Hotel Siddhartha honoured with South Asian Travel Award 2023

Kathmandu, Oct. 11

View Hotel Siddhartha, run by Siddhartha Business Group in Nepalgunj, has been honoured with the 'South Asian Travel Award 2023'.

Group's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Krishna Neupane said that the hotel was honoured with the award for playing a leading role in meeting and conference hotels/resorts.

Representing six different countries including Nepal, this organisation has been giving awards to various companies operating in the field of tourism and hospitality every year.

Regional Executive Director Keshav Neupane, Corporate Sales and Marketing Manager Nripesh Shrestha and Cluster Sales and Marketing Manager Navin Bhatta participated in the award programme, informed the hotel in a statement on Wednesday.

Hotel Siddharth has six halls of different capacities. According to the hotel, various meetings/conferences can be held in other halls, including a hall that can accommodate more than 1,100 people.

This four-star standard hotel has been in operation for the last one and a half decades.

The hotel has 125 rooms including suite, junior suite, family suite, deluxe and standard nature. It has facilities like restaurant, international cuisine, rooftop restaurant, pool bar and day dining.

The hotel has a banquet hall spread over 13,500 square feet. There is also a spa, salon and fitness centre.

The group is operating its first five-star hotel and is set to launch a luxury resort in Sauraha in Chitwan soon.

Siddhartha Hospitality is also preparing to build a luxury resort in Jumla and Ilam on the theme of 'Agro Tourism'.

The group is operating the four-star Siddhartha Hotel in Nepalgunj and Surkhet and the luxury resort 'Siddhartha Lumbini Green Resort' in Chandrauta, and resorts in Chisapani and Chumlingtar. It is also running hospitality facilities in Bouddha, Birtamod, Nuwakot, Tikapur, and Sundhara.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 12 October 2023. 

FM Saud talks to Israel counterpart

Asks him to facilitate repatriation of bodies of deceased, safety of other Nepalis

Kathmandu, Oct. 10

The government on Tuesday urged Israel for coordination and facilitation in early repatriation of mortal remains of deceased Nepalis, safety, security and relocation of Nepali nationals to safer areas, and repatriation of those who wish to return home.

Ten Nepali students pursuing higher studies in Israel have been killed in the attacks of Palestine rebel group Hamas. They had reached there under 'learn and earn' programme.

Foreign Affairs Minister, NP Saud, talked to his Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen to seek support on bringing back the dead bodies, assisting in the treatment and care of the four Nepali nationals who were injured in the attack, and finding the whereabouts of a Nepali citizen who has gone out of contact after the attack.

Stating that the country is shocked by the death of 10 Nepali citizens in the attack of the rebel Hamas group, FM Saud urged Israeli FM Cohen, "We need to return the bodies of the dead to the country as soon as possible. Even a little delay will add more pain to the family members. Therefore, I request for the necessary coordination and facilitation for the return of the dead bodies to Nepal. The Nepali embassy will coordinate with the government of Israel."

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Nepal, four Nepalis are being treated in Israeli hospitals. FM Saud requested Israel to support them in their proper health treatment and care. He also asked Minister Cohen to help the Nepali citizens who have been relocated to a safe place by the Israeli army for their basic needs including food.

"So far, we have received information that other Nepalis are safe. However, information has been received that many of them are staying in bunkers," he said during the conversation. "They are constantly calling their friends and family for basic needs like food and water. We hope for proper support from the Israeli government in this matter as well.”

Stating that Nepali Embassy in Israel is coordinating with the authorities in Kathmandu and Tel Aviv, FM Saud sought FM Cohen's support in relocating Nepalis living in bunkers to other safer places.

The MoFA is collecting the details of Nepali citizens in Israel and after the details are collected, it will request for the necessary assistance from the Israeli government for facilitation.

"We are collecting details of our citizens who want to return home. After the complete details are collected, the Nepal government will request for necessary support from the Israeli government for facilitation," FM Saud said.

