To ensure supplies of essential goods and petroleum products in the Kathmandu Valley, the government is embarking on a new policy as per which supplies will be stockpiled to support the Valley population for at least two months.

Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Supplies, Dishesh Chandra Pyakurel, Wednesday said, “To make sure that supplies do not run out, foodstuff such as rice and daal, petroleum products and other goods of daily use will be stored for at least two months.” He told the state-owned Radio Nepal that the government agencies would coordinate with the private sector for the stockpiling of foodstuff and petroleum products.

To make effective the storing of supplies, monitoring will be made effective, Pyakurel said. “It is not that government alone is able to stockpile the supplies, we need the private sector cooperation,” said he.

Meanwhile, the ministry has said that arrangements have been made to dispatch food grains to some eastern hilly districts facing food shortage since last few days. The Nepal Food Corporation depot in Biratnagar dispatched 200-quintal rice to Sankhuwasabha district today while preparations are underway to airdrop foodstuff to Bhojpur, another eastern district facing food shortage due to frequent Maoist-enforced blockades and bandhs.