Minister for Labour,
Employment and Social Security Gokarna Bista has urged the grill and steel
fabrication businesses to ensure work place safety to guarantee good health and
security of the workers.
"Assurance of
health and security of the workers at the workplace will motivate more youths
to join this business and stay in the country instead of migrating to other
nations in search of jobs," he said at the inauguration programme of the
silver jubilee celebration of the Federation of Grill and Steel Fabrication
Nepal (FGSFN) on Saturday.
He also asked them to
pay the salary that is enough to buy the basic amenities required for living.
There are more than
11,000 grill and steel fabrication entrepreneurs across the country which have
employed 160,000 youth. This industry has the size of about Rs. 45 billion.
The minister further
said that he was aware of the challenges that the entrepreneurs were facing and
promised support to resolve them.
"You are facing
electricity, human resources and financing problems and small business are also
facing tough competition in the market," Bista said. He stressed on the
need to produce high-quality goods at minimum cost.
"The government
will do necessary work to support you. It will give more priority on generating
employment and help in import substitution. The government is ready to support
this business by forging coordination with the concerned ministries," he
said.
President of the FGSFN
Monan Katuwal said that the government had always been indifferent towards the
demand of the grill and steel entrepreneurs.
"We support in
infrastructure development and employment generation but have got no support
from the government," he said.
He said that the sector
was unable to implement the government-announced social security scheme since a
large number of business run informally without being registered at any
government agencies.
"Therefore, we
need policy facilitation to formalise our businesses. Especially, the small and
medium enterprises (SMEs) need easy registration scheme and incentives,"
said Katuwal.
He asked the government
to support in technology transfer.
Senior Vice-President of
the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) Rajendra Malla said that the government has
been remained mean in terms of extending incentives to the industries and
business that help in import substitution.
He pledged NCC support
in establishing a centre for running grill and steel fabrication business.
President of Federation
of Nepalese Cottage and Small Industries (FNCSI) Shyam Prasad Giri suggested
establishing grill and steel industrial village in multiple locations in the
country.
"Local governments
are ready to support in this initiative," he said.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 5 May 2019.
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