Government seeks World Bank help in reducing poverty

The government has sought World Bank’s active involvement in its fight against poverty.

Seeking stronger collaboration between Nepal and the World Bank in Nepal’s fight against poverty, finance minister Shankar Prasad Koirala asked the World Bank country director for Nepal and Bangladesh Johannes Zutt, to focus investment in development works that would create more employment in Nepal.

The government has targeted to bring down poverty to 18 per cent within three years from current 23.8 per cent, he said, asking to increase World Bank’s assistance in hydropower, agriculture, infrastructure development, tourism and irrigation that would create employment and help reduce poverty.

Zutt, on the occasion, requested the government to not transfer the employees, strengthen monitoring and financial discipline for the timely completion of the development projects.