The government has decided to set up a police post with five armed policemen and a health post in manufacturing industries employing more than 500 people.[break]
“We have started preparation to provide security and health facilities to the industries employing more than 500 Nepalis. We have already requested business associations such as Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) to provide us information about such industries,” Pratap Kumar Pathak, secretary at the Ministry of Industry (MoI), told Republica Monday.
Pathak said Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Health and Population will make necessary arrangements to set up police posts and health posts at the industries that are qualified to get the facility. “We will make final assessment of the industries and forward it to the Ministry of Finance,” Pathak said.
He said the decision to set up police post in big industries is just a stop gap measure to provide security to industries before the much-touted Industrial Security Force (ISF) comes into effect.
“Setting up police posts in big industries is just a temporary measure. It will be replaced by the Industrial Security Force in the future,” Pathak added.
According to the Industrial Policy, the private sector will have share costs on the industrial security front. Industries can deploy their own industrial security force, the government will allow them to deduct such costs from their taxable income, the policy states.
Though the Ministry of Home Affairs had forwarded a concept paper on the formation of industrial security force last year, it is gathering dust in the cabinet.
“There has been no progress in setting up industrial security force as we haven´t receive the cabinet´s response on our proposal,” said Ek Mani Nepal, under secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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