Naubise-Nagdhunga Tunnel achieves over 50 per cent progress

 Kathmandu, Jun 9

The Naubise-Nagdhunga tunnel has achieved more than 50 per cent progress.

The Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project under the Department of Roads informed that about 2,901 metres tunnel is opened of the total target of 5,499 metres, which makes the progress of about 53 per cent.

According to the project, construction of about 1,283m of the 2,688m main tunnel is dug. Approximately 660m is dug from Kathmandu side and 623m from Dhading side.

Likewise, 1444m escape tunnel - 838m from Kathmandu side and 606m from Dhading, Sisne Khola side – is dug.

The project has so far achieved 37 per cent overall physical progress and 45.50 per cent financial progress.

Meanwhile, 126 meters working audit has been constructed at Dhading side. So far, 48 meters of cross passage has been constructed.

The total length of the tunnel is 2.69 KM, and it will have openings at Tutipakha of Chandragiri Municipality-1in Kathmandu and Sisnekhola of Dhunibensi Municipality in Dhading.

The tunnel will have two main lanes, one side lane which will be used to part vehicles if they run out of order.

Of the total 5,499 meters of tunnels to be dug under the project, 2,598 meters of tunnels are yet to be dug. A cross passage connecting the main tunnel and the escape tunnel has been constructed at every 300 meters of the tunnel. Up to seven cross passages will be constructed at every 300 meters inside the tunnel, informed the project on Thursday.

The national pride project should be completed by the first week of April 2023 however, the deadline is extended by 86 days due to COVID-19 pandemic.

The project said that it has completed the construction of all four box culvert, one overpass and three bridge while two of the three underpasses are completed. the

Japanese company Hazama Ando Corporation is constructing the tunnel. The company accept the contract with a plan to complete the 2.69-km long double-lane road tunnel within 42 months from the project commencement date.

 In 2016, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) had agreed to provide Rs. 17 billion loan to Nepal with 0.01 per cent interest for 40 years for the project. The government will bear Rs. 6.3 billion for land acquisition and other administrative work. 

 The detail design of the project was completed in April 2018. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 10 June 2022. 

Nepal should shed off ‘small nation’ syndrome: Prof. Subedi

 Kathmandu, June 7:  

Professor Surya P. Subedi suggested Nepal to focus on a few areas in which it has capacity to deliver. 

Delivering a lecture on ‘Foreign Policy of Nepal: Past, Present and Future’ in the first edition of the Professor Yadu Nath Khanal Lecture Series, organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Tuesday in Kathmandu, Prof. Subedi suggested resorting to diplomacy for development, attracting Foreign Direct Investment and establishing international Himalayan and legal centre in the country.  

Stating that the country has now some sort of political stability and stands for a new life, Prof. Subedi suggested that the foreign policy of Nepal should be designed to maintain peace for the people in the country. It should benefit from globalisation and international treaties. 

Attracting, managing and retaining foreign investment are key to a country’s economic growth and development. “Attracting foreign investment is not the goal but a mean to reach a goal of creating infrastructure and stimulate economy, he said. 

Prof. Subedi also recommended to include provisions of technology transfer, use of local raw materials and investment of certain profit in the country, protection of environment and respect to the human rights in the bilateral treaties. According to him, international agreements and treaties should be reviewed and reformed periodically since a decade old Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection (BIPPA) with India has already become an outdated instrument. 

Another suggestion was to develop Nepal as an international financial services centre along the lines of Switzerland and Singapore. With a traditional image of a neutral country, Nepal could be an attractive place for people to safeguard their savings. However, it demands better regulations, said Prof. Subedi. 

Likewise, Nepal could largely benefit from the development of its infrastructure to present it as a transit between the two large economies: India and China. “Developing ports and airports are fundamental to it. Connecting Kathmandu with Tibet is exciting and visionary, it could be a game changer in this part of the world,” he said. 

