Nation aims to create 10,000 startups by 2030
Kathmandu, Aug. 21
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged the stakeholders from
the government, private sector and development partners to facilitate the
development of startup enterprises to ensure their contribution to the national aspiration of
becoming the middle-income country by 2030.
"We must move ahead with better policies, programmes
and strategies to facilitate the development of this sector. As the country is
transforming itself to the developing and middle-income nation by 2030, we need
to promote innovations that build the foundations for industrial
development," he said while addressing the Startup Nation 2030 conference
in the Capital on Wednesday.
Stating that startup development
is the liability and obligation of the government, PM Oli said that they are
the means to achieve the national goal of 'Prosperous Nepal, happy Nepali'.
"With innovative and creative thinking, youth and women can find
employment and income opportunities within the country, without going abroad
for work," he said.
He urged the banks and financial
institutions to provide loans to such entrepreneurs based on the viability of
their projects rather than asking for collateral.
“We must boost entrepreneurship
based on technology, skills, and capital to ensure visible results in
production across the country. Any startup supported by the government should
not fail; it should be pursued as a national campaign. To achieve prosperity,
the government will continue to provide unwavering support to the private
sector,” said PM Oli.
"Through startup development we can promote the growth
of manufacturing and service sector. It is important to establish and expand
the number of industries to enhance production from small capitals," he
said.
Commenting on the national goal to create 10,000 startups by
2030, he urged the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS) and the
National Planning Commission (NPC) to perform better.
Speaking on the occasion, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance
Minister, Bishnu Prasad Paudel, said that there is a need to promote all
creative and innovative youth to take up startup enterprise.
According to him, the government has an understanding of the
challenges faced by the entrepreneurs and they would be solved one by one
according to their priority.
"The economy is on a gradual course of recovery.
Indicators have been improving. Revenue collection is up by 20 per cent in the
first month of this Fiscal Year 2024/25. Capital expenditure has also seen an
improvement while real estate and share market are growing," said DPM
Paudel.
He maintained that the government is putting in efforts and
cooperating with the private sector to boost the latter's confidence in
business and investment. "However, we want a healthy growth in the share
market and will not allow any activities like insider trading and
cornering," he said.
Vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission (NPC),
Prof. Dr. Shiva Raj Adhikari said that Nepal will make significant progress and
achievement by the end of 2025.
The government has recently implemented the Startup
Enterprise Operation Procedure, 2080. Likewise, it has already implemented the
startup loan guidelines and mobilised the funds to the startup
entrepreneurs.
Executive Director of the IEDI, Umesh Gupta, said that the
national startup support project aimed at facilitating 10,000 startups to
create 100,000 jobs in the next six years.
The two-day conference is the third edition in the national
campaign to promote and facilitate startups. Chaired by the MoICS and led by
the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the
conference aims to make Nepal one of the most startup-friendly nations in South
Asia by 2030.
Supported by ICIMOD, Industrial Enterprise Development
Institute (IEDI), the University Grants Commission (UGC), and PUM Netherlands,
the conference will bring together entrepreneurs, mentors, experts, educational
institutes, investors, government bodies, and other stakeholders, said the
organisers.
The Startup Nation 2030 initiative aspires to establish
Nepal as a startup-friendly nation by 2030. This conference will centre on the
essential 4P Framework – ‘Policies, Procedures, Practices and People’ – required
to realise this vision, according to the organisers.
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