घोषणापत्रका नारा र नागरिकका समस्या

सात दशक लामो राजनीतिक संक्रमणपछि नेपालमा वि.सं. २०७२ मा संविधानसभामार्फत संविधान जारी भयो । राजनीतिक संक्रमण सकिएका कारण राजनीतिक दलहरूले आर्थिक समृद्धिको नारा अगाडि सारे । वि.सं. २०७४ को पहिलो संघीय प्रतिनिधिसभा तथा प्रदेशसभाको चुनावमा राजनीतिक दलहरूले आ–आफ्ना घोषणापत्रमार्फत विकास तथा समृद्धिका योजना अगाडि सारे । नेपाली नागरिकले उनीहरूको घोषणापत्र बिर्सेका छैनन् । राजनीतिक दलहरू फेरि अर्को चुनावका लागि नयाँ घोषणापत्र धमाधम सार्वजनिक गर्दै छन् । तर, नागरिकले राजनीतिक दलहरूका घोषणापत्रमा विश्वास गर्ने अवस्था छैनन् । किनकि बितेका पाँच वर्षमा राजनीतिक दलहरूले जेजे गरे, त्यसका आधारमा नागरिकमा राजनीतिक दलहरूप्रतिको विश्वास घट्दो छ । राजनीतिक दलहरू घोषणापत्रमा लेखिएका बाहेक सबै काम गरेर आफ्नो सत्ताको आयु लम्ब्याउन उद्यत रहन्छन् भन्ने बुझाइ सर्वव्यापी छ । 

नौलानौला शब्दजाल तथा महŒवाकांक्षी योजना घोषणापत्रमा लेख्ने तर सत्ता प्राप्त गर्न अंकगणितको सहारा लिने राजनीतिक दलहरू व्यवस्था परिवर्तन गरे पनि नागरिकको अवस्था परिवर्तन गर्न माखो मार्दैनन् भन्ने विगत पाँच वर्षको अनुभवका आधारमा नागरिक आसन्न संघीय तथा प्रदेशको चुनावप्रति उत्साहित छैनन् । त्यसैले राजनीतिक दलहरूले आफ्ना विगतका गल्तीको समीक्षासहित घोषणापत्र आउँछ भन्ने आशा पनि हालै सार्वजनिक भएका घोषणापत्र हेर्दा निराशामा परिणत भएको छ । सत्तामा हँुदा एउटा भाषा अनि सत्ताबाहिर हँुदा अर्को भाषा बोल्न पोख्त राजनीतिक दलहरूमा आफ्ना विगतका गल्ती–कमजोरी नस्विकार्ने तथा सस्तो राष्ट्रियताका नारा मात्रै अघि सार्ने परम्परागत प्रवृत्तिले संघीयता नै खतरामा पर्ने अवस्था आउँछ । त्यसैले राजनीतिक दलहरूले आफ्ना प्रवृत्ति तथा शैली परिवर्तन गरेर विगत पाँच वर्षको समीक्षा गर्नु भविष्योन्मुख हुने पहिलो सर्त हो । तर, सत्तामुखी चिन्तनले ग्रस्त नेपाली राजनीतिक दलहरू नागरिकको अवस्थाप्रति अचेत हुनु आफैंमा दुःखद छ । सत्तामुअी तथा भूतमुखी चिन्तनले आफ्नो प्रशस्ति गाउन त सहज हुन्छ, तर नागरिकलाई मुलुकप्रति विश्वास गर्ने वातावरण बनाउन सहयोग गर्दैन । 

पाँच वर्षअगाडि गरेका वाचा तथा वास्तविक उपलब्धिका तथ्यांकको तुलना गर्ने हो भने नागरिक किन राजनीतिक दलहरूप्रति आक्रोशित छन् स्पष्ट हुन्छ । आज नेपाल जुन आर्थिक तथा गैरआर्थिक समस्यासँग जुधिरहेको छ, त्यसको दोष आफ्नो हैसियत तथा सत्तारोहण वर्षका आधारमा लिने आँट नगर्ने राजनीतिक दलहरूले कसरी भविष्यमा नागरिकप्रति जवाफदेही राजनीति गर्छन् भन्ने प्रश्नको उत्तरसँगै धमाधम सार्वजनिक घोषणापत्रका औचित्य पनि जोडिन्छ । हरेक वर्ष ल्याउने बजेट पनि कार्यान्वयन गर्न नसक्ने सरकारहरूले फेरि सत्तामा आए घोषणापत्र कार्यान्वयन गर्छन् भन्ने विश्वास नागरिकले किन गरिदिनुपर्ने हो, प्रश्न नमीठो लाग्न सक्छ । तर, वास्तविकता यही हो । किनकि इतिहासकै बलियो तथा करिब दुईतिहाइको अघिल्लो सरकार तथा वर्तमान सरकार दुवैको बजेट कार्यान्वयनप्रति कुनै जिम्मेवारीपन देखिएन । मुलुक संघीय गणतन्त्रमा गएपछि नागरिकका सेवाप्रवाह तथा आर्थिक–सामाजिक विकासमा चुस्तता आउने अपेक्षा गरिए तापनि व्यवस्थामात्र परिवर्तन भयो । तर, बजेटजस्तो संवेदनशील आर्थिक नीति कार्यान्वयन हुन सकेन । आर्थिक वर्ष २०७३-०७४ मा ६६.९ प्रतिशत भएको पुँजीगत खर्च, आर्थिक वर्ष २०७४-०७५ मा ८०.५ प्रतिशत, आर्थिक वर्ष २०७५-०७६ मा ७६.९ प्रतिशत, आर्थिक वर्ष २०७६-०७७ मा ४६.२ प्रतिशत, आर्थिक वर्ष २०७७-०७८ मा ६४.८ प्रतिशत र आर्थिक वर्ष २०७८-०७९ मा ५७.२३ प्रतिशतमा खुम्चिएकोे छ । 

