NATO seeks road repairs

Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) has drawn the serious attention of the government towards taking immediate steps to repair the roads, on super priority basis to tourist destinations like Nagarkot, Boudha, Jorpati, Sankhu, Dakshinkali and Kakani as soon as the weather permits.
These roads have been in a sorry state for a long time and tourists are facing severe problems reaching these destinations, it said, adding that their worst condition is creating added financial burden on tour operators in added manpower charges, vehicle wear and tear and fuel consumption.
According to a press note issued by the NATO, tourists have been facing problems and the tour operators have been incurring financial burden due to potholes, dust and mud on the road, depending on the season.
As the country is making preparations for the grand tourism campaign – Visit Nepal 2020 –  the shoddy, and in some cases non-existent infrastructure facilities are sure to add anguish to those who visit Nepal expecting experiences of a lifetime but, instead have to contend with mud, dust and bone jarring potholes, the release reads, adding that NATO will like to remind the government to make necessary arrangements for the smooth movement of tourist vehicles to and from all the major tourist destinations in the country for Visit Nepal 2020 and better experience of tourists.

UNDP launches Accelerator Lab in Nepal

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today launched the Accelerator Lab to help Nepal identify, test and scale innovative solutions to emerging development challenges facing the country and the world.
The Nepal lab will be part of a network of 60 Accelerator Labs across the world, making it world’s largest and fastest learning network around development challenges. As a knowledge hub for experimentation and scaling of innovative ideas, the lab will help countries accelerate the progress towards the Agenda 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
UNDP – currently engaged in some 170 countries and territories across the world – is mandated to support member states in their efforts to advance the Agenda 2030 and the SDGs by providing integrated solutions to the development challenges they are confronting. The Accelerator Lab – funded by the State of Qatar and the Federal Republic of Germany – will work together with national and global partners to find radically new approaches that fit the complexity of current development challenges.
“Since long we have been speaking about skills, technical assistance, capital and investment … it was all about knowledge and about connecting countries," said UNDP Resident Representative Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe connecting the launch of the Lab with the ongoing reform process of UNDP. “For over fifty years and more, UNDP has been changing and this year we changed the way we function,” she said, adding, "With the reform process, we are trying our best to be relevant to the problems and risks that the world is facing today.”
The Lab, she said, is one of the efforts to introduce new way of thinking in that line.
“The Lab has three services to offer: mapping exiting solutions and innovators in Nepal, experimenting with new approaches to tackle complex development issues and tapping into new sources of data and collective intelligence to accelerate progress,” said head of UNDP's Regional Innovation Center for Asia and the Pacific, based in Bangkok, Guilio Quaggiotto. Housed within UNDP, the lab will be fully equipped with needed resources and expertise to convene a wide spectrum of people locally and also to connect with the 60 other labs across the globe to foolproof solutions, draw ideas and share lessons.
Vice Chair of the National Planning Commission (NPC) Prof Pushpa Raj Kandel, managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kul Man Ghishing, UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand, UNICEF Resident Representative Elke Wisch, ambassadors and representatives of Germany and Bangladesh, innovation champion Mahabir Pun, acclaimed trail runner Mira Rai and several other dignitaries also addressed the launching event.
Addressing the event, UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand underscored on the need for accelerating our pace of development to meet the 2030 SDG targets and said the Lab could come handy in that process. Likewise, Innovation champion Mahabir Pun, on the occasion, highlighted on the need for creating an ecosystem of innovation to allow the start-ups and innovators to grow with their ideas. Sportsperson Mira Rai inspired the audience by sharing her stories of struggle and how innovation is possible where there is crisis, whereas managing director of NEA Kul Man Ghising, on the occasion, shared how he was able to solve one of the biggest problems of Nepal in the recent past – the crippling power cut – through a radical reform of the organization.
Head of German Development Cooperation at German Embassy Claudia Hiepe shared some of the innovation projects, including on IT and block-chain, supported by the German Government across different countries and expressed pleasure to support and partner with UNDP on the Lab. Likewise, ambassador of Bangladesh Mashfee Binte Shams share Bangladesh’s experience on leveraging innovation for poverty reduction, agricultural growth and overall improvement of the economy, thereby graduating from the LDC status to a medium-income country.
The launching event also featured sports events and an innovation fair, where a dozen of Nepal’s promising innovators showcased their innovation projects, including on recycling of waste plastics, use of automation and robots for social good and innovative agri technologies for farmers.

