KOICA marks 30 years in Nepal with $29 million grant agreement

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) celebrated three decades of development partnership in Nepal with a commemorative event 'Together for 30 Years: A Journey of Trust and Cooperation' today in Kathmandu, with signing three agreements worth $29 million grant.

The most important session of the event was the signing of three major project agreements that mark KOICA’s strategic priorities for the years ahead, according to a press note issued by the KOICA. 

The first was the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between finance secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyaya and ambassador of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal Park Tae-young for the establishment of the Gandaki Institute of Technology, a $9 million project to be implemented from 2025 to 2030.

It was followed by Record of Discussion (RoD) signings for two new projects. The Value Chain Development Project (Phase II) in Lumbini Province, with the budget of $10 million to be initiated from 2025 to 2031 signed between joint secretary of Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Dr Hari Bahadur KC and country director of KOICA Mooheon Kong. Similarly, the establishment of the Sudurpaschim Polytechnic Institute -- with the budget of $10 million was also signed between joint secretary of Ministry of Education, Science and Technology Shiva Kumar Sapkota and country director of KOICA Mooheon Kong -- that is scheduled for implementation between 2025 and 2030.

On the occasion, KOICA Nepal Country Director Mooheon Kong emphasised KOICA’s enduring partnership with Nepal and its unwavering commitment to inclusive and sustainable development. He highlighted the agency’s focus on supporting local capacity building and fostering innovation across key sectors such as education, health, agriculture, and governance.

The joint secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Bhrigu Dhungana highlighted the long-standing friendship and cooperation between Nepal and the Republic of Korea, emphasising KOICA’s invaluable contributions in areas such as education, health, agriculture, and capacity building. He expressed appreciation for KOICA’s role in strengthening bilateral relations and supporting Nepal’s sustainable development goals. He also conveyed the ministry’s commitment to deepening this partnership in the future, envisioning even greater collaboration in advancing prosperity and resilience in Nepal.

Likewise, ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Nepal Park Tae-young, on the occasion, noted that KOICA’s 30-year journey in Nepal reflects the deep-rooted friendship and mutual trust between the two nations. He emphasised Korea’s continued commitment to supporting Nepal’s socio-economic development and highlighted the new project agreements as a symbol of shared progress and future cooperation.

Mayor of Pokhara Metropolitan City and Chief Guest of the event Dhana Raj Acharya congratulated KOICA on its milestone anniversary and praised its impactful contribution across diverse sectors. He commended KOICA’s strategic alignment with Nepal’s national development goals and reaffirmed the government's readiness to work closely with KOICA to expand the reach and sustainability of future programmes.

As KOICA reflects on its three decades of development engagement in Nepal, it renews its commitment to building a more inclusive, resilient, and prosperous future in close partnership with the government and local communities, according to KOICA.

Since 1991, the Government of the Republic of Korea, through KOICA, has been a key development partner of Nepal, supporting various sectors such as health, education, agriculture, vocational training, rural development, IT, and tourism. KOICA has dispatched 2,921 volunteers to government institutions across the country. Additionally, over 2,230 Nepali officials have participated in KOICA’s fellowship programmes.

KOICA collaborates with businesses, CSOs, universities, and foreign agencies to help Nepal achieve its SDGs. Since Nepal was designated a priority country for KOICA in 2010, support has significantly increased, and by 2025, KOICA’s total assistance surpassed $200 million. This progress has been further strengthened through a framework agreement on development cooperation, reinforcing the strong and growing friendship between the two nations.

KOICA concludes Integrated Rural Development Project worth $4.7 million

The Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), together with implementing partner, Korea Development Strategy Institute (KDS) Consortium today successfully concluded the five-year project titled 'Empowering Rural Communities in Nepal through an Integrated Approach to Health and Income Growth'.

Partnering with Dhulikhel Hospital with a total budget of $4.7 million, the project aimed to improve the quality of life in rural areas through enhanced healthcare access and sustainable income generation, according to a press note issued by the KOIKA office in Kathmandu. 

Approximately 150 stakeholders attended the event, including officials from Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, federal and local governments, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Nepal, KOICA Nepal Office, Dhulikhel Hospital, and civil society partners.

Implemented in four Dhulikhel Hospital Outreach centers across three districts (Tanahun, Sindhupalchowk, and Kavrepalanchok), the project supported agricultural infrastructure - including collection centers, vehicles, and demo farms - and provided training to strengthen farmer organisations, the press note reads, adding that it also offered entrepreneurship and vocational programmes for non-farming residents. "In the health sector, two outreach centers under Dhulikhel Hospital were newly constructed and equipped, while training was provided to local health workers and students."