According to the MoFA, during the conversation, Minister Saud expressed his sympathy for the loss of life and property caused by the attack and said that the Government of Nepal stood in solidarity with the government of Israel in this difficult time.

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Cohen expressed his condolences for the loss of life of 10 Nepalis in the attack and wished for the recovery of the injured Nepali citizens.

He thanked the Government of Nepal for expression of solidarity and assured Israel government's full support in early repatriation of the mortal remains and return of Nepalis desiring to return home.

 

FM advises not to visit Israel

The government has urged all concerned not to visit Israel without obtaining a high-level approval from the government.

Speaking at the meeting of the International Relations and Tourism Committee (IRTC) of the House of Representatives of the Federal Parliament on Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Minister, NP Saud, has urged all concerned not to visit Israel for any personal or political reasons except on a political level.

The IRTC had summoned FM Saud to solicit the updates about the situation of Nepalis in Israel in the wake of the recent attack on Israel by Palestinian Hamas.

He made this request while informing the International Relations and Tourism Committee of the Parliament about the attack on Israel and the situation of the Nepalis there.

Minister Saud informed that Israel's situation is sensitive after the attack by Hamas group and asked not to politicize the current situation.

The situation is sensitive. Therefore, apart from an official decision at the political level, it is requested not to visit Israel on a personal or party basis," he said. "Let's not politicize this situation."

FM Saud also urged the lawmakers not to politicize the current critical situation. "This is a very sensitive situation. I urge all not to politicize the issue and not to make a visit to Israel," he said.

"The Cabinet has recommended that the government should charter an aircraft to rescue and bring back Nepalis from Israel. Meanwhile, international flights are not yet suspended in Israel so we can also use those services," he informed the House Committee.

The government is also looking for options to bring out Nepalis to the nearest transit from Israel.

 

Need to empower embassies

Recent attack of Palestine rebel group Hamas on Isreal and killing of 10 Nepali nationals has again exposed the lack of preparedness and poor communication system of Nepali missions in sensitive locations.

The Embassy of Nepal in Tel Aviv of Israel has only three personnel including the Ambassador. There are about 4,500 Nepalis in Israel and the embassy is also accredited to Cyprus. Nepal doesn't have direct flight service to Israel and if it wants to conduct chartered flights, we have to obtain flight permissions from all the countries en route, said FM Saud.

Speaking at the meeting of the IRTC, he said that the government is planning to add one local staff to support in the process of rescuing Nepali citizens.

Committee Chair, Raj Kishor Yadav, asked the government to keep updated details of Nepalis in foreign countries.

Lawmakers said that the government should be prepared to handle and manage the crisis like the one in Israel as it can happen in other countries in the Middle East and elsewhere.

"Crisis can emerge in Lebanon and other countries in that region. Government should create a policy and strategy for such steps," said Sunita Baral, a lawmaker, while adding that it is unfortunate that Mission of Nepal has not been prepared to manage such crisis.

Another lawmaker, Damodar Poudel, criticised the government for poor communication and management system in Nepali embassies including the one in Tel Aviv.

"Are we prepared to rescue all our citizens if they wished to come back? We should be ready to send more support and human resource to manage the crisis faced by our citizens as the situation could be worsened," said lawmaker Dhawal Shumsher Rana.

Likewise, lawmaker Shishir Khanal, suggested deploying more skilled ambassadors in sensitive areas who can handle the situation in calm and composed manner.

Another lawmaker Bhim Acharya said that the government should learn from this and past lacking and challenges in the management of crisis like in Israel and immediately devise ways to enhance the capacity of Nepali diplomats and missions abroad.

"Nepal should also issue travel advisory while sending its citizens to critical and unsafe destinations," he said.

Similarly, lawmaker Barsha Man Pun suggested requesting for help from the countries neighbouring Israel. "Government and MoFA must be proactive in disseminating authentic information during the crisis. Otherwise, rumours would spread which will do more harm," he said. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 11 October 2023. 

