Kathmandu. The public-private dialogue has been organized on the loss of life and property due to the Genji agitation on September 7 and 24, the impact on the private sector, the experiences of the investors and the initiatives to move forward from the current situation.

On the occasion, Finance Minister Khanal said that the government has accorded top priority to the policy-level reforms and some reform works were already done for the private sector to experience. He urged the domestic and foreign investors not to doubt about the security of the investors and investors.

Home Minister Aryal said the Ministry of Home Affairs has taken the issue of security guarantee put forth by the private sector seriously. Stating that maintaining good governance was imperative in the country, he stressed the need for improvement in the private sector along with the government for good governance.

Similarly, Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Sinha said that the government was working in a speedy manner to complete the stalled works in any sector. He said that apart from the need to reform the law, procedural reforms have been given high priority.

Nepal Rastra Bank Governor Prof. Dr. Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Bishwanath Poudel said that there is a good opportunity for investment in banks and financial institutions as there is sufficient amount to invest. Urging the investors to invest especially in the infrastructure sector, he suggested.

Welcoming the program, CNI President Birendra Raj Pandey said the incidents of arson, vandalism and looting of public and private property during the agitation have saddened the industrialists and entrepreneurs.

He stressed on the need of digitizing public services at a fast pace to make all public services ‘faceless’, ‘paperless’ and ‘contactless’ to prevent corruption, transparency and good governance in the country.

Stating that past crises have also shown that the nature of country’s economy, private sector and capacity to withstand crises is different from other scenarios, he said the present challenges could also be taken as an opportunity.

Similarly, Chief Executive Officer of IBN, Sushil Gyewali, said that the Investment Board Office is working proactively and prudently to create a conducive business environment for the project investors and developers.

“The Investment Board of Nepal (IBN) is implementing a ‘one-stop service system’ for investors. Under which any private investor can directly register a project with the Investment Board and the approval process for the project will be implemented through a single point service integrated,” he said.

Recalling the efforts made by the Public-Private Partnership and Investment Act and Regulations as well as legal amendments, institutional reforms and capacity building in the past one year, he said that the government would move ahead with high commitment to achieve the ambitious goals set by the policy, programme and budget statement of the current fiscal year as well as the upcoming four-year strategy and business plan of the Investment Board.

Stating that the Investment Board and the entire state machinery are fully aware of the impact of the recent Zenji agitation on investors’ morale, he pledged to move ahead collaborating with the private sector to convert this challenge into an opportunity.

On the occasion, senior vice-president of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) Nirvana Chaudhary made a presentation on the challenges and opportunities of the economy as well as how the government could encourage the private sector.