KATHMANDU: Nepali Congress President Gagan Kumar Thapa on Sunday said the government must move forward by building trust with the private sector to develop and expand Nepal’s digital economy.

Speaking at an interaction programme on “Digital Economy: Local Employment and Access to the Global Market” at the party’s central office in Sanepa, Thapa said the government should formulate a clear and ambitious plan for the sector and rely on the capability of private businesses.

“The government must be clear on two things: first, there should be an ambitious and explicit plan for this sector; second, it must trust the private sector and the market. It is not appropriate to think that all knowledge and capacity exist only within the government,” he said.

Thapa said skilled and experienced human resources are available outside the government and stressed the need to recognize the expertise and dynamism of the private sector.

He added that the digital economy could become a major pillar of Nepal’s economy and should be pursued as a shared national agenda rather than the programme of a single political party.

Thapa also said lawmakers from all parties were prepared to support necessary policy and legal reforms to promote the sector. He added that a team led by Dr. Govinda Pokharel was preparing study materials and reports to help make parliamentary debate on the issue more effective and evidence-based.