By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 21: The government has again started a process to revive various state-owned sick enterprises.The Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies has recently formed a six-member task force to study the prospects of reviving the state-owned sick industries.
The task force coordinated by former secretary Deepak Subedi has Jeevaraj Koirala, Dr. Gopal Prasad Bhatta and Krishna Prasad Acharya as the members, as experts from industry, finance and commerce sectors respectively.
The chiefs of Industrial Infrastructure and Environment Division and Industrial and Investment Promotion Division under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies are also the members in the committee.
“The revival process of various defunct state-owned enterprises will begin after the committee submits its study report to the Ministry,” said Urmila KC, assistant spokesperson of the Ministry.
As per the Terms of Reference (TOR), the committee is allowed to study the sick industries of public and private sectors analysing several aspects, including physical, financial, technical, market systems and managerial parts based on the Industrial Enterprises Act 2076.
She said that the task force had been tasked preparing the modality for the revival, strengthening, operation and management of all sick, closed and problematic industries separately.
Likewise, the committee is allowed to study the closed, sick and weakening industries of the private sector.
She said that the preparation was underway to re-operate Butwal Dhago Udhyog, Hetauda Kapada Udhyog, Gorakhkali Rubber Udhyog, Oriental Magnetite Industry, Janakpur Cigarette Factory and Biratnagar Jute Mills.
The committee should submit the report of the private sector industries to the Ministry including the initiatives to be taken by the government and the industries themselves to revive and for the proper management of those industries.

The committee has an authority to recommend the government reform policies regarding discount, facilities and the policies to be adopted to revive the sick industries.
She said that the committee should submit the report regarding the sick industries to the ministry within three months.
Earlier, the government had initiated a process to revive various defunct state-owned companies in 2017. However, with the change in government, the process got less priority.
Coordinator of the committee Deepak Subedi said that the first meeting of the task force will be held on Tuesday (July 21) with participation of the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and officials to discuss the ways of work regarding the analysis of the sick industries.
“The committee will try to complete the task based on its ToR within the stipulated time of three months. Three months’ time would be inadequate for completing the work given to the task force. But we will try to fulfill the responsibility and submit the report to the ministry within the timeframe,” he told The Rising Nepal.
The committee should study the severity of sickness of all individual industries and prepare the modality for the management of these industries and submit the report to the government within three months.