KATHMANDU: The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is planning to invest one billion dollars in the next four years in Nepal.
Hans Peter Lankes, Vice President, Economics and Private Sector Development, of IFC said at the ongoing Nepal Investment Summit 2019, ‘We call this strategy of creating market that enable to investment take place’.
IFC is an international financial institution that offers investment, advisory, and asset-management services to encourage private-sector development in developing countries.
.@IFC_org is aiming to invest $1 billion over the next 4 years as gov’t reforms proceed and become a reality on the ground — VP Hans Peter Lankes at #Nepal Investment Summit. #InvestInNepal pic.twitter.com/OZjTyE4zGm
— WorldBankSouthAsia (@WorldBankSAsia) March 30, 2019
KATHMANDU: The government has prioritized the railway construction projects since it is the essential for the country’s prosperity.
The construction work will begin within six weeks after finalizing the Detailed Project Report (DPR) on Kerung-Kathmandu railway.
Preliminary feasibility study is over and the preparations are underway to finalize the DPR, said Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Raghubir Mahaseth.
The government will decide on how to raise fund as the estimated cost would reach around Rs 3 trillion.
Similarly, the DPR of East-West railway project has been completed which will be 1,100 km long.
Likewise, the preliminary study on the Kathmandu-Raxaul railway is underway, said Mahaseth, adding, “The government is looking for ways to raise fund for the construction.”
KATHMANDU: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defense Ishwar Pokharel has reiterated Nepal’s commitment to contributing up to 10,000 troops for peacekeeping upon request of the United Nations.
Addressing the ‘UN Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference on Uniformed Capabilities, Performance and Protection’, he highlighted Nepal’s 61 years of partnership with the UN on peacekeeping operations.
He stressed the need for a renewed focus on substantive and sustained capacity building efforts for the improvement of peacekeepers’ performance.
“Nepal is ready to offer training opportunities and provide its Training Center’s facilities, administrative support and instructors for any capacity building efforts in future”, he stated.
He underscored that Nepal had already met the UN targets with regard to the participation of female peacekeepers as Staff Officers, Military Observers and Individual Police Officers. He also called for more representation from troops and police contributing countries at the senior-level leadership positions, both at the UN Headquarters and in the field missions.
Nepali delegation participating in the Conference also included Ambassador/ Permanent Representative Rai and officials from Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nepal Army as well as the Permanent Mission of Nepal to the UN.
CAIRO: As many as 266 Palestinians were killed in a military action carried out by Israeli soldiers in the last one year in Israel-controlled Gaza strip, according to a report.
According to the report unveiled by the Health Ministry based in Gaza, 30, 398 sustained injuries, 536 critically, during the period.
Fifty among those killed in the demonstration are children, six women, one senior citizen, three medical persons and two journalists.
Similarly, two Israeli soldiers died during the period, said the report.
(With inputs from Agencies)
KATHMANDU: The Secondary Education Examination (SEE) has been postponed in all the eight districts of Province 2 after the question papers were leaked.
Students have started demonstrating against the government’s decision to postpone the SEE exams. Meanwhile, Bara police has fired six rounds of tear gas shells to disperse the protesters and take the situation under control after the irate students set a fire to a parked police van this morning.
The demonstration comes in the wake of the government’s decision to stall the SEE exams over leaked question papers.
Organizing a press release on Friday evening, Education Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel adjourned the examinations of the ongoing SEE exams after the question papers of Science, Social Studies and Health Education were leaked.
“The examinations of all the papers of the SEE scheduled from March 28 to April 4 in Province 2 have been stalled until further notice,” said Education Minister Pokharel.
However, the papers conducted on March 24 to March 27 will not be cancelled. The exam of science paper cancelled will be conducted on April 5, Pokharel had said.
KATHMANDU: Tourism experts and tourism sector leaders have underlined the need to promote tourism in Nepal with a focus on its neighbors – China and India. Investments should be made in the tourism sector of Nepal in order to reap maximum benefits of the tourism market in the two countries.
Unique natural beauty, geographical diversity and archaeological heritage and diverse culture make Nepal one of the most attractive tourist destinations of the world. It has already attracted huge investment from home and abroad.
Accordingly, the government is observing the coming 2020 as Visit Nepal Year. Easy VISA procedures and policy reforms in the tourism sector have been made to facilitate tourists visiting Nepal, said Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board Dipak Raj Joshi while speaking at the Nepal Investment Summit on Friday. “Nepal takes a new place among the world tourism destinations with round-the-year tourism activities”, he said.
