Kathmandu: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries or otherwise the CNI organized an interaction program on November 5th evening on the budgetary provisions of the current fiscal year and their impact on private sector investment and suggestions for immediate corrective measures.

The interaction saw the presence of the country’s finance minister Dr. P.C.Lohani.

Initiating the debate, the founding Chairman of the CNI, Mr. Binod Choudhary indirectly expressed his displeasure at the manner the government of the day was looking at the mounting problems of the Nepalese Industries.

“Though we must praise the positive and forward looking initiatives taken by the government for the Industries in the current budget, however, so far the government has remained unable to mitigate the problems and the bureaucratic hassles meted out to the Industrialists at time of the customs clearance and other related matters”, said Choudhary.

The budget indeed came at a time that was critical and continues to be so but yet the hopes that has arisen among the Industrialists prior to the announcement of the budget have all gone to the dogs, added the CNI President.

It would be proper and logical both if the concerned minister directed his bureaucrats down at the district level not to pose problems while clearing their goods at the border entry points. He also suggested the minister to take measures that ensured qualitative and uninterrupted power supply to the industries so that the Nepali products could compete the tough world market.

Elaborating the pains and the problems confronting the Nepali Industrial sector, Mr. Jagdish Agrawal said that the government should concentrate its efforts in making the whole bureaucratic affair a transparent one and simplify the existing cumbersome rules and regulations.

Mr. Agrawal provided several ideas to the government, which if applied in practice the CNI hopes that the Industry sector would benefit immensely.

Replying to queries, the finance minister informed the gathering that he would do all he can in order to ease the problems confronting the Industrial sector.