Prof. Subedi, who is a scholar on international legal systems, suggested establishing Himalayan Peace Studies and a centre of international law in Nepal. 

According to him, the former can be a vehicle to promote peace in the region while the latter would help guide the country to promote ‘national interest’ at the international level. “International laws are not in favour of developing nation so Nepal should collaborate with other countries like it to make some favourable changes in them,” he said. 

Likewise, he recommended to move towards a permanent policy of ‘neutrality’ while maintaining that Nepal should promote its national interest first and create strategic balance. It is important for the good of the entire Hidu-Kush Himalayan region stretching from Myanmar to Pakistan. 

“A unilateral declaration could make Nepal a ‘permanent neutral’ country. Then it can attract international attention and try to acquire international recognisition for the same,” he said.  

The government is also suggested to seek meaningful representation of Nepal in international organisations. Despite its long-time contribution to the UN and other global platforms, Nepal has remained a low-profile nation and its impacts have been peripheral. There has never been representation of Nepal in the UN international law agency, said Prof. Subedi. 

He stressed to adhere to three Cs  for Nepal’s sound foreign policy: Continuity, consistency and credibility.  Similarly, he said that amount of international attention to this continent and region will continuously increase in the days to come and it will impact Nepal, therefore, the country must be aware of the ramifications of the changing international dimensions. 

Nepal has to be ready to deal with the challenges and benefit from opportunities, he stated.  

“There are ever growing attraction to the east as the teachings of Gautam Buddha have become global phenomena, hence Nepal has a lot to contribute in this regard. Nepal must shed off ‘small nation’ syndrome,” he said. 

Speaking on the occasion, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr. Narayan Khadka, highlighted the initiatives taken by the government to promote national interest at the international level. 

“Today’s foreign policy is not limited to bilateral and multilateral institutional arrangement alone but also to the issues like financial crisis, migrant and refugee crisis, cyber security, climate change and terrorism,” he said. The MoFA has initiated the lecture series on the domestic and global trends in foreign policies and diplomacy.  

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 8 June 2022. 

Nabil Bank to offer its toilets to public for free

Kathmandu, Jun 8

Nabil Bank is set to offer its toilets at designated branches in Kathmandu Metropolitan City to the public for free.

As per an agreement signed between the bank and the KMC, the public will now be able to use the toilets of 18 branches of the bank within the metropolis free of cost.

The bank has expressed its solidarity to call of the KMC to extend the access of public to the toilets as per the decision of the Municipal Executive last week.

The metropolis will put an information board at the concerned branches of the bank indicating that the public can use them.

The bank will clean the public toilets and arrange the necessary items under its social responsibility. In addition, regular maintenance, care and sanitation of toilets, water management and drainage system will be looked after by it for a period of five years.

Chief Executive Officer of the bank, Anil Keshari Shah, said that the bank will also cooperate in waste management in Kathmandu in line with the concept of sustainable banking.

The metropolis will monitor and evaluate the toilets every four months. The agreement will help streamline and manage public toilet services in the metropolis, said Nurnidhi Neupane, Head of the Public-Private Partnership unit at the KMC.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 June 2022. 

NBA, Fintelekt to collaborate on anti-money laundering

Kathmandu, June 8

Nepal Bankers’ Association (NBA), an organisation of class 'A' commercial banks, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Fintelekt Advisory Services, to collaborate on anti-money laundering initiatives.

Fintelekt is a global specialist in Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Countering the Financing of Terrorism (CFT) and Financial Crime Compliance (FCC).

The NBA said in a statement that the banking industry, being the gatekeeper to the country’s financial system, is bound under the Assets (Money) Laundering Prevention Act (2008) to identify and report suspicious transactions to the Financial Information Unit of Nepal.

"Money laundering and financial crimes have grown significantly since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it an especially critical time for bankers to be vigilant and aware of various AML risks that they are dealing with," read the statement.  

