BIRATNAGAR: Minister for Home Affairs, Ram Bahadur Thapa, has said the country’s economic growth rate would touch eight per cent next year.

Speaking at a joint press meet organised by Press Chautari and Press Center, Morang here today, the Home Minister expressed hope that budget for the upcoming fiscal year presented by the government recently would help bring development and prosperity in the country and give way to attaining double-digit economic growth by the next couple of years.

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s recent India visit and his upcoming visit to the northern neighbour China would be of help in consolidating the mutual ties, he added.

Stating that high inflation in the price of some goods was due to international market and not because of the domestic market, he said the government was committed to controlling black marketing.

He argued that the central government had allocated sufficient budget to province governments, and also assured that actions would be taken against contractors responsible for delays in development projects.

In his reply to a query about the smuggling of gold from Tribhuvan International Airport, he said, “Investigations into the matter are underway and the government will leave no stone unturned to bring the criminals to book.”

He assured of ending syndicate in every sector including education, health, construction and agriculture, and providing quality goods and services to people on the basis of healthy competition.

Minister Thapa also claimed that unification between the then CPN-UML and CPN Maoist Centre to form Nepal Communist Party (NCP) would be meaningful in bringing development and prosperity in the nation.