By mobilising community-led committees, the project fostered not only improved income and health outcomes but also a stronger sense of ownership and social cohesion, it adds

Country Director of KOICA Nepal Office Kong Mooheon, during the concluding ceremony, highlighted the strength of linking agriculture and health to enhance community resilience

Likewise, Dr Biraj Man Karmacharya from Dhulikhel Hospital thanked the team for the efforts on implementing the project and shared that the successful result is clearly visible on the sites with the demand on its continuation and expansion. He also requested for the continuity of programme.

Dr Yoon Haejin, Project Leader from KDS shared his meaningful memories of the project. Despite the challenges posed by Covid-19, the project achieved successful and positive outcomes through the dedicated efforts of the project staff, the strong support of local governments and ward leaders, and the sincere participation of communities and farmers. He deeply appreciates all contributions and believes that the results will be sustained through continued collaboration.

The Government of the Republic of Korea has been supporting the Government of Nepal through KOICA in various areas of health, vocational training, rural development and IT since 1991. By 2024, total amount of KOICA’s support surpassed $200. Nepal’s designation as a Core Partnership Country by the Government of the Republic of Korea for 15 consecutive years highlights the strong bilateral relationship and commitment to Nepal’s development goals.

Code Rush calls for a new batch of 'Code Like Her' Fellowship-2021

After the huge success of first national level fellowship in Nepal, Code Rush is back again with ‘Code like her Fellowship programme-2021’.

The programme is organised by Code Rush in association with Kina, targeted mainly to provide industry-focused training programs to recent IT, Engineering graduates, according to a press note. "Code Rush, a female-led IT company in Nepal was established to support the digital transformation of other businesses through consultation, website development, and digital marketing by employing only female staff."

With an objective to bridge the gap between the technical sector and the participation of women in the industry, Code Rush aims not only to increase female participation in the industry but also help them thrive, it claimed, adding that Code Rush, till date, has conducted multiple events, programmes, competitions to provide a headstart for women to excel in their careers.

The first fellowship incorporated 16 females from all over Nepal, most of which are currently employed in reputed companies of Nepal as Software Engineers.

According to founder and chief executive of Code Rush Astha Sharma, she represents 10 per cent of the females in the class, which is true for most of the engineering colleges. "Even though the number of girls pursuing technical fields is increasing in Nepal, the retention rate is still low due to the challenges like pressure to start a family, career sacrifices,  and a lower average age of marriage than men," she said, adding that the only way to disrupt and change these facts is to provide women with a head start early on.

Code Rush has already announced its call for applicants for the fellowship programme-2021. The training programme starts on December 12, and like the previous one, it will also be organised virtually.

The programme is a four-month-long fellowship programme and is designed for passionate and enthusiastic fresh graduates seeking a career in full-stack development. The participants of the fellowship will get the opportunity of coding Bootcamp that combines lectures, workshops, projects, and more to help them master the practical skills—both technical and professional.

"An applicant is required to fill up a lengthy form that consists of questions on personal information, educational background, areas of interest, motives, and expectations of the applicant," according to the organiser. "After which enthusiastic candidates will be notified to appear on a written exam focused on basic programming knowledge and problem-solving skills followed by an interview."

Some 18 candidates will be finally selected for the Code Like Her Fellowship. The selected fellows will get hands-on knowledge and skills on UI/UX, NodeJs, ReactJs and Postgres, and GitHub along with various additional interpersonal skills development sessions by experienced and expert mentors.

"I am more confident and have gained insights regarding problem-solving. Breaking down problems into parts and working on a part of a problem without fearing the complexity of the entire problem is the major change that I feel in myself," one of the previous fellows Bisikha Subedi, currently a junior developer at Infinity Development Agency, said.

