The idea of at least one industrial estate in each Province is in line with balanced economic development of all the Pradeshes

The announcement in the National Budget for the current fiscal year of establishing seven new industrial estates –- one in each Pradesh – is a good one because it seeks to promote industrial development in all the Pradeshes.

The Ministry of Industry (MoI) said on Tuesday that the land acquisition process for this has already started. It said the government obtained land certificates of four industrial estates in the previous fiscal year.

The land will now have to be registered in the name of Industrial District Management Ltd (IDML), a public enterprise under the MoI, which has also sought the Cabinet’s permission to acquire land for industrial districts in two Pradeshes; a feasibility study is in progress on another industrial district.

Industry Minister Som Prasad Pandey says the government will start, from this fiscal year, to develop the infrastructure for the industrial estates for which land has been acquired.

The idea of at least one industrial estate in each Province is in line with balanced economic development of all the Pradeshes.

Indeed, each Pradesh’s particular strengths and comparative advantages will dictate its overall development, as all Pradeshes cannot do very well in all areas.

The proposed industrial districts will be located in Damak (Jhapa district of Pradesh No. 1); Murtia (Sarlahi district of Pradesh No. 2); Mayurdhap (Makawanpur district of Pradesh No. 3); Chyalingtar (Gorkha district of Pradesh No. 4); Motipur of Rapandehi, Naubasta of Banke and Dharna and Laxmipur of Dang in Pradesh No. 5), Surkhet in Pradesh No. 6) and Daiji (Kanchanpur district of Pradesh No. 7).

The new industrial districts will give high priority tothose industries which use Nepali raw materials, which means emphasizing high value addition.But there will be no bar on industries which use foreign raw materials.

Industrial development has suffered a number of setbacks in the country, including the decade-long Maoist violence and the resulting insecurity and law and order problem. But the policies of successive governments had not been very encouraging either.

Many domestic industries either died or were struggling and only a few of them did very well. Nepal’s top foreign exchange earners, such as carpets and garments, declined one by one. Nepal’s exports have been low while its imports have been increasing dangerously every year.

This trend needs to be reversed if the country is to make progress and achieve prosperity. Without making a solid start in this direction no number of promises by our political leaders will be of any use.

The current National Budget provides some hopeful signs, including that the next decade beginning with this fiscal year has been declared as “Industrialization Decade”.

Sadly, there has been no industrial estate established in recent memory, with the exception of a special economic zone, as all the eleven existing industrial districts were set up half a century ago.

To boost industrial production, exports and promote economic growth, our political parties should stop allowing their politics to hinder the country’s trade, industrial and economic interests.

Fee structure

The government formed a seven-member panel on July 10 to review the fee structure for MBBS and BDS courses.

The panel is supposed to submit its report to the council of ministers within one month.

The panel, led by Prof Dr Shiva Kumar Rai, will also review the Kedar Bhakta Mathema report, which has recommended that a medical college charge Rs. 3.5 million for MBBS and Rs. 1.8 million for BDS courses on installments basis.

The report has also recommended reviewing the fee structure every two years so that the cost could be adjusted as per the inflation.

Undoubtedly, medical education is expensive. But the private medical colleges had been charging exorbitant fees from students, that too, on lump sum basis.

There had been a call for regulating the fee structure that should be uniform in all medical colleges. The panel should be more pragmatic while reviewing the fee structure.

The government should also constantly monitor the medical colleges to ensure that they do not charge more fees from students than specified.

All medical colleges must publish the number of seats allocated to them and the total amount of fees the students are required to pay.

This will at least help control anomalies seen in medical education.