Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has pointed out the need for additional assistance from the World Bank (WB) to Nepal to control the COVID-19 pandemic.
During a meeting with the World Bank delegation at the Ministry on Monday, Finance Minister Sharma thanked the Bank for its support to Nepal and said that more assistance was needed.
“The World Bank has been supporting Nepal’s development for a long time. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has also provided emergency financial and technical assistance in the purchase of vaccines. I want to thank you for that,” he said.
Stating that the present government was moving towards the economic recovery by providing vaccines to all citizens, he said that the further support from the WB was a must in this regard.
Minister Sharma expressed confidence that the World Bank would help in reducing poverty in the country through quality education, accessible health care and road connectivity.
During the meeting, the Executive Director of the Bank Mohd Hassan Ahmad expressed his commitment to assisting Nepal.
He also requested Nepal to actively participate in the upcoming joint annual conference of the WB and the International Monetary Fund.
During the meeting, Hartwig Schafer, Vice President of the Bank for South Asia, urged Minister Sharma to expedite the implementation and facilitation of projects run with the assistance of the Bank.
Stating that policy reforms were needed, he expressed his commitment to continuing the assistance being provided by the Bank to Nepal.
Source : TRN,
