As a global initiative of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), NPI has been actively focused on social and economic development of Nepal.

In a recent move, NPI has decided to unveil its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for the country’s development at a plenary session of the first Global Knowledge Conference to be held in Kathmandu during October 12-14, 2018.

“After 10 months of internal preparation, NPI is all set to unveil its Strategic Plan for 2019-2021 and this will be NPI’s first public presence while the team was working internally for several months,” says NPI Chair Khagendra Dhakal.

As part of its plan, NPI will be presenting eminent speakers to discuss development policies of Nepal, Dhakal adds.

Why Nepal Policy Institute (NPI)?

To a question on what different NPI will make compared to the other existing think-tanks, Dhakal clarified saying, “NPI is not to take other’s space in Nepal but to strengthen think-tank and public policy research, analysis and advocacy ecosystem in Nepal through collaboration, partnership and exchanges.”

Dhakal was confident in saying that NPI makes difference with its swift, wide range and multi-angled strategy recommendations for effective implementation of the country’s public policy.

“What makes NPI unique is that it will bring the world resources to Nepal and bring Nepali experience to the world by promoting Nepal in the global arena,” adds Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, NPI will be a consortium of Nepali-origin public policy experts, practitioners, researchers and consultants globally working in collaboration and partnership with people and institutions working in the interest of Nepal and Nepali people, including Nepali diaspora.

NPI aims to work as a border-less organization working and connecting Nepalis, globally.

Focus & Priorities
As the first step in its strategy, Dhakal said they would work with the National Planning Commission (NPC) towards identifying national needs and priorities before deciding on the final action plan.

NPI’s current list of core activities includes labor migration, utilization of remittances, revenue & expenditure management across the provincial & local levels, international investment, trade, and tourism.

Besides, the organization has some long-term priority tasks including R&D for economic diversification, value addition in health, environment, agriculture and natural resources, and meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under UN 2030 Agenda.

NPI & First Global Knowledge Conference 2018

NPI’s plans as part of the Global Knowledge Conference 2018 include:

• NPI Proposal Presentation by NPI Executive Member Sharad Neupane
• Speech by the National Planning Commission’s Vice Chair Pushpa Kadel, NRNA Founder and International Coordinator Bhim Udash, Foreign Secretary Shanker Bairagi and Krishna Adhikari from Oxford University on the role of Nepali diaspora in developing effective policies for Nepal
• Panel discussion on NPI’s proposal involving NRNA President Bhaban Bhatta, Economist Madan Kumar Dahal and Nepali social leader and NPI Executive Committee Member Sharu Joshi Shrestha

 
Former Nepali Foreign & Finance Minister Bhekh Bahadur Thapa is going to chair the session that will be moderated by NPI Chair Dhakal.

NPI will finalize its strategy based on the inputs of the session, informed Dhakal.

The Background
NPI is a result of NRNA’s 15-year-long journey across the global network and emerged out of a dire need for policy institute in Nepal as part of NRNA Vision 2020 and Beyond.

The concept of NPI was first tabled at the NRNA Convention 2017 along with the vision document, which received a wide applaud from the global diaspora.

Further, NPI was integrated with the Constitution and the current President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed Hongkong-based Dhakal as its Chair for further development.

In the next 10 months’ time after the prior announcement, NPI spread its wings with a new steering and research committees and formed its medium-term Founding Strategic Plan.

Now, the organization is all set to present its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for Nepal as part of the Global Knowledge Conference during October 12-14, 2018.

The post NRNA: NPI’s Maiden Public Policy Plan 2019-21 for Nepal Soon! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

In a latest move, the Nepal Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) issued a circular directing all the local bodies to strictly follow the building code for ‘right implementation of disabled-friendly physical infrastructure’.

The move came in response to the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MWoCSC) complaints over faults in implementation of the building code.

Citing Article 42 (3) of the Accessible Physical Structure and Communication Service Directive for Persons with Disabilities-2013 Act, the Women Ministry pitched for equality in ‘access to public services’ for the people with physical impairments.

“Despite the legal provisions regarding disabled-friendly infrastructures and the duty and responsibility of the concerned authorities to fully implement the laws, municipalities and rural municipalities have yet to take these issues into consideration while granting approval to design and drawings,” MoWCSC said in a statement.

Even the government-funded buildings and other infrastructures constructed or being constructed are not disabled-friendly, it added.

In response, MoFAGA urged local bodies to address the concerns affecting disabled through proper implementation of the code.

“Local levels should not pass the blueprint of any house or building which is not disabled-friendly,” the Ministry said.

Directives of this kind matter a lot for a country like Nepal that has been relentlessly fighting for rights and social justice.

The post Nepal Govt. Mulls Disabled-Friendly Public Infra appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The master’s degree program, a joint initiative of KU and the Institute for Integrated Development Studies in Dhulikhel, will be incorporated in humanities, management and law departments, effective from 2019. 

Speaking at the launch event, experts from various backgrounds expressed their opinions on the proposed program. 

In his address, Dr Mohan Man Sainju, former Vice-chairman of Nepal Planning Commission (NPC), said the local resources should be used accordingly and courses of this kind engage youth in policy making. 

Meanwhile, former Health Minister Gagan Thapa said there has been a need for interdisciplinary approach in social sciences and hoped that the program would fill the existing gaps and produce better policy makers to the nation.   

The local governments are in dire need of manpower with knowledge of public policy making. Local bodies should encourage their employees to study public policy, says Gagan Thapa. 

Lauding the initiative, the US Ambassador to Nepal Alaina B Teplitz also opined that the initiative would improve public policy dialogue in the country.  

 “Good public policy helps leaders to take better decisions,” she said, adding improving governance would is also an art that determines the country’s future. 

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