KATHMANDU, Jan 23: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Purna Bahadur Khadka met with the officials of the National Planning Commission (NPC) on Tuesday to discuss the upcoming 16th Periodic Plan.
During the meeting held at the Ministry of Defence, the NPC team comprising vice chair, members and member secretary briefed the minister about the formulation of the upcoming plan, according to the minister's secretariat. On the occasion, Minister Khadka advised the NPC team to assess challenges in implementing plans in the past and find out the solutions as well.
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On the occasion, he urged the NPC delegation to specify issues of the provinces by observing obstacles for their developments in the plan. He stressed that the plans should be drafted in a way that the citizens of respective provinces and areas could own them.
He said that the nation's geography and ecology should also be taken into consideration while drafting the plans. The production of specific areas, substantive research about such productions and the certainty of market for farmers' productions should be the priorities of the plan, he told the NPC officials.
He insisted on the need to address the issues such as lengthy administrative procedures, challenges in clearing the site and in the land acquisition in the periodic plan.
NPC Vice Chair Dr Min Bahadur Shrestha, member Dr Anita Shah Dhungana, member secretary Dr Toya Narayan Gyawali, Defense Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma and joint-secretary Gyanendra Poudel were among those present during the discussion.
