Regulate Nepal-India border: Dr Bhattarai

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, May 11 - Senior CPN-Maoist leader Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai has stressed the need to regulate the open border between Nepal and India to promote national economic interests and domestic capital.

Addressing an interaction on Suggestions for Economic Growth by Youth, organized by CNI-YEF and NYEF Saturday, the Maoist second-in-command said that the upcoming Maoists government will break the “decade-long dominance of rent-seeking class” and contribute to the develop of the entrepreneur class to expedite the almost stagnant development process.

As the recently held elections for the Constituent Assembly has mandated the Maoists to lead the government, the country will now see an economic revolution and rapid industrialization, he said.The massage of the election was that the people desperately wanted to see change and that change can only be achieved by destroying feudalistic structures and allowing the people freely and fairly engaged in entrepreneurship.

He also urged the entire young entrepreneurs to take special role in materializing a new Nepal and underlined the need of structural change to put the economy in a high growth trajectory and have 10, 20 and 40 years of vision.

Dr Bhattarai also said that his party's policy would give high priority to domestic investors of small and medium scale industries. “However, we will be happy to collaborate with foreign investors in big projects, where the domestic capital and skill will not be adequate.”

He repeatedly assured the young entrepreneurs that the Maoists' economic policy would be investor friendly and urged them to make further investment so as to create additional employment opportunities. Dr Bhattarai further informed the gathering that the Maoist-led government would pay due attention to promoting the education, health and IT sectors.

Another Maoist leader Barsa Man Pun highlighted the roles that the youth could play in making a New Nepal and said that structure of political parties should reflect the society by allowing one-third representation of youth leaders.

He further said that the interest of laborers could only be promoted by enhancing competition in the labor market to ensure higher wages and better working conditions. “There can be a meeting point that can address the interests of both the laborers and the owners,” he said. Pun also advocated the need of revolutionary land reforms and said that there is an urgent need to punish absentee landowners, who keep their land barren.

Saurabh Jyoti, president of NYEF, said the country can't see rapid development as long as there is no sustainable peace and urged the Maoist leadership to consult with young entrepreneurs before formulating new industrial policies.

Likewise, Vishnu Kumar Agrawal, convener of CNI-YEF, said that the upcoming Maoist government should focus on using unemployed youth to put the country into the path of sustainable development. “Achieving a double-digit growth will be possible unless the government brings policies to help entrepreneurship flourish among the youth,” he said.

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