Finance Minister Janardan Sharma has urged the micro finance companies to reduce the existing interest rate charged for the loanee. Currently, the microfinance companies are charging 10 to 15 per cent interest rate in their loan investment. Receiving a memo from Microfinance Association of Nepal on Sunday, Minister Sharma said that poor people’s livelihood won’t improve until the microfinance companies that have strong access even in the remote areas reduce their interest rate.

The Finance Minister also expressed his readiness to extend support on behalf of the government to reduce the interest rate released by the microfinance companies while urging the Association’s representatives to submit a plan of action for the same. However, the members of Association said that the microfinance companies were not able to reduce the interest rate until the interest rate from the commercial banks is slashed.