Kathmandu, November 1
Home Minister Sudan Gurung has pledged to work towards resolving the problems facing Gorkha district.
He made the commitment during an interaction with intellectuals, industrialists and businesspeople from Gorkha.
After listening to the participants’ concerns and suggestions, Home Minister Gurung said he had been in government for only six months but would take the necessary initiatives to promote the district’s development and address the problems faced by its residents.
Recalling that Gorkha had played a role in making him the Home Minister, he said he would take the concerns and expectations of the district’s residents seriously.
During the interaction, participants drew the minister’s attention to various problems in the district, the state of infrastructure development, marketing of agricultural products, tourism promotion and challenges facing the industrial and business sectors.
The intellectuals, industrialists and businesspeople complained that Gorkha lagged behind in infrastructure development and that the government had not given adequate attention to developing and promoting the district despite its tourism potential.
They demanded that infrastructure development be prioritised to accelerate the district’s overall development.
Participants also raised concerns about farmers struggling to find proper markets and fair prices for their agricultural produce. Saying the government had failed to play an effective role in agricultural production and marketing, they stressed that vegetables produced by Nepali farmers should be given priority in the domestic market.
They said the government should take concrete steps to ensure fair prices for farmers and end the situation in which locally produced goods fail to find markets.
Industrialists and businesspeople also shared their concerns about the difficulties of operating industries and businesses in the district and the need to improve the business environment.
Participants emphasised the need for an effective role by the state in utilising Gorkha’s available resources and potential, expanding economic activities and creating employment opportunities at the local level.
