PM Oli stresses to industrialise Nepal

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, July 23: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that it is necessary to make the country a place of production and push it towards industrialisation.

He made this remark during the meeting with the delegation of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) led by its newly elected President Birendra Raj Pandey Tuesday.

Prime Minister Oli said that instead of importing goods and earning profits, attention should be paid to increasing production within the country and exporting them.  He said that the government is trying to encourage the private sector by making legal and policy reforms.

He said that he wants everything from kitchen items to other items to be Nepali. The Prime Minister said that only the production and use of indigenous goods can substitute imports.

On the occasion, President Pandey said that the CNI is conducting the Make in Nepal Swadeshi campaign with the aim of replacing imports in collaboration with the government. 

He said that the Confederation has set a target of increasing the size of the country's economy to USD 100 billion and achieving double-digit economic growth in the next decade, and preliminary studies have shown that eight sectors should be prioritised for this. He expressed confidence that the government would prioritise legal and policy reforms for this.

Meanwhile, the delegation of CNI met with Speaker Devraj Ghimire and urged him to bring laws to promote private sector investment.

Similarly, the CNI team met Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Damodar Bhandari, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka and Chairman of Public Accounts Committee Hrishikesh Pokharel separately to discuss the current state of the economy, legal and policy reforms, and effective implementation of the budget.

During the discussion, Industry Minister Bhandari said that the Confederation has been providing clear suggestions to the government after studying them, and expressed confidence that similar suggestions will be received in the coming days as well. 

He said that more work needs to be done to boost the morale of the private sector, and that the government has been prioritising legal and policy reforms. Minister Bhandari also emphasised that the private sector should build industrial infrastructure.

Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Dahal said that the ministry is ready to cooperate in formulating necessary policies for overall economic development.

Minister for Energy Khadka said that the government is looking to make policy reforms for energy development. He said that the government is also preparing to open up the private sector for electricity trade.