Govt urged to ensure smooth supply of iodized salt to all local units

Kathmandu / May 13: The House of Representatives (HoR), the Industry and Commerce, and the Labour and Consumer Interest Committee has directed the government to make arrangements for the smooth supply of iodized salt to all the local units throughout the country.

The Committee issued this directive with the general public complaining that although salt is easily available in the urban areas the people in the remote areas are facing difficulty getting the daily essentials.

The committee today discussed with the Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari, Secretary of the Ministry, Dinesh Ghimire, and senior officials of Salt Trading Corporation Ltd, regarding the activities of the Corporation so far and the future action plans.

The committee has directed the Ministry to ensure the quality of essential materials including salt, sugar, and chemical fertilizers and make them readily available across the country, ensuring their quality.

The meeting has also instructed the Ministry of Finance to facilitate the payments to be received by Salt Trading under various headings.

The lawmakers who participated in the meeting drew the attention of the government to make arrangements so that salt is easily available throughout the country. They presented the previous example of a lack of chemical fertilizers mainly during the monsoon and insisted on ensuring supply so that there is no shortage of fertilizers.

The lawmakers speaking in the meeting were Mahendra Bahadur Shahi, Kantika Sejuwal, Hemraj Rai, Suryaman Dong, Ganesh Parajuli, Sita Mijar, Shanti Chaudhary and Amrita Devi Agrahari.

Responding to the questions raised by lawmakers in the meeting, Minister Bhandari said the government is committed to making the supply of daily essentials such as salt and sugar smooth. He added that a concrete plan has been made for importing chemical fertilizers on time and the Ministry was making additional diplomatic initiatives for the easy supply of fertilizers.

He also made it clear that the bodies under the Ministry have been mobilized in a systematic way to control artificial shortage, sale and distribution of sub-standard goods in the market and black marketeering.

Chief executive officer of Salt Trading Corporation, Urmila Shrestha, said that the company is active in the production and marketing of various food and non-food items as per the instructions of the Government of Nepal.

She requested the Ministry to adjust the price of iodized salt and ensure the budget for transportation. RSS