दिगो विकास लक्ष्य प्राप्तिका लागि तथा नेपालले उच्च अंकको आर्थिक वृद्धि हासिल गर्न पूर्वाधारमा कुल गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनको १० प्रतिशत लगानी आवश्यक छ । तर, सरकारहरू पुँजीगत बजेट खर्च गर्न सक्दैनन् । घोषणापत्रमा लेखिँदैमा खर्च गर्ने क्षमता बढ्ने होइन, न त वित्तीय व्यवस्था हुने हो । लगानी जुटाउने तथा पूर्वाधार निर्माणका समस्या हटाउने काम पनि घोषणापत्रहरूले गर्दैनन् । 

वि.सं. २०७४ को संघीय संसदीय चुनावपछि करिब साढे तीन वर्ष तत्कालीन नेकपा र नेकपा एमालेले गठबन्धनले सरकार चलायो । त्यसपछि नेकपा माओवादी केन्द्रको प्रमुख सत्ता साझेदारीमा नेपाली कांगे्रसको नेतृत्वमा सरकार बनेको छ । तर, नेपाली कांग्रेसभित्रै आर्थिक नीतिमा एउटै विचार बन्न नसकेका बेला पूर्ण रूपमा फरक आर्थिक नीतिको वकालत गर्ने राजनीतिक दलसँगको सत्ता साझेदारीले अर्थतन्त्र कता गइरहेको छ भन्ने पत्तो हुने कुरै भएन, जसका कारण नागरिकका आफ्नो पेसा–व्यवसाय गरी खान पाउने संवैधानिक मौलिक हक तथा अधिकार कुण्ठित हुँदै छन् । मुलुक संघीय गणतन्त्रमा गएपछिका पछिल्ला पाँच वर्षमा बनेका सरकारहरूले बिस्तारै बजार अर्थतन्त्रलाई नियन्त्रणमुखी अर्थतन्त्र बनाउँदै लगेका छन् । सरकारको गलत प्रवृत्ति निजी क्षेत्रमा सर्दै छ । सरकार बजार अर्थतन्त्रबाट विमुख हुन थालेपछि निजी क्षेत्र पनि सरकारको लहैलहैमा लागेर आफ्नै खुट्टामा बन्चरो हान्न अग्रसर हुँदै छ । फलस्वरूप मुलुकमा रोजगारी सिर्जना हुने वातावरण संकुचित बन्दै छ । सरकार बजारको चक्रमा हस्तक्षेप गर्ने अनि निजी क्षेत्र त्यसको साक्षी बस्ने वर्तमान अवस्थाले निजी क्षेत्र पनि संकुचन हुँदै छ । अर्थतन्त्रको लगाम निजी क्षेत्रको हातबाट फेरि सरकारलाई नै सुम्पने हो भने नियन्त्रित अर्थतन्त्रमा नागरिकका लागि वैदेशिक रोजगारी मात्र एक विकल्प हुन जान्छ ।

कांग्रेस सभापति शेरबहादुर देउवाले डेढ वर्षदेखि गठबन्धन सरकारको नेतृत्व गर्दा पनि अघिल्लो सरकारले लिएका गलत आर्थिक नीतिलाई सुधार्न नसक्नु तथा सत्ता गठबन्धनले आगामी सरकार बनाउने वाचा गर्नुले अर्थतन्त्रमा अन्योल कायमै हुने देखिन्छ । त्यसैले नेपाली कांग्रेसले ७ प्रतिशतको आर्थिक वृद्धि तथा १२ लाख नयाँ रोजगारी सिर्जना गर्ने घोषणा गर्नु तथा पूर्व प्रधानमन्त्री डा. बाबुराम भट्टराईले बर्सेनि ५ लाख रोजगारी सिर्जना गर्ने घोषणापत्रमा लेख्नु उस्तैउस्तै नै हो । किनकि आफू सत्तामा रहँदा अघिल्लो सरकार तथा वर्तमान सरकारले पनि कति रोजगारी सिर्जना गरे, कति नागरिक वैदेशिक रोजगरीमा जान घटे, त्यसको पनि तुलना गर्नुपर्ने होला । अनि मात्र घोषणापत्रका रोजगारी सिर्जनाका कथा सुपाच्य होला । 

