PM Oli urges young entrepreneurs to stay determined, optimistic

Kathmandu, July 31

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has called on young entrepreneurs to remain determined and optimistic about the future, and said that their efforts will play a crucial role in achieving the national aspiration of 'Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali'.

Speaking at the ‘Startup Entrepreneurs with the Prime Minister’ programme organised today by the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute at the Prime Minister’s Residence in Baluwatar, he stressed the importance of forward-looking optimism.

“If we abandon the development and course for future, nothing will remain. Therefore, we must move ahead with confidence, with an aim of making Nepal a bright and developed nation,” he said.

According to him, Nepal will achieve the status of a developing nation by 2026, and will then move on to becoming a developed country.

"No one else will come and build our country for us, we must do it ourselves. Through the development and practice of technology, we can achieve modernisation and increase productivity,” said PM Oli. “If we all commit to this, we can do it. Nepal can be built.”

During the programme, the Prime Minister also visited various stalls showcasing a wide range of products by Nepali entrepreneurs.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 August 2025.

GBIA, PIA national pride infrastructures

Kathmandu, July 31

Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, has said that Gautam Buddha International Airport (GBIA) and Pokhara Regional International Airport (PIA) should now be recognised as national pride infrastructures.

Speaking during a discussion, organised by the Federalism Enablement and National Concerns Committee of the National Assembly of the Federal Parliament, on national pride projects under the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation (MOCTCA), he said that although the Ministry oversees five major projects, the construction of the two newly built international airports has been completed.

“The country must now acknowledge these projects as symbols of national pride and begin to reap benefits from them,” he added.

Minister Pandey also expressed the government's commitment to advancing work on the master plans of Pashupatinath and Lumbini. He mentioned that although the Nijgadh International Airport project has already been designated a national pride project, its construction remains uncertain.

However, he reaffirmed the necessity of the airport for the country and said the government would move forward with a clear construction and operational modality.

Commenting on the underperformance of GBIA and PIA, Minister Pandey said the problems lay not only in air routes but also in the failure of various government bodies to implement the operational plans already prepared by the government.

After a long hiatus, Minister Pandey also noted that all aircraft belonging to Nepal Airlines are currently in operation, and discussions are underway to add more aircraft to the national carrier’s fleet.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 1 August 2025.

Panel formed to draft regulation to maintain budget discipline

Kathmandu, July 30

The Ministry of Finance (MoF) has formed a task force to draft legislation aimed at strengthening budgetary discipline.

The task force is headed by Mahesh Baral, Chief of the Financial Federalism Coordination Division at the Ministry. Members of the task force include Under-Secretaries from the Budget Division and the Law and Decision Division of the MoF, and former Joint Secretary Nirmal Hari Adhikari, who joins as a subject-matter expert. The role of Member Secretary is held by an Under-Secretary from the Financial Federalism Division, the MoF informed in a statement on Wednesday.

Clause 359 of the budget for the current fiscal year 2025/26 outlines objectives such as enhancing the efficiency of allocations to improve the effectiveness of public finance, increasing public expenditure outcomes through budget discipline, and strengthening cash flow management to maintain a balanced federal consolidated fund.

It also mentions the productive and sustainable utilisation of public debt and the implementation of the National Financial Management Reform Strategy.

Furthermore, Clause 371 of the budget outlines the need to draft legislation to strengthen budget discipline at the federal, provincial, and local levels, in line with constitutional provisions. It also calls for the formulation of public expenditure standards applicable across all three tiers of government.

The MoF has formed the task force to implement these budget provisions.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 31 July 2025.

Nepal hosting ‘JCI South Asia Business and Investment Meet'

Kathmandu, July 30

The JCI Nepal is organising JCI South Asia Business and Investment Meet 2025 in Kathmandu on August 3.

"This is first of its kind programme to be organised by the JCI Nepal. It is a pivotal event designed to foster economic growth and collaboration across the region," JCI Nepal President Rajani Thapa said at a press meet organised in Kathmandu on Wednesday.

According to her, the primary objective of the event is to create a platform for entrepreneurs, investors, and business leaders from South Asia and Nepal's startup community. The meet aims to facilitate networking, identify investment opportunities, and promote economic prosperity through collaborative efforts.

The event will feature networking sessions designed for South Asian business leaders, direct interaction with investors, specialised sessions focusing on sector-specific discussions, and an exhibition showcasing innovative ideas from Nepali and South Asian startups.

