Private sector representatives urged the chief ministers of all seven provinces to adopt a shared economic policy at the Inter-Provincial Chief Ministers' Conference 2083 in Biratnagar on Tuesday, calling for stronger cooperation to expand markets and encourage investment. Rajendra Raut, president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Koshi Province, said a common approach among provinces was needed to support economic cooperation, market expansion and investment promotion.
Call for a common economic approach
Raut's appeal placed coordination among provinces at the centre of the private sector's message to the conference. Business leaders argued that a shared economic policy could help provinces work together on economic priorities rather than addressing them separately. Their request combined three main objectives: developing a common policy direction, widening access to markets and promoting investment.
The business community also asked provincial leaders to give greater attention to inter-provincial economic cooperation. The appeal reflected concern with how economic activity and trade operate across provincial boundaries, and with the need for policies that enable cooperation between the provinces. The representatives called on the governments to consider those issues together, rather than treating market development and investment as isolated provincial matters.
Infrastructure and investment conditions
Industrialists and businesspeople also urged the government to expand infrastructure and create an environment more conducive to investment. They presented infrastructure development and investment-friendly conditions as important parts of the broader agenda for economic cooperation and market growth.
The appeal did not focus on a single project or a specific province. Instead, representatives highlighted infrastructure expansion as a matter requiring attention across provincial economies. They also called for conditions that would encourage investment, linking that goal to cooperation among the provinces and the development of larger markets.
For private sector representatives, the requests formed a connected set of priorities: coordination on economic policy, improved infrastructure, broader markets and a more supportive climate for investment. Their message at the Biratnagar conference was that provincial governments should take these priorities forward through cooperation.
Unhindered trade and double taxation
A further concern raised by industrialists and businesspeople was the constitutional guarantee of the right to unhindered trade. They called on the government to ensure that this right is upheld, alongside their request to end double taxation.
The two demands were made as part of the wider call to make economic activity across provinces easier. Representatives asked provincial leaders to address barriers to trade and taxation issues while strengthening coordination. They did not set out specific measures in the appeal, but called for the government to act on the constitutional guarantee and put an end to double taxation.
The private sector's message at the conference therefore covered both longer-term economic priorities and practical concerns facing businesses operating across provincial boundaries. Its requests included a shared policy framework, market expansion, infrastructure development, investment promotion, unhindered trade and an end to double taxation.
A request to provincial leaders
Raut said cooperation among the provinces was necessary to establish a common economic policy and advance market expansion and investment. Industrialists and businesspeople echoed the need for inter-provincial coordination, while drawing attention to infrastructure and the business environment.
The conference provided a forum for the private sector to put those concerns before provincial leaders. The representatives urged all seven provinces to work together on economic policy and address the trade and taxation issues they identified. Their appeal called for coordinated action, while leaving the specific policy steps to be determined by the governments.
