Kathmandu. The delay in the appointment of the governor of Nepal Rastra Bank has raised questions about the government. Experts have protested, saying that the government has delayed the appointment of the governor for self-interest.
Addressing a program organized in Chitwan on Tuesday, Nepali Congress leader Shekhar Koirala said that even the National Bank, which handles the country’s economy, has started being run by middlemen. ‘The appointment of the governor of the National Bank, which should have been done a month ago, has not yet been made. The selection committee meeting has not even been held. Even the National Bank has not been spared from the manipulation of middlemen,’ he said. Koirala said that the government is going astray in appointing a capable and blameless person as the governor.
A few days ago, Congress General Secretary Gagan Thapa said that the general public is watching the issue of governor appointment with interest and said that a capable and qualified person should be appointed as the governor. The issue of governor appointment has also been discussed in the Parliament from various angles.
According to the National Bank Act 2058, there is a provision that one governor should be appointed from among the three persons recommended by the Governor Recommendation Committee one month before the governor retires. ‘The Government of Nepal shall appoint a person to the post of governor in accordance with this Act, generally one month before the post of the incumbent governor becomes vacant, and shall publish and broadcast the notice thereof publicly,’ the act states. However, the government has not been able to appoint a governor yet.
The Council of Ministers formed a committee on Chaitra 11 under the coordination of the Finance Minister and comprising economist Bishwa Poudel and former Governor Vijayanath Bhattarai. However, the committee has not been able to take any initiative to recommend a governor. Experts say that the government has only made the committee a showpiece and is looking for self-interest in the appointment of the governor.
The Ministry of Finance has appointed Senior Deputy Governor Neelam Dhungana Timsina as the acting governor after the retirement of Maha Prasad Adhikari. However, the recommendation committee has not even held a formal meeting to recommend the governor.
Leaders say that the appointment of the governor has not been finalized due to disagreements between Prime Minister KP Oli and Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba. Apart from this, various business groups are also pressuring the government to appoint a person who will serve their interests as the governor. That is why the appointment of the governor has been delayed.
The list of those aspiring to become governor is long. These various characters are being supported by various interest groups. Due to this, the government is said to be in a dilemma over who to appoint as the governor.
There are more than 2 dozen aspirants for the appointment of the governor. Among them, the names of Deputy Governors Timsina and Bam Bahadur Mishra, Rastra Bank Director Rabindra Pandey, Executive Director Gunakar Bhatta, Prakash Kumar Shrestha, who has resigned as Executive Director, former Chief Secretary Rajendra Kishore Chhetri, former Finance Secretary Rameshwor Khanal, and others are in the news. The government seems to be in a mood to decide who to appoint as Governor based on these names and ask the investigation committee to recommend the names of three people.
While recommending the appointment of Governor, there is a provision to recommend the names of three people from among the distinguished individuals in the fields of economics, monetary, banking, finance, commerce, management and commercial law and Deputy Governors to the Council of Ministers. One of them will have to be appointed as the governor by the Council of Ministers.
On the eve of the governor’s appointment, the Ministry of Finance has revised the criteria for the appointment and nomination of officials and members of public bodies affiliated with it and removed the age limit. It can be understood that Oli-Deuba is looking for a governor who will fulfill his interests.
On Tuesday, government spokesperson and Minister for Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung said that the matter would be finalized soon as the governor’s appointment process is still underway.
