EU Ambassador presents credentials to Prez Bhandari

Kathmandu, Sept. 27

Newly appointed Ambassador and Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal Nona Deprez presented her credentials to President Bidya Devi Bhandari at a special function organized at the presidential office on Sunday.

According to a statement issued by the EU Delegation to Nepal, ambassador Deprez expressed her happiness over joining her duties in Nepal and said that she would work with the concerned authorities and stakeholders. 

“I am extremely honoured and happy to take up my duties as the EU Ambassador to Nepal and look forward to discover the country, to meet the Nepalese and to work closely with all Nepali institutions, civil society, private sector, media, international partners and all relevant political, social and economic stakeholders,” she said.

Nepal and the EU have developed more than four decades of diplomatic and friendly relations.

The need to work jointly on global issues in the wake of new challenges such as pandemics, climate change and threat to multilateralism has become an urgency, Ambassador Deprez added.

"The EU has been a reliable development partner and one of the biggest donors to Nepal for around half a century. It has been cooperating on three priorities agreed with the Government of Nepal: rural development, education and finally democracy and decentralization," said the Delegation.

Furthermore, the EU supports Nepal in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, in graduating from LDC status and in improving Nepal’s resilience to the adverse effects of climate change. The total assistance for the current programming cycle, 2014-2020, amounts for Euro 360 million, around Rs 50 billion.

When the COVID crisis hit Nepal, the EU provided immediate response in mobilising a package of Rs 10 billion.

This support was closely coordinated with the EU member states working as one in a streamlined “Team Europe Initiative”. More globally, the EU helped raise Euro 16 billion to finance research on vaccines, tests and treatments for the whole world.

Sharing the same values as Nepal, the EU elaborated the European Green Deal as a means to address collectively the COVID crisis while building up a better, greener future that would fight climate change, protect the environment and biodiversity, and promote sustainable development and sustainable connectivity.

"Our partnership should ensure that we defend the rules-based multilateral order and ensure that every human being can enjoy the security and rights we sometimes take for granted. It should unite us in designing a shared sustainable future," read the statement.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 September 2020. 

Shangri-la Bank announces interest cut

Kathmandu, Sept. 27

Shangri-la Development Bank has announced 12 per cent discount on the interest of loan.

“Considering serious impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have announced 12 per cent discount on the interest amount in the loan repayment due till mid-September (Ashoj 2077),” said the bank.

However, the clients should pay all the capital and interest amount due for Ashoj end to obtain the facility.

Likewise, the facility wouldn’t be available in margin lending, fixed deposit loan and wholesale lending to the microfinance institutions.

As per the rules of the Nepal Rastra Bank, every bank and financial institution should offer 10 per cent discount on the interest amount.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 28 September 2020. 

Experts stress better connectivity, cooperation in SAARC region

Kathmandu, Sept. 26

Experts have suggested that improved connectivity and cooperation through renewed political commitment to regional and sub-regional initiatives could benefit South Asia and enhance the much needed reforms in multilateralism and globalisation.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated powerful trends towards de-globalisation, looking inwards by abandoning regional cooperation is not a solution for the South Asian countries, they said while speaking at a virtual regional meeting on “Future of Globalization: Outlook for South Asian countries” organised by South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) the other day.

In his keynote speech, Dr. Baikuntha Aryal, Secretary (Commerce) at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Nepal, asserted that enhancing mutual trust is the fundamental factor needed to deepen regional integration in South Asia in a way that produces tangible outcomes.

Dr. Aryal offered the way forward for deepening regional integration in South Asia, which includes, “establishing strong supply chains, improving trade infrastructure and connectivity, following the regional growth patterns carefully, embracing the use of digital technologies, improving the business environment, and improving mutual cooperation”.

Prof. Sachin Chaturvedi, Director General at Research and Information System for Developing Countries (RIS), New Delhi, emphasized that the current regional integration approach in South Asia has been a hostage to an obsession of economists with trade integration at the expense of other valuable linkages.  

Dr. Fahmida Khatun, Executive Director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Dhaka, stressed that while the nature of globalization may change, a complete reversal is not possible.

She further highlighted that a number of trans-boundary issues will be important for regional cooperation—primarily, reduction of poverty, dealing with climate change issues, dealing with increased use of technology brought by the impending 4^th Industrial Revolution, among others.

Subhashini Abeysinghe, Research Director at Verite Research, Colombo, mentioned that even with the ongoing US-China trade war, it is not going to be easy to unplug the supply chains that have been built for decades, hence globalization might undergo some changes but will remain an important force.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27  September 2020. 

World needs more masks, not muskets, says PM

 Kathmandu, Sept. 25

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that the world needed more masks, not muskets.

“We need more protective equipment not destructive weapons, and more social spending to save lives not military spending to destroy lives,” he said while addressing the General Debate of the 75^th session of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday.