PM Employment Programme benefits some 175,909 unemployed

Though, the economists and opposition have been blaming the government for wasting the taxpayers hard-earned money on unproductive way, the government today claimed that it has provided employment to some 175,909 people through 6,864 projects across the country – based on the data received from 599 local units – run by various local units under the ambitious Prime Minister Employment Programme (PMEP) in the last fiscal year 2018-19.
According to the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security (MoLESS), the programme beneficiaries carried out some 2,262,269 days of work through 6,864 community works (projects) that amounted to Rs 2.37 billion in the last fiscal year. A total of 31,958 beneficiaries in Province 5 carried out tasks that amounted to 492,630 working days. Similarly, some 34,432 beneficiaries in Sudur Paschim Province carried out tasks of 433,306 days; some 27,448 people in Province 2 carried out tasks of 312,675 days; some 31,022 persons in Province 1 completed works of 311,093 days; some 25,871 in Karnali Province carried out works of 283,755 days; some 17,619 persons in Province 3 carried out works of 226,036 days; and some 17,559 people in Gandaki Province carried out work of 202,774 days.
According to the ministry, these projects provided employment for 13 days per person and received Rs 13,460 in an average. Organising a press meet at the ministry today, minister for Labour, Employment and Social Security, Gokarna Bista, said that the government has been able to create short-term employment opportunities through these programmes in the first year of the implementation of the programme. “We have been able to create employment for such a high number of people in the first year of the implementation of the programme after completing over 86 legal processes,” Bista said, claiming that the issue of employment was never a priority earlier. “But, we have been able to create employment opportunities in a massive scale.”
Though the short term employment means those who were employed have already been unemployed by now, the government has claimed that its vow to create half a million employment in the current fiscal year could also be met with the federal government allocating Rs 2.36 billion in conditional grants to the local units to run such programmes to create such short term unemployment. “Each local unit had received up to Rs 10 million to run such projects for employment programmes,” the minister claimed.
The ministry, however, claimed that the actual employment figures could be higher as they are still collecting data from all local units across the country.
The incumbent Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had launched the Prime Minister Employment Programme with a much fanfare on February 13 last year, but the programme became a controversial from the very beginning due to its non-transperent way of allocationg the budget. The government had allocated Rs 3.10 billion for the programme in the last fiscal year 2018-19. “The budget has been wasted in the haphazard manner, and the party cadres have been paid for no-output show-up programmes,” the economists blamed, adding that the government hass borrowed the budget from the development partner especially from the World Bank (WB) to diostribute to its party cadres but the Nepali citizens have to pay for the interest of the money spent by Nepal Communist Party (NCP) party cadres. Despite criticism of misuse of the development partner’s fund, the government has allocated Rs 5.1 billion for the PMEP for this fiscal year 2019-20.
However, minister Bista – in the press meet – defended the programme in the press meet claiming the programme to be successful. “These employment programmes include road construction and maintenance, irrigation canals, preservation of ponds and heritage sites, and construction of walking trails,” he claimed, adding that the government mobilised unemployed citizens, who are registered with the Employment Service Center (ESC) set up in each local unit under local development programmes. Bista also informed that the government has now appointed employment coordinators in most of the local bodies to make the programme move ahead in a full-fledged manner from the current fiscal year.
Over 1.71 million people have registered in these centers across the country so far, according to data compiled by the ministry, which is still in the process of verifying the eligibility of the applicants.
Under the programme – introduced also to implement the Act to Guarantee the Right to Employment 2075 – all citizens registered with the ESCs should get employment opportunity for at least 100 days in a year, if none of their family members are employed for a year. If the government fails to provide employment opportunities to those registered with the ESCs, it must pay them 50 per cent of the minimum wage as unemployed allowance, the Act reads. “Since the government had set a monthly minimum wage of Rs 13,450 for workers on July 9, last year, such families will receive Rs 22,417 annually.”
The Constitution of Nepal has also guaranteed the right to employment to the citizens. 

Nepal photo and paintings exhibition starts

The Embassy of Nepal in Beijing today organised 'Nepal Photo and Painting Exhibition 2019' on the occasion of the 64th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Nepal and the People's Republic of China.
Welcoming the guests, Nepali ambassador to China Leela Mani Paudyal shed light on the unique and exemplary relations of trust, friendship and co-operative partnership between Nepal and China, and highlighted the important achievements made during the past year in further enhancing bilateral relations, including the first state visit to China by the President of Nepal in April 2019.
He also expressed the confidence that Nepal and China will continue to work hand-in-hand to meet the development aspirations of their peoples, and to attain a just, inclusive and peaceful global order.
On the occasion, chairman of China International Culture Exchange Foundation Zuo Zhongyi extended congratulations on the occasion of the anniversary of diplomatic relations between Nepal and China, and expressed the hope that the relations between the two countries will continue to grow and flourish in the future.
Likewise, president of Federation of Handicraft Association of Nepal (FHAN) Surendra Bhai Shakya, Seal Carver and Sinologist Zhao Zengfu, Photographer Su Xue and secretary general of China International Culture Exchange Foundation Wang Xuejun also spoke on the occasion.
Dozens of photographs and paintings by Nepali and Chinese artists were displayed at the exhibition, together with traditional Nepali artworks and handicrafts. The event also featured performances by Nepali students and Chinese artistes.
Around 150 guests including representatives of the government of the People's Republic China, ambassadors and members of the diplomatic community, organisations and agencies related to art, culture and people-to-people exchanges, business enterprises, the media and friends of Nepal participated in the exhibition.
The exhibition – that will remain open for the public until August 7 – was organised with the support of China International Culture Exchange Foundation, Foreign Affairs Office of Sichuan Province, Luxehills Art Museum and Art Sino Cultural Development Committee. 

