Minister Sharma urges BFIs to consider investment in productive sector

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 21 : Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma emphasized that the banks and financial institutions (BFIs) should increase investment in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. At the 49th anniversary of the Deposit and Credit Guarantee Fund (DCGF) here yesterday, Minister Sharma viewed that those sectors should not be jeopardized in the industrial and productive industry for lack of investment.

Stating that the economic development of the country would not be possible without the development of the industrial and manufacturing sector, Sharma called for a system wherein investment in projects is considered by keeping the project itself as collateral. The Minister argued that the country could not become economically strong unless the rural economy is developed.

He viewed that stakeholders should pay attention to whether the loans given by the BFIs for the agriculture sector were being invested in real estate. "BFIs should invest in the manufacturing sector. Loans should be provided to industrial and manufacturing sectors at two per cent lesser interest." According to him, there was no alternative to increasing production to substitute imports and called for more investment to boost domestic production.

Similarly, Governor of the Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari commented that although it had been a long time since the DCGF came into being, it could not devise effective policies, programmes and plans. Urging the concerned ones to pay attention to this aspect, Governor Adhikari requested the DCGF to effectively devise long-term plans and function within the jurisdiction of the DCGF Act. "The DCGF should not only collect money. Consider investing in other sectors as well."

Likewise, Revenue Secretary Rameshwor Dangal, Chairperson of the DCGF, pledged utmost efforts on his part to make the Fund more effective. The DCGF, as a deposit insurer, started the deposit guarantee scheme in Nepal in 2010.

RSS