He delivered his message via video conferencing since the COVID-19 had forced the global body to organise the anniversary programmes virtually.

We all know what is more important at present- nuclear weapons or accessible vaccine against COVID-19, he said.

“Even when disarmament related processes, including the Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference are postponed due to the pandemic, the concerned parties must continue to fulfill their treaty obligations to make the world safer,” he said, calling for a general and complete disarmament of all weapons of mass destruction.

In 2019, the world military expenditure amounted to US dollar 1.9 trillion.

Even a fraction of those resources could bring respite to the millions of people suffering from poverty, hunger, and deprivation, according to Prime Minister Oli.

He said that easy, smooth and affordable access to anti-COVID vaccines after they are developed; sharing of knowledge and experiences; and provision of timely supply of medical equipment and medicines should be given high priority during this crisis.

“Protecting lives of the people both from disease and hunger is the supreme duty of the governments. While we have deployed all our efforts and resources to that end, international solidarity becomes equally important,” he said.

He reiterated the importance of multilateral cooperation in the face of unilateral tendencies and protectionist policies.

According to him, it is unthinkable to talk about degrading the value of multilateralism at a time when its relevancy becomes more pronounced than ever. Larger global good, not the parochial national interest, should underpin multilateralism and the rules-based order. 

Similarly, Prime Minister Oli said that the current crisis has pushed us to the brink of losing the gains made in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The least Developed Countries, small island nations and landlocked countries are facing limitation of resources, social protection, and requisite health infrastructures, he said. The distress has been further compounded by the halt in tourism, remittances and disruptions on supply chains and trade.

“Poverty is increasing, mostly in developing countries, for the first time in the last 20 years,” Prime Minister Oli said.

He reiterated Nepal’s commitment to international peace and stability and suggested that the troops and police-contributing countries should have greater share of decision-making positions both in headquarters and in the field missions.

He also presented the climate crisis as the existential threat and said that the silence of the large emitters should not lead to the failure of responsibilities.

“Nepal’s mountains are not only our assets, but they are of global significance in view of their vital contribution to the maintenance of health of the planet,” he said.

Stating that the global trading system has been pushed into peril, he called for the urgent reform of the World Trade Organisation to ensure level playing field and rebuild trust.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 26 September 2020.  

PAC sub-committee suggests punishing forest officials for abuse of authority

Kathmandu, Sept. 24

A subcommittee formed under the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the Federal Parliament has suggested taking stern action against at least six senior forest officials from the states and districts for abusing authority and misusing forest resources.

It has requested the PAC to direct the government to conduct further investigation into the issue and punish the responsible authorities who supported in preparing fake decisions and documents that contributed to deforestation and ecological accidents.

The subcommittee formed to study the 'Scientific Forest Management Programme' and led by Pradip Yadav and represented by Prem Bahadur Ale and Mina Subba has submitted the report to the house panel last month.

According to the report, State Forest Director of the Sudurpaschim Hemraj Bista, and Divisional Forest Officers (DFOs) in Pahalmanpur Krishna Dutta Bhatta, DFOs in Dhangadhi Ram Chandra Kandel, in Kanchanpur Ajaya Bikram Manandhar, in Taulihawa Ishwari Prasad Poudel, in Nawalpur Bijaya Raj Subedi, in Kamalamai Narayan Shrestha, and in Marin Pushpa Raj Bartaula were found directly misappropriating the forest resources.

Many of these officials have colluded with the sawmills and woods traders in felling down the trees during the forest monitoring and authenticated the illegal cutting of the trees.

"They have knowingly approved the fake documents prepared by the community forests, users' groups general meetings, members of the forest users' group and forest officials. This is an activity against the Environment Protection Act, 2010 and Forest Act, 2019. This is the embezzlement of the national resources," read the report.

According to the report, Bhatta of Divisional Forest Office, Pahalmanpur and Kandel of DFO Dhangadhi of Kailali were living a high-standard life beyond their actual capacity with the illegal money they earned in collusion with the sawmills and wood traders. Kandel had issued orders to chop down the trees ignoring the continuous requests from the forest users' group to halt the act.

Likewise, Subedi of DFO in Nawalpur district had abused his authority by creating unusually wide forest road and fireline in the forest areas. Subedi, Shrestha of Kamalamai of Sindhuli and Bartaula of Marin of Sindhuli also ordered to cut the trees in the ecologically vulnerable Chure region.

The subcommittee has also found that the Ministry of Forest and Environment, states' Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Forest and Environment, provincial forest directorate, forest offices and forest users groups were not submitting the appropriate documents rather than they were hiding or damaging them, providing fake and fabricated data. Many districts never submitted the asked documents and data to the sub-committee.

"The PAC should direct the MoFE to create a reliable and integrated information management system to address such maladies," recommended the subcommittee.