त्यसैले चुनावमा कर्मकाण्डका लागि घोषणापत्र सार्वजनिक गर्नु एउटा कुरा हो तर कार्यान्वयन गर्ने संयन्त्र एवं कार्यान्वयन गर्ने दृढ तथा कठोर इच्छाशक्ति बनाउनु अर्को कुरा हो । वर्तमान सरकारी वा गैरसरकारी संयन्त्रले राजनीतिक दलका घोषणापत्र कार्यान्वयन गर्ने क्षमता, दक्षता एवं दृढ तथा कठोर इच्छाशक्ति उत्पन्न गर्न सक्ने सम्भावना पनि घोषणापत्र बनाउँदा हेक्का पु¥याएको भए सायद ती वास्तविक लाग्न सक्थे । त्यसैले घोषणापत्र यथार्थमा आधारित छन् वा हवाई उडानमा भन्ने हेक्का राख्नुपर्ने हुन्छ । 

कृषिप्रधान मुलुक नेपालमा ३ खर्ब हाराहारीको कृषिजन्य वस्तु आयात गर्ने अनि आत्मनिर्भर अर्थतन्त्र बनाउने वाचा पनि अर्को एउटा ढोंग हो, राजनीतिक दलहरूको । तुलनात्मक लाभ भएका उद्योगमा लगानी बढाउन राष्ट्रिय उद्योगीहरूलाई प्रोत्साहन दिने नारा पनि घोषणापत्रको अर्को भ्रमको खेती हो । यस्तै, अर्को प्रचलित शब्दावली राजनीतिक दलहरूको घोषणापत्रमा लेखिएका राष्ट्रिय उद्योगीहरू तथा राष्ट्रिय पुँजीपतिको परिभाषा सायद घोषणापत्र लेख्ने दललाई पनि थाहा नहुन सक्छ । 

यसरी दिनदहाडै झूटको खेती गरेर घोषणापत्र भन्दै नागरिकलाई अलमल्याउने परम्परामा वामपन्थी दलहरूको दक्षता रहेकोमा अब प्रजातान्त्रिक भनिने दल पनि सामेल भएका कारण घोषणापत्र औचित्यहीन हुँदै गएका छन् । आफ्ना राजनीतिक प्रतिबद्धता तथा सिद्धान्तलाई तिलाञ्जली दिएर चुनाव लडेका राजनीतिक दलहरूले घोषणापत्र कार्यान्वयन गर्लान् भनेर आशा नगर्न विगतको पाँच वर्षको अनुभव नै पर्याप्त छ । 

आर्थिक, सामाजिक विषयलाई मुख्य एजेन्डा नबनाउने अनि संघीय संसद्को पहिलो पाँचवर्षे कार्यकाल सकिँदा पनि प्रतिनिधिसभाले अत्यावश्यक कानुन बनाउन असफल सरकारहरूकै कारण संघीयताविरोधीको चलखेल बढेको छ । त्यसमाथि नेपालमा संसद्को काम के हो भन्ने विषयमा पनि नागरिक तहदेखि नै गलत बुझाइ छ, जसका कारण सांसद्हरू पनि कानुन बनाउने आफ्नो मुख्य काम छोडेर धारो, कुलो अनि विद्यालय तथा बाटो बनाउन बजेट माग्दै हिँड्छन् । नागरिकले पाँच वर्ष मुलुकलाई अग्रगमनतिर लैजान आवश्यक कानुन बनाऊ भनेर चुनेर पठाएका सांसद् चुनाव जित्ने ध्याउन्नमा सानातिना विकासका बजेटका पछाडि लाग्ने गरेका कारण पनि मुलुकलाई संघीयता कार्यान्वयनमा अत्यावश्यक कानुन अझै बन्न सकेका छैनन् । सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणका कानुन हुन् वा उद्योग–व्यवसाय सञ्चालनका लागि तथा अर्थतन्त्रको विस्तार वा विकासका लागि चाहिने विभिन्न ऐन–कानुन संशोधनका प्रक्रिया हुन्, सधैं अन्तिम अवसरमा हतार–हतार पास गर्ने प्रचलन छ । सरकारले बिनाकानुन मुलुक चलाउनु भनेको अधिनायकवादलाई जन्म दिनु हो । किनकि लोकतन्त्र भनेको आवधिक चुनाव मात्र होइन । चुनावद्वारा जितेर आएका जनप्रतिनिधिले गर्ने नागरिकको सेवा तथा सरकारलाई सही बाटोमा डो¥याउने कानुन बनाउने तथा कार्यान्वयनमा अर्जुनदृष्टि दिने कामले मात्र लोकतन्त्र तथा संघीय गणतन्त्रको सफलता वा असफलता निर्धारण गर्छ । त्यसैले घोषणापत्र सबैथोक होइन तर कार्यान्वयनको उचित मापदण्ड तथा समय–तालिका एवं सामाजिक रूपान्तरणको कठोर प्रतिबद्धता पनि सँगै आवश्यक छ । (कारोबार)

Japan helps construct new classrooms at Shree Himalaya Secondary School

Ambassador of Japan to Nepal Kikuta Yutaka signed a grant contract with president of NPO Nepal Volunteer Social Service Lakpa Nurbu Sherpa for building new classrooms in Sankhuwasabha District.

The signing ceremony was held at the Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu today, according to a press note issued by the Japanese Embassy in Kathmandu. “The project is funded under the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Projects (GGP) of the Japanese government and involves a grant of $185,971 (approximately Rs 23.2 million),” the press note reads, adding that tt is aimed to enhance the educational environment by constructing eleven classrooms. “This project will help students who previously had to study in deteriorated school buildings.”

