According to the Switzerland Embassy in Kathmandu’s press statement, the grant will be used to fund the implementation of two important programs in Nepal – The Trail Bridge Program – Sector Wide Approach Framework III and the Provincial and Local Governance Support Program.

Each of the programs will be awarded CHF 9.4 million and CHF 10 million, respectively.

The second program will seek to ensure on priority the implementation of the Federal Constitution of Nepal, most part of which will be done by local levels.

Nepal’s Development Backed by Swiss Technical Assistance

Nepal has constructed more than 8,000 trail bridges with Swiss technical and financial support.

Over 18 million people have benefited from such development and on an average more than 1.4 million Nepalis use these bridges on a daily basis. This has also helped students, whose attendance has increased by 16 percent in schools. Likewise, access to health care has also improved, registering a 26 percent increase (on an average) in people visiting health centers.

On an estimate, Nepal still needs another 2,400 bridges to put rural people in touch with services and avoid a detour of over an hour.

Recently, Nepal marked the completion of its second longest bridge between Sisahaniya and Mahadeva. The bridge has made it easy for people to access areas on the other side of the Rapti river, for which they have to travel via Kalakate-Bhalubang for one and a half hours.

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In the course of the meeting, the two representatives talked about several bilateral aspects including human resources development, infrastructure development, investment promotion and tourism promotion among others.

Nepal President Bhandari congratulated the Japanese Government and the citizens on the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito and wished for their happiness, peace and prosperity in the Reiwa era.

Bhandari also expressed condolences to the Japanese Government and its people for the loss of life and prosperity experienced owing to the deadly Hagibis Typhoon that occurred across several parts in the country.

Likewise, Prime Minister Abe was very grateful to Bhandari for accepting the invitation and attending the Enthronement Ceremony and expressed his happiness to welcome Bhandari as Nepal President for the first time in Japan.

He also assured President Bhandari that Japan would continue to provide socio-economic support to Nepal in areas such as infrastructure and reducing trade deficit.

Besides the Nepal President, Home Affairs Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, Foreign Secretary Shankar Das Bairagi and Ambassador of Nepal to Japan Pratiba Rana also represented Nepal among others.

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And, the Government of Nepal has also been making some important moves since the recent past.

Here comes a new update regarding cable cars implementation in Nepal, and Gandaki Province is the news!

As per the latest reports, Gandaki Provincial Government is receiving good response for its plans to roll-out cable cars across the province.

The province has reportedly received around 30 business proposals, who have reportedly expressed their readiness to setup cable car services across different districts of the province.

The number of proposals has gone to the extent that the government hired a private firm to study and assess the feasibility of received proposals.

The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development of Gandaki Province has reportedly signed a deal with a local firm called Ropeway.

According to the Ministry Secretary Ishwor Chandra Marahatta, local operators have also approached the government with their proposals to build and operate cable cars.

“All the districts in the province have received applications. We will minutely study all the proposals before allowing the applicants to build and operate cable car service,” added Marahatta.

Marahatta explained that the government doesn’t have plans to build on its own, and is also open to encourage local bidders.

“We will allow local units, local communities and private parties to operate cable car if their applications are feasible,” he added.

So far, the proposals have been received for the development of cable car services in Ligligkot and Gorkha Durbar of Gorkha, Chhimkeshwori of Tanahu, Gaunshahar and Rainsaskot of Lamjung, Dahare Deurali of Parbat, Kaskikot of Kaski, and Galkot and Bhairabsthan of Baglung.

Wish the Gandaki Province will inspire more other areas across the nation to get on board the most-awaited cable car projects.

The early implementation of these projects will definitely add to the infrastructure development and tourism promotion in Gandaki.

Stay tuned for more regular updates!

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Located in Gandaki zone’s Lamjung district, the bustling town draws many tourists annually.

“Bhujung has always been our pride. It has been the major tourist spot in the district. With our ongoing campaigns, we expect the numbers to multiply in the days to come,” said Ashakumari Gurung, a Bhujung resident and President of Yumbo Development Aama Samuha.

With the intensive ongoing cleanliness initiatives, Bhujung’s residents are confident that the place would attract more tourists and increase the period of their stay.

Adding to this, Gurung says that cleanliness is the latest goal of all the locals.

“This was never that a polluted place. However, we did have room to improve sanitation and hygiene practices around. Residents have made efforts to keep the village tidy and fresh,” the Bhujung native explained.

