The private sector today requested the government to allow businesses to operate by maintaining the safety measures prescribed by the government against Covid-19.
Representatives of three private sector organisations including Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) – in a meeting with Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today at his official residence Baluwatar – put forth their serious concern over the prohibitory order, after the five-month long lockdown.
The economy is going to be derailed, if the current prohibitory order is continued, they complained, adding that people are likely to suffer more from fall in their incomes than the threat of Covid-19 as a large number of people have already been laid off due to the present crisis. “People will die from hunger than from the disease as they are going jobless, due to longer closure of industries.”
Urging the government to take 33 per cent of the liability of the employees’ salary, they also asked to provide loans at 50 per cent subsidised interest rate to the small and medium enterprises. The private sector also sought an effective coordination among the three tiers of government in addressing the current situation.
Responding to the private sector, the premier signaled that the prohibitory order – that is imposed for the third week that ends on Wednesday – will be relaxed.
FNCCI president Bhawani Rana, president in waiting Shekhar Golchha, vice president Chandra Dhakal, CNI president Satish Kumar More, immediate past president Haribhakta Sharma, vice president Bishnu Agrawal, NCC president Rajesh Kazi Shrestha, vice presidents Rajendra Malla and Deepak Malhotra represented the private sector, whereas premire was accompanied by former finance minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada, central bank governor Maha Prasad Adhikari, and National Planning Commission (NPC) vice chair Dr Puspa Raj Kandel.
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