Daisy Napit, JIB Area Coordinator in Nepal, said that the meet is expected to witness the presence of IT, construction, agriculture and textile entrepreneurs from the region.

"We want to develop an environment to create 'positive change' and establish a framework for achieving this goal," she said.

Meanwhile, Junior Chamber International (JCI) Nepal is set to host the inaugural South Asian Academy for International Leadership (SAAIL) 2025 aiming at 'Building Nations – Building Leadership'.

The event to be held in Kathmandu from July 31 to August 3 is designed to empower young leaders across South Asia by enhancing international understanding, regional cooperation, and active participation in national and community development, said Pragya Rajbhandari, past president of the JCI Nepal and SAAIL chairperson.

According to the organisers, Minster for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Badri Prasad Pandey, will inaugurate the event.

The academy traces its origins to the 2025 JCI Asia-Pacific Conference (ASPAC) in JCI Mongolia, leading to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to establish SAAIL.

"This initiative marks the first such event being hosted in Nepal, with plans for it to become an annual event rotated among South Asian nations" said Rajbhandari.

The event will include workshops on leadership development, public speaking, entrepreneurship, marketing, and global perspectives, alongside cultural exchange programmes. Vice President Mark Joseph David of JCI Asia-Pacific and Ambassadors from Sri Lanka and India are expected to attend.

JCI Nepal anticipates SAAIL 2024 will make a significant contribution to fostering international youth leadership, cooperation, and an investment-friendly environment in the region.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 31 July 2025.

NCC holds health camp as part of its Diamond Jubilee

Kathmandu, July 30

To commemorate its Diamond Jubilee, the Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) has organised a health camp in Manmaiju of Kathmandu. Over 100 women underwent breast and cervical cancer screening as part of the initiative aimed at promoting women’s health, the NCC informed in a statement on Wednesday.

As part of the organisation’s year-long celebration of its 75th anniversary, the Chamber has been hosting various events across the country. The health camp, coordinated by the Diamond Jubilee Main Ceremony Committee, was held with technical support from Nepal Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and Silverline Hospital.

Speaking at the event, former NCC president Rajendra Malla urged women to avail of such health-focused programmes. "There is a need for women to not only maintain their physical well-being but also to engage in entrepreneurial and economic activities for personal and societal benefit.

Chairperson of the NCC’s Social and Health Committee, Mrigendra Mehar Shrestha, expressed Chamber’s continued commitment to social responsibility alongside economic initiatives.

As Nepal’s first and oldest representative body of the private sector, actively contributing to the national economy for more than seven and a half decades, the NCC plans to showcase its long-standing contributions to the country’s economic development and private sector advancement throughout the Diamond Jubilee year. It was established as Banik Mandal in 2007. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 31 July 2025.

Govt initiating business formalisation

 Kathmandu, July 30

Anita Regmi of Narayan Municipality-6 in Dailekh district has been running a poultry farm for the last several years. She was running the business without registering it at any authorities but she got a chance to attend a two-day training organised by Dailekh Chamber of Commerce which educated her about the benefits that she could have if her business were registered.

Regmi's Samragyi Agriculture and Livestock Farm is now registered with the local government.

"I didn't know that registering the business could draw multiple benefits. Now, I know the benefits of enrolling into the Social Security Fund and book keeping. I am also planning to get a Permanent Account Number (PAN) as well," she said to The Rising Nepal.

Many entrepreneurs from across the country need such awareness and education on registering their business. But federal, provincial and many local governments have just been calling on the businesspeople to register their business. Although they have formulated policies and laws to formalise the business, a significant portion of it is operating informally.

Only making rules is not sufficient, education awareness and trainings to the entrepreneurs are necessary, said Juna Mathema, Chairperson of the FNCCI's Start-Ups and Innovation Forum.

"However, the entire process should be facilitating the entrepreneurs, not scaring them away from the government authorities," she said.

To support in this process, 'Formalise Your Business' (FYB) initiative is being implemented by the governments at various level especially the provincial agencies, International Labour Organization (ILO), private sector agencies including the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and its local district and municipal chapters, and Joint Trade Union Coordination Center (JTUCC).

Likewise, Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), National Vocational Training Academy, Federation of Women Entrepreneurs Associations of Nepal (FWEAN) and EU UN joint Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal programme is also supporting this process.

A National Formalisation Committee (NFC) is working on the national formalisation action plan that also includes the development of the National Strategy for the same which is expected to engage all concerned stakeholders from the government and non-government sectors in spearheading the initiative.

