Government Forms Panel to Hold Talks with Microfinance Victims

The Government of Nepal has formed a high-level negotiation committee to initiate formal talks with protesting microfinance victims. The committee was constituted through a ministerial decision by Finance Minister Dr. Swarnim Wagle, who directed the newly appointed team to immediately begin discussions with the protesters. The panel is led by Mahesh Acharya, Joint Secretary at the Ministry of Finance, and includes Joint Secretary Binod Kumar Bhattarai from the Ministry of Law, Joint Secretary Suresh Panthi from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Executive Director Ramu Paudel from Nepal Rastra Bank, while Under Secretary Bolaraj Acharya of the Ministry of Finance serves as the member secretary. The committee held its inaugural meeting at the Ministry of Finance to finalize the negotiation framework before commencing direct talks with representatives of the microfinance victims later the same day. The government expects the dialogue process to help address the concerns raised by the protesters and facilitate a constructive resolution through negotiations.