Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Dr Bijaynath Bhattarai, a member of the committee formed to recommend a new governor for Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), has submitted his resignation.
The former central bank governor told Himal Press that he submitted his resignation to Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel on Tuesday.
Dr Bhattarai said he was compelled to resign because the committee had not held a single meeting since its formation. “There is no point in staying on a committee that has not been able to function. I don’t even know why the committee was formed. It hasn’t been allowed to work, and that’s why I resigned,” Dr Bhattarai told Himal Press over the phone.
The finance ministry formed the three-member committee under Paudel a month ago. Economist Dr Bishwo Paudel is the other member of the committee.
The central bank has been without a governor since Maha Prasad Adhikari’s term ended on April 6. However, the recommendation committee has failed to hold even a single meeting due to a lack of consensus between the coalition partners, CPN-UML and Nepali Congress (NC). Although the two parties reportedly resolved the issue last week, Bhattarai’s resignation has now thrown the governor selection process into limbo.
Senior-most Deputy Governor Neelam Dhungana has been serving as the Acting Governor in the interim.