Shree Himalaya Secondary School was established in 1960, and nowadays more than 380 students study at this school. The condition of the current school buildings is unsafe as there are cracks in the wall and leaks in the roof. These dangerous and worn-out classrooms cause difficulties for students to focus on their studies. The project will be managed by NPO Nepal Volunteer Social Service.

The Embassy of Japan in Kathmandu said that it believes the project will provide a safe and pleasant learning environment for students and will improve the students’ quality of education. “We hope that this assistance to the educational institute will further enhance the friendship between the peoples of Japan and Nepal now and for future generations, the Embassy added.

आयात प्रतिबन्ध दुई महिना लम्बियो

अब व्यवसाय बन्द गरेर चुप लागेर बस्छौंः नाडा 

विदेशी मुद्राको सञ्चितिमा दबाब परेपछि सरकारले लगाउँदै आएको आयात प्रतिबन्ध थप २ महिना लम्ब्याएको छ । सरकारले गत वैशाख १४ गतेदेखि लगाएको आयात प्रतिबन्ध थप दुई महिना लम्ब्याएर मंसिर मसान्तसम्म पु¥याएको हो । 

असोज २८ गते बसेको मन्त्रिपरिषद् बैठकले पूर्ण प्रतिबन्ध लगाइएका चार प्रकारका वस्तुको पैठारीमा लगाएको बन्देजलाई आगामी मंसिर मसान्तसम्म कायम गर्ने निर्णय गरेको सञ्चारमन्त्री तथा सरकारका प्रवक्ता ज्ञानेन्द्रबहादुर कार्कीले जानकारी दिए । उनले भने, “सरकारले आयातमा पूर्ण प्रतिबन्ध लगाइएका मदिरा, ३ सय अमेरिकी डलरभन्दा बढी मूल्यका स्मार्टफोन, सबै प्रकारका पेट्रोलियमबाट चल्ने कार, १५० सीसीभन्दा माथिका मोटरसाइकलको आयात रोकिएको छ ।” यसअघि सरकारले थप सीमा तोकेर असार मसान्तसम्मका र पछि थप गरेर भदौ १४ हुँदै थप असोज २८ सम्म कायम गरिएको थियो । 

सरकारले विदेशी मुद्रा सञ्चिति नाजुक अवस्थामा पुग्न लागेको भन्दै पेट्रोलियमबाट चल्ने सबै कार र २५० सीसीभन्दा बढी इन्जिन क्षमताका मोटरसाइकलको आयातमा प्रतिबन्ध लगायो । पछि यसलाई १५० सीसीमा सीमित गरिएको थियो। वैशाख १३ गतेदेखि असार मसान्तसम्म लगाइएको प्रतिबन्धलाई असार ३१ मा पुनः राजपत्रमा सूचना प्रकाशित गरेर भदौ १४ सम्म पु¥याइएको थियो । उक्त निर्णयलाई पुनः असोज २८ सम्म लम्ब्याउने निर्णय सरकारले गरेको थियो भने अझ २ महिना थप गरेर उद्योग वाणिज्य तथा आपूर्ति मन्त्रालयको रोहवरमा आयातमाथिको प्रतिबन्ध आगामी मंसिर मसान्तसम्म कायम गरेको हो । सरकारले वैशाख १४ बाट लगाउँदै आएको आयात प्रतिबन्धको सीमा हटाउन नाडा अटोमोबाइल्स एसोसिएसन अफ नेपालले माग गर्दै आएको थियो । सरकारले भने २८ असोजसम्म विदेशी मुद्राको सञ्चितिमा सुधार नभएको जनाउँदै आयातको प्रतिबन्ध थप दुई महिना लम्ब्याउन भनेको छ । नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकका अनुसार २०७९ असार मसान्तमा कुल विदेशी विनिमय सञ्चिति १.५ प्रतिशतले कमी आएको थियो । २०७९ साउन मसान्तमा ११ खर्ब ९७ अर्ब ८५ करोड कायम रहेको जनाएको छ । अमेरिकी डलरमा यस्तो सञ्चिति २०७९ असार मसान्तमा ९ अर्ब ५४ करोड रहेकोमा २०७९ साउन मसान्तमा १.२ प्रतिशतले कमी आई ९ अर्ब ४२ करोड कायम भएको राष्ट्र बंैकले भनेको छ । सरकारले अत्यावश्यक वस्तुको आयातमा प्रतिबन्ध लगाएर सरकारले प्राप्त गर्ने राजस्व गुमाइरहेको नाडाका अध्यक्ष ध्रुव थापाले  बताए । उनले भने, “सरकारले लगाउँदै आएको प्रतिबन्ध हटाउनु पर्नेमा थप गरेर अटोमोबाइल व्यवसाय नै धरापमा पारेको छ ।”

लामो समयदेखिको आयात प्रतिबन्धका कारण अटोमोबाइल व्यवसाय धरापमा परेको बताउँदै थापाले सरकार गम्भिर नरहेको बताएका छन् । केही व्यवसाय बन्द गरेर अन्य विकल्पका व्यवसायमा व्यवसायी लागेको अध्यक्ष थापाको भनाइ छ ।