Nepal makes 42% progress in SDGs

Kathmandu, Oct. 10

Member of the National Planning Commission (NPC), Dr. Ram Kumar Phuyal, stated that Nepal needs to accelerate its efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. As of the halfway point, the country has made approximately 42 per cent progress.

"Reflecting on the status of the SDGs, the midterm progress towards all 17 goals, at both the national and universal scales, falls behind the targets," he remarked while addressing the inaugural session of the seventh South and South-West Asia Subregional Forum on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Kathmandu on Tuesday.

The two-day forum is jointly hosted by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) for South and South-West Asia, co-hosted by the NPC in collaboration with the UN Resident Coordinator and the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI).

Dr. Phuyal emphasised Nepal's full commitment to achieving the SDGs and incorporating them into all three tiers of government. He also mentioned that the country has conducted an SDG localisation programme at all local government levels.

He explained that medium-term expenditure frameworks, annual budgets, and sectorial strategies are aligned with the SDGs, supported by planning, monitoring, and evaluation guidelines.

Dr. Phuyal also informed delegates from the region that Nepal's development strategy includes human capital development, the retention of returning migrant workers through domestic employment opportunities, and innovative utilisation of remittances. He mentioned that the service sector, National Data Profile, and IT sectors are set to receive increased attention.

"We have identified key areas that have the potential to catalyse economic transformation, leading us toward SDG attainment and irreversible graduation from LDC status. Our focus is on enhancing production, productivity, and competitiveness within our economy, generating skilled human capital, and creating decent work and productive employment opportunities," he emphasised.

Chandra Prasad Dhakal, President of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry, stressed the vital role of the private sector in achieving the SDGs. He emphasised the need for collaboration and innovation among the government, private sector, and other development partners.

Dhakal mentioned that the private sector not only contributes financially but also drives economic growth, job creation, and technological progress. "The private sector plays a special role in job creation, investment in healthcare and education, promoting gender equality, developing infrastructure, mitigating climate change, and protecting the environment," he stated.

Dhakal highlighted the importance of public-private cooperation and international collaboration in addressing global challenges.

Hana Singer, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal, emphasised the importance of sharing lessons learned during the development and implementation of programmes aimed at achieving the SDGs.

Likewise, Irusha Coorey, Director of the SAARC Secretariat, pointed out that food security is a serious concern in South Asia. She mentioned that the region faces multiple climate hazards, but reporting systems are inadequate. She also noted that one-third of unregistered children are in South Asia.

The Forum will continue until Wednesday and will focus on various issues related to the SDGs.

Published in The Rising Nepal on 11 October 2023. 

Dr. Acharya stands strong for WHO regional director

 Kathmandu, Oct. 8

Nepali diplomats, United Nations professionals and experts of various sectors from Nepal have come forward to express solidarity with Dr. Shambhu Acharya and welcome the decision of the Government of Nepal to nominate him as the candidate for the Regional Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO)'s South-East Asia Regional Office (SEARO).

Speaking at an interaction with the journalists on Sunday in Lalitpur, they said that an opportunity has arisen with filling the vacancy for the Regional Director of the WHO's SEARO which also oversees the South Asia region.

"We welcome the Government of Nepal’s nomination of a highly qualified candidate, Dr. Shambhu Acharya, for this important position and for investing effort to mobilise support for his candidature," read the statement issued by nine luminaries of Nepali society including Nilamber Acharya, former minister, ambassador and political analyst, and Dr. Kul Chandra Gautam, former assistant secretary general of the UN and deputy executive director of the UNICEF.

The Regional Director’s position is vitally important for the future health and wellbeing of hundreds of millions in our region, where medical and public health challenges must be monitored and overseen by capable leadership within WHO.

"It is obvious to us that Dr. Acharya is the better fit between the two candidates nominated for the position. He possesses a very strong public health background and has extensive leadership experience in tackling global health issues," they said.

