Kathmandu, April 1: State Minister for Labour Surendra Hamal today said that the banks should move ahead with effective strategies to sustain themselves in the competitive environment.
The banks have a crucial role to play in the national development, Hamal said inaugurating the Fifth General Congress of Nepal Bank Employees Association (NEBEA) in the capital Saturday noon. “The banks should concentrate on how they can offer quality services to their clients.”
Hamal said that the government was committed to safeguard the interests of the workers and employees adding that the activities of the state were oriented toward social welfare. Citing the inception of Labour Act, Bonus Act, Financial Sector Reform Act and Labour Court as efforts in this direction, Hamal said that the government was ready to reform the laws if required.
The country is facing serious social and economic challenges, the Communist Party of Nepal (United Marxist-Leninist)’s standing committee member Bharat Mohan Adhikari said. “Financial institutions, particularly banks, can play an important role to settle these challenges.”
Criticising the modality of privatisation adopted by the government, Adhikari said that the executive should rather focus its attention on how the nation can achieve economic prosperity.
CPN-ML’s central member Kamal Chaulagain said that the nation was plagued by the scourge of corruption adding that the menace would not be contained in absence of clean political leadership.
President of National People’s Front Chitra Bahadur KC said that unity was the only remedy to the menace.
NEBEA general secretary Murari Prasad Poudel said that privatisation had led the bank into a critical situation. Poudel accused the management of failing to check corruption which he said was the cause of the bank’s ‘ruin’. “Neither has the inefficient management been able to launch any strategies to increase the business of the institution.”
Chaired by NEBEA central president Kiran Kumar Shrestha, the function was participated in by NBL employees from various parts of the country.