The National Planning Commission (NPC), a symbol of the country’s centralised planning system, will be turned into a think tank for the government after the Cabinet okays the amendment made to the document under which it was established.

The NPC was set up through an ‘establishment order’ which was amended recently. The amendment will be sent to the Cabinet for its approval, according to NPC Vice-Chairman Swarnim Wagle.

“We have received the go-ahead from the Law and Finance ministries, and we will be sending the amendment to the Cabinet in two weeks,” Wagle said.

After the Cabinet okays the amendment made to the document, the NPC will get a mandate to restructure the organisation and function as a think tank for the government. “The NPC could also develop the terms of reference as per the federal structure that the country has been practising,” Wagle said.

Among other plans, the NPC has aimed to strengthen its targeted programmes including the National Development Volunteer Service and the main indicators defined by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in order to achieve the targets.

Wagle said the NPC was preparing to devise a concept paper as per the SDGs in the next one and a half months. “We will formulate a guideline to motivate private sector investment and foreign direct investment in the economic, social and environmental areas that have been highly prioritised by the SDGs.”

Developing a concept paper for economic reform and a medium-term expenditure framework for maintaining fiscal discipline and amending the Investment Board Act and public private partnership policy are among the NPC’s main priorities.

“There is a need for developing a professional partnership between the NPC and Investment Board Nepal,” said Wagle, adding that the NPC was preparing a strategy paper to speed up construction of national pride projects.  The NPC said it was also planning to prepare a long-term vision document, implement cooperative federalism, develop the Central Bureau of Statistics in the form of a National Statistical Organisation and devise a draft Monitoring and Evaluation Act. 

South Asia Econ Summit to open today

KATHMANDU: The NPC in association with South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (Sawtee) will be holding the 10th South Asia Economic Summit in Kathmandu from Tuesday. The summit is expected to foster discourse on and interest in matters of regional cooperation by providing a regular forum for candid discussions among a cross-section of stakeholders, including policymakers and parliamentarians.

The three-day conclave will be hosting 18 sessions related to various development aspects. According to the NPC, 200 high level delegates will be participating in the event. NPC Vice-Chairman Swarnim Wagle said the conference would help to develop consensus among the participating countries on the main agendas and challenges of development issues. (PR)