Symposium on transformative education from Friday

Kathmandu, Oct. 18: An international conference on ‘Transformative education and sustainable development’ will be held in Dhulikhel of Khavre from 21^st to 23^rd October.

Transformative Education Study Centre of Kathmandu University School of Education (KUSOED) is organizing the conference in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and Murdoch University Australia.

According to a press statement issued by the KUSOED, more than 120 experts and delegates from 14 countries will participate in the conference and deliberate on the topics like quality of education, equality and suitability of education.

In the conference, experts will discuss on the type of transformation in the education sector of the countries that have linguistic and cultural diversity.

Topics like system of education in diverse society and role of stakeholders will also be discussed in the seminar.

An international association of the stakeholders involved in transformative education in various universities will be formed on the last day of the conference.

“This is a good opportunity for Nepal because we are also deliberating on transformation of the education sector. Along with the changes in sociopolitical and cultural sectors, education sector should also be able to cater the need of the changed context,” said Bal Chandra Luintel, associate dean of the KUSOED. 

MFN scheme for foreign investors

Kathmandu, Oct. 16: The government is devising a legal framework to grant Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status to those countries that come to invest here.

The government has proposed new legal provisions to treat such countries as Most Favoured Nation and provide equal national treatment to foreign investment in Nepal.

This has come as an effort to attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) with an aim of generating employment and enhancing the contribution of the industrial sector to the Gross Domestic Product of the country.

The New Draft of the Foreign Investment (Amendment and Integration) Bill has proposed such special treatment to foreign investment and source countries.

The draft is being prepared to amend the Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, 1992.

According to the draft, MFN treatment would be extended to the source countries for their FDI, technology transfer or profitable intellectual property, foreign buyers of Nepalese industries, investment management or reinvestment, and establishment of branches of foreign companies.

However, such companies must repatriate their profits or income from other sources through legal channels.

It has proposed that foreign investors can send back the money in the same currency through which they have made investment in the country.

“Foreign investors can take back the money earned from the partial or full transaction of shares, profits or dividend, profits as per the technology transfer agreement, lease rent of lease investment, and the remaining capital after the liquidation of the company,” reads the draft.

Likewise, foreign experts, managers and other workers can take back 75 per cent of their income from salary and other benefits.

The proposed law has promised not to nationalise businesses and industries with foreign investment, and if the government needs to acquire the properties of such investment in greater public interest, it will provide appropriate compensation as per the existing law.

In the draft, the government has proposed allowing foreign investors or Non-Resident Nepalese to buy securities of those companies listed at the Nepal Stock Exchange.

If the Bill is ratified as it is, foreign investors can establish a venture capital fund to make equity investment in Nepalese companies, and they can buy any company in operation with government approval.

It has proposed the removal of the cap on foreign investment while investment can be made in convertible foreign currency or Indian rupees.

The draft has proposed complete income tax waiver for a specific period for hydroelectricity generation and transmission project, manufacturing industry, mines, tourism and international airlines with foreign investment.

Similarly, tax waiver will be offered to those companies that invest in research and development of agriculture, minerals and other specified technology sector.

NRA to train 60,000 on construction

Kathmandu, Oct. 15: The National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) has said that the post-quake reconstruction might hit a snag due to the shortage of construction workers.

More than 100,000 masons and carpenters are urgently needed to carry out the reconstruction works.

But, it is estimated that there are only about 40,000 masons and carpenters in the quake-hit areas.

Those construction workers lack the know-how on the quake-resistant building or construction measures.

However, NRA chief executive officer Sushil Gyawali said that the reconstruction body had planned to produce about 60,000 construction workers by the end of current fiscal year 2016/17.

According to the NRA, it was planning to build a model house in every ward of the quake-damaged village and municipalities.

 These houses will be constructed in the course of training to generate the skilled manpower required for the reconstruction works.

The trainees of masonry, carpentry and other skilled based training will build the model houses.

It has trained about 15,000 construction workers so far.

The devastating earthquakes in April and May last year completely damaged about 800,000 houses and 200,000 thousand houses were partially damaged.

Similarly, 7,923 school buildings, 1,100 health facilities, 700 heritages and about 6,000 government building buildings were damaged in the tremors.

Therefore, if construction works begun simultaneously in all the districts, the country might need more than 2 million construction workers.

As the monsoon is over and about 450,000 households have received the first installment of the house reconstruction grant, Rs. 50,000, house reconstruction would be expedited which will demand more construction workers and construction materials.

The NRA has proposed fixing the minimum wage of the construction workers so that the youth from other districts and working abroad can be attracted to the reconstruction works.

“Our main focus is to train the local people on construction skills. This will ensure that the trained skilled manpower involves in the construction work and will create more employment at the local level,” said Gyawali.

He urged the government to ensure that there would be no shortage of the construction materials specially stones, sand, bricks and timber. 

NRNA to attract 1.6 million tourists to Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct. 6: The Non-Resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) has launched a campaign to attract 1.6 million tourists to Nepal by the end of 2017.

It announced the campaign amidst a programme organized in Kathmandu.

