Kathmandu, July 23 -- After 100 days in office Prime Minister Balendra Shah has held marathon consultations with business leaders, professionals and other stakeholders in an apparent bid to restore confidence in an administration struggling to convince the private sector that it can deliver economic reforms.

The meetings have been widely welcomed by attendants, who say the prime minister has spent hours listening to their concerns and promising solutions. Yet they have also prompted questions over why responsible ministers have been absent from most of the interactions.

Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle did not attend meetings with representatives of the private sector, capital market or insurance industry. Minister for Industry, Commerce ...