Kathmandu, Sept 13: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Pampha Bhusal, has said the dream for a prosperous Nepal will come true only after the living standards of the people under the poverty line gets improved.    

Inaugurating the fourth central general convention of the Nepal National Employees Organisation, Rastriya Banijya Bank (RBB) Limited here today, the Minister asserted that we all were responsible for contributing to alleviating poverty and liberating the country from poverty. “Our roles and responsibilities should not be merely determined by the commercial lens."    

As she said, though people’s war led to the arrival of a big political change in the country, no substantive changes were seen in people’s lives and that’s why politicians, bureaucrats and the business community were being criticised for.    

She took time to share that the decision of the Ministry to provide free electricity service to those families consuming up to 20 units of electricity would benefit 2.85 million households.    

Besides, it has been decided to reduce the electricity tariff and to opt for a policy of encouraging people to use electricity for cooking.    

Likewise, as per the Ministry decisions, farmers will not be charged for electricity they use for shallow tube well irrigation purposes and there will be fifty per cent discount in tariff for the use of deep tube well, according to the Energy Minister.    

The Ministry asserted that the RBB should develop itself as a ‘brand bank’ fulfilling its social and civic responsibility. “The State is always by its side for its good endeavours.”    

According to the Ministry, now members in the Federal Parliament have their bank accounts in the RBB for salary encashment and it was possible after long efforts.    

On the occasion, RBB CEO Kiran Kumar Shrestha sought the government’s role for the growth of the size of the bank’s capital.    

The RBB provides its services to 3.8 million clients through its 247 branches in 77 districts.