KATHMANDU, APRIL 5

Vice-president Nanda Bahadur Pun has urged industrialists to engage in increasing production to reduce the country's growing trade deficit.

Inaugurating the 4th General Assembly and 2nd National General Convention of Nepal National Federation of Entrepreneurs today, he said that manufacturing businesses should be increased to build a prosperous nation. 'As the economy has been negatively affected due to low exports and high imports, we must do business in a way to increases production at home,' he added.

The vice-president said though the rights confined to Singha Durbar have been delegated to the villages as per the norms of the constitution, the economic condition of Nepali people has not changed and adequate employment opportunities have not been created within the country.

He said the government should work with the private sector to build a self-reliant economy, while drawing the attention of the government to solve the problems faced by small and medium-scale industries.

Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City Bidya Sundar Shakya said that industrialists had an important role to play in the economic development of the country.

President of the federation Naresh Katuwal said that the government should move ahead by coordinating with the private sector for the development of the country. Founded in 2017, the federation currently has 22 business affiliates involving more than 10,000 entrepreneurs from across the country.

A version of this article appears in the print on April 6, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.