Instead of providing the technical support to the community and collaborative forests as per the laws and bylaws, the forest offices have been found unusually providing hundreds of thousands of rupees to the consultants while the consultants prepared the reports without making a single trip to the field. Most of the work procedures and action plans prepared by such consultants were fake and misfit.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 September 2020.

Poverty reduction is primary indicator of development: PM

Kathmandu, Sept. 24

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Thursday addressed a high-level side event entitled ‘Poverty at a Crossroad: Using Leadership and the Multidimensional Poverty Index to Build Back Better’ organised on the margins of the 75^th Session of UN General Assembly.

Addressing the event through a pre-recorded video, Prime Minister Oli said that with only a decade left to achieve the 2030 Agenda, progress made in poverty reduction should be a primary indicator in assessing the overall development efforts.

He stressed that investing in people and preventing them from re-lapsing into poverty would be a key challenge amidst the current health and economic crisis, according to a statement issued by the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York.  

PM Oli underlined Nepal’s policies aimed at ending all forms of discrimination and deprivation, and promoting economic growth based on equity and social justice. "We are committed to ensuring that no one remains hungry and no one dies of hunger," he stated. 

Highlighting  poverty as a multidimensional problem in Nepal, the Prime Minister shed light on the government’s targeted programmes for reducing poverty, illiteracy and unemployment. He further outlined the efforts made towards improving delivery of essential services, including universal access to renewable energy, basic water supply and sanitation.

The high-level event was co-hosted by the Governments of Chile and Pakistan in collaboration with Multidimensional Poverty Peer Network and United Nations Development Programme.

Presidents of Afghanistan, Chile, Costa Rica and Honduras, Vice President of Ecuador, and Prime Minster of Pakistan were also among the leaders who spoke on the occasion.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 September 2020. 

Oppo to launch new phone on Sunday

Kathmandu, Sept. 24

Oppo has announced the launch of its new smart phone Oppo F17 Pro on Sunday via social media platforms.

The live launch will be attended by Nepali film artistes Swastima Khadka, Anoop Bikram Shahi, Alisha Rai along with photographer and film maker Sanjog Rai.

The new phone will be shipped with 6 AI portrait cameras, 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 and will sport an Ultra Sleek Body, fashionable Mini Dual Punch Hole Display, and innovative Shiny Matte Colors alongside others.

The cameras are boosted by 6 AI portrait functions and ultra-steady video technology that will result in selfies, images and videos to be of higher quality.

"AI-powered professional shots taken with this phone tries to impress everyone who sees them as F17 Pro leverages fashionable technology that makes users life look and feel easier," said the company.

It has ultra-sleek body, fashionable mini dual punch hole display, and comes in shiny matte colors. The F17 Pro is thinner with thickness of stunning 7.48mm, while just weighting 164g. It has got 220-degree rounded edge.

F17 Pro’s display is set to a 20:9 ratio, which is the optimal width, especially when one holds it in one hand.

According to the company, the phone is equipped with 30W VOOC Flash Charge 4.0 which can fully charge in just 53 minutes. The new charging technology does it at lower phone temperatures than other standard fast charge.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 September 2020. 

Gyawali for result-oriented SAARC

Kathmandu, Sept. 24

 Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali has stressed the need for making SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) an effective and result-oriented regional organisation capable of bringing about visible changes in the lives of people of the region.

He made the remarks at the informal meeting of the SAARC Council of Ministers held virtually on Thursday, informed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA).

Gyawali chaired the meeting participated in by the ministers for foreign/external affairs of the SAARC member countries. 

He urged the countries in the region to explore all viable options to hold the 19^th SAARC Summit at an early date and to generate the new momentum and dynamism in South Asia.

The Foreign Minister highlighted the need for deeper engagement of the member states to collectively fight COVID-19 and develop regional resilience to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic.

Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi delivered Nepal’s national statement in the Council Meeting.

The meeting was hosted by Nepal as the current chair of SAARC.

The Nepali delegation led by FM Gyawali included Bairagi and senior officials of the MoFA.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 25 September 2020. 

NCC and SKorean envoy discuss economic cooperation

Kathmandu, Sept. 24

A delegation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce led by its President Rajesh Kazi Shrestha has called on the newly appointed Ambassador of South Korea to Nepal Park Si Ho-Suk on Thursday.

During the meeting, they discussed the development of infrastructure, including hydropower, attracting and encouraging foreign investment, reducing trade deficit, and facilitation for foreign employment.

Stating that no country is immune from COVID 19, Shrestha said that global economy had been affected adversely and Nepal was no exception. The pandemic had incurred severe impacts on the business and economy.

Informing the ambassador about the bilateral business cooperation between the two countries, Shrestha said that after the establishment of diplomatic relations with South Korea, there had been significant development in trade, investment, and tourism promotion.

However, Nepal's trade deficit with South Korea is ever growing with the former witnessing deficit of 95.3 million US dollars. Nepal exported goods worth 1.6 million UD Dollar and imported merchandise of 97.3 million US dollar. 

