KATHMANDU, Feb 19: Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) has announced to hold interactions in all provinces to discuss economic agendas.
The apex body of Nepali private sector also said that it expects to work closely with all provincial governments.
The first interaction will be held in Pokhara (Province 4). According to FNCCI, Chief Minister, ministers and provincial assembly members of Province 4 will participate in the interaction which is expected to identify working areas in economic fronts.
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FNCCI has already nominated its provincial coordinators for all seven provinces. It has also set up its provincial offices.
The announcement of the leading private sector body has come at a time when provincial assemblies have started their business and provincial governments are taking shape.
“The interaction itself is our attempt of adopting federal set up. We hope to identify common economic agendas in each province by holding discussions with officials of all provincial governments,” said FNCCI President Bhawani Rana said at a press meet in Kathmandu on Sunday.
The interaction series will be completed by mid-March, according to FNCCI. The federation is holding 'National Economic Cooperation Conference' in Kathmandu in the third week of March to wrap up its interaction series.
The government has already delegates power from the center to the provinces and local governments. But it is not clear yet whether economic activities mostly concentrated in Kathmandu and few other urban centers will be transferred to the provinces.
Asked whether any business and economic activity have gone into federal mode, the FNCCI members could not point out any specifically. “We are brainstorming ideas on how the private sector can go into federal model. We are also trying to learn some lessons from the Indian states,” Umesh Lal Shrestha, a vice president of FNCCI, said.
FNCCI officials say Nepal can learn from economic development in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam and Uttarakhanda states of India.
Rana also said that developing bordering cities of India can be a market for Nepali products and services. She further added that the private sector wants to see legal reforms and business-friendly policies and programs in each province
FNCCI also has urged the government to announce 'Country Development Decade' (2018-2028) to achieve faster economic growth. The federation will also seek assurance of provincial governments on investment and ask them to clarify issues related to taxation between provinces and local levels.
