Industry Minister Rijal, MP Chaudhary lay foundation stone for industrial village in Parasi

NAWALPARASI: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Ramesh Rijal and MP Binod Chaudhary laid the foundation stone for an industrial village in Bardaghat Municipality-5 of Nawalparasi (West of Bardaghat Susta) district, on Friday. 

The village is being built under the initiative of MP Chaudhary, who represents Nawalparasi Constituency No. 1. He pledged to establish an industrial village in Parasi during his election campaign, a commitment he has fulfilled within a year.

The foundation stone was laid following budget management, project construction, contracts and other preparations. The project has progressed with the allocation of budget for the village and local level preparations in the current fiscal year.

The industrial village, known as the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) village, aims to utilise the entrepreneurship of local youths and skills based on local raw materials. The village is being built in the Khajura Khola area on about 18 bighas of land. An estimated Rs 170 million will be spent on this project, which is aimed to be completed within the next three years.

On Chaudhary's initiative, Rs 40 million has been released and Reliance Builders and Suppliers JV has been awarded the contract for the project's construction. Infrastructure construction will be completed this year. If the project progresses, an additional budget will be released within the current fiscal year 2023/24.

Engineers of the Chaudhary Foundation will directly support the project, while Chaudhary's secretariat officials will continuously monitor the project. The goal is to ready an industrial village within three years and connect Parasi district to industrial development.

Speaking on the occasion, Minister Rijal stated that the industrial village will contribute to the industrialisation and economic development of the region. He also said that the government is ready to cooperate with the private sector and will take initiatives to improve policies for industrial development.

Addressing the ceremony, MP Chaudhary stated that the industrial village is a crucial step in fulfilling the promises he made during the election. "I believe the SME village will exemplify entrepreneurship and play a key role in fostering entrepreneurship among the youth of Nawalparasi," said MP Chaudhary. "The industrial village will welcome small and medium entrepreneurs and youths with innovative ideas. This will elevate the innovative programmes of the local youth to a new level," Chaudhary added. "We are promoting entrepreneurship training for youths and will arrange seed capital for them." He also assured that he and his team will provide continuous support and oversight to ensure the project's completion. Chaudhary emphasized that merely setting up an industrial village is not sufficient; it must be vibrant and active. He asserted that this village will not be allowed to remain devoid of industry like the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and other villages.

Rabindra Shah, an engineer at Reliance Builders and Suppliers JV, mentioned that the first phase of work will be completed in the upcoming five months. The SEZ Authority under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies is facilitating the construction of the industrial village.

At the ceremony, Bardaghat Municipality Mayor Shambhu Lal Shrestha expressed his delight at the prospect of a model industrial village in the municipality.