The NFC has recently felt that Nepal is making significant strides in its efforts to transition informal businesses into the formal economy, a crucial move aimed at fostering economic growth, promoting decent work, and advancing social justice.

 

Registering businesses

Registering informal enterprises – those operating outside the legal and regulatory framework – with government authorities and comply with laws and regulations is business formalisation.

This includes aspects like business registration, bookkeeping, adherence to tax laws, social security contributions, and compliance with labour laws. The FYB programme acts as a practical tool that provides entrepreneurs and business managers with the necessary information and guidance to facilitate them in this transition.

The formalisation of businesses is a priority which is backed by the 16^th Periodic Plan with a target to achieve 50 per cent formal employment by 2028. The plan also envisions to increase the number of formally registered businesses at least with one government authority to 85 per cent by mid-July 2086. This aligns with Integrated National Action Plan on Formalisation and the Decent Work Country Programme 2023-27.

 

An ecosystem supporting formalisation

Krishna Bahadur Rokaya, Officer at the Directorate of Industry and Consumer Protection in Karnali, said that for the past six months, his office has been spearheading with the training and awareness programmes for business registration and sharing its benefits to the entrepreneurs.

The training which began with 15 entrepreneurs that included 12 businesswomen has now completed four rounds.

"We have launched business formalisation training for beauticians, pickle producers and other businesspeople," said Rokaya while adding that the Directorate conducts continued follow-ups to ensure that the trainee entrepreneurs have registered their enterprises and are entitled of various benefits offered by the government as well the banks and financial institutions (BFIs).

The Directorate is one of the key agencies in implementing the FYB initiative in Karnali Province.

The directorate is working on an ecosystem of creating entrepreneurs with relevant training, enabling them to register their business, and conducting monitoring and follow up to make sure they are registered with the relevant authorities.

"Earlier, entrepreneurs used to think that registering business was just an act to get a piece of paper from the government and it would be of no use in making the business better or enhancing it. But now they know about the tax system, social security, consumer interest, work place safety and labour rights," said Rokaya.

The trainings being implemented as per the national action plan on business formalisation are conducted at 18 locations and have trained 399 entrepreneurs with 350 women. Likewise, follow-up and monitoring were conducted with 197 participants of such programmes to assess the impact, according to the National Formalisation Committee (NFC).

The formalisation of business brings benefits like access to finance, legal protection, market access, improved business practice, social security and decent work and economic growth.

Pradip Kumar Koirala, Joint-Secretary at the MoLES and Chairperson of the NFC, said that the business formalisation training has become impactful and it should be continued. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 31 July 2025.

National formalisation strategy in final stage

Priority to reducing informal employment in agriculture, construction, transportation, and wholesale and retail trade

 

Kathmandu, July 26

The Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS) is at the final stage to prepare the National Strategy on Formalisation with priority to reducing informal employment in agriculture, construction, transportation, and wholesale and retail trade sectors.

According to Labour Force Survey of 2017/18, Nepal's 84.6 per cent labour force is employed in various informal sectors including 22 per cent informal jobs in formal sectors. Since 24.62 per cent employment in agriculture, 15.91 per cent in construction, 16.04 per cent in wholesale and retail trade, and 4.24 per cent in transportation is informal, the strategy has accorded priority to these sectors.

According to the draft of the strategy published by the MoLESS, Nepal needs the policy document to provide comprehensive, clear, and integrated policy guidance for formalisation, and improve the productivity of enterprises, businesses and labour, and increase the efficiency of revenue administration among others. Most importantly, the document will provide a common understanding on informality and its different components from informal sector employment to employment in informal market economy.

"Multiple agencies and stakeholders should work together to achieve the national goal for formalising the economy. To forge better coordination among them and achieve that goal, we need a strategy," said Pradip Kumar Koirala, Joint-Secretary at the MoLES and Chairperson of the National Formalisation Committee (NFC) which is implementing the National Formalisation Plan with the technical assistance from the International Labour Organisation (ILO).  

He said that the strategy was needed to achieve the national goal of formalising economic establishments and benefit both employers and employees as well as the national economy.

Likewise, Gagan Singh Bista, Under-Secretary at the MoLESS and member of the NFC, said that the Ministry is in the phase of concluding the discussion on the strategy with the stakeholders and soon it would be presented at the Central Level Advisory Council (CLAC) chaired by the Labour Minister for the validation of the final draft prepared after incorporating the suggestions and addressing concerns raised by the stakeholders.

