Government setting ambitious target to become ‘developed country’ within 25 years
KATHMANDU, Nov 13: The government is bringing in ‘Nepal’s Long Term Vision, 2043’ with an ambitious target of becoming a ‘developed country’ within 25 years.
The ambitious vision that the National Planning Commission (NPC) has set will be put into implementation from the next Fiscal Year 2019/2020, according to NPC officials.
The apex government body for planning has already prepared the concept note for the vision spanning from 2019 through 2043. It will be implemented through the upcoming periodic plans of the NPC. According to NPC Secretary Laxman Aryal, the concept note of the long-term vision of the country has already been approved by Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Oli.
Various thematic committees at the NPC have already started working to materialize the targets set in the vision, he said.
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Khomraj Koirala, a joint secretary at the NPC, told Republica that the concept note envisions five five-year periodic plans to implement the vision. The 15th five-year periodic plan that will be implemented from the next year works as the starting point for the implementation of the long-term vision, according to Koirala.
“We have tried to reflect the thought of the future, as far ahead as the next century, in this long-term vision,” said Koirala. “Twenty-five years represent a generation. The effort is to cover a whole generation in the long-term vision.”
He said that it was possible to make the country a developed nation according to the long-term vision.
“If we see the Southeast Asian region, we can find countries who have achieved prosperity in 25 years,” he said. “Most of the countries prepare plan spanning a period of 20 to 30 years. This vision is needed also to realize the slogan of prosperity espoused by the government,” he added.
NPC officials say that the country’s own learning and achievements of the six-decade-long efforts of planned development were also considered while preparing the vision.
The vision also centers on an equitable society and socialism-oriented country, together with the slogan of prosperity advanced by the government. The election manifesto of the ruling party will also be reflected in the vision.
The government’s policy and program states that the current year will form a basis for development and prosperity. Puspa Raj Kadel, vice-chairman of the NPC, said that the 25-year vision is being introduced to realize the government’s slogan of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’.
“We are currently discussing on how to advance the slogan of the government. What is prosperity? What can make Nepal prosperous? How the Nepali people can be happy? These are some of the issues that are currently in discourse,” said Kadel. “We are preparing indicators of happiness and prosperity. We have already prepared some indicators.” He, however, declined to divulge the details of the long-term vision stating that the document was still under discussion and deliberation.
“The basic premise of this vision is to increase Nepal’s productivity, boost production, and increase the people’s income,” he said. “We are discussing on how to leverage Nepal’s water, forest and other resources for the transformation of the people’s lives,” he added.
According to NPC’s joint secretary Koirala, the long-term vision will also work as a guiding document after the 2030 deadline of achieving the sustainable development goals.
The long-term vision will also complement the government’s goal to become a middle-income country by 2030 and graduate from the least-developed country status by 2022, according to NPC officials.
