October 5: The Industry and Commerce, and Labour and Consumer Interest Committee under the House of Representatives has instructed the government to ensure smooth supply of daily essentials during festivals of Dashain, Tihar and Chhath.    
A meeting of the committee on Wednesday directed the government to increase the number of fair-price shops, ensure adequate supplies of food to the remote areas including Karnali and intensify market monitoring during the festivals.    
Sharing about the decisions of the meeting with media, committee President Abudul Khan said the government has been instructed to take additional efforts to ensure smooth supplies of food during the festivals.

"The government’s decision to launch the fair-price shop targeting upcoming festivals is welcoming," he said, adding that the number of such outlets should be increased.    
Likewise, the government has been asked for taking measures to prevent the potential market irregularities such as artificial price-hike, food adulteration, black marketing and artificial shortages during the festive season.    
During the meeting, the committee held discussions with betel nuts producers and suppliers and representatives from the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies regarding issues related to the exports of betel nuts. The meeting also decided to take further updates about the issues from stakeholders. -- RSS