OYO appoints Weeky Yolmo to lead OYO Hotels in Nepal

OYO Hotels and Homes – South Asia’s largest, China’s second-largest and the world’s third-largest and fastest-growing chain of leased and franchised hotels, homes and living spaces – has today announced the appointment of Weeky Yolmo as the country head for its business in Nepal.
As the hospitality chain is expanding its presence across Nepal, Weeky’s focus would be on establishing stronger relationships with asset owners, driving deeper engagement among all OYO employees (OYOpreneurs) across Nepal, delivering a high-quality, trusted experience to travellers - a complete 360-degree approach towards making Nepal an important strategic market for OYO as well as helping the country realise the Visit Nepal 2020 vision, claims a press note issued by the company.
Yolmo is a strategic Business Management Specialist with over 11 years of experience. He is a graduate from IIT Delhi and has earned his MBA from IIM Calcutta. He has a proven track record across Foods, Dairy, FMCG, Retail and Agri Commodities and specialises in developing strategies for ensuring sustained business growth which will be a significant addition to OYO’s unique business model and offerings. Weeky’s past tenure includes experience across Devyani Food Industries Ltd (Creambell Dairy), VRS Foods Ltd (Paras Dairy), Olam International Ltd, Bata India Ltd (Retail Operation Management-Footwear) and Reliance Retail (Private Label Food-Staples category).
Coupled with his knowledge on go-to-market and growth hacking strategies, Weeky will help grow the company’s footprint in Nepal while at the same time creating hundreds of additional economic opportunities across the hotel industry, the press note added.
Speaking on the appointment, chief executive - India and South Asia, OYO Hotels and Homes, Aditya Ghosh said that Weeky Yolmo’s taking charge of strengthening OYO’s presence in Nepal is a key market for us in South Asia. “We have aggressive growth plans for the country as we transform its hospitality landscape by delivering superior quality accommodation for guests and higher yields for asset owners while investing in technology and talent.”
Joining the OYO team, country head of OYO Nepal, Weeky Yolmo said that OYO has now created history in both the Indian and global hospitality industry through its innovative business model.
Over 330+ franchised hotels with 5,500+ exclusive rooms are a part of OYO’s chain in Nepal. Backed by strong local talent and execution, the company has been consistently growing its footprint in the country while reiterating its strong commitment towards adding value to Nepal’s hospitality industry.
Yolmo’s past tenure includes experience across Devyani Food Industries Ltd (Creambell Dairy), VRS Foods Ltd (Paras Dairy), Olam International Ltd, Bata India Ltd (Retail Operation Management-Footwear) and Reliance Retail (Private Label Food-Staples category).

Government commits to strengthening custom, border administrations

The government has reiterated its commitment to strengthen and make customs and border administrations effective.
Addressing a seminar 'custom management' organised by Department of Customs (DoC), here today, Finance Minister Dr Yuba Raj Khatiwada said that the government is developing technology and infrastructure in every customs office, and also ring legal and structural changes to boost entrepreneurship and economy.
Urging the private sector to contribute to the building of national capital, he also said that public-private partnership is needed to expedite industrialisation. “The private sector should boost industries and entrepreneurship by investing in protected areas,” he said, asking the concerned authorities to do their best in controlling smuggling activities.
On the occasion, finance secretary Rajan Khanal said that the government has brought a policy to develop a transaction-based custom service, whereas director-general of the department Rameshwor Dangal informed that a total of 24 custom offices across the country had been developed as operating transaction banking.

ADB introduces contingent disaster financing for natural disasters

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has introduced a new financing mechanism – contingent disaster financing (CDF) – to support its developing member countries in strengthening disaster preparedness and provide quick-disbursing budget support following natural disasters.
“CDF will provide a quick and flexible source of funds for developing member countries affected by disasters until funds from other sources become available,” said the director general of ADB’s Strategy, Policy, and Partnerships Department Tomoyuki Kimura. “It will also help promote greater preparedness and risk management in developing member countries prone to disasters.”
Asia and the Pacific is the world’s most natural disaster-prone region. Between 2014 and 2017, countries in the region suffered 55 earthquakes, 217 storms and cyclones, and 236 cases of severe flooding, affecting 650 million people and causing about 33,000 deaths, according to the United Nations.
CDF – approved today by ADB’s Board of Directors – will cover disasters triggered by natural hazards like typhoons, floods, earthquakes, droughts, and tsunamis. A key feature of CDF is that it supports essential policy reforms to strengthen disaster preparedness that are to be completed before a natural disaster occurs. Once a CDF is approved for a country, it remains active until a disaster occurs. The country can then quickly access the approved financing to help relieve fiscal constraints for urgent relief and recovery efforts and avoid disruptive reallocations from priority budget programs.
“Where necessary, CDF disbursements can be accompanied by follow-up assistance through ADB’s other emergency or regular lending instruments to support recovery and reconstruction,” said Kimura.
The new financing supports Strategy 2030’s operational priority of tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability.
ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. In 2018, it made commitments of new loans and grants amounting to $21.6 billion. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members, 49 from the region.