Government Prioritizes Reviving State Industries for Production and Employment

Kathmandu. Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Gauri Kumari has stated that the government has given top priority to restarting closed and sick state-owned industries to increase production and employment in the country. Responding to questions raised by members of parliament in the House of Representatives on the budget allocated for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84, Minister Kumari informed that the process of evaluating the assets and liabilities of seven state-owned industries is currently underway. Based on the report of this study, which is being conducted through the Ministry of Finance, a suitable modality will be prepared to bring these industries into operation soon, she said. The government aims to expand storage capacity to meet three months of total demand to ensure and secure the supply of petroleum products in the country. In this regard, Minister Kumari informed the house that the construction of cross-border petroleum pipelines from Siliguri-Chaarali and Amlekhgunj-Lothar is progressing, and land management and technical work for the construction of a new storage facility in Sarlahi are underway. Regarding industrial infrastructure development, she stated that work is being done to upgrade the access road and manage plots in the Daiji Industrial Area in Kanchanpur, and the construction work in the Shaktikhor and Motipur industrial areas will also be expedited. Similarly, the budget prioritizes the construction of an access road for a cement industry in Surkhet and the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the operation of the Dhauwadi iron mine in Nawalparasi. In the context of mineral exploration, the main drilling work of the petroleum project in Dailekh has been completed and is in the final stages of receiving the report, and feasibility studies for natural gas in areas like Chokha will be conducted, the minister mentioned. For the development of the agricultural sector, warehouses will be constructed in partnership with the private sector for the safe storage of Nepali agricultural products such as tea and cardamom, and efforts are underway to determine concessional electricity tariffs for small and medium-sized industries, she also informed. Speaking about market expansion for tea and cardamom, she said, 'Diplomatic efforts are being made to remove technical and trade barriers in tea exports.' Speaking on market management and consumer welfare, the minister claimed that despite the challenging international situation, the supply system of petroleum products in Nepal has been made effective. To intensify market monitoring, inspection officers have been appointed at the provincial, district, and local levels, and modern scanner machines will be installed at dry ports and integrated check posts to make foreign trade more transparent, she clarified. To simplify service delivery for investors, the one-stop service center at the Department of Industry has been strengthened, and the minister also expressed a commitment to fully transition all services under the ministry to an online system in the coming days. To encourage young people with innovative ideas, the startup enterprise loan and entrepreneurship development program will be continued in the coming year, she said.