Dr. Acharya has impeccable credentials with a PhD in public health, specialising in health policy and planning from a globally renowned university; a Masters in Sociology focusing on social policy; and an MBA in public finance and strategic management.

He is an expert of the public health and knows medical challenges of this region intimately, having worked for three decades strengthen responses at local, national, regional and global levels, including in Nepal, Bangladesh and India, apart from his responsibilities at WHO headquarters in Geneva, according to the experts.

Dr. Acharya has managed large-scale World Bank-funded projects in health and population in Bangladesh and played a key role in establishing the Asia-Pacific Health Economics Network to build the health financing capacity of WHO member states.

"Working directly with the Director-General WHO, Dr. Acharya has been part of high-level policy and strategy decisions, which have also included interactions with heads of government, ministers, and health professionals all over the Asian continent," read the statement.

He has represented WHO in various UN bodies advocating for universal health coverage within the broader UN development agenda. Most recently, Dr. Acharya played a central role in ensuring that WHO was effective in response to the COVID-19 crisis in the most seriously affected countries.

He has also authored an impressive list of papers in various areas of health and development that gives him a high level of credibility in global and regional public health circles. His vision statement for the SEARO candidacy is clear, succinct, innovative and forward-looking, maintained the supporters.

Dr. Acharya has been acknowledged by many global health professionals and leaders as the most qualified candidate for this crucial position, even beyond the present contest.

"In contrast, the only other candidate in competition for the position is regarded by the public health and medical fraternity as a political protégé with a privileged pedigree whose thin resumé is not adequate to lead a complex global health institution such as WHO-SEARO," read the statement.

It also said that the unabashed, high-profile lobbying at senior most political levels, aided by a mother’s access to global leaders at unrelated summits and conclaves, has generated cautionary commentary not only in public health circles but also in journals of renown and credible international media.

"In the current post-Covid public health environment with its numerous challenges, including those related to income disparities, climate crisis, and the potential surge of new vectors with potential for great destruction, UN leaders steering health issues must have strong credentials and proven dynamism," they said. They also urged the government to redouble efforts among the concerned governments of the region in favour of his candidacy.

The signatories also include Prof. Rita Thapa, first women director of Health Systems, WHO-SEARO and winner of Bloomberg Public Health Award 2023, Dr. Bhagwan Koirala, leading heart surgeon and Chairperson of Nepal Medical Council, Dr. Naresh KC, executive director of Family Planning Association, Prof. Dr. Madhu Dixit, executive chairperson of UDM- NINAS, Dr. Sudha Sharma, senior public health physician with global experience, Dr. Badri Raj Pande, public health expert and regional programme management officer of SEARO, and Bishow Parajuli, former UN resident coordinator. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 9 October 2023. 

Innovative financial mechanisms needed for infra development: PM Prachanda

 Kathmandu, Oct. 8

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda pointed out to the need of innovative financial mechanisms and modalities for Nepal's infrastructure development to address the current need of rapid socio-economic development. 

"Nepal needs a large amount of financial cooperation for infrastructure development and it can't be achieved with the traditional tools of support. So, we need to work on attracting investment through the mechanism like the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) framework along with various bilateral and multilateral mechanisms," he said at a conference on 'A decade of BRI: Deepening trade, investment, connectivity and academic relations'.

The event was organised by Nepal-China Friendship Forum in the Capital on Sunday.

Stating that Nepal and China both want to make Nepal a land-linked nation, Prime Minister Prachanda said that the Government of Nepal is clear about expediting cooperation through the BRI.

According to him, Nepal and China needs to work on converting the economic and other potentials into opportunity for both them. "Nepal China relation is crucial for the establishment of peace in this region as well," said PM Prachanda.

He took the opportunity to mention that 13 agreements and understandings signed during his recent visit to China will strengthen economic and people-level relations ties between the two countries. It will help in increasing Chinese investment and technology transfer in Nepal, especially in the areas of national priority and comparative advantage, according to PM Prachanda.

He expressed his commitment to facilitate and protect Chinese investment in Nepal, and said that the leadership is aware of the long-term benefits and potentials of the BRI for Nepal and its people.

