Kathmandu, Jan. 17 : Minister for Finance and Defence Mahesh Acharya has said that the Agriculture Development Bank (ADB) can play an important role in the national campaign to fulfill basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, health care and education for the majority of the people by alleviating poverty.
Addressing the 34th bank anniverary and employees get-together function here today, Finance Minister Acharya pointed out the need of coordination between the governmental, semi-governmental and non-governmental organisations set up with the objectives of poverty alleviation.
Stating that violence, killings and unrest which affect the poor first of all could not be sustained for long in a country such as ours, he said that a majority of the people were for peaceful social development.
On the occasion, Minister for Finance and Defence Acharya gave away prizes to seven small farmers cooperative societies including Anandaban Small Farmers Cooperatives Society, Devadaha Small Farmers Cooperative Society and Uttarganga Small Farmers Cooperative Society for outstanding performance among the cooperative societies.
He gave away gifts to a former general manager of the bank, prizes and certificates to artists participating in the child art competition and medals and appreciation letters to employees completing 25 years of services at the ADB.
At the function, Nepal Rastra Bank governor Dipendra Purush Dhakal said that the bank established with the objective of undertaking agricultural development had also been functioning successfully as a commercial bank.
ADB general manager Devedra Pratap Shaha said that the bank had been making all possible effort to reach the target set by HMG for poverty alleviation in the rural areas.
ADB Deputy General Manager Madhav Kumar Upadhyaya, ex-employee Vinod Bhattarai and chairman of the Small Farmers Cooperative Society Uttarganga, Chandani Dhakal also expressed their views at the function chaired by ADB board of directors chairman Lab Kumar Devkota.