WTO report draws attention to impact of Covid-19 trade disruptions on women

Women make up a larger share of the workforce in the manufacturing sectors, such as textiles, apparel, footwear and telecommunication products that have seen the largest falls in export growth during the first months of the pandemic, according to a global trade body. In the services sector, women also outnumber men in industries that have been directly affected by travel restrictions, such as tourism and business travel services, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) paper reads.
The paper estimates the risk posed by trade disruptions on men and women using employment data from the World Bank (WB) Enterprise Surveys, monthly merchandise exports data and statistics on the mode by which a service is supplied.
The paper furthermore notes that women are disproportionately present in the informal sector in developing and least-developed countries and in activities that cannot be done remotely. It also highlights how the existing gender gap in terms of income, education, information technology skills, access to finance, and childcare responsibilities put women at a further disadvantage during the pandemic.
Maintaining open markets during the recovery period is key to building faster and more inclusive growth, the information note reads, adding that this should be complemented by appropriate labour and education policies as well as legal and social reforms to support women workers, consumers and traders. The paper also points to the recently launched WTO-World Bank report ‘Women and Trade: The role of trade in promoting gender equality’, which highlights ways to ensure women continue to benefit from trade during the economic recovery after the pandemic.
“Women are at risk of suffering more than men from the trade disruption generated by the Covid-19 pandemic,” it reads, adding that one of the reasons for this is that a larger share of women works in sectors and types of firms that have been particularly hard-hit by the pandemic. “Women make up a larger share of the workforce in the manufacturing sectors, such as textiles, apparel, footwear and telecommunication products that experienced some of the largest falls in export growth during the first months of the pandemic.” For example, female employees represent 80 per cent of the workforce in ready-made garment production in Bangladesh, in which industry orders declined by 45.8 per cent over the first quarter of 2020, and by 81 per cent in April alone, it adds.
A larger share of women than men works in services, such as tourism and business travel services, that have been directly affected by regional and international travel restrictions. Likewise, a large share of firms owned or managed by women are micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), and lower levels of financial resources and limited access to public funds are placing the survival of such businesses at greater risk. “The economic impact of the pandemic is expected to be particularly significant for women in least-developed and developing economies because fewer women than men are employed in these economies in occupations, which can be undertaken remotely, and a larger share of women is employed in sectors highly exposed to international travel restrictions.”
The joint World Bank (WB) and World Trade Organisation (WTO) report on trade and gender, ‘Women and Trade: the role of trade in promoting gender equality’, published in July 2020, highlights ways in which trade can continue to benefit women in the post-Covid-19 recovery period. “The effects of the pandemic are aggravating existing vulnerabilities,” it reads, adding that many channels through which Covid-19 is having a greater impact on women are those at the heart of gender inequalities, such as lower wages for women, fewer educational opportunities, limited access to finance, greater reliance on informal employment and social constraints. “Limited access to digital technologies and lower rates of information technology (IT) skills further reduce women's opportunities for teleworking and e-commerce, and thus for adapting to the current crisis.”
Many governments have adopted a broad range of support measures to help individuals and businesses. Some of these measures, mainly social protection initiatives adopted by some central or local governments, are specifically targeted at women. “Maintaining open trade during the economic recovery period is key to building faster and more inclusive growth,” according to the report.

CIAA officials’ six-day training begins in India

The first batch of 21 officers of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) today started their six-day training on ‘Prevention of Fraud, Bribery and Corruption’ at the Gujarat Forensic Sciences University of Gandhinagar in India.
The latest training for Nepali officers reaffirms India’s continuing commitment for capacity building of Nepali officers, according to a press note issued by the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu. “The second batch of 21 CIAA officers of Nepal is scheduled to participate in the training from January 11 to January 16.”
This is a tailor-made course specially designed at the request of Nepal for a total of 42 CIAA officers. The course will strengthen institutional capacity of CIAA to curb corrupt practices and enhance good governance in Nepal. “The course mainly focuses on identifying factors responsible for corruption, its impact on the economy and methodology for its detection and prevention,” it reads, adding that the course will enhance the skills of CIAA officers for ITbased investigations, sharpen their analytical capabilities and help them learn new methodologies, which will empower them to detect, prevent and prosecute corrupt and fraudulent individuals.
The officers are being trained at Gujarat Forensic Sciences University of Gandhinagar in Gujarat, which trains forensic experts in the area of forensic science, crime investigation, security, behavioural science and criminology. “The course is fully supported by the Government of India under the Ministry of External Affairs’ Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation Programme,” the press note adds.

