NSO, NBA hold interaction programme on National Economic Census 2082
KATHMANDU: National Statistics Office (NSO) and Nepal Bankers' Association (NBA) jointly held an interaction programme on National Economic Census 2082 in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
The event brought together NBA officials and 25 representatives from banks, including Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Machhapuchchhre Bank, Himalayan Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Nepal Bank and Siddhartha Bank.
Dr Sharad Kumar Sharma, Deputy Chief Statistician of the NSO, chaired the programme. NSO Deputy Chief Statistician and Spokesperson Dhundi Raj Lamichhane delivered the welcome speech and outlined the objectives, while NSO Director Dr Ved Prasad Dhakal gave a brief presentation on the National Economic Census 2082.
Addressing participants, Dr Sharma said, "Accurate data is the foundation of correct planning. This census will prove to be a milestone in depicting the real picture of the country's economic condition." He also urged provincial and local governments to become active in the census campaign.
In his presentation, Dr Dhakal highlighted the importance of capturing informal economic activity, noting that the informal sector still accounts for around 41 per cent of Nepal's GDP. He said, "The more we can include the informal sector in the census, the stronger the country's economy will become."
Dipesh Chalise, chief financial officer of Laxmi Sunrise Bank, said the census is important for the banking sector and pledged the bank’s support for the initiative. At the conclusion of the programme, organisers called on all stakeholders to cooperate and coordinate to ensure the success of the economic census.
During the discussion, representatives from the NBA and various banks raised questions on data management, employee details of merged banks and the e-census platform. Lamichhane urged banks to provide information through the e-census and assured them that data confidentiality would be maintained.
Lamichhane emphasised that the campaign cannot succeed without private sector participation and said the NSO seeks collaboration with organised institutions such as the banking sector. He also asked banks to support the census by issuing necessary information and messages to their networks.