अध्यक्ष थापाले भने, “नेपालको बढ्दो व्यापार घाटा र शोधनान्तर घाटामा यसको अंश अत्यन्त सानो भए पनि योगदान धेरै हो । कार, जिप र भ्यानजस्ता निजी प्रयोजनका सवारीसाधनहरुको आयातमा लागेको प्रतिबन्ध फुकाउनका लागि सरकारसँग माग गर्दै आएको थियो । अब चुप लागेर  व्यापार–व्यवसाय बन्द गरेर बस्छौं । सरकारले जहिले खुलाउँछ, खुलाओस् ।” सरकारले स्वदेशमा उत्पादन हुने मदिराको कच्चा पदार्थ र एम्बुलेन्स र शववाहनको आयातमा भने प्रतिबन्ध लगाएको छैन । 

नेपाल फेरि कालोसूचीमा पर्ने जोखिम : मूल्यांकन प्रतिवेदन तयार गर्न एपीजीको टोली काठमाडौंमा

नेपाल फेरि पनि अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणको कालोसूचीमा पर्ने जोखिम बढेको छ । सरकारले समयमा नै ऐन संशोधन गर्न नसक्दा नेपाल वित्तीय कारबाही कार्यदल (एफएटीएफ)को कालोसूचीमा पर्ने जोखिम बढेको हो ।

गत असारमा सुरु भएको नेपालको सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारणसम्बन्धी मूल्यांकन प्रतिवेदन तयार गर्न एफएटीएफ अन्तर्गतको एसिया प्रशान्त समूह (एपीजी)को टोली काठमाडौंमा छ । टोलीले बिहीबार प्रधानमन्त्री तथा मन्त्रीपरिषद् कार्यालय अन्तर्गत सम्पती शुद्धीकरण हेर्ने निकायसँग छलफल समेत गरेको छ । सरकारले एपीजीको मूल्यांकनभन्दा अगाडि नै सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण ऐन अध्यादेशमार्फत भए पनि संशोधन गर्न नसके अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणको कालोसूचीमा पर्ने भएको हो ।

सरकारले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण गर्न भन्दै केही नेपाल ऐनमा संशोधन गर्दै नयाँ ऐन जारी गर्ने तयारी गरेको थियो । तर, प्रतिनिधिसभाबाट परित भएको उक्त विधेयक राष्ट्रियसभा अन्तगर्तको संसदीय समितिमा अड्किएको छ । हाल संसद्का दुवै सदन चुनावका कारण बन्द छ । 

एफएटीएफको सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणसम्बन्धी मूल्यांकन एपीजीको कालोसूचीमा प¥यो भने नेपालमा वैदशिक ऋण आउन रोकिनुका साथै विश्वका १ सय ७० वटा देशमा एलसीसमेत खोल्न नपाउने अवस्था बन्न सक्ने जानकारहरु बताउँछन् । कालोसूचीमा समावेश भए नेपालको पासपोर्टमाथि विशेष निगरानी हुने र नेपालीहरुको वैदेशिक गतिविधि नै रोकिन समेत सक्ने छ ।

नेपाल राष्ट्र बैंकका पूर्व गभर्नर चीरञ्जीवि नेपालले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणका विषयमा नेपाल अप्ठ्यारो स्थितिमा रहेको बताए । उनले सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण एवं आतंकवादी क्रियाकलापमा वित्तीय लगानी निवारण गर्न नेपाल सरकारले बनाएका कानुनहरु संशोधन नहँुँदा एफएटीएफको मूल्यांकनमा कालोसूचीमा पर्ने खतरा बढेको बताए । सरकार सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणजस्तो संवेदजशिल विषयमा गम्भिर नदेखिएको पनि उनको गुनासो छ ।

त्यस्तै, पूर्व कानुन तथा संसदीय मामिला मन्त्री गोविन्दप्रसाद शर्मा कोइरालाले पनि सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण ऐन संशोधन नभए एफएटीएफको कालोसूचीमा पर्नसक्ने सम्भावना रहेको भन्दै नेपाल अहिले पनि कालो धनलाई सेतो बनाउने अर्थात् अवैधानिक रुपमा कमाएको धनलाई वैधानिक बनाउनसक्ने मुलुकमा परेको दाबी गरे । उनले उक्त ऐन स्वार्थ समूहको सिकार भएको पनि जानकारी दिए । 

सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण प्रणाली सुधार नभएको भन्दै नेपाल सन् २००९ देखि २०१४ सम्म कालोसूचीमा परेको थियो । एफएटीएफको टोलीले कर छलीलाई सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणसँग अनिवार्य जोड्दै आतंकवादी कार्य, भ्रष्टाचार र लागू औषधलाई विशेष ध्यान दिने गरी मापदण्ड तयार गरेको छ भने कोरोना कालपछि भर्चुअल करेन्सीलाई नयाँ अपराधका आयामको रुपमा हेरेको छ । सरकारी अधिकारीहरुका अनुसार नयाँ मापदण्डअनुसार नेपालले अझै कानुनमा ४० प्रतिशत समेट्न बाँकी छ । हाल संसद् नभएको अवस्थामा अब सरकारले तत्काल अध्यादेशमार्फत भए पनि सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणसम्बन्धी ऐन नियमहरु संशोधन गर्न जरुरी रहेको छ । अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समुदायले गरेको एक अध्ययनअनुसार नेपालजस्ता अति कम विकसित मुलुकमा कुल गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादन (जीडिपी) को ७ देखि ८ प्रतिशतसम्म कालो धन हुने गरेको छ ।

सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरण निवारण विरुद्धमा नेपालले अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय समुदायसँग गरेको प्रतिवद्धता अनुसारको प्रगति नभएका कारण नेपाल कालोसूचीमा पर्ने जोखिम बढेको हो । स्रोत नखुलेको सम्पत्तिलाई कानुनी दायरामा ल्याउने र त्यस्ता घटना निगरानी गर्ने निकाय कमजोर हुँदा नेपाल सम्पत्ति शुद्धीकरणमा कालोसूचीमा पर्ने जोखिम बढेको उच्च अधिकारीहरुको धारणा छ ।

Three American economists grab Nobel prize

The US economist-trio including former Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke won this year's Nobel Economics Prize.

