A food for thought and a question for people like Dear sir types before I go = Who is responsible????

Nepal fares badly even among LDCs

A latest UN report has pointed that Nepal has fared badly even among the 50 Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

Former Vice-Chairman of National Planning commission Dr. Shankar Sharma (left)..

"Nepal itself continues to remain an outlier alongside other Asian LDCs that have enjoyed higher rates of growth over recent years and are making faster progress in transforming their economies away from a dependence on commodities towards manufacturing and services," says the press release issued by the United Nations Information Center referring to the latest report on LDCs by UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

"On current trends, the report suggests Nepal could be more than 50 years away from graduating from the LDC group," the release adds.

Launching the report subtitled "Growth, poverty and the terms of the development partnership," Rober Piper, UN Resident Coordinator for Nepal, underlined the importance of the Nepal government making the right policy choices to place Nepal on track to faster and more equitable growth.

"We need a much greater sense of urgency amongst all those responsible to get Nepal out (of the LDCs club). Only effective economic policies that create employment, increase agricultural productivity and reduce dependence on commodities can ensure that growth – when it comes – will translate into poverty reduction. One third of Nepal's population continue to live in some of the worst conditions to be found on the planet," Piper said.

Presenting the findings of the report, Dr. Shankar Sharma, former vice chairman of National Planning Commission (NPC), said that in the last three years, the average GDP growth of Nepal stood at 2.8 percent – way below the average of LDCs at 7.6 percent. nepalnews.com sd Jul 17 08