KATHMANDU: The government is to set up industrial villages at the local level itself for promoting employment and reducing the adverse impact of coronavirus pandemic on the country’s trade and business sector.

The government has brought this program with the objective of utilizing the labor, skill and capacity existing at local level, of developing the industrial capacity and of creating employment opportunities for citizens who have returned home from abroad employment.

The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has also managed budget with the goal of establishing a total 130 industrial villages in the upcoming fiscal year. Forty-five industrial villages that were declared in the current fiscal year are in the phase of coming into operation, although some obstacles were encountered in this at some local levels due to the risk of coronavirus.

Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Lekhraj Bhatta said Rs 9.2 million has been allocated to every local level for setting up the industrial village. Accordingly, a total Rs 1 billion 196 million budget would be provided for this purpose.

The program of setting up industrial village has been taken as an important scheme brought by the government for the industrial development and promotion at the local level. It would also contribute to revitalizing the local economy.

Similarly, the micro enterprise development program is to be implemented by all local levels in 77 districts. The aim is to produce 63 thousand micro entrepreneurs from this program.

Likewise, 33 thousand micro entrepreneurs would be upgraded and 1,506 technologies would be handed over to them as part of this program.