“It has been declared completely clean town after minutely reviewing toilet usages, water availability, hand washing habits of the residents, waste management arrangements in the locality, among others,” Gurung added.

Bhujung Cleanliness Campaign

Lamjung District Coordination Committee Chief Lokraj Pandey said that the cleanliness drive in Bhujung was carried out in the last few months and has brought about good results.

“The drive was to sensitize people on the importance of maintaining immaculate cleanliness in their locality and change the face of the village. It tried to make the residents aware that they have to actively embrace cleanliness and hygienic habits for their welfare and for promoting tourism activities,” Pandey said.

Although many locals provided homestay services, not all of them were aware and had enough resources to ensure the quality tourist would expect. “But now, you can see for yourself, and a huge change has come,” Pandey added.

Following improvements were made in the past few months in the Lamjung’s Bhujung:

• Roads were improved including widening and blacktopping with repair works.
• Hotels, restaurants and households were asked to keep their premises very clean.
• Locals cleaned their house roofs and retouched their home walls, as Bhujung’s mud and stone houses with tile roofs give the village a traditional appeal and is a tourist attraction.

What Local Representatives Have to Say

“It was our mutual effort. Everyone was confident that we would succeed in providing a different look to this town. So we worked together,” said Gurung adding that the change is going to last as that’s what the locals want.

“Our development and prosperity depend on the tourism industry. And for that, it is essential that we keep our towns and villages very beautiful in all terms,” said Prem Bahadur Ghale, Chairperson, Sothar Rural Municipality.

“We don’t welcome tall buildings or big infrastructure. We want to keep our simplicity and originality intact so that more and more tourists come here and enjoy our authentic,” he added.

“It is not an exaggeration. Bhujung has taught all other villages and towns in the country, mainly those who are losing their beauty to haphazard development,” said Kajiman Sunar, Lamjung CDO Assistant.

“They have embraced all the cleanliness practices in their locality. This is a pleasant thing to happen,”  said Rajkumar Gurung, Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) representative, while stating that aware and responsible individuals can alone bring about sustainable development.

“We want our town to be charming and clean. Everyone appreciates such initiatives. But we have to ensure the sustainability of such a program. Cleanliness should turn into our habit, and not just a campaign,” said Nauraj Gurung, Laliguras Youth Club President.

The achievement made by this Nepali village is noteworthy as it compromises of 400 establishments! Hope other Nepal villages and towns learn from Bhujung’s experience.

Bhujung is the next to follow in example after Dhankuta set the standards for waste management in Nepal.

Nepali Sansar lauds the cleanliness efforts of Bhujung village.

Nepal #trashtag Campaign

Following a chain of cleanliness and waste management initiatives in Nepal is the latest cleanliness campaign #trashtag.

#Trashtag campaign picked up its pace after KP Khanal, a Nepal social worker posted an update about his clean-up drive in Gongabu’s New Bus Park, on social media, which was eventually shared by thousands of Nepali social media followers.

The drive has become a trend worldwide and many people are following similar clean-up drives and sharing their experience on social media.

Although the #trashtag challenge is as old as 2015, it has become viral over the past few months. #gocleanNepal

For more such Nepali inspirational stories, visit our website.

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A day earlier, the country has launched its first-ever telecom satellite project marking its grand entry into the space community.

Before that, the country has also signed a partnership for setting up of an advanced security printing facility at the Information and Technology Park in Banepa, Kavre.

Continuing on those lines, here comes another important update for Nepalis on the country’s hotel and hospitality industry.

In a recent update, India-based hospitality industry giant Oyo has announced its expansion plans in Nepal and India.

Closing in on a USD 1 billion funding received recently, Oyo Hotels & Homes announced that it has decided to make a Rs 1400 crore investment in its businesses across India and Nepal.

The investment will be directed towards infrastructure upgradation and technology development, informed Aditya Ghosh, Oyo CEO, India and South Asia.

Under the plan, Oyo will expand its Nepal operations from the present 3 cities to 15 Nepali cities in the next 10 months period.

By the summer season of the current year, the firm is targeting 10,000 new rooms across Nepali cities.

“We are committing over Rs 1,400 crore for technology investments, renovation, and managing investments for the calendar year, and will provide more, if needed, to help the team ensure continued economically efficient growth,” Founder and Oyo Group CEO Ritesh Agarwal said in an official statement.

Hope this will add to the development of Nepal’s fast-growing hotel and hospitality industry.

