Baitadi. The number of industries registered in the district is decreasing every year. According to the statistics of the Office of Domestic and Small Industries for the last three years, the number of industries registered here has been decreasing.

In the last three years, there are 753 registered small and medium enterprises. But they are declining every year. The registered industries include agriculture, forestry, flour mills, spices and pickles.

Laxman Kumar Saud, information officer at the Domestic and Small Industries Office, said 427 industries were registered here in the fiscal year 2079/80 BS. According to the statistics, only 191 industries have been registered in the fiscal year 2080/81 BS.

Similarly, the registration of industries has decreased in the fiscal year 2081/82 BS as compared to the previous year. In the last fiscal year, only 135 industries were registered here. In the last three years, 39,900 firms have been registered in the commerce sector. In the commerce sector, 163 firms were registered in fy 2079/80, 173 in 2080/81 and 63 in 2081/82.

Industries registered with the Domestic and Small Industries Office are also renewed. Information Officer Saud said that the registered industries should be renewed within five years. According to him, 251 industries were renewed in the fiscal year 2079/80, 204 in the fiscal year 2080/81 and 393 in the last fiscal year 2081/82.

A total of 1,122 commercial businesses have been renewed in the last three years. The cancellation of industry and business registration is also increasing in the district. In the last three years, 202 industries and businesses have been abolished.

According to Hemraj Bhatta, chief of the Office of Domestic and Small Industries, the number of industries and commerce has decreased due to the increase in the number of youths going abroad for foreign employment, lack of loan investment from banks and financial institutions, lack of capital and the need to register industries at the local level.

He said that industries are registered only for government services and grants and later they are canceled if they do not get grants and facilities.

Similarly, in the last three years, revenue of Rs 7,706,778 has been collected from new industries and commerce registration, renewal and cancellation.