May 16 : President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has said that the first and foremost priority of the government in in the upcoming fiscal year will be to make Nepal free from the COVID-19 pandemic.
While presenting the government’s policies and programmes for fiscal 2020-21 at the joint session of the Parliament on Friday (May 15), she came with such a remark.
“With an aim to totally control the spread of the virus, we have been adopting various measures like expanding the scope of testing among the suspected people, purchasing medical equipment and mobilizing health workers etc,” President Bhandari said adding that health desks and quarantine centres would be set up across all major border checkpoints in this regard.
The newly presented policies and programmes have given a top priority to the agriculture sector in order to make it a prime generator of employment opportunities in the country. “In order help boost the sector, the government will take various measures ranging from implementing contract farming to farm mechanisation and modernisation.
On the infrastructure front, the government said that it will complete the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track Project within the next three years, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project within the next year and start the construction of Budhigandaki Hydropower Project. Similarly, it plans to operate Gautam Buddha International Airport from the next fiscal and Pokhara International Airport by the next year.
When it comes to the education sector, the government will focus on standardising education system and declare Nepal fully literate by the end of the next fiscal. It has also decided to mobilise graduate you ths in educational development works.
As far the energy sector goes, the government has also set a target to raise per capita electricity consumption to350 kilowatt per hour by the next fiscal.
The plans and programmes also talk about providing incentives to export-oriented industries and encourage production-based firms in the country. The government will revive sick public enterprises, boost exports and trade with other countries and set up bilateral economic zones to promote trade. Moreover, it plans to provide necessary incentives to industries severely affected by the pandemic.
