Dhaubadi Iron Company organises consultation workshop 

KATHMANDU: Dhaubadi Iron Company organised a consultation workshop titled ‘Strategic Roadmap for the Dhaubadi Iron Ore Project’ in Kathmandu on Monday. 

The major objective of the workshop was to engage key stakeholders including government representatives, line agencies, investors and industry experts, in a collaborative discussion on the strategic roadmap for the Dhaubadi Iron Ore Project.

On the occasion, chief guest of the event, Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Damodar Bhandari, informed that the Dhaubadi Iron Company is the top priority of the government. He stated that the government wants to give the company a different shape and utilise the company for the country’s development.

Minister Bhandari said that the country is facing a huge trade deficit and it is time to take concrete steps to substitute imports where possible. He stated that Dhaubadi Iron Company could help in this aspect by substituting the iron imports of the country. 

Meanwhile, Yubaraj Khatiwada, Special Economic Adviser to the Prime Minister, said that concerned stakeholders need to look into how the government and private sector can collaborate for the nation’s development. For certain strategic industries, he mentioned that the government could take the initiative to start a venture and the private sector could pick up after that. 

While addressing the gathering, Shushil Gyawali, CEO of Investment Board Nepal, said that the company needs to find ways to attract investments. He mentioned that the private sector could come in with investments and the investment modality needs to be finalised. He added that investment in iron ore mining will provide good returns as the demand for iron will always rise.
 

Similarly, MoICS Secretary Krishna Bahadur Raut said that the Dhaubadi Iron Company has already completed five years and now it is time to urgently look into ways in how the company can be taken forward. He shared that it is time to look at the type of financing and human resources that the company requires to move ahead.
 
Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), shared that the planning commission is always ready to help the company. He mentioned that many state-owned companies have not been performing as expected and we need to take lessons from them to operate Dhaubadi Iron Company in an effective and efficient manner.
 
The event also included a presentation on the current status of Dhaubadi Iron Company by Shailesh Kumar Thapa, Director of the company. Dr Biraj Singh Thapa, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Kathmandu University, also made a presentation on how it was time to adopt green technology for mining purposes as the global market is gradually shifting towards green products.