Kathmandu, Sept. 2 (PTI): Nepal today said it was ready to provide police or army protection to companies operating in the country, including those from India.

“We are willing to provide security at their plants and are ready to deploy police or army personnel on their request,”Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba told a select group of Indian scribes.

Economic activity has come to a virtual halt in Nepal after Maoist threats. Companies, including Surya Nepal, Colgate Palmolive, Nepal Lever and Dabur Nepal, have temporarily closed their operations.

Deuba, who is slated to visit India next week, said he would ask Indian firms to invest in Nepal.

Cabinet meeting

In New Delhi, the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) today discussed developments in Nepal. The CCS reviewed the situation in Nepal after the violence in Kathmandu and the Maoist economic blockade.