Will create 10,000 jobs in Nepal, says Ramdev

Indian yoga guru Ramdev, who arrived here on a week-long visit on Tuesday, has said he will create 10,000 jobs and make more investments in Nepal in the near future.

“Through Patanjali Ayurved, we will create 10,000 jobs in Nepal,” he said adding his venture has already employed 1,000 people in the country.

“ At present, our investment in Nepal stands at Indian Rs 1.5 billion. We are going to inject more investments here, totalling over Indian Rs 5 billion that will create the additional jobs,” he told a news conference in Kathmandu.

Ramdev has set up the Patanjali Ayurved Gram Udyog at Bara in southern Nepal.

“Nepal imports Patanjali products worth Indian Rs 1 billion a year from India, (and) we want to reduce the dependency and (we are) going to set up more ventures,” Ramdev said, flanked by his aide, Acharya Balkrishan. He did not give details of his investment plans.

Ramdev is scheduled to conduct a five- day yoga camp at Birgunj. President Bidhya Devi Bhandrai, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal “Prachanda”, Nepali Congress leader Sher Bahadur Deuba, ministers, political leaders and members of the business community have been invited to the camp.

More than 10,000 yoga trainers from Nepal and India have assembled at Birgunj for the past month for the camp.

Bhandari will on Thursday inaugurate a new venture of Patanjali Ayurved that will produce organic medicines and other products.

Ramdev, who has created a business empire with his Ayurveda products, has hundreds of outlets in Nepal that sell his group’s items, which are widely popular in the country.

“The profits we make here will be invested in Nepal and for the well-being of the Nepali people,” he said.

Besides meeting the prime minister and some ministers, Ramdev will also travel to some districts to explore business opportunities, reports said.