Khalti signs agreement with LBEF

Khalti Digital Wallet and Lord Buddha Education Foundation (LBEF) signed a strategic partnership agreement to provide internship and job placement opportunities to E-Business and IT students., Khalti managing director Manish Modi and chairman of LBEF Pankaj Jalan signed the agreement amidst a special ceremony in Kathmandu.
According to the agreement, final year students and fresh graduates of LBEF can apply for an internship at Khalti. After a brief internship period, they will be recruited to work full-time at the company. Furthermore, Khalti will also provide a flexible work schedule so that the students do not have to miss their class and also will provide leaves during exams or any other important projects, in consultation with the college.
Likewise, LBEF will provide special scholarships to the employees of Khalti who wish to join Master’s programme at the college. This collaboration between Khalti and LBEF is expected to set an example of industry-academia partnership in Nepal.
Speaking about the agreement, managing director of Khalti Manish Modi shared that the company considers the collaboration as a win-win situation for both Khalti and LBEF students. “One of the main agendas of both institutions is to develop the IT industry of Nepal,” he said, adding that the collaboration will bring synergy to both institutions. “We are hopeful that we will be enriching the student experience effectively and appropriately and at the same time, increasing the quality of workforce in the company.”
Likewise, chairman of LBEF, on the occasion, Pankaj Jalan shared that the company is excited to sign the strategic partnership with Khalti. “Khalti as a brand is aligned with our mission, culture and values of promoting the IT industry of Nepal,” he said, adding that the company is optimistic that a reputed company like Khalti will provide an opportunity for students to grow and progress their career. “With this collaboration, we are hopeful in capitalising on the contrasting strengths of the other, resulting in the development of the IT industry of Nepal.”
While youth unemployment is a growing problem in Nepal, recruiting a competent team member is a serious concern for companies across the business spectrum. This collaboration is expected to solve the problem of the industry and students to some extent.
Started in January 2017, Khalti is an emerging mobile payment solution in Nepal. So far, Khalti’s service has reached 70 districts of Nepal and it’s working to enable people in the remotest corners of the nation to use digital payment service. Khalti is a licensed Payment Service Provider from Nepal Rastra Bank. Currently, Khalti has a workforce of 100 employees altogether with different skill sets.
Lord Buddha Education Foundation (LBEF) is the first IT college in Nepal to launch IT courses and has a well-established tradition of excellence across a broad range of academic disciplines. Similarly, it is a non-profit, non-government organisation and is situated in the heart of Kathmandu Valley at Maitidevi. From the very beginning of its establishment in 1998, the college has made steady progress and today stands as one of the most leading colleges in Nepal.

Business opportunities between Nepal and Romania discussed

Nepali and Romanian business people today discussed in searching the business possibilities and also to develop bilateral relationship between business persons from the two countries.
A total 11 business persons including the president of Chamber of Commerce IASI Romania, which is the second largest city of Romania, and different business organisation’s representatives with youth, entrepreneurs and business persons from Nepal also took part in the ‘Bilateral Business Opportunities between Nepal and Romania’ organised here today.
The programme – chaired and moderated by chairman of organising company Technovation Future Care Pvt Ltd Prakash Ghimire – also witnessed consulate general of Romania Narayan Bajaj, vice president of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) Naresh Shrestha, senior manager of Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) Sunil Sharma, entrepreneur and JCI Nepal past president Senetor Raju KC, entrepreneur and coordinator of Romanian delegate Marius Alexa, president of Chamber of Commerce IASI Paul Butnariu.
On the occasion, 5 entrepreneurs and business persons from Romania presented their business presentations.
Likewise, consulate general of Romania Narayan Bajaj, on the occasion, said that he had just started his role as honorary general consulate since the month of May. He has also committed to enhance the relationship between two countries. “We will also prioritise in promoting Visit Nepal 2020 (VNY2020) and request to promote visit Nepal 2020 in Romania,” he said, emphasising that Nepal has good time for economic growth and to become a developing countries because now Nepal has political stability with the two-third majority government.
Nepal Chambers of Commerce (NCC) vice president Naresh Shrestha, on the occasion, said that Nepal is not a poor country. “Nepalis have high purchasing capacity,” he said, inviting the Romanian entrepreneurs to invest in Nepal.
On the occasion, the past National president of Nepal Jaycees Raju KC presented his presentation on ‘Foreign Investment in Nepal’. “Investment in Nepal can be highly profitable and two largest populated countries India and China also will be the possible sales market from Nepal,” he added.
Presenting economic profile of IASI city, the president of IASI chamber of commerce, Paul Butnariu said that they have so many business opportunities as well as investment plan in Nepal. “We want to take skilled and non skilled manpower in the field of hospitality management, construction, information technology, food production and services and students for higher education in so many universities and colleges,” he said, adding that they are ready to promote Nepali tourism in Romania and invite Nepali delegates to visit Romania very soon.
During the programme, Romanian entrepreneurs and business persons presented their products and services from HR consultancy, management and education consultancy, food industry and services, IT, modern printing solution, travel/tourism management, healthcare and beauty products.
The Romanian delegates are now in Nepal from September 22 to October 1. Apart from Kathmandu, they will also visit Bhaktapur, Gorkha, Pokhara, Lumbini and Chiwan.
The Technovation Future Care Pvt Ltd of Nepal and SC Arhipelago Interactive SLR of Romania have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to promote bilateral visits and to develop business relationship.
In the near future, Nepali delegates will also be visiting Romania.

