Having been involved in the Dalit moments, DEVRAJ BISHWOKARMA, chairperson of the National Dalit Commission, has his own way to work to uplift the life and Dalits and end all kinds of discrimination against them. Chairperson Bishwokarma, a young and dynamic, talked to KESHAB POUDEL about various activities and the role of the National Dalit Commission. Excerpts:
By Keshab Poudel Aug 28, 2022
As he started his second year of second tenure, Kul Man Ghising, MD of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), has set many new records. Increasing profit margin by 164 percent or Rs. 16.089 billion and exporting electricity worth of Rs.3.88 billion and reducing the electricity leakage, MD Ghising has made many historical achievements. As NEA, a public utility, celebrated its anniversary, MD Ghising has a sigh of relief as he cleared piles of problems left over by his predecessor
By Keshab Poudel Aug 17, 2022
At a time when 14442 (forty-one percent) of youth are elected at local level elections this year, Nepalese youth are celebrating international youth day on 12 August. However, electing youth at the local level cannot alone ensure the engagement of youth in the local governance process. Funded by European Union and Implemented by Helvetas in collaboration with local partners, Youth Sounding Board (YSB) can be a game changer to increase the engagement of youth at the local level governance process.
By Keshab Poudel Aug 11, 2022
When USAID launched South Asian Regional Energy Initiative (SARI/EI) aiming to improve the energy trade among the South Asian countries two decades ago, countries in the region did not have separate business entirety, cross border transmission line and regulatory mechanism for energy trade. Although the energy trade pattern is still dominated by bilateral arrangements between regional countries, there is now everything to conduct the trade at regional level. Nepal has turned from net importer to net exporter with reliable cross border transmission line starting to export electricity to India. Now, Nepal has started to talk on modality for export of big volume of electricity to India and Bangladesh
By Keshab Poudel Aug 07, 2022
With increasing import bill and declining foreign currency reserve, Nepal’s economy is facing a serve crisis. Thanks to pegging of Nepalese currency with Indian currency, there is some respite. However, nobody knows how government’s ‘glass half full’ approach can rescue Nepal’s crisis as economic crises abound
By Keshab Poudel Aug 05, 2022
The first British Resident at the court of Nepal had said Nepalese were yet to see which is good for them and which is not. Harping on too much of anti-SPP rhetoric, Nepalese were destroying their trustworthy, friendly and good relations with the US.
By Keshab Poudel Aug 05, 2022
Although Nepal has been holding elections for over seven decades, one may find strange to know that Nepal does not have a national election policy. The EC in Nepal has been recommending the election date and holding the elections and preparing for elections in its own way. This time too EC recommended parliamentary and provincial elections for Nov 18 on its own. In absence of national policy, haphazard decisions land in controversy. Conducted by Niti Foundation, a recently published Niti Note, among others, discusses the importance of Election Policy to ensure the elections are free and fair
By Keshab Poudel Jul 11, 2022
As Nepal Oil Corporation has issued a harsh statement expressing its inability to continue to supply petroleum products including LPG warning to face a dire energy crisis, the future of Nepal’s energy supply situation looms darker. At a time when there is no immediate sign of a reduction in global oil price in near future, all three tires of governments in Nepal are in rush to convert Nepal’s current mode of energy from petrol to electricity and renewable energy. Will they catch the pace to reach all households before the country faces the shortage?
By Keshab Poudel Jul 09, 2022
Organized by the Foundation, experts, civil society leaders, former top bureaucrats, experts and scientists shared their views what policy interventions requires to avoid the crisis in a discussion program on Food Scarcity -Climate Change -Water and Energy nexus.
By Keshab Poudel Jun 29, 2022
Starting export of 364-MW electricity to India, Nepal has set a historic milestone. With all technical groundwork done by a team led by Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Kul Man Ghising, the official visit of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to India had made the breakthrough in Nepal-India electricity trade. Showing tremendous goodwill towards Nepal, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi directed concerned officials to look at Nepal’s request on electricity export. Opening the market for Nepalese electricity, India has shown that it is a big market for Nepal. As trade is part of a give and take, Nepal needs to follow this principle in dealing with India. For MD Ghising, who wiped out load-shedding in his first tenure, starting the export of big volumes of electricity to Indian market is another feather in his cap of his second tenure
By Keshab Poudel Jun 24, 2022
After the announcement by Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma in his recent budget to provide subsidies for electric cooking, removing subsidies from LPG, Nepal’s clean cooking movement has entered a new phase. With the rising global oil prices and growing electricity production inside the home, minister Sharma has found the right time to save millions of dollars given as a subsidy to import the LPG. With the announcement of the new energy policy by the federal government, the response of local and provincial governments will determine how quickly the clean e-cooking campaign will move. As provincial and local level governments are key to making the transition of energy a success, how the new budgets of provincial and local governments address the issue will determine the future of the campaign
By Keshab Poudel Jun 03, 2022