The most important thing for the government is to improve the physical condition of all the industrial estates

There are many industrial estates spread across the country, which were set up by the government over the decades with a view to manufacturing essential goods to not only help reduce the import bills but also export them. The main objectives behind setting up these industrial estates are to create an industrial base and making the country self-reliant on those goods that are widely consumed within the country and outside. The manufacturing sector, if well implemented, can create millions of jobs for the Nepali youths, who must migrate to other countries every year in search of employment in the very sectors that can be found here. These industrial estates can be better utilised should the government and the private sector work in close coordination with each other. However, sad to say, the industrial estates, where the government has poured in billions of rupees over the decades, have remained underutilized, thanks to lax policies on the part of the government and low confidence of the private sector. Apart from the existing industrial zones, the government has also announced setting up at least one industrial estate in each province so that the people of the given province can find work close to their doorsteps.

The government-owned industrial estates are closed to the urban centres, better connected with major highways, and they also have improved access to electricity and communications facilities. These are the prerequisite for setting up an industry.

For the last four years, the government has overcome the perennial load-shedding problem commonly faced by the industrialists. Nowadays, they do not need to install expensive captive plants to operate their facilities at full capacity as the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority provides dedicated or trunk lines to those industries which consume large amounts of energy. The government land they use for the industrial purposes are also available at throwaway prices. These are what the government can do to encourage the private sector to make good use of these facilities offered by the government.

Against this backdrop, the Department of Industries (DoI) and Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to conduct a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the manufacturing industries operating in the country. As per the MoU, the database thus generated within six months will be jointly shared by the DoI and FNCCI, development opportunities in the industrial sector will be explored and the problem faced by the industries will be identified. The DoI will make maximum efforts to rehabilitate the industrial estates and help the private sector in increasing exports from Nepal and also conduct research on possible benefits that Nepal can receive from WTO membership. The database to be jointly developed is expected to address major hurdles in expanding the manufacturing industries and businesses. This kind of cooperation between the DoI and FNCCI will help in achieving the vision paper of the FNCCI. What is important for the government is to improve the physical condition of all the industrial estates so that the private sector can set up their industries without any bureaucratic hassle.

Landmark verdict

It is rare for journalists to speak out against the workings of the courts for fear of committing contempt as it often involves huge fines and prison terms. Yet time and again, the Nepali press has been critical of the courts, when it has reason to believe that they have not maintained their dignity in passing verdicts. Many a time, the dividing line between what constitutes fair criticism of the court that will not invite contempt and what does not is rather thin.

Hence, the Supreme Court's recent verdict that any news report critical of the judiciary published with the objective of reforming it cannot be deemed contempt of court is significant in safeguarding press freedom and maintaining transparency and accountability in government institutions.

The main purpose of having the law on contempt is to allow the courts to work freely and effectively so that they can enforce their will. But for this, the courts must not be swayed by outside interference, and they must uphold their dignity at all times because they represent the law. On the other hand, journalists, too, must make only responsible comments about the judiciary.

Only when the media and the judiciary work together can we safeguard democracy.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 3, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.