Security audit of BFIs mandatory

The central bank has asked the banks and financial institutions to implement precautionary measures to minimise the possible threat on their cyber security infrastructure.
The central bank has made it mandatory for the banks and financial institutions (BFIs) to conduct an audit of their information and technology (IT) system regularly after the recent ATM hacking exposed significant security vulnerabilities in the banking system. Almost two weeks ago, the Chinese hackers withdrew millions through ATMs of different banks through malware attack.
Issuing a three-point directive to bank and financial institutions (BFIs) to address and manage internal and external risks in use of information technology (IT) today, the central bank has also instructed BFIs to carry out regular monitoring and reporting of their systems and share information of any incident or attack to the respective agencies.
Stating that there have been attempts to infiltrate the systems of banks and financial institutions from unauthorised people or places by placing fake order or correspondences, the central bank directed BFIs to regularly audit their IT system and promptly address the IT and security flaws that are detected. It has also directed BFIs to adopt best international practices in the IT and security system at their respective firms. The central bank has also directed the BFIs to prepare preventive, detective and responsive IT security strategies and implement them as soon as possible.
The central bank has also asked to take necessary measures to minimise external risks such as spam, phishing and spoofing, among others that could result in the loss and theft of data. “The BFIs must standardise technologies related to perimeter defence, access control, encryption, anti-virus and firewall to cope up with possible risks regarding cyber attack, malware virus and ransomware at BFI’s website, mobile applications, authenticated social networks and the entire information and technology system,” the directive reads, adding that the BFIs should also raise awareness among office bearers on IT and security issues.
Malware – a type of software – is used to infiltrate and damage the entire network system. Likewise, ransomware variants encrypt the files on the affected computer making the files inaccessible to the concerned authority. The hackers mainly use the software to block access to a computer system or computer files until a sum of money is paid.
The central bank's directives to take precautionary moves comes in the wake of recent ATM heist in Kathmandu, where a group of hackers has stolen over Rs 18.9 million by hacking the payment switch of Nepal Electronic Payment System (NEPS) through use of cloned debit and credit cards of 17 member banks of the NEPS that use Visa system, according to preliminary findings of the central bank. “Likewise, Rs 1.05 million Indian Currency (IC) was stolen in India from six commercial banks of Nepal on the same day, according to the findings.
Earlier today, the central bank also summoned chief executive officers of banks and financial institutions to discuss about security measures to check cyber attack or threats to their IT system. During the meeting, central bank Governor Dr Chiranjibi Nepal instructed the chief executives to keep vigil over their systems, particularly during the festive season as the banks and financial institutions will have longer holidays in those days.
The central bank has also lowered the maximum limit for cash withdrawal using debit card from last Thursday as part of security measures, though the hackers will anyway use malware to withdraw any amount as they did last Saturday.

Central bank mulls stricter security policy

The central bank is mulling to introduce stricter cybersecurity policy as the Saturday’s hacking on various ATMs in Kathmandu have exposed significant security vulnerabilities in the Nepali banking system.
The central bank is amending its cyber security directive making banks and financial institutions (BFIs) adopt sophisticated technology to prevent the sporadic cyber and malware attacks in the banking system. Some Chinese nationals stole millions from ATMs of different banks few days ago also due to poor IT security among BFIs to cope with cyber and malware attacks, which is not the first time in Nepal.
The central bank will introduce a few provisions for BFIs related to cyber security as soon as the investigation on Saturday’s banking heist concludes, the central bank said, adding that the BFIs should be aware of such cyber attacks and adopt sophisticated technologies.
The central bank has also formed a probe committee led by head of Department of Payment System at the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) Bam Bahadur Mishra to investigate the ATM Freud. “The committee will prepare its preliminary report by midnight today and submit it to the central bank by tomorrow,” he said, adding that the Chinese hackers have withdrawn substantial amount of money from those ATM boths. The central bank has, however, earlier said that the the BFIs have notified the regulator that the hackers have withdrawn Rs 16.87 million in Nepali currency from ATM cards of different banks and Rs 10.5 million Indian Currency (IC) from ATM booths in India through the use of Nepali ATM cards.
The Nepali ATM cards are used in India also.
The Police claimed that it has recovered around Rs 12.63 million from the five Chinese nationals and suspected rest of the cash looted from Nepal have been carried away by absconders.
“But the details of the heist and the amount withdrawn by hackers will be available only after the digital forensic test, which will take more than a week,” Mishra added.
The hackers, according to Police, used electronic cards of at least six banks – NIC Asia, Siddhartha, Janata, Global IME, Prabhu and Sunrise – and used them at ATMs of three banks – Nabil, Nepal Investment and Nepal SBI – to illegally withdraw the money frpm ATM booths as the BFIs failed to conduct periodic security audits, comply with the latest technology and invest adequately in digital security.
Police has arrested a Chinese citizen Zhu Lianang on Saturday night from a Nabil Bank ATM booth in Durbar Marg, while attempting to withdraw cash. Zhu named four other Chinese nationals, who were involved in stealing cash from ATMs by using cloned debit cards to breach processing systems.
Although the central bank has made it mandatory for banks to conduct information security audits, many banks have not been allocating an adequate budget for a proper audit.
Despite banks making record profits year after year, the BFIs are blamed for not investment in digital security. In the last fiscal year, commercial banks made a net profit of over Rs 60 billion, with almost all of them posting net profits of more than Rs 1 billion each, according to the central bank.
Although most banks have transitioned to debit and credit cards with microchips, there are still a few banks that still use magnetic strips in their cards, which poses a vulnerability. Banks fail to follow security protocols for Swift and governance risk compliance systems for the Nepal Electronic Payment Systems (NEPS) – a local interface that allows transactions of money deposited in one bank using cards issued by other member banks – which should also have management oversight and an independent audit system.
Nepali BFIs currently use different types of software including Finacle, Temenos T24 and different editions of Pumori Plus.