Korean joint venture projects in electronics, hotel, chemical industry, pharmaceutical, and mineral water are in operation. Commercial and industrial investment of Rs. 12.57 billion has come from South Korea to Nepal so far. 

Shrestha hoped that the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the NCC and Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry to enhance economic relations between the two countries would help to further increase the bilateral trade and investment.

South Korea has pledged its support in the areas of investment and tourism promotion, technology transfer, exchange of business delegations, skill development and training, development of the agricultural sector, and post-COVID 19 mutual assistance.

Ambassador Ho-Suk pledged his support in strengthening the bilateral trade and investment relations.

Senior Vice President of NCC Rajendra Malla and Vice President Deepak Kumar Malhotra were also present on the occasion.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 25 September 2020. 

Quality ensured ‘Nepal Tea’ needs int’l promotion

 Kathmandu/Ilam, Sept. 23

As the orthodox tea produced in Nepal is allowed to use the collective branding under 'Nepal Tea: Quality from the Himalayas', entrepreneurs are geared up to improve the quality of the product and launch the branding campaign in the domestic and international markets.

Quality of Nepali orthodox tea was never an issue in the international market, but the country and entrepreneurs largely failed to promote it accordingly. While Darjeeling tea, Assam tea and Ceylon tea continued to get their space and demand in the international markets, Nepali tea failed to make its presence in absence of proper branding and advertising strategy.

It resulted in Nepal exporting more than 80 per cent of its tea to the Indian market, especially to Siliguri, with Indian traders many times trying to label Nepal tea as substandard without any ground. Export to India is happening under the generosity of the southern neighbour, it’s not rule based, say the entrepreneurs.

However, nine years' efforts of entrepreneurs and stakeholders materialised on Tuesday. With this, the entrepreneurs and traders of orthodox tea who were discouraged by the non-tariff barriers imposed by India are expressing joy as they can now explore lucrative markets in Europe and Americas as well.

"This is our identity, it will increase our access to the large tea markets globally. It is good for the producers, traders and the country," said Udaya Chapagain, past president of the Himalayan Orthodox Tea Producers Association (HOTPA), who is involved in tea production and business for the last three decades.

Nepal produces about 6 million kgs of orthodox tea and exports about 300,000 kgs which makes it one of the top exporters of the produce.

More than 100 tea gardens in 14 districts across the country produce tea in Nepal.

However, Chapagain said that Nepali tea is not properly branded even in the domestic markets and many consumers haven't heard about the Nepali orthodox tea products.

Director and Spokesperson of the National Tea and Coffee Development Board (NTCDB) Deepak Khanal said that it was a milestone in the tea business of Nepal that has a history of about 157 years.

In the first phase, 12 industries and cooperatives meeting the standards set by the Nepal Orthodox Tea Certification Trademark Directive (Measurement and Code of Conduct), 2074 are allowed to use the logo.

The NTCDB had received 42 applications for the logo use. "It is about branding and ensuring the quality of the orthodox tea. Every producer meeting the criteria will be allowed to use the logo. Therefore, it's a dynamic process," said Khanal.

The applications will be open periodically and there will be continuous monitoring and inspection of the quality. Each industry allowed to use the logo must maintain the quality throughout the year, otherwise its permission will be revoked.

According to Chapagain, Nepali tea was sold to the international market because of the importers’ and consumers’ confidence in its quality but now the standard has been verified through a scientific way. "However, we must not forget that using the logo is about climbing the Mount Everest up to the Base Camp. We must reach the peak by continuously meeting the quality standards," he said.

He suggested the government to immediately run a publicity campaign in the international markets to make the buyers aware of the Nepali tea. "I have urged the Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development Ghanashyam Bhusal to develop a clear roadmap about the publicity campaign and participation in the international trade fairs," said Chapagain.

The logo was launched in Ilam amidst a programme on Tuesday. Most of the industries and cooperatives getting the permission to use the Nepal Tea logo are from Ilam, with only two from Terhathum and one from Sankhuwasabha district.

Executive Director of the NTCDB, Dr. Bishnu Prasad Bhattarai, speaking at a programme in Ilam on Wednesday, said that the board would work to enhance the quality of the remaining tea producers and industries.

Speaking at the programme, Minister Bhusal directed the board to work to develop favourable policy for the tea sector. He said that the Ministry would extend its support in agricultural inputs, electricity and technology.

According to Dr. Bhattarai, the entrepreneurs using the logo must update the board about their production, quality and quantity. There is a committee to monitor and evaluate the production and trading of tea.

The board is trying to register the logo in India, the United States of America and the European Union. However, since the registration process is cumbersome and expensive the board is moving cautiously, said Khanal.

