Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Dilendra Prasad Badu has said the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) will not be privatized.

At a program organized in the capital on Saturday on the occasion of the 27th Annual General Assembly of Nepal LP Gas Association, Badu said the NOC is supplying petroleum products with the assistance of the private sector and it will not be privatized.

Saying that the tax imposed on petroleum products has been reduced, realizing the government's responsibility, Minister Badu, however, said reforms in the NOC were needed even by reducing its unnecessary expenses.

Stating that the government is ready to address the issues faced by the private sector, Minister Badu added that he was working to resolve the private sector's problems on policy and structural issues for the long-term.

Acting Chief of Confederation of Nepal Industries Krishna Adhikari, Senior Vice-President of Federation of Nepalis Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FNCCI) Dinesh Shrestha and other speakers expressed their opinions on different issues of economic aspects including role of the private sector of the economic advancement, government policy on reducing consumption of petroleum products and others.