As per the agreement with the government last year on tourism promotion programme, ‘Atithi Devo Bhava’, the NRNA has prepared an action plan to attract more tourists to Nepal.

“As per the programme we are initiating a campaign of sending three foreign friends by one non-resident Nepalese,” said vice president of the NRNA and committee on the Promotion of Tourism in Nepal Bhavan Bhatta.

He informed that there were more than 5 million Nepalese in 75 countries across the globe and they would play a crucial role to promote Nepal in the international market.

Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Shankar Prasad Adhikari appreciated the NRNA’s efforts in tourism promotion and said that the government was ready to cooperate and coordinate with the Association.

Chief executive officer of Nepal Tourism Board Dipak Raj Joshi and NRNA president Shesh Ghale expressed their commitment to work together in the future.

Joshi said that Nepal had the potentials in medical, entertainment, religious and other tourism.

Tourism Promotion ambassadors for Denmark and Russia Som Nath Sapkota and Sapila Rajbhandari respectively presented paper on the campaign. 

Nepal submits ratification of PACC to UN

Kathmandu, Oct. 6: The Permanent Mission of Nepal to the United Nations in New York Wednesday deposited the instrument of ratification of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change with the Secretary-General of the UN today.

According to a press statement issued by the Mission, it had submitted the instrument of ratification on behalf of the government of Nepal.

“Following the decision of the Legislature-Parliament of Nepal on 4 October, the instrument of ratification was sent to the Permanent Mission by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday together with the registration of Nepal’s Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) with UNFCCC Secretariat in Bonn by the Ministry of Population and Environment,” read the statement.
The instrument of ratification has been signed by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat.
The deposition of the instruments of ratification by Nepal and other countries so far fulfilled the requirement necessary for the Paris Agreement to come into force.

The Agreement is now set to be in force on the thirtieth day, on 4 November.

The Agreement has been ratified by 72 States accounting for 56.75 per cent of the global green house gas (GHG) emissions.

As per the requirement, at least 55 per cent GHG emission countries should submit the instrument of ratification for the implementation of the agreement.

“Nepal highlights that the Paris Agreement is a living instrument meant for serious implementation, in tandem with 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and hopes that its sincere implementation would help us adapt and mitigate the recurring problems such as landslides, floods, melting of glaciers, erratic and extreme weather patterns, and loss of biodiversity directly affecting the lives and livelihoods of millions of people,” said the mission.

According to the Mission, in view of the fact that Climate Change vulnerability of Nepal as LDC, LLDC and mountainous country was very high and its pathway for sustainable development was both difficult and costly, Nepal maintained that an easy, transparent and direct access to climate finance and technology should be ensured for the countries like Nepal, in addition to the development cooperation and support, as provisioned in the Paris Agreement and other instruments.

Mahat to participate in ACD Summit

Kathmandu, Oct. 6: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr. Prakash Sharan Mahat is leaving for Thailand on Friday to participate in the 2^nd Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) Summit which is being held in Bangkok from 8-10 October.

Dr. Mahat is leading a Nepalese delegation to the summit which is being held under the theme ‘One Asia, Diverse Strength’. 

He is scheduled to participate in the ACD Connect Business Forum and Innovative Financial Connectivity for a Sustainable Asia, and attend the ACD Foreign Ministers’ Working Dinner hosted by Thai Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai.

According to a press statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), the Minister will address the Summit on 10^th October.

The leaders of 34 ACD member states from Asia are expected to attend the summit.

“The Summit will consider and adopt three milestone documents, namely Bangkok Declaration, ACD Vision for Asia Cooperation 2030 and ACD Statement on Reigniting Growth through Partnership for Connectivity,” read the statement.

The Nepalese delegation includes foreign secretary Shankar Das Bairagi, Nepalese ambassador to Thailand Khagnath Adhikari, joint secretary at the MoFA Mani Prasad Bhattarai and other officials from the MoFA and the Embassy.

Established in June 2002, the ACD aims at promoting regional cooperation in its priority areas all across Asia. Nepal joined the Dialogue as its 34^th member in March this year.

Nepalese delegation is scheduled to return to Kathmandu on 11^th October. 

Free Viber Zones in the Valley

Kathmandu, Oct. 6: Viber, a messaging apps, Thursday launched free Viber Zones in various places of the Kathmandu Valley.

The offer will be effective from 8^th October.

Free Viber Zone will be available at 5 hotspots- Lalitpur Mall, City Center, Café de Craft, Nimantrana Restaurant and DigiTech Kathmandu.

The company informed in a press release that the Free Viber Zones provideD unlimited free internet service powered by Subisu where user can call, text, video call using Viber.

“With the ongoing festive season, free Viber zone service will provide value to the users. They can celebrate the festive season by communicating with their relatives and friends for free through such zones,” said Anubhav Nayyar, regional head of Viber South Asia.

Viber has also launched ‘Dashain sticker pack’ for Nepali users for free.

Recently, it had offered free calls through Viber Out to 52 countries on any number which added a great value for Viber users in Nepal.