PM’s directive to sort out issue in import of two personal mobile sets

KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has issued a directive for promptly addressing the complaint related to the mobile phone sets brought for personal use while returning Nepal from abroad.

The Prime Minister’s directive comes in response to a complaint coming from the citizen level. He had issued a similar instruction related to the mobile phone set brought for personal use from abroad before this as well.

Despite the earlier instruction from the head of the government in regard with the smart phone sets brought for personal use, customs employee at Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) was reported to have prevented a Nepali returned from the United States of America to pass the checking with the additional set.

According to Prime Minister’s Press Coordinator Surya Kiran Sharma, the Prime Minister today again directed Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Bishnu Poudel to make necessary provisions towards that end.

“In response to public concerns and complaints over the news report that the custom employee at TIA barred the Nepali from the US to pass with an additional phone set on Monday, the Prime Minister has directed the Ministry of Finance to promptly address the issue,” Sharma said.

The Prime Minister has sought to address if any legal and policy-level issues in regard with easing the process to bring two mobile phone sets by any Nepali returned from aboard.

It may be noted that earlier the Finance Ministry had decided to impose up to 18 percent excise duty on the import of an additional mobile phone set for personal use by a Nepali while coming home from abroad. The decision sparked a widespread protest and criticism.

The decision followed the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) move to implement the mobile device management system from last Friday. The implementation of MDMS which was said to be for discouraging the grey market of smartphones was suspended following the Prime Minister’s directions dew days back.