RESPONSE TO PANDEMICS BY COOPERATIVES
Microfinance in Cooperative Conference 2021
The Government of Nepal is ready to move forward and improve the cooperatives as it is connected to the people, addressed Mr. Janardan Sharma, Finance Minister of Nepal.
Micro Finance in Cooperative Conference 2021 was jointly organized with National Cooperative Bank Limited (NCBL) on the auspicious occasion of 19th anniversary of NCBL. The conference was physically held in Pulchok, Lalitpur, Nepal and also lived through available social media platforms.
Special addressing the opening ceremony, Mr. Sundeep Kumar Nayak, Chairman of NEDAC firstly congratulated NCBL on 19th anniversary and felt thankful for inviting him to this promising occasion. He mentioned that NCBL has been a prime member of NEDAC, jointly organizing many activities with NEDAC. He and NEDAC are willing to support the cooperative organizations in Nepal through NCBL and Finance Ministry in capacity development particularly microfinance or agricultural credits.
Speaking after the inauguration, Chief Guest Hon. Finance Minister – Mr. Janardan Sharma said the government is going to provide social security allowance through cooperative banks or microfinance companies based in rural areas. The Ministry has focused on production, job creation and poverty alleviation instead of making profit. They are ready to move forward and improve the cooperative sectors as it is connected to all people.
The conference was mainly focused on the cooperative microfinance in poverty reduction, demonstrated in the presentations of Mr. Badri Kumar Guragain, CEO, NCBL and Mr. Gopinath Mainali, Former Secretary, Nepal Government, Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation. Role of Cooperative in Microfinance: Reality, Opportunity, and Challenges in Nepal was presented by NCBL Director, Mr. Mahendra Kumar Giri. Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU) then presented Microfinance through cooperatives as a Global experience. Dr. Prakash Shrestha, Executive Director, Nepal Rastra Bank, Dr. Narhari Dhakal, Dr. Prasun Kumar Das, Secretary General, APRACA and Mrs. Om Devi Malla, Global Board Member, ICA, and NCBL advisors also participated in this conference as commenters.