 

Tea industries and cooperatives allowed to use Nepali tea trademark

1. Sandakphu Tea Processors Pvt. Ltd.	Maipokhari, Ilam
2. Himalayan Sangrila Tea Producers Pvt. Ltd.	Sakhejung, Ilam
3. High Hill Tea Producer Cooperative Society Ltd.	Deumai, Ilam
4. Jasbire Tea Prasodhan	Ilam -4 Ilam
5. Sagarmatha Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd.	Dharmadevi, Sankhuwasabha
6. Bokre Dada Orthodox Chiya Prasodhan Udhyog	Solma, Tehrathum
7. Singhadevi Tea Producers Cooperative Ltd.	Laliguras -3, Tehrathum
8. Gorkha Tea Estate Pvt. Ltd.	Suryodaya -9, Ilam
9. Nepal Green Tea and Speciality Tea Pvt. Ltd.	Suryodaya -3, Ilam
10. Oasis Tea Industries Pvt. Ltd.	Suryodaya -4, Ilam
11. Taragaun Tea Estate	Suryodaya -6, Ilam
12. Sakhejung Hill Range Tea Processing Industry	Sakhejung -3, Ilam

Source: NTCDB

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 24 September 2020. With Kokila Dhakal from Ilam. 

COVID-19 forces businesses to use digital platforms

Kathmandu, Sept. 23

The COVID-19 pandemic has spurred more Nepali businesses to start using internet, social media or digital platforms to seize business opportunities in the wake of declining traditional sales.

The finding is revealed in the COVID-19 Nepal Business Pulse Survey conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and World Bank, in partnership with the government of Japan.

According to the study, carried out between May 25 and June 10, a fifth of businesses surveyed have started to use or have been using the internet, social media, specialised apps, or digital platforms for business purposes.

It also found that over half of Nepal’s micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) face the risk of permanently closing their operations within a month under the current conditions of COVID-19 impacts.

Based on a sample of more than 540 representatives from MSMEs across all provinces, the survey also revealed over 80 per cent of businesses have suffered from a slump in sales and have taken measures such as granting leave without pay or reduced the hours or wages of their employees.

“These findings highlight the severe burden facing by the micro, small and medium sized businesses in Nepal due to the impacts of COVID-19,” said Rolf Behrndt, IFC South Asia Manager for Advisory Services. “We know these businesses play a vital role in Nepal’s economy but clearly with a drop-in demand and sales, employers have had to opt for a range of measures to cope with less revenue, prompting questions about their future viability.”

About 45 per cent of the firms had granted leave of absence to employees, and 27 per cent had reduced working hours. Across all sectors, sizes and locations of firms, 12 per cent of female employees have been put on reduced pay.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has dealt a major blow to Nepal’s economy, with enterprises of all sizes bearing the brunt with little to no revenue. About 83 per cent of the firms reported a decline in sales compared to the same time last year,” said Wendy Werner, IFC Country Manager for Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. “Micro, small and medium sized businesses play a key role in helping Nepal’s economy grow. I believe these findings would be useful in preparing a well-informed response to help the businesses get back on their feet.”

MSMEs contribute 22 per cent to the country's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) employing about 1.75 million people. The Central Bureau of Statistics projects that the fallout from the pandemic will mean significant contractions in the expected growth rate for the sector in the fiscal year 2020 compared to years past.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily 24 September 2020. 

Press should not be sadist: Prez

Shambhu Shrestha gets Press Council Journalism Award

Kathmandu, Sept. 22

President Bidya Devi Bhandari said on Tuesday that the press should not be sadist but remained as the torchbearer of freedom and conscience.

"The mass media should always support to the peace and pleasure of people and journey to the prosperity. Adherence to journalists’ code of conduct is a must to strengthen democracy," she said while addressing the 51^st Anniversary of the Press Council Nepal and prize distribution ceremony organised at Sheetal Niwas.

According to her, considered as the fourth estate of the nation, journalism is a crucial medium for strengthening democracy and no liberal society could be imagined without the freedom of opinion and expression and right to information. Responsible journalism, informed citizenry and accountable government are the indispensable elements of democracy, she said.

President Bhandari stated that transmission of fake and confusing information has become a global challenge and stressed that the PCN should play a greater role to fight against such communication maladies in Nepal.

"The media sector should move ahead with the development of modern information and communication infrastructure," she said.

She appreciated the PCN's role in monitoring the mass media sector and identifying the media houses and journalists that defy the code of conduct and punishing them.

President Bhandari urged the media to pay greater attention to physical infrastructure development, challenges created by the climate change, food security, sanitation and water supply, quality education and health.

She also urged the journalists to write or report against various social malpractices as well.

President Bhandair also honoured a few journalists with various awards of the year for their contribution to journalism sector at a formal programme organised in Sheetal Niwas.

President Bhandari presented Shambhu Shrestha, editor of Drishti Weekly, with Gopal Das Shrestha Press Council Journalism Award.

The award carries a purse of Rs. 151,000. Having spent in journalism for over 35 years, editor Shrestha is known for his left-leaning journalism in Nepal.