"I have asked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi about accepting the tri-partite cooperation (among China, India and Nepal) proposal put forth by Nepal. I asked him that wasn't it the responsibility of economic giant like India to support economically vulnerable country like Nepal," said Prime Minister Prachanda.  

Professor of the Kathmandu School of Law, Dr. Yubraj Sangroula, said that while deepening relations with China, Nepal must not forget to include India or collaborate with the latter to maximise the benefits. Government of Nepal should try to persuade India to form a tri-partite collaboration to distribute benefits to all, he said. 

According to him, some politicians and experts misinterpreted the tri-partite cooperation proposed by Nepal which is unfortunate. Likewise, Chinese debt trap has also been an issue of propaganda in Nepal which only damaged the bilateral relations as well as development cooperation between the two neighbours.

"We must not forget that only a prosperous Nepal can maintain balanced relations between India and China," said Dr. Sangroula.

The two countries have millennia-old rich cultural and people to people relations while formal connectivity was established about 1,600 years ago. Ancient Silk Road system also helped Nepal to import goods as well as architecture and culture, he said.  

Stating that the technology to develop paper was imported to Nepal from China and the former became the second country to produce paper in Asia, Dr. Sangroula said that the written history between the two countries misses many milestones so we need to rewrite and reassess it including these dimensions.

Chen Song, Ambassador of China to Nepal, said that China is interested to enhance energy cooperation with Nepal.

"China is also willing to import more quality agricultural products from Nepal, and it does not attach any political strings in its cooperation with Nepal," he said.

Ambassador Chen stressed on high-quality BRI cooperation so that both the countries could benefit from it.

According to him, the two countries should enhance cooperation in infrastructure, telecommunication and electricity while tourism, education and medicine could be the other areas of cooperation.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Achyut Wagle, Professor and Registrar of the Kathmandu University, stated that Nepal should work to make it an international hub of education for Chinese students.

"China is currently looking outwards to expand its education and knowledge globally. Nepal can be a partner in it. Initiative should be taken for cooperation between the educational institutions of Nepal and China and joint research initiatives," he said.  

Currently, 8,000-11,000 Nepali students are going to China every year for higher studies. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 9 October 2023. 

‘Green recovery, education, youth Development, priority of EU’

Kathmandu, Oct. 9

Newly appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Nepal, Veronique Lorenzo, has said that the EU has given priority to green recovery, education and youth development.

Talking to journalists at the Delegation of the European Union in Nepal on Monday, she said that equipping Nepal with the capacity to move ahead with the programmes of green development, access to and inclusion in education, employment for youth and promotion of information and communication technology were priorities of EU.  

In Nepal, energy and infrastructure support is the EU's area of cooperation. "Our cooperation is changing. We often see the bottlenecks which could be resolved with small initiatives," said Lorenzo while adding that the EU is moving from grants to investment and the role of the European Investment Bank would be important in it.

While stressing on meaningful cooperation with the stakeholders of various sectors in Nepal, she said that working with the private sector in economic development is also her priority.

"Meanwhile, development of digital and ICT sector development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be the other areas of cooperation between the EU and Nepal," said Lorenzo.

She also expressed her commitment to supporting Nepal in the process of its graduation from the Least Developed Country (LDC) to a developing one. Since Nepal is likely to lose various preferential treatment in the markets of developed nations, she maintained that the EU would expand its support through the GSP Plus facility to provide zero customs duty for a number of products from Nepal.

However, more negotiations between the two side is needed.

According to her, Nepal should get prepared for graduation before seeking support in the smooth transition.

Likewise, Lorenzo said that the exchanges in culture, business, and other areas would be continued and there would be business fair, forums, cultural exchanges and other bilateral events.

According to her, regarding Nepal's removal from the Air Safety List, an assessment mission was conducted last year and a decision could be taken next month, in November, after the air safety committee completes the review.

