Surya Nepal Corporate Vice-president Ravi KC said the new factory, set up with an investment of Rs 4 billion, will come in operation within a month. “We are at the final stage,” said KC. “Within a month, the factory will start manufacturing.”

The new manufacturing unit is situated at 32km away from Pokhara and 170km from the Capital.

The company claimed the new plant will be among

the most sophisticated cigarette manufacturing units in Asia. After the opening of the new factory, the company has said it will increase its focus on exports as well. “The factory contains world class machineries and we will be manufacturing premium products apart from the normal ones,” said KC. “We will be targeting Gulf countries initially.”

The new factory, according to the company, is a “backup” for its factory based in Simara which has been in operation for the past 25 years. However, both the factories will operate simultaneously. The new manufacturing unit is spread over 145 ropanies and is expected to provide direct employment to over 250 individuals.

Surya Nepal Private Limited (SNPL) is an India-Nepal-UK joint venture. The company started operations in Nepal in 1986. Surya Nepal is among the largest private sector enterprises in Nepal. The company is also among the largest tax paying MNCs of the country.

Nepal’s cigarette market is estimated to be worth around Rs 20 billion per annum. And, Surya Nepal is the biggest player, with the company holding around 80 percent market share.

10 finalists named for Asha award

Final 10 participants of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurs Award 2013 (SNASEA) were announced on Friday. Of the total, best five participants will be honored amid a gala ceremony to be held in the Capital on March 28, 2014.

The finalists include Dipak Prasad Koirala of Junar Kendriya Sahakari Sangh, Sindhuli; Fulmaya Tamang from Bhattedanda Women’s Agriculture Cooperative, Kavrepala-nchok; Madhukar KC from Matribhumi Urja, Pyuthan; Prem Bahadur Lama from Ashapuri Organic Farm, Sanga, Kavre; Ratna Bahadur Newar of Tamakoshi Community Resin and Turpentine Pvt Ltd, Janakpur; and Shanti Shrestha and Nirjala Shrestha from Kathmandu.

Others on the top 10 list are Suman Shakya of Smart Paani from Lalitpur; Sunita Nhemaphuki of R&D Innovative Solutions from Kathmandu; Tej Kumari Tiwari of Nepal Society of Disabled Multi-purpose Cooperative Ltd, Dhading; and Ujjwal Chapagain from The Himalayan Rabbit Farm, Kathmandu. The top 10 participants were selected from 119 nominations that had come in from 14 zones and 40 districts.

The SNASEA 2013 will also offer special recognition to Dr Sanduk Ruit and the team at Tilganga Institute of Ophthalmology for their remarkable innovation and commitment that has restored eyesight to hundreds of thousands.

Addressing the event Abhimanyu Poddar, managing director of Surya Nepal said the company has four pillars of CSR activities — health, environment, tourism and aasha — under which it has been participating in the initiative.

“Through Aasha we want to fuse the social impact with entrepreneurial spirit of Nepali people,” said Poddar.

“The number of participants has been impressive in this initiative and we will continue supporting it in the days to come.”