KATHMANDU: Former Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel has said the government’s recently published White Paper on economy held bias against the previous government by incorporating details of the adverse situation created by the coronavirus pandemic.
Commenting on the White Paper at a meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Thursday, Poudel, who held the Finance Ministry’s portfolio during the KP Oli-led government, said the incumbent government compared the adverse situation of low economic activity and low development expenditure during the pandemic to favorable conditions of the past.
“The worst situation during the COVID-19 pandemic has been compared to favorable conditions of the past in the White Paper, but the government has excluded the mention of the period in-between,” he said. He added the government did not care to include the fact that development expenditure could not be met due to the pandemic.
“The White Paper also said the previous government increased public debt by taking loans during the period,” Poudel said, clarifiying that loans taken were utilized as part of development expenditure.
Comment