The government is also giving special priority to running promotional activities targeting the neighboring countries and identifying and promoting new tourist destinations in the country.
A total of 1.1 million tourists visited Nepal in 2018 with 200,438 of them from neighboring India. Likewise, the country received 153,602 tourists from China.
Speakers at the session on ‘tourist destination for pilgrimage and entertainment’ also described Nepal as an attractive destination for tourists. They however emphasized on the need for physical infrastructure development and expansion to exploit that potential.
Tourism entrepreneur Sangita Shrestha said Nepal that is rich in culture and hospitality could become a model tourist destination for the world.
CEO of Silver Heritage Group Mike Bolsovar said it was the right moment to invest in the tourism sector of Nepal, which carries abundant possibilities.
International tourism scholar Akihiko Hori said tourism could become the main basis for prosperity of a country like Nepal rich in natural beauty.
National Planning Commission member Dr Ram Kumar Phuyal said the increasing number of tourists’ arrival to the country has encouraged both the government and the private sector to boost investment in the sector. The government will come up with a long-term plan for the promotion of tourism development in the country.
(RSS)
HETAUDA: The Council of Ministers of Province 3 has added two more members to the State Policy and Planning Commission. The cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Dormani Poudel on Friday appointed Dr Renu Rajbhandari and Dr Ram Chandra Dhakal as members of the Commission.
Khim Lal Devkota is the vice-chair of the Commission while Shyam Basnet was the lone member so far in the five-member Commission. One more member will be appointed soon, said Vice-Chair Devkota. The Commission is chaired by the chief minister.
KATHMANDU: The government has called on foreign investors to confidently invest in Nepal’s information and technology sector as Nepal expects their support in realizing the ‘Digital Nepal Project.’
The government has assured of full safety of possible investment, citing that the atmosphere for investment in the IT sector has been created by endorsing necessary laws.
During the opening day of the ‘Nepal Investment Summit- 2019′, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology informed the gathering of the latest situation of IT in Nepal; made this call before domestic and foreign business community and investors. The Ministry was utilizing the IT- related session in the Summit.
Minister for Communications and Information Technology Banskota briefed the session that a draft of IT policy had been already prepared and it was on the process of further progress while other related laws were formulated. It may be noted that the government had, targeting the Summit, already enacted the Public Private Partnership and Investment Act’, Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, and revised the Special Economic Zone Act.
On the occasion, the Minister said Nepal had made the digital connectivity better, and lately, the use of internet and IT was on the rise and the 4G service had been launched. Nepal was working for cyber governance and the project is expected to create a base for the country’s overall development with durable economic growth, he added.
“The project needs huge investment and the government has ensured the atmosphere conducive for foreign investment with the enactment of required laws. We have simplified the process of business and guaranteed the security of investment,” he reminded. He went on to say that administrative process had been simplified for the convenience of possible investors, calling on them to invest in the project confidently.
He further said in the aftermath of the three-tier election held in Nepal as per the constitution, political stability was achieved and the stable government formed.
Amazon Internet Service Company India’s Chandra Balani, Japan’s Sumitomo’s General Manager Masahiro Miyashita, Microsoft Asia Pacific Region’s Managing Director Sonia Bashir Kabir and Nepal’s Safal Partners’ Managing Director Ashutosh Tiwari were the speakers during the session where Joint-Secretary at the Ministry, Birendra Kumar Mishra gave his presentation on IT-related activities undertaken in Nepal.
KATHMANDU: The election of Nepal Bar Association (NBA), an umbrella organization of all lawyers in Nepal, is being held on Saturday to elect a new leadership. A total of 10, 313 voters are casting their votes to elect the central working committee of the NBA.
According to the election committee of the NBA, of the total voters, 6,800 will cast their votes on the premises of the Supreme Court while the rest will cast their votes at 34 polling centers of various districts.
The tough competition is expected between two groups – Progressive and Professional Lawyers Association Nepal (PPLAN) close to ruling Nepal Communist Party and Democratic Lawyers Association Nepal (DLAN), which is considered close to Nepali Congress.
KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Education has decided to postpone the Secondary Education Examination (SEE) in all the districts of Province 2 till April 4.
Holding a press conference on Friday, Minister for Education Giriraj Mani Sharma said the Ministry decided to direct National Education Board (NEB) to postpone exams following question papers of Science and Social Studies leaked on social media prior to the examinations.
Some 70,528 students will bear the brunt of the decision of the government.
Earlier, exams of Science and Social studies were cancelled after it was confirmed that question paper was ‘out’ prior to the examination. Birgunj remained tense throughout the day after irate students protested the decision to cancel exams.