Bishnu Poudel as finance minister is a wrong man at the wrong place at the wrong time, observers say

With no background in economics, Poudel, general secretary of the ruling Nepal Communist Party, faces a host of challenges as he has been asked to lead the Finance Ministry in an economy ravaged by the pandemic.

When Bishnu Poudel became finance minister back in October 2015, he was facing an economy badly affected by the earthquakes and the Indian trade blockade. In his second stint, the ruling party general secretary is facing even a bigger economic crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.