Similarly, Arjun Bohara, a journalist from Humla, was presented with Surendra Bahadur Basnet Award. Bohora received Rs. 110,000 cash and replica from the President.

Ameet Dhakal, editor of Setopati online portal, was honuored with Press Council Code of Ethics Award. He received Rs. 50,000 cash and replica from the president.

Apart from these, some other journalists were also awarded for their contribution on the occasion of the 51^st Press Council Day.

Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota  honoured Govinda Chhetri (Jhapa), Rajan Karki (Kathmandu), Dharmendra Karna (Dhanusa), Rishi Dhamala (Dhading), Umesh Shrestha (Kathmandu) and Nitu Pandit (Kathmandu) with Rs. 20,000 cash each and certificate for their proactive journalism at the function organised at the office of Press Council Nepal.

Nawaraj Rijal, editor of Nawa Pragyapan monthly, was honoured with Rs. 20,000 cash and certificate for his contribution to literary journalism and Ganesh Rai was honoured with the same for his contribution to promoting ethnic languages in journalism.

Journalists Satendra Jagebu (Ilam), Suresh Chadra Adhikari (Chitwan), Madhav Paudel (Kathmandu), Ganesh Chaudhary (Kailali) Girija Adhikari (Makwanpur), Raju BK (Siraha), Kamala Shrestha (Kathmandu), Rajan Singh (Dhanusha), Devi Kumari Gurung (Rolpa), Renu Parajuli (Udayapur), Dipendra Wali (Surkhet), Sher Bahadur Thapa (Surkhet) and photo journalists Radhika Kandel from Kaski and Shanta Kamali (Lamjung) were also honoured with Rs.15,000 cash and certificate on the occasion.

After honouring journalists with various awards, Kishor Shrestha, acting chairman of the Council, said that they were unable to publish the classification of the newspapers this year. He blamed the government for ignoring newspaper classification.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 23 September 2020. 

IFC suggests boosting women's contribution in hydropower

Kathmandu, Sept. 22

Companies and women in Nepal would stand to benefit if greater action was taken to improve women’s participation and contribution in the hydropower sector, concluded a study conducted by the International Finance Corporation (IFC).

The study calls for companies to adopt gender sensitive policies and practices to attract more women into working in the hydropower sector – a key national priority.

“Women make up more than half of Nepal’s population, yet the study reveals only 10 per cent of all employees in the country’s hydropower sector are women,” said Wendy Werner, IFC Country Manager for Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan. “The companies need to seize the opportunity to embark on more gender-sensitive and family-friendly policies to help boost staff productivity and attract and retain talent which will ultimately boost their businesses,” he added.

The study of 20 companies is part of the Powered by Women initiative—a time-bound commitment by companies to build the business case for improved gender equality and diversity in renewable energy companies in Nepal.

“We recognise the need  for making conscious efforts to increase the number of women in power sector. Our organization has already taken a forward step by making women participation in the executive committee mandatory. By partnering with IFC on this important initiative we are committing to championing this cause,” said Ashish Garg, Vice President of Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal.

The report recommends that companies need to develop and enforce gender-sensitive policies, including mechanisms to address cases of bullying, sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation.

Meanwhile, at the community level, the report urges increased support from companies to women-led businesses, including improving their access to finance, and efforts to train

Gender stereotyping, remoteness of hydropower project sites and a lack of women in science, technology, engineering, and math education have been identified as key constraints for women’s participation in this sector, found the study. 

Concerns around initial investment costs and uncertainty over whether there will be a pay off in the short- to medium-term were also inhibiting factors, according to the study.

Nepal ranks 105 out of 149 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index 2018 conducted by the World Economic Forum, indicating that there is still a critical need to focus on gender equality across various spheres.

The study was conducted between 2019 and 2020. Over two dozen executives and almost 250 employees working in 20 companies within Nepal’s hydropower industry contributed to the research.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 23 September 2020. 

It is collective responsibilty to empower UN: PM

Kathmandu, Sept. 22

The United Nations is at a crossroads of continuity and transformation and that it is a collective responsibility of the member states to strengthen and empower the UN as the centre of multilateralism to deal with the complex challenges confronting the world, said Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli while addressing the 75^th Anniversary of the UN.

In his address, through a pre-recorded video, to the High-level Meeting held on Monday to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the UN, he said the global body was facing test of delivering the ever-growing expectations.

"It is facing expectations to protect the neediest countries and peoples, promote the sovereign equality and dignity of all, and fight against the threats like pandemics, climate crisis and terrorism," said PM Oli.

Ensuring total elimination of nuclear, chemical, biological, radiological and all other weapons of mass destruction is also an important expectation, according to the PM.

While expressing his satisfaction on the ever-growing partnership between Nepal and the UN in all three pillars - peace and security, development, and human rights, PM Oli observed that Nepal had been providing one of the most dedicated and professional services to the UN peace operations for over six decades.

