Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) has organised the Nepal Chamber Expo 2023 at Bhrikutimandap in Kathmandu.
The five-day event that kicked off today has over 150 stalls displaying various types of products manufactured in Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and other countries.
The exhibition was inaugurated by Sharat Singh Bhandari, Minister of Labour, Employment and Social Security, who was also the chief guest of the event. During his address, he extended wishes on behalf of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, who could not attend the programme due to his busy schedule. Minister Bhandari mentioned that the country was facing problems due to the instability in the government. However, he stated that others will not come and solve the problem, hence we need to diagnose and resolve the various issues being faced by the country.
Bhandari stated that the government is always willing to help the private sector and urged private sector representatives to apprise the government of the steps that could be taken to develop the economy. He added that the country’s economy was in the doldrums and all stakeholders must collaborate to strengthen the economy. The minister said the government will also aggressively look for markets for domestic products.
Minister Bhandari also lamented that the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security has not been as active as it should have been. Most of the conversations that take place in the ministry are related to foreign employment rather than domestic employment, he said. “There are times when I feel we should rename the ministry to Ministry of Foreign Employment,” he mentioned. He stated the government had established Employment Service Centre under the Prime Minister Employment Programme at all the local levels to create more employment opportunities within the country. Regarding migrant workers, Bhandari said it would be good for the country if such workers learnt various skills while being employed abroad and returned to utilise that knowledge in Nepal. “Most of the youths at present have a dream of going abroad at least once in their lifetime, so it is time we all came together to seek ways to retain the youths in the country,” he said.
The sixth edition of the Nepal Chamber Expo will conclude on May 22.