The three US economists – former Federal Reserve chair Ben Bernanke, Douglas Diamond and Philip Dybvig – were awarded the Nobel Prize in economics today for their work on banks and financial crises. According to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the trio won the award for their research on how regulating banks and propping up failing lenders with public cash can stave off an even deeper economic crisis, such as the Great Depression of the 1930s.

They are also lauded for laying the foundation of how world powers now tackle global crises like the recent pandemic or the Great Recession of 2008. 

“The actions taken by central banks and financial regulators around the world in confronting two recent major crises – the Great Recession and the economic downturn that was generated by the Covid-19 pandemic – were in large part motivated by the laureates’ research," the Swedish Academy said in announcing this year's prize winners. 

Governments around the world bailed out banks in 2008 and 2009, generating a torrent of criticism as ordinary consumers suffered with many losing their homes even as banks, a key culprit of the crisis, were saved. But society on the whole benefited, the laureates' research suggests.

"Even though these bailouts have problems, ... they could actually be good for society," Diamond, a University of Chicago professor, told a news conference with the Swedish Academy, arguing that preventing the collapse of investment bank Lehman Brothers would have made the crisis less severe. "It probably would have been better, if Lehman Brothers had not collapsed unexpectedly," Diamond said. “Had they found a way, I think the world would have had less of a severe crisis."

Bernanke, who led the US central bank during the 2008 global financial crisis, received the award for his research on the Great Depression. His work showed that bank runs were a decisive reason the crisis became so severe and entrenched. Ironically Bernanke was the chair of the US Federal Reserve at the time of Lehman's collapse in 2008, which became one of the main catalysts of the world's biggest financial turmoil since the 1930s. Bernanke, who was in charge of the Fed from 2006 to 2014, played a key role in managing fallout during that period.

Bernanke, now a fellow at the Brooking Institution, argued at the time that there was no legal way to save Lehman so the next best thing was to let it fail and use the government's financial resources to prevent wider systemic failures. Part of that response, including ultra low interest rates and massive central bank asset buys are being reversed now as inflation is at its highest level in around a half a century in many parts of the world.

Diamond and Dybvig’s research showed that banks help resolve tensions between borrowers and savers, whose goals can diverge. Borrowers want to know they won’t have to repay their debts too soon, while savers desire quick access to funds in case of an emergency. While this intermediary role is important, it also makes lenders vulnerable to runs if rumors about their financial position start to circulate, Diamond and Dybvig found.

Bernanke is now a distinguished senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, a high-profile think tank. Diamond is a professor at the University of Chicago, while Dybvig is at Washington University in St Louis. The three economists will receive an equal share of the 10 million Swedish crown ($885,370) prize money. 

The economics prize is not one of the original five awards created in the 1895 will of industrialist and dynamite inventor Alfred Nobel. It was established by Sweden's central bank and first awarded in 1969, its full and formal name being the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel. The majority of previous laureates have been from the United States.

Government fixes price of bottled water

As the traders started charging rampant prices for the bottled water, the government has fixed the price at a maximum of Rs 16 per liter. However, the government has fixed the maximum retail prices of a pet bottled water and a jar at Rs 20 and Rs 60, respectively for outside the Kathmandu Valley.

The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection (DoCSCP) today directed the traders not to charge more price than the fixed. Retailers have been charging between Rs 20-30 for a liter bottled water.

According to director general of the department Mahesh Bhattarai, the department will speed up the market inspection as there are complaints that low quality bottled-water is being sold at higher prices in the market.

The department has also fixed the price of a 20 liter jar full of water at Rs 47. Currently, retailers have been charging Rs 60 per jar of water, in the valley.

NOC projects profits

After almost one-and-a-half year, the bankrupt state oil monopoly has projected a profit of Rs 1.60 billion per month after a successive drop in the crude prices in the international market.

According to Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), it now makes a profit of Rs 6.45 per liter in petrol and Rs 12 per liter in diesel at the new price rates sent by IOC on October 1. IOC sends price list every fortnight on the 1st and 15th of the Gregorian calendar.

Last March, the oil price in the international market reached as high as $125 per barrel, while it came down to $86 per barrel last week. Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier to the NOC has also decreased the price of fuel but the NOC has not been bringing the fuel price down, though it claimed to implement the automated price system. “The NOC has been misusing the automated price system as it increases the price of fuel when the price list sent by IOC increases but it has not been decreasing the price, when the price list has lower price,” complained the consumer rights activists. 

The NOC has been claiming that it has borrowed from the government to pay the IOC, and it owes around Rs 40 billion to various government bodies.

