Poor law, order shuns foreign investiments: PM declining due to poor law and order situation: PM

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 10 - In the light of deteriorating law and order situation in the country, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala has stressed upon the need to build a national consensus for pursuing matters of national interests.

"There is a need to seek solution to the national problems currently plaguing the country, for which all parties must come to terms under one roof," said Premier Koirala.

Premier Koirala was speaking at a program organized by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) to mark the Industry-Commerce Day in the capital here today.

Koirala expressed serious concerns over increasing violence that has posed a major threat to life and property. "Increase in violence has not only affected the social lives, but has also threatened industry and commerce of the country, which are the vital propellers of the national economic development."

Without ensuring safety and security, foreign investments are bound to decline and operation of industries affected, he said. He pledged to render full support and cooperation for improving the environment for carrying out business activities.

On the same occasion, Koirala also expressed his dejection over the failure of the recent Winter Session of the Parliament, which critics had termed as fruitless. He said, "Parliamentary proceeding is the key to seeking solutions to problems. The recent series of boycotting the proceedings was a loss."

Similarly, Krishna Prasad Sitaula, Minister of State for Industry, Commerce and Supplies, also emphasized upon the need for improving the law and order situation. He said that use of force by the government for containing the violence is but an ultimate resort. However, he added that the present situation is demanding with the government to use the available resources for curbing the existing disorder.

Sitaula also urged the business community to offer their suggestions to the government as to how the present security crisis can be resolved.

In addition, with a view to ensure Nepal’s survival in the global market, which has come as the latest topic in the context of Nepal’s upcoming accession into the global rules based trading system, he said that there is a need to diversify and improve the competitiveness of exportable items. "The positive points of the World Trade Organization (WTO) membership should be tapped to the fullest extent, while minimizing the negative ones," he added.

Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, President of the FNCCI, reiterated his concern over the increase in violence that has greatly eroded the investment confidence of the business community in recent times. He said, "Nepal’s economy is passing through tough times. Not only inflow of new capital and foreign investment fallen lately, capital already existing in the domestic market has begun flowing out."

He blamed frequent bandhs and laxity in the implementation of new policies and plans as some of the other major reasons that has hindering high growth rates of the economy.

Presenting a presentation on Globalization: South Asia Perspective on the same occasion, Dr J J Irani, Managing Director of Tata Steel, India, said that India and Nepal should do away with inflexible policies and adopt a more liberal ones.

The need of the hour is to benefit from globalization by tapping the opportunities put forward by easy flow of goods, capital and labour, he said.

"Political, social and economic stability is the prerequisite condition to ensure industries operate in a more predictable environment, which ultimately helps in the promotion of industries," he concluded.

Unlimited to launch new software

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 10 - A division of Lurie Berikof Lapidus Company, USA (LBL Technology Partners) is launching a new software called the LLB Contingency Planner in collaboariton with the Unlimited Software Network Pvt. Ltd. It was informed Tuesday at a presentation program by Barry J. Altman, Senior Consultant-engineer working with BETA-TECH company, USA.

The LBL Contingency Planner, a risk management computing software tool will provide services to businesses in minimising contingencies ranging from natural calamities like fire and flood to services that control risks affecting large businesses, said Altman, who works with the Technology Transfer division based in America.

The system containing hundreds of electronic tools, guides, templates, and samples is expected to help organizations recover from actual disaster events and minimise risks.

Citing the lessons from the past about how the catastrophic data losses led to massive shut down of businesses in America, Altman said, "Modern financial industries which are extremely dependent on computer badly needs contingency planner."

Explaining on the problems faced by the least developed countries like Nepal, he said that risks in Nepal are catastrophic in the absence of disaster preparedness. "The new software is available right now but we need technical expertise from America to start with," said Allen Bailochan Tuladhar, Chief Executive Officer of Unlimited Software Network. "There’s growth in IT in Nepal and we are going in line with National IT Policy, which is enacted with the objective of placing Nepal in the Global IT map," he added.

The denial of Visas to the Nepalese visiting the software projects in America has been a major hurdle, said Altman. "This is an issue Nepali Government must look into if Nepal wants succes in the IT," he said.

The LLB contingency Planner a software as well as consultancy , is expected to go operational by next month, experts said.

NATO, NATAS sign MoU

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 10 - With an aim to promote tourism in Nepal and Singapore and to share IT information on tourism for mutual benefits, Nepal Association of Tour Operators (NATO) and National Associations of Travel Agents Singapore (NATAS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) amid a function.

According to a NATO press release issued here today, the MoU was jointly signed by Basant Raj Mishra, Honorable NATO Secretary and Lee Lait Cheng, President of NATAS on behalf of their respective associations.

As per the MOU, NATO and NATAS will work as facilitators and liaison for activities related to tourism promotion on both countries and they will also support and will cooperate each other for organizing training workshops, seminars and tourism promotional activities.

Speaking on the occasion, Mishra said that both countries have unique tourism products and expressed the hope that each country can benefit by sharing its expertise in the field of tourism promotion.

Cheng said that NATO and NATAS will exchange information and suggestions for the enhancement of travel trade industry in a reciprocal basis.

Speaking on the same occasion, Pradeep Raj Pandey, Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Tourism Board, expressed the confidence that both associations will benefit from the MoU.

Tourism enterpreneurs unhappy over China visit

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 10 - Bilateral relations between the two big tourism associations - Hotel Association Nepal (HAN) and Nepal Associations of Travel Agents (NATA) - turned sour after a Nepali delegation comprising the Tourism Minister and tourism experts went to China to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on tourism cooperation.

The eight-member delegation headed by Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Omkar Shrestha doesn’t include representatives from NATA and other major tourism organizations.

This is a conspiracy hatched by HAN to exclude other associations and to take credit of bringing Chinese tourists to Nepal, blames NATA President Bhola Bikram Thapa.

The delegation went for the visit following the invitation from Xue Yaping, chief of proposed Chinese National Tourism Office (CNTO), who had informed that the MoU would be signed on April 16. China had declared Nepal as its outbound destination some eight months ago.

The visiting team includes Minister Shrestha, his wife, his personal assistant, Upper House lawmaker Jeevan Prem Shrestha, Joint Secretary at Ministry Shankar Koirala, HAN President Narendra Bajracharya, president of Nepal Incentive and Convention Association (NICA) Subodh Rana and Subhash Niraula of Nepal Tourism Board.

Initially, there was an understanding that all the concerned associations will participate on the delegation, but suddenly HAN has conspired to avoid others, says Thapa.

"The HAN President had informed me about the visit just a day before; when the invitation from the Chinese side came two weeks ago," says annoyed Thapa.

All these developments show that HAN wants to "reward" the minister for including hotel industry into the Essential Service Operation Act (ESOA) and wants to ignore other associations, says he.

We along with some major tourism association will no longer support HAN, he says, adding, "HAN has attempted to break the unity among tourism associations."

However, HAN President Bajracharya has refuted to the allegations made by Thapa.

"Our main aim is to bring in Chinese tourists to Nepal but not to involve any internal dispute," said Bajracharya before leaving to China on Tuesday.

During the the week-long visit , both sides will sign the MoU on tourism cooperation, a general agreement to open to door for further development on bringing Chinese tourists to Nepal and to let China to operate its overseas tourism promotion office in Kathmandu.

Chairman of National Tourism Administration of People’s Republic of China He Guangwel will sign on behalf of China and Minister Shrestha will sign on behalf of Nepal.