The Finance Minister, Wangdi Norbu, said the country’s present economy is in good state. Lyonpo justified that over the past three years, the GDP growth rate has gone up to 9 percent and that the unemployment rate has been brought down to 2.1 percent from that of 4 percent.
Lyonpo Wangdi Norbu added the shortage of rupee was partly covered up by other currencies reserves like the dollars.
“So from that angle we don’t have much problem. But temporarily we have to borrow when we can’t meet. Basically the economic situation is not in shambles.” The Minister also said the government in last five years has added lot of economic infrastructure.
The Prime Minister echoed similar opinion and told the media not to build false perceptions.
“Have any of your friends, relatives, parents, brothers and sister lost their job in the government or in the private sector because the economy is performing poorly? Have any of you lost your homes or were no longer able to afford the homes and apartments that you are living in? Has your lifestyle changed? Are you receiving lesser care from the health sector? Have you heard Indian rupees stopped flowing into the country?”
When one of the reporters, during the press conference yesterday asked the government on the debts of the country, the Prime Minister said the debt levels, assessed by the experts from the International Monetary Fund, from the World Bank and from Asian Development Bank, are as sustainable and as being within the sound level.
Lyonchhoen said in the tenth plan itself, the government has exceeded the policy of matching the recurrent cost with the internal revenue.