"There is no alternative to unity, solidarity and cooperation. We must reaffirm these values and commit ourselves to move beyond rhetoric to action. With timely reforms, we must enable the UN to build a just, fair, and rules-based international order," the Prime Minister stated.

The Meeting is being convened under the theme of ‘The future we want, the United Nations we need: Reaffirming our collective commitment to multilateralism’. The Declaration on the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations was adopted earlier in the meeting.

A total of 182 speakers, including 88 Heads of State and 44 Heads of Government, are scheduled to address the commemorative event.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 23 September 2020. 

We make haste in launching projects: NPC Vice-Chairman

The COVID-19 has taken a heavy toll on every sector of society and economy. While it has posed a serious threat to the health and life of citizens, it has battered business, industry and development at all levels. The budget execution and development performance are underachieved and there are no symptoms of early economic revival. Work at some large development projects is either halted or slowed despite the efforts to take the human resources and construction materials to the site. In such a scenario, the National Planning Commission (NPC), the apex planning body in the country, is putting its efforts to coordinate with the respective agencies to facilitate the development programmes. Modnath Dhakal of The Rising Nepal talked to Prof. Dr. Pushpa Raj Kandel, Vice-Chairman of the NPC, on the issue. Excerpts:

 The COVID-19 pandemic has battered the economy causing serious damages to the public and private sector. How is the NPC studying the effect of the pandemic on the national economy?

The commission has conducted a study to gauge the exact impact of the pandemic on the national economy, including the private sector. Consultants have submitted the draft report to the NPC and the internal team of experts is studying it. This report will give the picture of the economy after the COVID-19 hit the nation.

The economic downturn had begun in early March this year. Since then the projection of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has been the subject of continuous correction and has come to below 2 per cent from the earlier estimates of 8.5 per cent. Hospitality, tourism and education were the hardest hit sectors. While there is a gradual opening of the tourism and hotel sector, there is still no sign of opening the schools. Manufacturing sector is also significantly affected. The closure in businesses and industries has resulted in the growing liquidity in the banking system which is not a good sign. There is no demand for loan as no one is making investments. Agriculture is the least affected sector and due to the timely plantation and good rain we hope that it might be the sector supporting the economy during the distress.

 

What are the repercussions on the development and construction sector?

Initial days were chaotic. Things happened so fast that nobody could grasp the situation, and it happened everywhere around the globe. Most of the development projects stopped the work and sent the workers home. At that time no one realised that the workers could have been kept at the site in isolation and the work could have been continued. When we realised this, it was already late. However, work at many infrastructure projects is continue after a couple of months although the number of workers is still short and the foreign workers, especially Chinese, haven’t returned yet.

 

Especially the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown hit hard the large infrastructure development including the national pride projects and it has been projected that their time and cost would overrun. What is their position now?

Certainly, there is a profound impact of the pandemic on the development projects which will propel the time and cost overrun. The 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectricity Project is postponed to December 2020 from July. International airport projects in Bhairahawa and Pokhara will also be delayed. However, we are trying to recover some projects like Bhairahawa airport. Melamchi Water Supply Project has got glitches with the damage of its gates. It is surprising that these projects witnessed serious challenges at the last stage of development. I think every project in implementation has been affected to a certain extent by the recent crisis.

 

Delay in the construction of the development project and heavy increment in time and cost have become the characters of the development in Nepal. Who is responsible for it?

There is a serious flaw in our development system. We don’t make sound preparation of the projects before contracting them out to the developers. Implementing the projects with strict and pragmatic timeline, promoting good developers and managers and punishing the corrupt, and timely management of required resources are not taken up seriously. Had there been proper attention to these aspects, the development performance would have been quite different now. We make haste in launching the projects and face multiple challenges later. This is the characteristic of every project from small to large. The NPC is trying to resolve these issues so that the development work could move ahead smoothly, and projects are completed in time. We are planning to create a robust project bank to find new projects and make better preparations. It will address many challenges that our infrastructure development is facing now.

 

What is the progress in instituting the project bank? Have you thought about maintaining balance among various states?

The project bank is conceptualised to address various development challenges although it's still in the preparation phase and will take another one and a half years to come into being. We have to develop a new system and mentality. The traditional way of taking projects out of the pockets of certain leaders won’t work, each project needs a thorough preparation. I would like to inform you that there has been significant progress in project bank, about 6,500 projects are already registered in the bank. No project will go for implementation without being registered in the bank. Since the resources are largely mobilised to the states and local bodies, major projects from the subnational levels will be incorporated in the bank. They should also be reoriented about the preparedness, financing and construction of development projects.

There is no systematic method to create provincial balances in terms of development, however there are certain provisions developed by the National Natural Resources and Fiscal Commission. There are special developmental needs in the states as well such as Karnali and Sudurpaschim need physical infrastructure and social development while State 2 is lagging behind in social development. Special priorities should be accorded to the areas that have been marginalised and lagging in terms of development and access to basic facilities.

