: The government has introduced a 'carrot and stick' policy for heads of the concerned institutions shifting a little from its earlier policy.“The government previously used to accuse or praise the institutions in general rather than anyone particularly for the failure or success of any programme,” said spokesperson at the Finance Ministry Rajan Khanal at a programme, where the 'Detailed Action Plan for Economic Development, Prosperity and Good Governance’ was launched. The government has now departed from its earlier stance and introduced a policy that will make the heads of concerned institutions responsible for any success or failure. It has introduced a rating system to reward or punish civil servants, he said. "Civil servants who fail to execute duties according to commitments will get low gradings in the rating." The government might stop the promotion of those who fail to prove their capacity during performance evaluation, according to him. "The government may also halt promotion and foreign visits of employees who fail to make 80 per cent physical progress in big projects."

Boosting domestic tourism
KATHMANDU: Finance Ministry is planning to encourage civil servants to visit domestic tourism sites to promote tourism. The ministry will prepare a separate working procedure by mid-April that will outline the provision to waive income tax of civil servants if they promote domestic tourism, said finance secretary Krishna Hari Baskota.