KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba has extended gratefulness to the private sector for providing humanitarian support to Afghan citizens noting that it was the government responsibility to support the neighbouring country in crisis.

At a meet today with industrialists, entrepreneurs and government representatives who returned after handing over humanitarian aid to the Afghan citizens on last January 16, PM Deuba said, “Afghanistan is passing through a very critical time. I am grateful to all the business community of Nepal for their cooperative gesture in response to the UN call for humanitarian support to Afghanistan”.

He also anticipated such gesture of cooperation in coming days as well.

On the occasion, the Prime Minster asked the private sector to make their investment in the government priority areas such as establishing fertilizer factory in the country and expressed readiness from the government side to cooperate to that end. This government has the policy to encourage private sector, Deuba said, adding the government would be positively lending support to private sector in expanding their investment and yielding outcomes.

As the country is still passing through a difficult time exacerbated by the coronavirus, all should cautiously adopt health safety protocol, the head of the government said.

Vaccination against COVID-19 is the first and foremost priority of the government, he said, urging the general public to get protected by accessing inoculation service.

At the program, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Narayan Khadka expressed happiness for the opportunity to provide support to a friendly country by chartering a flight for the first time, adding it has imparted a message that Nepal can also extend support to other countries in need.

Foreign Minister Khadka shared that he had initiated a campaign after coordinating with the ambassadors of different countries and the United Nations representatives through diplomatic channels for providing humanitarian support to the SAARC member country, Afghanistan, when it was facing a humanitarian crisis with the takeover of Taliban. He also said that the campaign was successful.