Kathmandu. The 60th annual general meeting and election of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) is taking place on April 29 and 13. Shiva Prasad Ghimire, the candidate for the post of vice-president from the Anjan Shrestha-led group, has made public his detailed commitment letter.

The manifesto made public with the slogan ‘Safe Private Sector: Strong Federation’ has pledged to make the federation a common and effective organization of the general entrepreneurs rather than a means to fulfill the interest of a few people.

The Ghimire group has proposed a radical reform in the current working style of the FNCCI and has put forward five main pillars.

Secretariat restructuring

The main agenda of the Ghimire group is restructuring the FNCCI Secretariat with modern management system and skilled human resources. It has been claimed that the Secretariat would be developed as the ‘Centre of Excellence’ to make member-centered service delivery effective. “We have come to the field not to speak, but to lead by doing,” reads the commitment letter.

Objective Council and Policy Advocacy

Ghimire has a plan to make the objective council the center of the FNJ’s policy formulation and implementation. Consensus will be sought with the government to ensure the mandatory participation of the representatives of the private sector and the concerned commodity councils in the dialogue with the government bodies. Similarly, the federation will take the lead in reducing the customs rate of raw materials used in the industry and to make government payments that have been stopped even after the completion of the project mandatory.

New Model in Startups, Agriculture, and Export

The Ghimire Group has given special priority to youth-targeted startups, innovation and establishment of SMEs. The manifesto also pledged to create an integrated value chain from production to market by minimizing the role of middlemen in the agriculture sector and launch a national campaign to establish Nepali products as an international brand.

Strategic Initiatives in Energy and Tourism

The Ghimire Group has adopted a policy to ensure 3 to 6 months of storage for energy security and to give priority to domestic production in renewable energy projects. In the tourism sector, the agenda has been put forward to vigorously lobby with the government to make tax, air ticket fee and permit fee timely and business-friendly.

Private sector claims to be a ‘safety net’

The Ghimire group is of the view that the FNCCI should not remain silent when the prestige and self-respect of the private sector is at stake. The group has made “policy stability” and “property rights guarantees” its main political issues to protect businesses from policy uncertainty and frequent rule changes.

The Ghimire group has claimed that its commitment letter for the elections to be held on April 29 and 30 is not just an ‘election paper’ but a responsible document along with annual evaluation and public report. The Ghimire group is constantly working on the agenda. The rival Naresh Lal Shrestha group, however, seems unclear and confused.