Introduction & History

The National Planning Commission (NPC) is the apex advisory body of the Government of Nepal for formulating a national vision, periodic plans and policies for development. It is headed by the Right Honorable Prime Minister. The NPC assesses resource needs, identifies sources of funding, and allocates budget for socio-economic development. It serves as a central agency for monitoring and evaluating development plans, policies and programs. The NPC also serves as an intellectual hub for the exchange of new development ideas and proposals from scholars, private sector, civil society, and development partners.

At present, the NPC has one full-time Vice-Chairman, eight members, and one Member-Secretary who also heads a fully staffed secretariat.The Chief-Secretary and the Finance Secretary are ex-officio members of the Commission. The national statistical organization of Nepal, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), functions as a specialized entity of the NPC Secretariat, headed by a Director-General.

The Secretariat consists of six functional Divisions each headed by a Joint-Secretary: i) Economic Management; ii) Social Development; iii) Infrastructure Development; iv) Agriculture and Rural Development; v) Monitoring and Evaluation; and vi) Administration. Each Division is further divided into Sections headed by an Under-Secretary.