The MOU was signed by Anil Kumar Upadhyay, President of NBA and Shirish Pathak, Managing Director of Fintelekt. They formalised a collaboration that will facilitate AML/CFT webinars, workshops and executive briefing sessions for NBA member banks.

The two organisations will also conduct research studies to aid policy decisions within banks and to provide feedback to regulators on various aspects within AML/CFT.

Fintelekt will also provide its strategic advisory services to enable banks to enhance their AML/CFT governance frameworks, said NBA.

“Fintelekt is capable of making a significant impact through its high-quality knowledge resources and qualified global advisors towards helping the banking industry in Nepal to more effectively and efficiently combat money laundering and terrorism financing,” said Pathak.

“The collaboration with Fintelekt is very much in line with NBA’s objectives of enhancing the knowledge, skill, efficiency and productivity of employees in the banking sector, particularly in this important area of AML and CFT,” said Upadhyay.

According to the statement, the two organisations will soon draw out a plan of action for the coming months and help build a stronger compliance regime in Nepal.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 June 2022. 

Switzerland to support reintegration of returnee migrants

Kathmandu, Jun 8

Nepal and Switzerland have signed an agreement for the implementation of the project 'Reintegration of returnee migrant workers (Remi)' to utilise 6.8 million Swiss Franc (about Rs. 861.3 million).

According to the Ministry of Finance (MoF), the objective of the project is to help workers returning from foreign employment reestablish themselves in Nepal and actively participate in social, cultural, economic, and political life.

It aims at strengthening their capacity to define their plan of reintegration and utilization of knowledge, skills, capital, know-how, and experiences achieved through employment abroad.

The ministry said that the project would be implemented in 20 local levels in two provinces, Province 1 and Madhes, for four years starting from July 2022. The amount of assistance will be recorded in the Red Book of the government and implemented at the local level.

The Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Embassy of Switzerland in Kathmandu signed an agreement for the implementation of the project.

Ishwori Prasad Aryal, Joint Secretary and Head of International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division (IECCD) at the MoF, and Silvana Hogg, Chargée d’affaires ad interim, at the Embassy of Switzerland, signed and exchanged the agreement on behalf of their respective governments. 

Aryal outlined that the implementation of the project is crucial for reestablishing the returnee migrants into the society and defining their plan of reintegration into social, political, and economic life.

"It also helps to utilize the knowledge, capital, know-how, and experience achieved through foreign employment in Nepal’s socio-economic development," he said.

Similarly, Hogg noted that there is a huge potential to link migration with development.

According to him, Switzerland has gathered rich experiences in the field of migration in Nepal through its decade-long engagement in this sector, and it is committed to supporting Nepal in implementing its policies and plans to benefit migrant workers.

The ReMi project will work with different spheres of government, private actors, networks, and migrant workers to increase the social and economic benefit for returnee migrant workers.  

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 9 June 2022. 

India builds modern lab at Raxaul to support Nepal’ export

Kathmandu, June 5

India has built a modern National Food Laboratory (NFL) at Raxaul of Bihar to support swift testing of goods being exported from Nepal. 

Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated the lab amidst a programme on Sunday. Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Development, Government of Nepal, Mahendra Rai Yadav was invited as the guest to the inaugural programme.

The NFL at Raxaul, established by Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), is a modern facility equipped with advanced facilities and infrastructure for testing of food samples entering India, Embassy of India in Kathmandu said in a statement.

The lab will support enhanced bilateral trade between India and Nepal by reducing the time taken for testing samples of food and agricultural exports of the latter which currently need to be sent to New Delhi or Kolkata for testing.

As the testing process would delay the clearance of the goods being exported, Nepali exporters, especially those trading in agricultural and perishable goods, are facing difficulties.

“The creation of an upgraded laboratory at Raxaul was a longstanding request of Nepal’s exporters which now stands fulfilled. The NFL is yet another reflection of India’s commitment to improve connectivity, trade and border infrastructure with Nepal as part of its ‘Neighbourhood First’ policy," said the embassy. 