Nepal Telecom Authority to set up IT centres in 124 remote villages

The Nepal Telecommunications Authority is setting up IT service centres at 124 remote villages to provide integrated government services, in line with the government’s ambitious Digital Nepal Framework-2018 that envisions a ‘digital society’ with 90 per cent of the population having access to broadband services by 2020.
The Information Service Centre Formation and Management Work plan – prepared by the authority –plans to install four computers, printing machines and networking equipment and expand broadband facilities from those centres to wards, health centres and community schools.
The information centre project has been launched to combat digital exclusion in 124 rural municipalities, which has no access to telecommunications facilities as of date.
According to acting chairman of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority Purushottam Khanal, the regulator is starting a tender process for procurement of equipment within a month. The authority has estimated that it will take around Rs 90.52 million to procure equipment to establish those centres. “The authority plans to mobilise funds collected by levying telecom operators service charges amounting to 2 per cent of their gross income to execute the project,” he added. “Almost half of the shortlisted local levels are located in the western provinces of Karnali (26) and Sudurpashchim (28), in line with the by-laws which state that the authority must give special priority to rural communities without access to internet and with measurable presence of marginalised and economically backward denizens.

Nepal Infrastructure Bank gets operating licence

Nepal Infrastructure Bank has today received operating license as a National Level Infrastructure Development Bank from the central bank.
Nepal Infrastructure Bank has received operating license to conduct financial transaction as per the Banking and Financial Institution Act, 2073 clause 107, the bank said in a press note. "The bank is established in joint effort and investment by government along with various commercial banks, insurance companies, microfinance, private companies and group of business entrepreneurs of Nepal," it reads, adding that the bank – registered in the Office of Company Registrar on June 8, 2018 – has received operating licence from the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Dr Chiranjibi Nepal, as a national level Infrastructure Development Bank today.
The bank with authorised capital of Rs 40 billion, issued capital of Rs 20 billion and paid up capital Rs 12 billion has 10 per cent government share and 90 per cent share from private sector.
The prime objective of the bank is to play vital role in the infrastructure development of the nation more specifically in the area of construction and development of transportation, agriculture, energy, tourism, SEZ, advanced urbanisation infrastructure, information technology (IT) along with other areas of infrastructure, the press note reads, adding that the bank shall strive to bringing everyone together – public as well as private – in order to achieve its core objectives including infrastructure financing; sourcing of long term funds from international and domestic capital market; and investing on shares of the companies operating in Infrastructure development and other services offered by the bank.

Central bank working on to retrieve money

The central bank said that it is making utmost efforts to retrieve money amounting to over Rs 400 million transferred to various banks abroad by hackers using SWIFT from NIC Asia Bank.
Some unidentified hackers broke into the Society for Worldwide Interbank Telecommunication (SWIFT) – an international payment network – at the NIC Asia Bank in Kathmandu, and had siphoned off the amount during the Tihar festival. A total of 11,000 banking and financial institutions across 200 countries are said to be using SWIFT system. The hackers have transferred the amount to eight banks in six countries, according to the investigation.
According to the deputy spokesperson at the central bank Rajendra Pandit, the central bank has asked the domestic banks to make efforts to retrieve the amount transferred abroad. It has also sought help of banks in those six countries from where hackers have requested the transfer.
Meanwhile, NIC Asia Bank has been stepping up its effort towards this end.
Pandit also reminded that the central bank had instructed all the banks and financial institutions to pay special attention to the usage of IT in banking not only to make banking easier, convenient but also to curb the cyber attack and illegal transferring in the banking.
The central bank had also summoned the chief of the IT department of all the banks in the capital to discuss how to secure the internal system of banking.
The central bank governor has also directed the banks and financial institutions to set up IT desk in their institutions.

