Like all the other sectors, the industrial sector, too, is bearing the brunt of the current chaotic

situation prevalent nationwide. The adverse impact can be calculated in terms of daily financial losses for all the stakeholders, including the entrepreneurs, the daily wage earners and the nation as a whole. The government’s special security action plan can be worth it only if it actually sees the light of the day and implemented with vigour. Doing so has become imperative as industrialists are increasingly being targeted for extortion, intimidation, and kidnapping. Industrial units in Birgunj, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa and Nepalgunj are witnessing a hostile working environment, as the entrepreneurs have to put up with strikes and are also compelled to pay taxes to the Maoists.

The creation of a conducive environment is necessary for the smooth functioning of businesses and to expedite administrative reforms. New policy plans, be they in the field of aviation or tourism, are simply inconsequential if they can’t be enforced. By the same token, the government’s initiation to computerise tax administration can bear fruits only if all the taxpayers, including the high and the mighty, are brought under the dragnet. It is, however, regrettable that the central bank, despite its authority to devise policy framework for the timely repayment of loans, has failed in compelling the big defaulters to refund the amounts owed by them. Merely harping on the private sector participation is just not enough. Instilling confidence by safeguarding commercial interests is also of equal importance.