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 6 June 2022. 

Industry-academy gap creates mismatch in job market: Experts

Kathmandu, Jun 4

Academicians and entrepreneurs said that the industry-academy gap has created challenges for both the universities and the enterprises, creating mismatch between the human resource and the requirements of jobs.  

They said that while the businesses industries are facing hard times to find suitable employees, a large number of graduates are not finding jobs for them, and many of them are trying their luck abroad.

Speaking at an interaction programme on 'Mitigating the industry-academia gap in Nepal, and way forward' organised by Janamaitri Multiple Campus (JMC) with the support from the University Grants Commimssion (UGC) on Saturday here, the experts said that the lack of technology-friendly and job-oriented education have resulted in the growth of jobless graduates.

Dipak Kafle, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, who has previously served at the Ministry of Education, said that there is a need for the skill development of students before sending them to the market and making them competitive for the jobs available at the national and international level and enhance their productivity.

"Quality education and increased access of the academic sector to the business and industry could address this gap. Businesses ask for the resume only after ensuring the candidate has the skills required for the job," he said.

Chairman of the UGC, Dr. Bhim Prasad Subedi, said that technology-friendly and job-oriented education can only address the current requirements of the society and economy.

"Number of Nepali students leaving the country for higher education is about 90,000. Some students go abroad in search of quality education while other opt it for better jobs. Therefore, our education programmes should be designed in a way it would help to create knowledge-based economy," he offered solutions.

Prof. Dr. Shiva Lal Bhusal, Rector of the Tribhuvan University, emphasised on research-oriented education. "The TU has also given priority to international collaboration for the quality enhancement of our education programmes. Only life skills are not enough, we must equip students with business skills," he said.

He pledged necessary support from the university in boosting research and innovation in academic sector and its affiliated colleges.

Chief of JMC, Bhola Nath Ojha, said that the education institutions should be facilitated by the concerned stakeholders such as the UGC, Ministry of Education and other agencies.

"Interaction between industry and academia will help education institutions in developing non-credit course to provide skills to the students that would help the businesses to find competent manpower," he said.

Ojha also maintained that as an educational institution having the Quality Assurance Accreditation (QAA) certificate from the UGC, the campus is going to launch the non-credit course for the management students in the first phase.

Likewise, education expert, Prof. Dr. Bidya Nath Koirala, stated that in the developed countries, industry and universities sit together to design the course to produce quality human resources needed for the local as well as the global business and industry. "We need to follow this culture here in Nepal," he said.

Basanta Raj Mishra, tourism entrepreneur and former Secretary of Pacific Asia Travel Association, said that the universities should update their students about consumer protection laws, importance of which has gone up exponentially in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. "A tourist creates about 13 jobs in Nepal so we need to take this seriously in our university courses as well," he said.

According to him, self-employment should be a cornerstone of modern-day education system.

Mishra also suggested the universities to interfere in the internship system.

Director of Faculty of Management of the TU, Dr. Mahananda Chalise, said that there is not industry-academia collaboration, and it is the fault of the both sides – academia and the business.

Paritosh Paudyal, Chairperson of the Nepal Federation of Saving and Credit Cooperative Union Limited, said that digital development has further increased the gap between the academia and industry. Countries like South Kora have given top priority to modernising education, but we are lagging, he said.

He suggested for the inclusion of 21^st century skill framework in higher education curriculum. 

Dr. Ram Hari Lamichhane, former Director General of Colombo Plan Staff College in Manila, stressed on the need to promote well-planned STEM (an interdisciplinary approach including science, technology, engineering and math education) in Nepal.

Our education system must blend the gurukul techniques and modern applications, he said.  

The academicians also maintained that the universities create generally skilled manpower required for various sectors, and industry-specific HR creation is not a possible job.

Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 5 June 2022.