Janakpurdham, Jan. 3  :Minister for Industry Omkar Prasad Shrestha has said that since industries have an important role in strengthening the national economy, serious discussion should be held on the country’s industrial development and plans should be formulated accordingly.

Minister Shrestha was speaking to businessmen here at a discussion programme today.

The kind of thinking and planning that had to go into for the industrial development of the country fifty years ago was not done, he said, adding that the next budget would be formulated after acquiring information on the weak and strong points of the government on evaluation of its performance in the last six months.

He said during the last six months, the government had worked to uphold the dignity and decorum of the parliament and its members, wiped away the impression of the dissolution of parliament from people’s mind, and prepared  extensive programmes for the development of the industry, agriculture, road and the infrastructure sector by reining in corruption to some extent.

At the programme, member of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Dr. Shankar Sharma stressed the development of cottage and small scale industries in the country in order to meet the government’s policy of providing employment to the maximum number of people.

Central secretary of Nepal Incense Stick Manufacturers’ Association, Govind Sirohiya criticised the government’s industrial policy saying the government was still collecting Value Added Tax from industries manufacturing incense sticks although they were not required to under the Industrial Act of 2049 B.S.

He said higher customs charge was levied on the import of raw materials for the incense stick industries while the same was lesser in the case of incense sticks coming in from India.

Janakpur mayor Bajrang Prasad Saha pointed out the need to extend the Janakpur-Jayanagar railway services up to Bardibas and expansion of the Jatahi-Madhubani road to promote industrial development in the Janakpur area.

Chairman of Janakpur Cigarette Factory Limited Ankur Khadka, chief district officer Binod Gyawali and others also expressed their views at the programme presided over by the vice-president of Janakpur Chamber of Commerce and Industries Mr. Pramod Gupta.