Kathmandu, March 6 -- Over a month since its formation, the National Cooperatives Regulatory Authority (NCRA) has been unable to make much progress. Despite the government's decision to replace the National Cooperatives Development Board with NCRA and introduce an ordinance in December, the authority has made little headway and has yet to pick up speed in its operations.

The government brought the ordinance to address the problems in the country's cooperative sector, arguing that it would take time to pass a law through the regular parliamentary process. However, the speed with which the ordinance promised to resolve the problems of cooperatives through the NCRA is missing.

Arjun Prasad Pokharel, secretary at the Ministry of Land Manage...