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Speaking to media at the Tribhuvan International Airport, Oli said that his visit to Davos, Switzerland was successful in updating the international community and various country representatives about Nepal’s:

• Development priorities
• Goals of socio-economic transformation
• Government policies to attract foreign investment
• Latest political developments
• Peace process
• Changes and achievements post constitution formation
• Bilateral ties with Switzerland

Prime Minister KP Oli returned to Nepal after attending 49th World Economic Forum (WEF) in Switzerland

During his participation at the full session of WEF and his engagement in two separate discussions on the theme – Strategic Outlook on South Asia and Determining the Future of Democracy, Oli shared Nepal’s outlook on:

• Entrepreneurship development
• Nepal’s progress towards building an equitable society by bridging the rich and poor
• Protection of Democracy & Press Freedom
• Expanding of connectivity for economic progress and promotion of regionalism

“I expressed opinion on consolidation of democracy, ensuring the people’s rights on political, economic and social sectors, protection and respect to the sovereign people, and on the inevitability of the press and its responsibility,” Oli said.

Expanding his stance on Protection of Democracy & Press Freedom, Oli said that he also spoke about issues regarding other people’s rights in a democracy, the responsibility of the press to refrain from publishing wrong information to individuals, families and society and various aspects of press freedom enjoyed by Nepali press.

PM Oli added that he held informal interactions with heads of states and governments of various countries, economic experts, CEOs of multinational companies and other eminent at the 49^th WEF.

In all these meetings, Oli emphasized the government’s role in materializing Nepal’s goal of ‘Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’.

Before his arrival in Nepal, the Nepali Prime Minister also visited Doha, where he was welcomed by Nepal Ambassador to Qatar Dr. Ramesh Prasad Koirala.

Deputy Prime Minister Ishwar Pokhrel, Members of the Council of Ministers, Speaker Krishna Bahadur Mahara, National Assembly chairperson Ganesh Prasad Timilsina and Secretary of the Government of Nepal and Officiating Foreign Secretary Bharat Raj Poudyal welcomed the Oli at Tribhuvan International Airport’s VVIP lounge.

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The Ministry has reportedly formed the Rural/Urban Profile Preparation Procedure that would help local bodies maintain uniformity in dealing with information they collect at local levels.

The proposed plan will aid local bodies in data collection, analysis and formulation of data-based development plans through the profiles developed for every local level.

In line with the procedure, the Ministry has also developed a new software for collection and analysis of information.

The Ministry decision is in line with the constitutional provision that mandates collection of public data across local levels along with records of all key social aspects such as unemployment.

Even the Local Government Operation Act also mandates collection and maintenance of local-level information.

“It is impossible to formulate development policies without evidences in today’s world. Basic and primary data come as prerequisites for this purpose. Similarly, fragmented and updated data are necessary for the formulation of long-term, annual, sectoral and strategic plan of rural municipalities and municipalities,” MoFAGA said in a release.

The Ministry further informed that the new procedure will form the basis for implementation of developmental plans across the local levels.

A local-level profile under the new procedure involves a detailed information about population, demography, social characteristics, resource base, economic scenario and progress status based on basic data, indicators and baseline information.

Every local-level profile will undergo seven stages for the approval of format, action plan, survey, collection, analysis, presentation, draft preparation, authentication, preparation and publication.

Hope the new procedure will contribute to government’s efforts of filling developmental gaps at the local level.

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The Development Cooperation Report 2018 released by the Finance Ministry on January 16, 2019 showed a 16 percent rise in foreign aid disbursement to Nepal (USD 1.62 billion) in the ended fiscal.

World Bank topped the list of aiding agencies with USD 533.51 million support, showing a 54 percent year-on-year rise in funding.

Asian Development Bank (ADB), United Kingdom, USAID and European Union stand as the major contributors.

Majority of the funding was focused on economic reforms, education sector, health, urban development and local infrastructure development.

It is noteworthy that the World Bank’s funding to the nation has increased during and after the 2015 earthquake. Even the other agencies also showed a growing trend with regard to offering financial support post the earthquake incident.

Top-5 Disbursements from Global Funding Agencies Aid to Nepal- A Glance at Comparison (in NPR)

Of the total disbursed amount, 50.5 percent of the fund came in the form of loan, 35.1 percent in grant and 14.4 percent as technical assistance.

It is notable that 78 percent of the foreign aid has come under in line with the budgeted requirements, reflecting in the government’s annual budget book.

Country-wise

The United Kingdom emerged as the top-3 donor after the world’s leading funding agencies, while Nepal’s closest neighbors did not appear in the list and were at 8^th and 9^th positions, respectively.

