What the prime minister claims as ‘fact’ is not a ‘fact’ at all

South Asia Check / April 12, 2017

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal                                                                                            Photo: Bikram Rai

During an interview published on the Ratopati news website on April 2, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal claimed that the economic growth for the current fiscal year forecast by the World Bank is the highest in 24 years. He said:

“The economic growth forecast for the year is 6.2 percent. This has not happened in 24 years. And this happened when the Maoists are heading the government. You can call it a miracle of sorts.”

In the interview, the prime minister also said: “Some people don’t want to give credit to the Maoists for the good work done. The big media organizations are even more so. Big capitalists never give us the credit and so do the leaders of the old political parties. But in the end, facts are facts.”

South Asia Check has examined the prime minister’s claim.

According to the World Bank, Nepal recorded an economic growth rate of 8.2 percent in the fiscal year 1993/94. And in the fiscal year 1999/2000, growth was recorded at 6.2 percent.

Therefore, the prime minister’s claim is wrong.

The graph below shows Nepal’s actual economic growth rates from 1981 to 2014.

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