Govt undertakings told to ease supply

The government has directed the chiefs of the government undertakings concerned to make supply management effective targeting the upcoming festivals — Tihar and Chhath — and the Constituent Assembly (CA) election. The instruction has come at a time when the price of daily commodities is skyrocketing. Tihar is staring within a week, while the CA election is schedule for November 4. Krishna Hari Baskota, secretary at the Prime Minister’s Office, directed Salt Trading Corporation (STC), National Trading Limited (NTL), Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) and Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) to make supply effective after monitoring fair price shops operated by them focusing the festivals. Baskota, along with Ministry of Commerce and Supplies Secretary Madhav Prasad Regmi, Director General of the Department of Commerce and Supply Management Narayan Prasad Bidari and other government officials had inspected temporary fare price shops opened at Surya Binayak, Koteshwor, Jawalakhel, Balkhu, Kalimati, Teku and Ramshahapath. The shops were opened with a target to sell daily commodities at cheaper rates during the festival period. STC General Manager Urmila Shrestha said the supply of sugar and salt is smooth. “STC has a stock of 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar and 80,000 metric tonnes of salt,” said Shrestha. NFC General Manager Shiva Hari Shrestha also said they have stock of 164,000 quintal of rice. Through the fair price outlets, government enterprises are selling commodities like rice, edible oil, sugar, ghee, lentils, spices, LPG gas, beaten rice, while the NTL is also selling electronic appliances. The outlets are selling ghee with a discount of Rs 10 per kg, rice with a discount Rs 2 per kg and sugar with a discount of Rs 5 per kg. NTL General Manager Narayan Narayan Mehta said they would continue the fair price shops after Chhath too. NTL is selling rice cookers, irons, garment, and solar equipment apart from foodstuffs. Through the fair price shops, NTL has recorded Rs 13.5 million transactions this season. Among the four government undertakings, STC made the highest business of Rs 60 million, while NFC recorded Rs 20 million and DDC Rs 4 million. STC has 24 fair price outlets across the country. After the monitoring, Regmi assured to open shops even during public holidays. He said the government would also consider running such shops round the year. The instruction has come at a time when the prices of daily commodities are skyrocketing ahead of the Tihar festival