Nepali Rupee plunges to a fresh low against US dollar

As the central bank fixed the exchange rate at Rs 132.02 per dollar for Saturday, and Sunday, the Nepali Rupee fell to a historic low against the US dollar.

The exodus of the Indian investors from Indian market and strong US economy has made the Indian rupee weakest in the history at Rs 82.33 Indian Currency (IC). As the Nepali rupee is pegged with the Indian currency, the Nepali rupee also fell to the historic low. The US dollar has been setting record high exchange rate continuously in the past two weeks. The Indian currency fell to a record low to 82.33 per dollar, down by 0.41 per cent, according to Economic Times, an Indian media.    

The US dollar has been stronger recently after the US Federal Reserve hiked its policy rate citing too-high inflation persisting in the US economy. 

The plunge of exchange rate of Nepali currency against the US dollar could help increase remittance inflow in the country, though there are more disadvantages compared to it. The increased remittance inflow will again be rerouted back as Nepal is the import economy, and imports most of the products paying the US dollar. It increases the market price also as the country imports most of the raw materials including the capital goods necessary to produce finished goods,” according to the economists.

World Bank revises economic growth upward to 5.1 per cent

The World Bank (WB) revised Nepal’s economic growth rate upwards to 5.1 per cent for the current fiscal year 2022-23, which is way higher than the projection of 4.7 per cent estimation of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and lower than the government projection of 8 per cent.

Unveiling the report ‘Latest Macroeconomic Update,’ the development partner, however, estimated the inflation rate to shoot up. 

The economy might grow higher at the back of a rebound in the tourism to support service sector and strong industrial growth triggered by increased hydroelectricity production, the report reads, adding that the economic growth rate for fiscal year 2023-24 will see 4.9 per cent. “While public debt levels are expected to stabilise and pressure on foreign exchange reserves is projected to ease, Nepal continues to face structural challenges relating to a modernisation of the tax system, the attraction of new sources of foreign exchange (especially FDI) and full implementation of fiscal federalism that need to be addressed to ensure sustainable and inclusive growth.”

The economy is expected to grow, reflecting monetary policy normalisation, the end of pandemic-era monetary support measures, and still relatively high commodity prices, according to the World Bank.

The Nepal Development Update contains a special focus on ‘the Macroeconomic Impacts of Climate Change’. Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate change and must adapt to global warming, even though it is a negligible contributor to global greenhouse gases, the analysis claims, adding that negative impacts are expected to accelerate sharply in the second half of the century, with GDP contracting 24 per cent relative to the baseline projections by 2100. A list of 32 actionable steps that Nepal can take now to reduce these impacts and reinforce its Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development (GRID) pathway is also provided in the recently released Nepal Country Climate and Development Report. 

“Nepal’s GDP and other macroeconomic losses in the first three decades of the 21st century are small to begin with, but are expected to accelerate quickly in the second half of the century as temperatures and climate events reach higher levels of intensity,” World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka Faris Hadad-Zervos said, adding that these findings underscore the urgency of implementing measures aligned with the country’s GRID pathway, to increase Nepal’s adaptive capacity to climate-related shocks.”

Unprecedented shocks rattle South Asia, exacerbating challenges and dampening growth

Beset with Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, Pakistan’s catastrophic floods, a global slowdown, and impacts of the war in Ukraine, South Asia faces an unprecedented combination of shocks on top of the lingering scars of the Covid-19 pandemic. Growth in the region is dampening, says the World Bank in its twice-a-year update, underscoring the need for countries to build resilience.

Released today, the latest ‘South Asia Economic Focus, Coping with Shocks: Migration and the Road to Resilience’, projects regional growth to average 5.8 per cent this year - a downward revision of 1 percentage point from the forecast made in June. This follows growth of 7.8 per cent in 2021, when most countries were rebounding from the pandemic slump.

While economic distress is weighing down all South Asian countries, some are coping better than others. Exports and the services sector in India, the region’s largest economy, have recovered more strongly than the world average while its ample foreign reserves served as a buffer to external shocks. The return of tourism is helping to drive growth in Maldives, and to a lesser extent in Nepal—both of which have dynamic services sectors. The combined effects of Covid-19 and the record-high commodity prices due to the war in Ukraine took a heavier toll on Sri Lanka, exacerbating its debt woes and depleting foreign reserves, the report reads, adding that plunged into its worst-ever economic crisis, Sri Lanka’s real GDP is expected to fall by 9.2 per cent this year and a further 4.2 per cent in 2023. “High commodity prices also worsened Pakistan’s external imbalances, bringing down its reserves. After devastating climate-change-fueled floods submerged one-third of the country this year, its outlook remains subject to significant uncertainty.”

“Pandemics, sudden swings in global liquidity and commodity prices, and extreme weather disasters were once tail-end risks,” World Bank vice president for South Asia Martin Raiser said, adding, “In the face of these shocks, countries need to build stronger fiscal and monetary buffers, and reorient scarce resources towards strengthening resilience to protect their people.”

Inflation in South Asia, caused by elevated global food and energy prices and trade restrictions that worsened food insecurity in the region, is expected to rise to 9.2 per cent this year before gradually subsiding. The resulting squeeze on real income is severe, particularly for the region’s poor who spend a large share of their income on food.

