Kathmandu. Prime Minister’s political advisor and coordinator of the constitution amendment task force, Asim Shah, urged the entrepreneurs to run their business without any fear, saying the government was adopting a private sector-friendly policy.

Collection of suggestions on constitution amendment from representatives of industry, commerce and private sector at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers on Monday, he said that the economic development of the country was not possible without collaboration with the private sector.

Clarifying that the government has not targeted any businessmen, Shah claimed that legal action was being taken only against those involved in serious criminal activities and causing damage to the state.

“No directive has been issued by the Office of the Prime Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs or any other agency on whether to arrest anyone or not. The system is doing its job fairly,” he said.

Stating that the industrialists and entrepreneurs were not required to donate to anyone, he urged them to inform the government if they come under pressure from any office-bearer of the party or government. According to him, the ‘zero tolerance’ policy has been adopted as the government was formed with the agenda of good governance and ending corruption. He also informed that preparations were underway to make the upcoming budget private sector-friendly and to create environment conducive for doing business.

Coordinator Shah said that preparations were underway to reduce the onerous administrative process through the ‘single door policy’ and added that policies related to production, investment, industry and business would be improved and the private sector would be involved in the projects.

Preparations were underway to adopt the BOT and PPP models to increase the private sector’s participation in big projects, he said. Admitting that entrepreneurs were facing problems due to government policies and instability in the past, he indicated that tax exemption, concessions and relief programmes could be brought.

The industrialists and businessmen participating in the discussion were of the view that the constitution amendment should not only be taken as a political issue but also an opportunity to change the attitude towards economic reforms, investment security, legal clarity, good governance and the private sector.

They have demanded that the constitution should define the private sector as a partner in nation-building and an ‘engine of growth’ and not from the point of view of ‘profiteering’. They also suggested that the term ‘socialism-oriented system’ mentioned in the preamble should be transformed into a competitive, open and innovation-oriented market economy.

The representatives of the private sector had demanded clarity in tax administration, complaining that dual taxation and dual regulation were being carried out at the federal, provincial and local levels. They said that the process related to investment approval, land, environment and forest should be expedited and clear and legal stability was necessary to bring in foreign investment.

Likewise, the participants were of the view that a legal system was necessary to control the character assassination or defamation of businessmen on social media.