GANDAKI, JULY 29

Pokhara Chamber of Commerce and Industries has drawn the attention of Gandaki Province government to prioritise anti-COVID vaccination to the businesspersons.

A delegation led by chapter chair Narayan Koirala met with Chief Minister Krishna Chandra Nepali and reminded him to save entire industries, including tourism in Pokhara with the timely vaccination to the industrialists and entrepreneurs.

The delegation submitted a memorandum to the chief minister and stressed that vaccinating the entrepreneurs would ensure the resumption of business and restoration of economic activities.

The businesspersons, as the delegation argued, have direct contact with thousands of people in a day, thereby making them vulnerable to the COVID-19 threats.

Unless they are vaccinated, the chance of spreading coronavirus among the businesspersons and in community is high, the memorandum mentioned.

Upon receiving the memorandum, CM Krishna Chandra Nepali informed that the province government was striving to ensure anti-COV- ID vaccines to all the qualified citizens in the province.

'Vaccine is the foremost priority of the government and necessary budget has been allocated for it,' he said, adding that the province government was, however, not allowed to purchase vaccine on its own and the federal government itself was allocating the vaccines. 'However, the federal government was urged to provide adequate vaccines to the province,' CM Nepali reminded.

On the occasion, Minister for Law, Communications and Province Assembly Affairs Bindu Kumar Thapa said the province government would inoculate the businesspersons soon after it receives vaccines from the federal government.

It was informed that at least 20,000 entrepreneurs were in need of vaccines in Pokhara alone.

A version of this article appears in the print on July 30 2021, of The Himalayan Times.