IT sector’s contribution to state coffer growing

Contribution of the Information Technology (IT) industry to the state coffer has jumped by eight times over the past six years, according to the Inland Revenue Department (IRD).
According to the department, IT industry contributed Rs 15.1 billion to the state coffer in the fiscal year 2013-14, compared to Rs 2.3 billion six years ago in fiscal year 2009-10.
The IT industry contributed Rs 14.4 billion – including both VAT and non-VAT – in the first 10 months of Fiscal Year 2014-15. Contribution from IT sector is estimated to exceed Rs 16 billion in the fiscal year 2014-15,  a growth of eight times in just six years.
Despite low registration of IT-based companies, according to the department, the contribution of the IT industry is very encouraging.
However, president of Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) Federation Binod Dhakal said that the government should encourage IT industries not only to increase revenue but also to create more jobs. "We can control exodus of IT professionals, if the government promotes IT sector, as there is enough space for youth in this sector," he added.
Similarly, president of F1Soft Biswas Dhakal said that the government should help IT industry grow so that it can contribute more to the state coffer. "Despite government's apathy, the IT industry is contributing large amount of money to the state coffer," he said, urging the government to allocate a special area for IT industries with uninterrupted power supply. "It will help make IT sector one of the largest sources of income generation, apart from employment generation," he said, adding that it will also help retain IT professionals in the country.
IT-related businesses have started being formal lately with due registration that has also expanded tax base though the volume of transactions is still very small. Four universities, more than 62 colleges, over 318 software and hardware companies, ISPs, cyber net, web-design, hosting and registration, IT enabled services, and networking services providers have joined the tax net, data shows.
But there are no customs records documenting the import and export of software statistics. As import and export of software is carried out electronically, these activities may be missed from the national accounts.
The World Bank Study on IT and IT-Enabled Services Industry in Nepal conducted in 2010 showed Nepal's software export was worth $10-15 million in 2007. The study also estimated that Nepal's export revenue should be about $1.1 billion, with the industry employing up to 40,000 professionals. The estimate is almost 100 times the formal revenue.
According to IRD, more than 83,400 IT-based companies are in the tax net but only around 4,000 have been paying regular taxes.

Nepal, India agree on smoothening cross-border vehicular movement

India is devising a web-based solution to facilitate two-way traffic between Nepal and India.
The first meeting of the Nepal-India Cross Border Transport Facilitation Joint Working Group (JWG) under the Motor Vehicle Agreement for regulation of passenger vehicular traffic between the two countries – held in New Delhi on July 16-17 – recommended the web-based solution to facilitate movement of vehicles across the Nepal- India border.
National Informatics Centre (NIC) – the IT-solution provider of Indian government – will design a web-based solution for the issue of online permits under the bilateral Nepal-India Motor Vehicle Agreement," a press note released after the meeting reads.
The web-based solution will help issue, monitor and verify permits for non-scheduled and personal passenger vehicles, it says, adding that the new online vehicle permit system – after being developed by NIC – would be demonstrated to Nepal for consideration, suggestions and concurrence.
The new system would facilitate procurement of vehicle permits for people based in far-flung and remote areas, it adds.
After concurrence by both sides, the web-based portal for issue of vehicle permits would be tested on a pilot basis at Birgunj-Raxaul and Bhairahawa-Sunauli border points. The existing manual and traditional system for the issuing of vehicle permits being used by both countries would continue simultaneously.
The joint-secretary-level meeting – that saw an eight-member delegation from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management and their counterpart Indian delegation led by India's Ministry of Road Transport and Highways – also agreed for rationalising permit fees, customs duty and bank guarantees for different categories of vehicles.
Likewise, the Indian side told Nepal that free Wi-Fi service and a tracking system have been installed on the Delhi-Kathmandu route.
The JWG also recommended starting regular bus services between India and Nepal in four new routes including Kathmandu-Patna-Bodhgaya, Mahendranagar-New Delhi, Siliguri-Kakarbhitta-Kathmandu and Janakpur-Patna.
Currently, regular bus services between Kathmandu and New Delhi and between Kathmandu and Varanasi are in operation.
The new routes will improve connectivity and seamless movement between Nepal and the border states of India, including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Uttarakhand, the note says.