India’s contribution to Nepal during the year was USD 56.76 billion, down 4.2 percent year-on-year.

Sector-wise

Economic sector topped the list with regard to sector-wise receiving of funds, followed by education sector, urban development, health, local development, energy and housing.

“The increase in disbursement was due mainly to the implementation of ‘First Programmatic Fiscal and Public Finance Management Development Policy Credit’ funded by the World Bank,” said the report.

Bagging on Capacity Development

Finance Minister Yubaraj Khatiwada is hopeful that the donations would further go down as Nepal is moving on the path of development with good number of institutional reforms and enhancing its capacity to pay-back loans.

It’s clear. Drop in grant means our loan will grow,” he told a press conference on Wednesday. “As Nepal aims to graduate to the league of developing nations by 2022, we will have to focus on mobilizing the loans received under the low interest rate more prudently and in a transparent manner,” says the Minister.

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Speaking at the occasion Bhandari said that education should be developed to reflect time. The President advised the University to reform the curriculum, making it timely and suitable for the country’s need.

She further added that the university is the place of knowledge and science, where education should produce skilled human resources necessary for industry, agriculture and tourism sectors.

A proper plan and policy should be created to address Nepal’s need for human resources. Bhandari also directed the university to utilize the present time for the welfare of the people. On the occasion, she thanked the contributors of Purbanchal University’s physical and academic development.

Province 1 Chief Minister Sherdhan Rai observed that Purbanchal University was abundant with human resources and that it should utilize them to producing more human resources for the country.

Purbanchal University’s Joint Chancellor and Nepal Education, Science & Technology Minister Giriraj Mani Pokhrel also suggested that the university should use this time to think how it could apply its education for Nepal’s prosperity.

Purbanchal University Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr. Ghanashyam Lal Das felicitated President Bhandari. Bhandari also inaugurated the silver jubilee pillar of the University.

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High competition between the two Asian giants, India and China, to expand their base in South Asia is benefitting Nepal in its development.

The Himalayan nation stands in a strategic position between the two Asian giants, which makes it enjoy any part of development that the two countries vie for beyond their borders.

India’s efforts towards expanding its railways infrastructure resulted in the first-ever modern railway track for Nepal.

Indian Railways- A New Hope for Nepal’s Janakpur!
The new 34-km railway line connecting Nepal’s Janakpur with India’s Bihar is giving new developmental hopes for the country, in terms of business and tourism.

Nepali locals are elated at the new developments that the country is witnessing in the form of new railway lines and the new railway station that is underway.

“These train tracks are the best thing to happen to us in a very long time. We are all thrilled about getting a modern train that will make travel so much easier and cheaper,” a 62-year-old farmer Biswombar Sah reportedly said.

Another Janakpur local Naresh Chandra Jha, a restaurant owner, considers the new development as a boon to the region n boosting pilgrimage trade. “This is the biggest event for Janakpur. It will be a big contribution for development and boost the number of religious visitors,” says Jha.

While the new rail project under process connects only Jay Nagar and Janakpur, the upcoming
USD 80 million railway project is going to penetrate further into Nepal once operational.

Binod Ojha, an official supervising the new rail line project, has more to say about it.

The new railway line (once operational) will not benefit the passenger movement, but also facilitate easy movement of trade activity between India and Nepal.

“Once we start operating trains, people will be able to travel from here to New Delhi or even southern India. We will be well connected. Once trains begin to bring all these things from India, the cost will naturally go down. Our daily expenses will be much cheaper,” reads Ojha’s statement.

Developmental hopes aside, implementation part remains to be a long wait for many locals. The new passenger service connecting the countries is still awaiting its inaugural, which was expected in December 2018 on the occasion of the popular Bibah Panchami festival but did not happen.

India, A Step Ahead in Race
India is eyeing its railway expansion as a means to strengthen its foothold in the South Asian region and the move is being seen as a competition to the Belt and Road Initiative by the other Asian giant.

“Investment from both China and India are in the rising trend. It appears they are both competing with investments, but it is a healthy competition which is beneficial for Nepal,” said Uttam Wagle, a Nepal Investment Board spokesman.

However, analysts say that India is little ahead in the race enjoying high advantage of plain topography across the border, which makes it easy to lay railways.

“India has overtaken China in terms of connectivity by train because they have already laid down the tracks and the system could function immediately, but the Chinese plan is still on paper only,” says Dhruba Hari Adhikary, a Kathmandu-based analyst.

(Information Source: AP)

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