South Asia’s migrant workers, many of whom are employed in the informal sector, were disproportionately affected when restrictions to movement were imposed during Covid-19. However, the later phase of the pandemic has highlighted the crucial role migration can play in facilitating recovery. Survey data from the report suggests that in late 2021 and early 2022, migration flows are associated with movement from areas hit hard by the pandemic to those that were not, thus helping equilibrate demand and supply of labour in the aftermath of the Covid-19 shock.

“Labour mobility across and within countries enables economic development by allowing people to move to locations where they are more productive,” World Bank chief economist for South Asia Hans Timmer said, adding that it also helps adjust to shocks such as climate events to which South Asia’s rural poor are particularly vulnerable. “Removing restrictions to labour mobility is vital to the region’s resilience and its long-term development.”

To this end, the report also offers two recommendations. Firstly, cutting the costs migrants face should be high on the policy agenda. Secondly, policymakers can de-risk migration through several means including more flexible visa policies, mechanisms to support migrant workers during shocks, and social protection programmes.

Global progress in reducing extreme poverty grinds to a halt

The world is unlikely to meet the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030 absent history-defying rates of economic growth over the remainder of this decade, according to a new World Bank study.

The study finds that Covid-19 dealt the biggest setback to global poverty-reduction efforts since 1990 and the war in Ukraine threatens to make matters worse. 

The Bank’s latest ‘Poverty and Shared Prosperity Report’ provides the first comprehensive look at the global landscape of poverty in the aftermath of the extraordinary series of shocks to the global economy over the past few years. It estimates that the pandemic pushed about 70 million people into extreme poverty in 2020, the largest one-year increase since global poverty monitoring began in 1990. As a result, an estimated 719 million people subsisted on less than $2.15-a-day by the end of 2020.

“Progress in reducing extreme poverty has essentially halted in tandem with subdued global economic growth,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass. “Of concern to our mission is the rise in extreme poverty and decline of shared prosperity brought by inflation, currency depreciations, and broader overlapping crises facing development. It means a grim outlook for billions of people globally. Adjustments of macroeconomic policies are needed to improve the allocation of global capital, foster currency stability, reduce inflation, and restart growth in median income. The alternative is the status quo—slowing global growth, higher interest rates, greater risk aversion, and fragility in many developing countries.”

The report also indicates 2020 marked a historic turning point—when the era of global income convergence yielded to divergence. The poorest people bore the steepest costs of the pandemic: income losses averaged 4 per cent for the poorest 40 per cent, double the losses of the wealthiest 20 per cent of the income distribution. Global inequality rose, as a result, for the first time in decades.

Strong fiscal policy measures made a notable difference in reducing Covid-19’s impact on poverty, the report reads, adding that in fact, the average poverty rate in developing economies would have been 2.4 percentage points higher without a fiscal response. “Yet government spending proved far more beneficial to poverty reduction in the wealthiest countries, which generally managed to fully offset Covid-19’s impact on poverty through fiscal policy and other emergency support measures.”

Developing economies had fewer resources and therefore spent less and achieved less: upper-middle-income economies offset just 50 per cent of the poverty impact, and low- and lower-middle income economies offset barely a quarter of the impact.

“Over the next decade, investing in better health and education will be crucial for developing economies, given the severe learning losses and health-related setbacks they suffered during the pandemic,” the World Bank’s chief economist and senior vice president for Development Economics Indermit Gill said, adding that in a time of record debt and depleted fiscal resources, this will not be easy. “Governments will need to concentrate their resources on building human capital and maximizing growth.”

The new report is the first to provide current and historical data on the new global extreme-poverty line, which has been adjusted upward to $2.15 a day to reflect the latest 2017 purchasing-power-parity data. Extreme poverty fell dramatically across the world from 1990 through 2019, the latest year for which official data are available. But progress slowed after 2014, and policymakers now confront a tougher environment: Extreme poverty is concentrated in parts of the world where it will be hardest to eradicate—in Sub-Saharan Africa, in conflict-affected areas, and in rural areas.

Sub-Saharan Africa now accounts for 60 per cent of all people in extreme poverty—389 million, more than any other region. The region’s poverty rate is about 35 per cent, the world’s highest. To achieve the 2030 poverty goal, each country in the region would need to achieve per-capita GDP growth of 9 per cent per year for the remainder of this decade. That’s an exceptionally high hurdle for countries whose per-capita GDP growth averaged by 1.2 per cent in the decade before Covid-19.

National policy reforms can help restart progress in reducing poverty, the report finds. Stepped-up global cooperation will also be necessary. In fiscal policy, governments should act promptly on three fronts:

    • Avoid broad subsidies, increase targeted cash transfers: Half of all spending on energy subsidies in low- and middle- income economies goes to the richest 20 percent of the population who consume more energy. Cash transfers are a far more effective mechanism for supporting poor and vulnerable groups.

    • Focus on long-term growth: High-return investments in education, research and development, and infrastructure projects need to be made today. In a time of scarce resources, more efficient spending and improved preparation for the next crisis will be key.

    • Mobilise domestic revenues without hurting the poor: Property taxes and carbon taxes can help raise revenue without hurting the poorest. So can broadening the base of personal and corporate income taxes. If sales and excise taxes do need to be raised, governments should minimize economic distortions and negative distributional impacts by simultaneously using targeted cash transfers to offset their effects on the most vulnerable households.