Global smartphone growth to slow to 11.3 per cent: IDC

Worldwide smartphone growth is expected to slow further to 11.3 per cent in 2015, down from 27.6 per cent a year ago, according to the latest data from the International Data Corporation (IDC).
Although the researcher is sticking to its forecast of 1.9 billion annual shipments by 2019, the previous forecast of 11.8 per cent growth this year has been revised down slightly due in part to saturation in the Chinese smartphone market, it said. "In fact, 2015 will be the first year that China’s smartphone growth – just by 2.5 per cent – will be slower than the worldwide market."
Android smartphone growth is also expected to be slower than the worldwide market at 8.5 per cent in 2015 due to the fact that China accounts for around 36 per cent of total Android smartphone shipments.
The report also points out that Apple faced a similar situation in 2012-2014, when its year-on-year growth rates were slightly below the worldwide market. But its recent shift in product line to bigger screen models with a broader country reach has had an immediate impact on volumes and IDC now expects iOS smartphones to grow by 23 per cent in 2015 and remain above worldwide market growth rates throughout the forecast, it added.

China to allow foreign ownership in telecom sector

China will open up certain telecom activities to foreign capital in the Shanghai Free Trade Zone, according to news reports.
Services with no cap for foreign ownership will include app stores, store and forward, domestic multi-party communication, call centres and home internet access, head of the telecom development department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China Wen Ku was quoted saying.

Online data and analysis services will be capped at 55 per cent foreign ownership, Wen said. The changes are part of China's commitments to the WTO to open up the ICT sector. Enterprises that apply for the services should register and base their infrastructure in the Shanghai FTZ, and all services may be available to the whole country, except home internet access services, which will be confined within the FTZ.

e-tag device to help protect trekkers

Mahabir Pun, the Magsaysay award winner ITcian, has developed e-tag or tourists tracking device that will help send an encouraging message to the trekking lover around the globe.

As some trekkers have been in the past lost during solo trekking, the new device developed by Pun with Bangkok-based company now will help protect tourists, if they get lost, or meet accident or get attacked.

The e-tag technology – that will help track tourists – is like a pen drive like device that will not keep track with the help of internet of tourists but help relay information to the stations along the trekking routes. "In case of emergency, the tourist just need to press a button and the signal will be reached to the station, from where a rescue team will be mobilised," Pun informed during the launching of the tourist tracking device in Pokhara.

With the new technology, the trekkers – especially the solo trekkers – will feel it safe and can wander according to their will.

The technology has been installed in Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP), the country's largest protected area and a popular trekking destination for foreign tourists.

Besides sending signals in danger, the device will also update location of tourists to a computer network – at the Annapurna Conservation Area Project office – that can be viewed by their friends and relatives across the globe.

Tourists can collect the device from the conservation area office before they set out for trekking by depositing a small sum. They can reclaim the deposit after returning the device when they return from treks.

The technology is however, under test for six months in the conservation area, Pun said, adding that the device will be distributed to other areas depending on its effectiveness. 

Some of the newspapers with vested interest have been tarnishing Nepal's image claiming that the trekkers are not safe in Nepal, but the new device will fail their propaganda.

IDC increases forecast for tablet market

A surge in the availability of smaller, lower-priced devices in the tablet market has led International Data Corporation (IDC) — a market research, analysis and advisory firm specialising in information technology, telecommunications and consumer electronics — to increase its 2013 forecast for the worldwide tablet market to 190.9 million, up from its previous forecast of 172.4 million units.

Increases in tablet shipments have been made throughout the forecast period with an average increase of 11 per cent between 2013 and 2016, it said, adding that the latest forecast update of the Worldwide Quarterly Tablet Tracker estimates tablet shipments to be upwards of 350 million by the end of 2017.

Android-based tablets expanded their market share notably in 2012, and IDC expects that trend to continue in 2013. Android's market share is forecast to reach a peak of 48.8 per cent in 2013, as compared to 41.5 per cent in IDC's previous forecast. Android's gains come at the expense of Apple's iOS, which is expected to slip from 51 per cent of market share in 2012 to 46 per cent in 2013.

In the longer term, both iOS and Android will eventually relinquish some market share to Windows-based tablets, with Windows 8 predicted to grow from one per cent of the market in 2012 to 7.4 per cent in 2013.

IDC expects Windows RT growth to remain below three per cent during the forecast period.

While IDC continues to revise its tablet forecast upward, the firm has done the opposite with the eReader forecast. The growth of low-cost tablets is damaging the prospects of the single-use eReader, and IDC reduced its forecast for the category by an average of 14 per cent between 2013 and 2016.

It believes eReader shipments peaked in 2011 at 26.4 million units. After declining to 18.2 million units in 2012, the category is expected to grow only modestly in 2013 and 2014, before it begins a gradual and permanent decline beginning in 2015.