The CLAC – a tripartite mechanism including representatives from the government, employers and trade unions chaired by the Minister of Labour and formed under the Labour Act – will forward the final draft to the Cabinet.

The draft of the strategy has identified causes behind the informality in Nepal including low job creation in formal sector, high rate of poverty, poor access to quality education, dependent workers, administrative hurdles in business registration and renewal process, and high compliance cost. Other factors are weak implementation of existing laws, limited education about social security programmes and benefits of formalisation, poor coordination among the government agencies, lack of disaggregated data on business and workers, and legal and institutional gaps among the three levels of government.

According to the MoLESS, this is also the first of its kind policy in the South Asian Region. "It is the first integrated national action plan to facilitate formalisation in Nepal which is recognised by the ILO in Asia Pacific Regional Best Practices (2024), and 113^th International Labour Conference Innovative Practices (2025)," informed the NFC.  

While other countries in the region also have such strategy, the one Nepal is developing will be integrated one and will include digital submission of labour audit and digital case management for labour disputes on Integrated Labour Management Information System (ILMIS) system, and procedure for labour inspection in the informal sector.

Babu Kaji Karki, Co-Chiar of the Employers Council at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), said that the private sector is also hopeful that the strategy will address various maladies not only associated with the employer-employee relations but also fair business practices.

He said that the informality is spread across multiple economic sectors including business, employment, trading and production.

"However, many businesses running informally are yet to be educated that the compliance to the existing laws helps in business sustainability. The governments at different levels should also focus on simplifying the process and policies," he said.

The strategy is being developed as a component of the National Plan on Formalisation, which according to the NFC, has reached to more than 10,000 people with awareness programmes, trained 399 entrepreneurs till date on measures to formalise, and through which various surveys and discussions have been conducted.

The strategy draft read that at least 85 per cent of the economic establishments operating in Nepal will be registered, 40 per cent of businesses registered for taxation will submit their annual tax returns, and about 400,000 self-employed individuals and 300,000 informal sector workers will be enrolled in contribution-based social security schemes in five years after its implementation.

Likewise, it aims to increase the number of formal economic entities registered under the social security contribution scheme to 60,000 from the current number above 21,000. "The number of employees working in formal economic entities and enrolled in social security schemes will reach 1.5 million and about 30,000 establishments will submit their labour audit," read the policy.  

Work plan of the strategy include developing sector-specific codes of conduct for occupational safety and health, ensuring basic labour rights including non-discriminatory practices regarding wages, leave and social security, and providing free technical consultation to micro, small and women-owned businesses.

According to it, businesses transitioning to formalisation will receive various benefits embedded in the laws - including seed capital, operational grants, concessional loans, and collateral-free loans. It has also proposed exemptions on registration, renewal fees, income tax, and import duties.

Likewise, a digital one-window service centre will be established to provide all business-related services, from registration to exit, from a single location facilitating the submission of documents once and issuing permits electronically.

The strategy includes capacity building programmes including technical and managerial support to formalise, financial assistance for production process, skill development, and marketing assistance through public-private partnerships.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 July 2025.

Minister Paudel highlights digital innovation for better health care access

Kathmandu, July 26

Minister for Health and Population Pradip Paudel has emphasised that digital innovation is crucial for expanding access to health care, particularly for those who are often left behind.

Addressing a session at the Boao Forum for Asia Global Health Forum 2025, he highlighted Nepal’s commitment to digital health through the National Digital Health Strategy. He called for stronger international collaboration in knowledge-sharing and capacity building.

Minister Paudel participated in the forum held in Beijing from 24–25 July, under the theme ‘New future of health industry: Driven by innovation’, the Embassy of Nepal in Beijing informed in a statement on Saturday.

In his address to the session, he emphasised the transformative power of modern technology in reducing healthcare costs, improving diagnostic accuracy, enhancing health system management, and risk mapping.

Noting the changing disease patterns linked to climate change, he urged the global community to prioritise climate-induced health risks.

On the sidelines, Minister Paudel met Shen Hongbin, Director of China’s NDCPA, where they discussed bilateral cooperation, including support for vector-borne disease research in Hetauda and a neuro treatment centre in government hospitals. Both sides agreed to deepen health collaborations.

The Minister also met the Nepali community in Beijing and encouraged them to contribute to Nepal with their knowledge and skills. He was accompanied by the Ambassador of Nepal to China, Dr. Krishna Prasad Oli.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 27 July 2025.