नेपालको सबै भन्दा पुरानो उद्योग कुन हो ?

Option C

The Biratnagar Jute Mills was where “Modern Nepal” was born. This was the first industrial complex built in the country. It was also where labor unrest allowed political parties to gain a foothold and overthrow the Rana oligarchy. The Biratnagar Jute Mills was established under Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher in 1936. This was the first registered industry in the country and is an impressive example of an industrial complex, even by today’s standards. There has however been little interest to safeguard this superb example of early industrial heritage. Vested interests, commercial profitability along with political interventions have wreaked havoc on the complex.

The area in the eastern Terai was good for growing jute and local merchants sold the jute across the border to Indian jute mills. Realizing the potential of having their own mill in Nepal they brought this idea to the attention of Prime Minister Juddha Shamsher. The Prime Minister would have been visiting the earthquake affected sites after the 8.4 magnitude Great Nepal Bihar earthquake of 1934 which had the epicenter less than a hundred kilometers away.

In the beginning, Biratnagar Jute Mills was established with 75% funding by an Indian businessman from Katihar, while the remaining 25% shares remained local of which only 8% was a government. The industries also required financial transactions to be facilitated through established institutions. This paved the way for the further industrial development of the country. There were, however, no labor laws and conditions at the work site and housing were abominable.