The apex body of business community has urged the government to give priority to energy, employment generation, infrastructure development, agriculture, promotion of export and tourism industry in the upcoming fiscal year budget along with forging political consensus.

Organising a pre-budget discussion here in the capital Tuesday, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) urged the government to give priority to Arun III and Upper Karnali hydropower projects and approve the Project Development Agreement (PDA).

Similarly, FNCCI said the government should introduce favourable employment and labour policy along with maintaining peace and security in the country to create business and investment environment.

The business body also suggested the government to allocate at least 10 percent of budget for the technology and skill development programme under the education budget to generate skilled manpower.

The industrial area should be declared as peace areas, said FNCCI in a press statement, adding that the private sector should be permitted for the development and operation of regional airport.

Saying that the agriculture sector should be commercialised, the FNCCI also urged the government to allocate budget to organise a campaign to promote production in each districts.

The federation also demanded for custom concession along with favourable easy process in the exports of goods to other countries.

Likewise, the federation said that the new budget should give priority to tourism industry by allocating budget for the development of infrastructure in the tourism destinations in the country along with promoting internal and religious tourism destination.

Similarly, it also urged the government to build the international airport in other regions along with standardisation of one and only Tribhuwan International Airport (TIA). nepalnews.com