April 12: Speaker of the House of Representatives, Agni Prasad Sapkota, has called upon the private sector to focus on development and expansion of a self-reliant economy.    
"Several problems have arised as the economy is not self-reliant," he said and stressed on the need of meaningful cooperation and partnership between the government and the private sector for building a self-sufficient and robust economy.    
Speaker Sapkota made such remarks while addressing the 56th annual general meeting and 'Industry and Commerce Day' of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) on Monday.    
Stating that the private sector has knowledge, skills, talent and capacity, everything, he urged the private sector to play a role to bail out the economy from the current state of crisis.

He added that he was ready to fulfill his responsibility as the Speaker in building an environment conducive for business and investment in the country.    
"The government and the private sector should have common views on matters relating to the economy. We should work with long-term vision and not get bogged down in short-term agendas," he suggested. The Speaker also underscored on steering the country ahead on the path of prosperity by utilizing the private sector's capabilities.    
FNCCI president Shekhar Golchha blamed lack of transparency and the confusion around the short-term policies for the crisis faced by the economy.    
Referring to the economic crisis Sri Lanka is passing through at present and the concerns being expressed by economists and the business community in the country that whether Nepal is also heading to a similar situation, the FNCCI president said, "We are not going to be like Sri Lanka, but if we are not cautious at present then we will certainly reach to that situation."    
As ways to avert such crisis, he suggested strengthening the mechanism for bringing in money, creating investment opportunities within the country and increasing exports to create wealth.     
Stating that it was regrettable that the private sector which occupies 77 per cent of the economy and creates over 75 per cent employment in the country is in the dark about the discussions and decisions taking place in Singha Durbar (the administrative centre of the government) and Nepal Rastra Bank (the central bank of Nepal), Golchha stressed that it would be far better if the industrialists and businessmen were consulted regarding identification of the problems in the economy and finding out solution to these pressing problems.     
Chief Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi refuted Golchha’s claim saying, "The government has never ignored the private sector, rather it considers the private sector as its partner." He described the private sector as the integral development partner of the government and the government was always for a meaningful partnership with the private sector.    
"The economic situation is not as bad as it is said to be. There are some signs of risk. We should all, together, address this problem," he added. The chief secretary said the government is doing homework for creating investment-friendly environment. --RSS