By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Mar. 19: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal has expressed her commitment to making tariff of the electricity used for irrigation free.
She made this remark while addressing the 41st annual general meeting of the Federation of Handicraft Associations of Nepal here on Friday.

She clarified that she has a plan not to impose tariff on the electricity used for irrigation to make the agricultural sector self-reliant and support the country's economy.
Mentioning that the tariff of electricity consumed for irrigation was reduced by 50 per cent in November 17, 2021, she said that now she was working to make it free.

"Let's irrigate land using electricity and not leave your fields barren. If we increase production, a huge amount of money that we are spending to import agricultural goods can be saved," she said.
Minister Bhusal urged the businessmen not to import goods that could be produced in Nepal.

"Businessmen should not import plastic flowers just for profit. Let's do business that supports the national economy," she said.
She said that the entrepreneurs should focus on the production and sale of domestic goods that would support the country's economy.

Minister Bhusal emphasised export of Nepali handicraft items to strengthen Nepal's economy.
She urged all people to use electricity instead of petroleum products as it is cheaper than petroleum products. She said that the industrialists should increase the consumption of domestically produced energy in the industry.

On the occasion, she asked the Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Metropolitan City to purchase only electric vehicles and play a crucial role in creating an environment so that only electric vehicles ply along the roads of the Kathmandu Valley.