Bhairahawa, January 22:

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Shyam Sundar Gupta today said the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) is still incurring a monthly loss of Rs 23 crore despite the price hike of petroleum products.

Speaking at a press conference organised by the Reporter’s Club Nepal here, he said: “Earlier, the NOC was bearing a monthly loss of Rs 60 crores

and with the price hike the loss will reduce to Rs 23 crores a month now.”

He said the NOC will still incur loss of Rs 230 in each gas

cylinder even after increasing the price of per cylinder to Rs 1,250. He, however, said the NOC is making profit of Rs 13 crores after the price of air fuel was increased.

The price of petroleum products in the international market will be reduced in February and it will also decrease price in Nepal, he said, adding the government is planning to provide cooking gas at a discount of Rs 100 in each cylinder to students.

Minister Gupta said the Salt Trading Corporation (STC)

has been mired in corruption and assured of making the facts of corruption public within a few days.

Sugar and salt are purchased from India at discounted rates and there have been instances of great corruption in the past five years, he said, adding that mafias are running the STC.

“Chairman of the STC board committee Laxmi Das Maharjan and Rajendraman Sherchan provided a cheque of Rs 40 lakhs to Shibendra Kumar Singh, brother of the Nepal Sadbhawana Party- A, Anandi Devi Singh, to sack me from

the post of minister,” he claimed, adding: “Attempts are being made to sack me, however, they could not achieve their goals as I have majority members.”

He claimed that he will make public facts about all the figures involved in corruption

in his ministry.

The minister said the government will punish those who try to spread violence in the country. “As I have regular contact with chairman of the JTMM-G, Jaya Krishna Goit, I hope he will sit for talks with the government,” Gupta said.