Women entrepreneurs and businessmen have demanded that the government facilitate access to concessional loans, remove cumbersome legal and administrative procedures, improve tax and exchange policies, and create a women-friendly economic environment through the upcoming budget.

They urge that policies to protect struggling and established businesses along with startups, a flexible tax system, industry-friendly monetary policy, market access, digital-financial literacy, and policy facilitation be prioritized. Along with grants, they said that stable policies, easy administration, and a positive approach to business are more necessary. Krishna Bista of Kailali, who is involved in the brick business, said that the government should not only encourage new entrepreneurs but also include displaced old women entrepreneurs in the upcoming budget. She urges that the cumbersome provisions and conditions such as not having taken other loans for taking concessional loans from banks be corrected.

‘Providing special concessions to women in business registration, renewal, and tax and VAT processes will make entrepreneurship sustainable,’ said Bista. ‘To sustain and expand old businesses, effective policies to connect them with the market and additional concessions should be included in the budget.’ Neelam Singh, operator of Hotel Kumu Palace in Birgunj, said that a plan should be brought to encourage any business run by women by imposing lower taxes and increasing other facilities. 

‘Businessmen are discouraged when the burden of taxes such as property, house rent, annual renewal, value added tax (VAT), and income tax is imposed on the same business and trade,’ said Singh. ‘Therefore, work should be done to reduce the burden of such taxes and provide relief to industrialists by adopting a unified tax.’ She argues that this will make women’s businesses safer and women will be financially stronger. 

Singh is demanding that a system be introduced to provide loans in the name of women, and to provide loans easily and at low interest rates from commercial banks. She said that more investment should be made in education, training and other areas when bringing any scheme for women. She commented that there is still a shortage of educated and skilled women in Nepal and that spending on allowances, lunches, food, etc. in the name of empowerment is pointless. 

Energy entrepreneur Kavita Pokharel Kandel also emphasizes that businesses run by women entrepreneurs should be given concessions. She said that more than two dozen agencies have to be visited to build a hydropower project and that it would be easier to work if there was policy-level facilitation. Just as women have increased ownership of real estate by giving concessions, the government has reduced the number of women entrepreneurship loans up to 1.5 million rupees. “The government gives up to 1.5 million rupees, but it takes a lot to build a project,” she said. “Women should be involved in projects run by women themselves, from loans to refinancing to royalties.” 

Pokharel said that there are very few women in the hydropower sector and the government should provide policy-level facilitation for them. For the energy sector, he said, power purchase agreements (PPA) should be opened, the private sector should be allowed to trade electricity, and transmission lines should be built. 

Sita Gurung of Pokhara complained that the government has not allocated budget for the promotion of natural fiber raw materials. Gurung, the operator of Swastik Handicraft Industry, said that the government has ignored it even though there are many benefits from the production and processing of natural fiber raw materials. “The government does not allocate budget. On the other hand, even when we go with our demands, they are not heard,” she said. “We have been neglected by the government.” She said that many handicraft items can be made from the taps and stems of dozens of natural fiber crops around, cardamom, banana, garlic, marijuana, betel leaves, and babio. 

‘The upcoming budget should not only deal with theoretical matters, but should cover the handicraft sector in a practical way,’ she said. ‘Now, along with general training, budget is needed for raw material collection, processing and ‘advanced design’ courses as per market demand.’ She said that if Koseli houses can be built targeting tourists, entrepreneurs and new manpower will get sustainable employment. Female entrepreneur Juna Mathema said that the upcoming budget should focus on developing the entrepreneurship ecosystem. Even though the government has promised to establish ‘incubation centers’ in each province, it has not been possible. She believes that ‘incubation centers’ should not just be ‘working spaces’ but should also become centers that facilitate business registration, branding, literacy about the tax system, market testing, seed capital and leadership development.

Mathema said that the budget should provide the ‘space’ and facilitation necessary for startups to flourish. ‘90 percent of startups fail, but failure does not prevent them from traveling,’ she said. ‘In our society, parents are ready to invest in studying abroad. But there is a tendency to hesitate to invest here rather than going abroad. That too needs to change.' Stating that entrepreneurship should be developed as a respected career option in society, Mathema urged not to view startup failures negatively. 

She said that women entrepreneurs need special facilitation as they have to shoulder both household and business responsibilities. Stating that emphasis should be placed on capacity building, networking, digital literacy and knowledge related to AI, she said that the government should support women entrepreneurs in connecting their products to the national and international markets. 

She said that although many enterprises are operating domestically in Nepal, there is a lack of registration and market access. She emphasizes that policy, finance, human capital, market, business support services and entrepreneurial culture should be taken forward as the main pillars for the development of the entrepreneurship ecosystem. 'The government, private sector, educational institutions and society should work together in all these aspects,' she said. 

Chandana Koirala of Bharatpur said that a customs policy that is favorable to small and medium industries should be introduced in the budget. Koirala, the owner of Prakriti Cotton Industry, stressed that the customs rates for raw materials and finished goods should be different. ‘Only 25 percent of the raw materials required by the cotton industry are domestic, the rest has to be imported,’ she said. ‘The customs rates are high. The practice of listening to large importers rather than determining them in a way that helps us has hurt small and medium industrialists.’

She also urged the current government not to make arrangements for customs rates in the budget that would benefit only the large ones and harm the small ones. She also said that the tradition of limiting women to training only in sewing and beautification should be abolished. ‘A program should be introduced to enable them to run industries that are in line with the times,’ she said. ‘Industrialists have to go to many places to pay taxes. Now a single-door policy should be introduced.’

Even entrepreneur Vidushi Rana says that trade and production should not be viewed from the same perspective. "Previous governments have prioritized trade as it generates revenue," said Rana, who is also an MP. "The monetary policy and working capital loan guidelines should be made easier." She commented that even though interest rates are low and banks and financial institutions have sufficient funds, no one is attracted to take loans. 

Although the government has made arrangements to impose a tax on goods worth more than Rs 100, now it is open, Rana said that a long-term policy is needed in this regard. Stating that electricity prices and demand charges are expensive for the industry, she said that a separate rate should be set for the industrial sector. She said that priority should be given to the industry rather than car showrooms and warehouses in the industrial sector. She said that a women's entrepreneurship fund should be established to make it easier for them. She said that emphasis should be placed on production and exports with emphasis on women-friendly industrial policies, skill development, financial literacy, and digital literacy. She said that since she has reached the policy-making level, she is raising the problems faced by the private sector in Parliament. Entrepreneur Shanta Chaudhary is of the opinion that government rules and bodies should not be an obstacle in this. ‘I do pickle business. 

I want the lab test results to come on time,’ she said, ‘Even if I produce and find a market, the government should not be an obstacle.’ She said that it took her months to complete the legal process and that the government should adopt a policy that encourages entrepreneurs. ‘It is necessary to change the negative view of entrepreneurs,’ she said, ‘I found it 10 times more difficult to do business than to do politics.’ 

Chaudhary said that the government should protect the enterprises and businesses run by women. ‘I do not need government subsidies, I will not take them. But there should be policy facilitation,’ she said, ‘The government should allocate budget towards providing subsidies, encouragement, and easy loans to general, new entrepreneurs and women entrepreneurs.’ Saying that there was no easy environment for entrepreneurship even when her own party, UML, was in power, Chaudhary complained that there was no room for optimism even though there were signs of a budget from the policies and programs.