Government offices urged to increase using domestic products

Kathmandu / Aug 20: The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers (OPMCM) has urged the government entities to give priority to utilize the domestic goods and services.

As directed by Prime Minister Balendra Shah, all government offices have been urged to ensure the full implementation of this provision while remaining under the existing legal framework related to public procurement.

The OPMCM issued a statement on Wednesday requesting all public bodies, including federal ministries, commissions, secretariats, provincial governments, local levels, and Nepali missions abroad, to give priority to Nepali products in their procurement processes.

Spokesperson at the OPMCM, Hemraj Aryal, said that the government has launched this initiative with the aim of increasing the contribution of domestic production to the national economy, promoting local products by replacing growing imports, protecting local skills and entrepreneurship, and creating jobs within the country, while strictly enforcing existing legal regulations.

He said from now on, arrangements should be made to use Nepali handicraft items as much as possible in government office meetings, ceremonies, gifts, and decoration materials.

Similarly, priority should be given to locally made products first when buying stationery, printing materials, furniture, decor items, construction materials, machinery tools and equipment, agricultural and animal products, as well as food and beverages.

The heads of the concerned bodies are required to regularly monitor the purchase of domestic goods for the effective implementation of that system. The ministries should inspect it quarterly to ensure the use of domestic products in government entities. RSS