Preparedness In Place
THE conflict in the Gulf region is sure to send ripples
across the world including Nepal. In view of the Iraq crisis, His Majesty's Government has
taken every possible step to minimise its impact on Nepal's economy and other aspects.
Although the Gulf conflict would have multi-dimensional impact in the world, Nepal is
basically focusing on two main sectors-the regular supply of petroleum products and safety
of Nepalese people living and working in different countries of the Gulf region. In a
statement issued the other day, Minister for Information and Communications Ramesh Nath
Pandey, who is also the spokesperson of the government, has said that His Majesty's
Government has already formulated a plan of action to minimise the effects of the conflict
on Nepal. As per the plan of action, the government has decided to keep adequate stock of
the petroleum products, adopt alternative ways for their regular supply and, if necessary,
adjust the price of POL products in accordance with the price in the international market.
The government had formed a high level task force headed by Foreign Secretary to report to
the government regarding possible impact of the Gulf conflict and ways to mitigate the
impact to a minimum level in Nepal. The plan of action that the government has adopted is
strictly in tune with the suggestions of the task force, which would be strictly
implemented and monitored to ensure that Nepalese people would be least affected by the
crisis in the Gulf. Another serious concern of the government and entire Nepalese people
is the safety of the Nepali nationals working in different countries in the Gulf region.
For this also, the government has taken a very firm decision and adopted a contingency
plan. The government recently revoked the permission to send Nepali workers to Kuwait. At
present, thousands of Nepalese are living and working in different countries of the Middle
East. For this, as said by Minister for Information and Communications Pandey, the
government is holding consultations with Saudi government and other international
organisations to help evacuate Nepalese people from Kuwait. As per the plan, arrangements
have already been made to allow Nepalese workers to enter into Saudi Arabia without any
legal and other hassles and also bring them back to Nepal. The Royal Nepalese Embassy has
already set up camps in Saudi Arabia for the accommodation of Nepalese working in Kuwait.
These arrangements are the examples of Nepal's preparedness, which are sure to ensure the
safety of the Nepalese and minimise the impact of the Gulf crisis on the country.
Other Story
|