The EU has barred Nepali aircraft from flying in the European skies since 2013. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 10 October 2023. 

World Bank projects 3.9% growth for Nepal this fiscal year

 Kathmandu, Oct. 4:

The World Bank has projected that Nepali economy would rebound to 3.9 per cent in the current Fiscal Year 2023/24 downgrading the growth projection of 6 per cent made by the government in its budget speech for this year. 

However, this is a ‘significant’ increase from the growth of last FY 2022/23 when the country achieved 1.9 per cent addition in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) at the constant market prices while the government had announced to achieve 8 per cent expansion in the economy. 

This forecast is made citing the lagged impact of the lifting of import restrictions, strong rebound in tourism, and the gradual relaxing of monetary policy, according to the World Bank’s twice-a-year country update published on Tuesday.

Likewise, the multilateral donor forecasted that Nepal would see about 5 per cent economic growth in the coming FY 2024/25. 

“However, there are multiple risks to the outlook including an erratic monsoon, which could dampen agricultural growth; a renewed spike in commodity prices or continued food export bans by India which would raise prices; and higher inflation which could keep policy rates elevated, increase domestic debt servicing costs, and drag on growth,” said a WB statement. 

The report also explores the drivers of external competitiveness for Nepal. The country’s total exports amounted to 6.9 per cent of the GDP in FY2022/23, representing only a third of the exports of other South Asian middle-income countries on average.

The analysis finds that the real appreciation of the exchange rate and continued low labour productivity are associated with Nepal’s lower exports. As per the report, Nepal suffers from labour productivity deficit across all three sectors – agriculture, industry, and services – compared to peer countries and its main trading partner, India. 

“Amid challenges, Nepal is leading the way towards operationalizing its green, resilient, and inclusive development vision to shape the country’s long-term economic recovery,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. 

According to him, improved external competitiveness is key to driving this recovery and enabling Nepal to compete in export markets, in terms of both prices and quality. This requires emphasis on reforms to help increase domestic productivity and reduce the inflation differential with Nepal’s trading partners.

Industry to witness better growth The Nepal Development Update also projected a significant growth in industry sector forecasting 3.2 per cent growth at constant factor price which is an improvement from last year’s 0.6 per cent growth. Similarly, for the next fiscal, 6.3 per cent growth projection is made. 

Likewise, the service sector is expected to grow by 5.1 per cent this year – against 2.3 per cent of previous year – and 5.9 per cent next year. But growth of agriculture sector is not encouraging as it is estimated to witness the growth of 2.1 per cent this year against the expansion rate of 2.7 per cent last year. For the next fiscal, growth forcast of agriculture sector is made at just at 2.5 per cent. 

Meanwhile, the World Bank has forecast 7.5 per cent inflation rate for this year, about 1 per cent up from the government’s forecaste of 6.5 per cent. 

Regional growth prospects Nepal’s growth in the past two year has remained significantly below the South Asian average and is projected to continue the trend till next fiscal. 

Last year Nepal’s growth rate of 1.9 per cent was much below the regional average of 5.8 per cent. Likewise, this year and next year, South Asia is projected to have 5.6 per cent growth on an average, and Nepal is unlikely to meet it. 

While there is a regional slowdown as all countries in South Asia will witness lower growth against the average of 2015-19 period, according to ‘South Asia Development Update, Toward Faster, Cleaner Growth’ report published on the same day, Nepal’s growth prospects are weaker than the regional members except Sri Lanka and Pakistan – both the countries are projected to see the growth of 1.7 per cent this year. 

India will achieve the highest growth rates in the region – 6.3 this year and 6.4 next year, yet this is below the country’s achievement of pre-COVID-19 period. 

However, projection of 5.8 per cent growth for South Asia is higher than any other developing country region in the world, but slower than its pre-pandemic pace and not fast enough to meet its development goals.

Regional growth prospects are subject to downside risks, including due to fragile fiscal positions, said the WB. 

Published in The Rising Nepal on 5 October 2023.