Nepal: Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Gauri Kumari Yadav inspected the Hetauda Cement Industry plant on 24 May 2026. The minister visited the state-owned cement plant to assess its condition and also talked to the management and employees regarding the repeated shutdowns the plant has faced over the years.
Minister Yadav said it was ‘extremely unfortunate’ that a government-owned cement plant had remained closed, adding that the government was preparing to bring all closed plants back into operation. “We are studying how the Hetauda Cement Industry can be operated regularly,” Yadav said. “It is very unfortunate that many private cement industries are operating regularly while a government-owned cement industry remains closed. When a plant shuts down, not only are jobs lost, but the country’s economy is also affected. Therefore, the government wants to operate the cement industry by any means possible, and cooperation from all sides is necessary.”
Acting general manager of Hetauda Cement Industry Shivanarayan Sah said the plant had been shut down due to outdated and deteriorating machinery, and the inability to supply raw materials because of financial constraints. He said that the plant had continued limited cement production through periodic maintenance of the machinery, but operations had to be halted recently after raw material supplies stopped. Sah also said that due to financial difficulties, employees had not received salaries for the past 11 months and electricity bills still remained unpaid.