 

Don’t you think if there was a provision to punish or fine the officials or organisations responsible for the delay in completing the infrastructure projects, the work could be more effective and result oriented?

There should be provisions of reward and punishment at the political and bureaucratic levels. Political leadership can be punished by the people during the elections as well while there should be a robust system to guide, reward and punish the bureaucracy. We are a quasi-regulatory body, we are more focused on policy formulation. The NPC is continuously nudging the concerned agencies and authorities about facilitating and expediting the development projects.

 

During this crisis, did the NPC try to coordinate and facilitate the development projects in infrastructure and social sector?

Our main roles are the facilitation and coordination while planning is also a regular activity. We are also working to create 25-year strategy for development. Factors like communication gap, ego and indifference to coordination have resulted in repetition of the same work, delay in project implementation and additional cost. Road construction and expansion is a peculiar example but the culture is same across the sectors. The country does not have a resource or coordination centre to observe such practice, warn the agencies and coordinate with them. Therefore, the NPC is the agency that is putting its efforts in coordinating such matters so far although with limited success. The members of the NPC, secretary and sectoral chiefs have been working to facilitate in various development works but there is no limit to such endeavours. The National Development Action Committee is, perhaps, the supreme body designed to facilitate, coordinate and collaborate in the development work. Issues of all sectors are raised in the NDAC meeting. The consecutive two NDAC meetings have been disturbed by the COVID-19 since the meeting should be attended by more than 100 top government officials. Discussions are underway to conduct the meeting virtually.

 

The coronavirus has created an unprecedented opportunity for the infrastructure and logistics development in the health sector. Is the country making endeavours to grab this opportunity? What has been done in the sector so far?

As a planning body, the NPC does not receive such demand round the year. Its duty is to prepare periodic planning, primarily one year and five year, while we are also working on a 25-year plan. The government was suggested to be well prepared to tackle the challenges of natural disasters and pandemic like the COVID-19. Project monitoring and evaluation and necessary coordination are going even during the pandemic. Likewise, I also chair the NPC in the fund created for the coronavirus prevention and treatment. The fund is working to address the immediate challenges posed by the pandemic while at the same time some long-term projects such as 5-bed hospital in each local body are also announced. Rs. 1 million is sent to each local body. The capacity of national and regional hospitals is being upgraded in order to equip them to fight the battle against COVID-19.

 

With the implementation of federalism, there is more confusion about infrastructure development. State and local governments are finding it hard to carry on with the development projects while some of the projects handed over to them have  bounced back to the federal government. What caused this – capability, leadership or resources?

There are challenges in all aspects – capability, leadership, resources. Likewise, there are so many projects announced or being implemented that no government agency has any idea of or control over them. Major chunks of resources have been mobilised to the subnational governments but they lack the capacity to implement development work, they don't have enough human resources and managerial capabilities. Some projects that span more than one local body fall between the state and local governments but there are less efforts to forge collaboration in such projects. One way to resolve the constraints in infrastructure development could be applying the suggestions put forward by the Office of the Auditor General. It has offered some pragmatic recommendations.

The federal government should play the role of a guardian in guiding the local governments and enhancing their capacity in terms of planning, budgeting and development. On the other hand, the local bodies must be focussed on increasing their capacity and must work within the limits set by the constitution. There are hundreds of sick projects across the country and many projects are left in the middle of development. The NPC is partnering with the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration and state governments and their planning commissions to run programmes to build and enhance the capacity of the local governments in devising plans and development programmes. We will be focusing on the local bodies that haven't developed their periodic plans. We will coordinate with the stakeholders in identifying the needs of the respective local body and devise the capacity development or skill development programme to enhance their capacity. The central government should guide the local governments while the latter must develop an effective system and follow the guidelines laid down by the constitution.

 

You have said  a couple of times that the NPC is for quite some  time facing human resource shortage and is unable to conduct effective coordination and facilitation in development works. What is the major challenge?

First thing that I would like to tell you is about the institutional setup or requirement of the planning body. There are experts, even the government officials and ministers, who deny the need of NPC-like institution while others recommend it to make a think tank, policy institute, coordinating body or planning or monitoring agency. During the political transitions, the neoliberals come up to say that the entire planning system is not needed for the state while there are no other options for the developing countries other than the state leading in planning and development. Some scholars who advocate for socialism also say that planning is not needed. How can you lead the society to socialism without planning? However, we are not talking about absolute planning mechanism but policy guidance to the planning. In the federal structure, there is no agency to coordinate among the different levels of government and guide them in policy and planning. Federal ministries and agencies are busy in their thematic areas.

So far as the human resource shortage is concerned, every agency or institution in the country is facing a similar challenge. We are not getting the experts on the thematic areas, planning and programming.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 21 September 2020.