NTC introduces Int'l roaming facility
Main objective to facilitate SAARC delegates

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 – Nepal Telecommunications Corporation (NTC), the state-run monopoly in telecom services, is going to introduce "international roaming" service from tomorrow, with a view to facilitate communication for the delegates of the 11th SAARC Summit being held here from January 4 to 6, 2002.

The roaming system allows mobile phone subscribers to make and receive calls using the networks of other GSM mobile service operators without changing their phone numbers at home or abroad.

Madan Kaji Shakya, Director at the New Services Directorate, said that the Corporation is introducing the international roaming facility to "inbound" roamers from December 29, because of the forthcoming SAARC meet.

But only the subscribers of BT Cellnet, UK, Bharati Cellular Limited (Airtel), New Delhi and Bharati Mobitel, Kolkatta, can enjoy the current facility. However, the NTC has signed agreement with 10 international mobile phone operators including the said three, and is going to expand the service gradually.

"Now we are introducing the service for inbound roamers—the foreign mobile phone subscribers who use their cell phones while staying in Nepal— to facilitate the delegates. We are going to expand the service to the subscribers of other operators. And we are planning to provide the facility to our mobile phone subscribers in the near future," he said.

He said that the Corporation had also made efforts to provide the facility to the delegates of Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, but could not do that due to various reasons. The inbound roamers need not pay any tariff to the NTC except for airtime charge of Rs 20, the amount charged for getting their calls connected to base stations.

The subscribers of NTC are presently paying the airtime charge of Rs 6 and Rs 3 for each outgoing and incoming calls respectively.

The NTC had introduced the international roaming facility for the subscribers of BT Cellnet, UK, on December 17, 2001 on a trial basis. The Corporation is doing the necessary testing to provide the service to the customers of other operators, Shakya said.

The NTC has been distributing mobile phone connections based on Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM) technology, which allows the operator to install the national or international roaming facility.

Currently, there are over 590 million mobile phone customers and 400 operators based on the GSM technology.

‘Nepal can export fruits’

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NUWAKOT, Dec 28 – Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Zenji Kaminaga has suggested to export various fruits produced in Nepal to the Gulf countries, which solely depend on imported fruits.

Ambassador Zenji pointed out the possibility of exporting fruits from Nepal to those countries while making an inspection visit to Japanese Agricultural In-service training Institute (JAITI) here today.

Ambassador Zenji also hinted that the embassy could support the Institute to preserve the fruits produced by the JAITI and the local farmers.

Advisor to JAITI Manoj Prasad Dhital said that the main problems of the farm are higher production and lack of fruits preservation facility due to which the prices are very low. He said proper preservation of fruits could help farmers get better price and ensure uninterrupted supply.

Man Bahadur Shrestha, Manager of JAITI, said that the institute not only helps introduce new varieties of fruits but also provides training to the local farmers, in order to make them self-dependent.

He said that there are 700 households involved in cultivating strawberry and kiwi fruits in the village and JAITI has trained 30 local farmers so far. The farm has been cultivating different varieties of Japanese fruits in 4 hectare of land without using any chemicals.

Following the establishment of the Institute, the local farmers’ income has increased by fifteen times, said Shrestha. Currently, the Institute and the local farmers produce strawberry, kiwi fruit, Japanese sweet potato, and potato.

He said that about one ton of straw berry is exported to Kathmandu daily from the village and the producers get Rs 50 to Rs 200 per kg of strawberry depending on their quality and size.

He also said a farmer can earn up to Rs 15,000 annually by cultivating of strawberry in one ropani of land. In the beginning, farmers used to get as much as Rs 600 for a kilo of strawberry, which has plunged to Rs 100 now on average, but still it covers the production cost, he added.

The Institute has been making efforts to export the fruits to India and Bangladesh and Nepal chamber of Commerce is also helping the farm in this respect.

JAITI, a research-oriented institution established with the financial and technical support of various Japanese nationals and organisations has begun producing strawberry jam on an experimental basis.

‘Prime Minister’s office has poor working environment’

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 – A high level government advisor for the first time has openly expressed his dissatisfaction over the poor working environment of the prime-ministerial office.

"The prime minister’s office, which is the highest executive office of the kingdom lacks many modern facilities and it is conducting routine works with decades old working style," said Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, chief economic advisor of the Prime Minister.

He also termed present administrative mechanism of the ministerial office as one of the worst compared to the worldwide executive offices.

Speaking at an interaction programme on Nepal’s Entry Into WTO And Administrative Mechanism here today, Mahat also said that office of the prime minister has no coordination with Ministries and there is always an information gap between them. Even the office has no mechanism to supervise the works and reports prepared by the Ministries.

"Even the Ministries or other government offices present false progress report or other documents, the prime minister’s office has to blindly believe on it," said he.

Saying that Nepal’s entry into the World Trade Organisation (WTO) - a compulsion, Mahat said that with such poor administrative mechanism of the nation, we are not going to get anything worthy after entering into the world trade body.

"We need lot of homework and administrative reforms before entering into the world body to ensure the national interest," he stressed.

Speaking on the same occasion, Prachanda Man Shrestha, Joint Secretary and chairman of WTO cell at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, emphasised on the need of specialisation rather than generalisation in the governmental administrative body, if Nepal wants to play a powerful role in the WTO.

"The government should stop transferring staff randomly from one office to others. But instead, it should give staffs an opportunity of specialising themselves in a particular field." Shrestha added.

He also said that those government staffs looking into the WTO sector should be given
chance to specialise in the WTO related issues.

"At present, we are negotiating with the WTO mainly on three things- tariff barrier, service areas like health, and intellectual property rights," informed Shrestha.

Rajendra Kumar Khetan, second vice president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) said that most of the industries of Nepal are unaware of the rules and regulation along with the possible impact after entering into WTO. He also said that there is a lack of transparency and good governance in the administration of Nepal.

"Worse administration is one of the main cause that is eroding Nepal’s chance of getting benefitted from the WTO," said Khetan.

He also stressed on the need of participatory approach between the government and the private sector to sort out differences and face the upcoming challenges successfully after entering into
the WTO.

Krishna Hari Sapkota, General Secretary of Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN) opined that Nepal should consider its entry into the WTO both as a challenge and an opportunity in order to share the optimum benefit.

Speaking as the chief guest, State Minister of Finance, Bharat Kumar Shah said that Nepal is preparing all its best to get more from the WTO. "The government is ready to extend all its necessary cooperation in the process of Nepal’s entry into the WTO. We will also try to make the administration more efficient," said he.

Nepal applied for the WTO membership in 1998 and the experts say that Nepal is in the list of the countries that are being awarded with the WTO membership very soon. The discussion programme was organised by PAAN.

5-day Bangladeshi fair in the capital

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KATHMANDU, Dec 28 (PR) – M Humayun Kabir, Charge d Affairs of the Embassy of Bangladesh in Nepal has said that there are lot of trade and business sectors in which Nepal and Bangladesh can cooperate each other for their mutual interest.

Addressing a press conference organised here today to brief the pressmen about the Bangladesh Single Country Trade Exhibition, he said that despite some fluctuations seen in the volume of trade between the two countries, the prospects of mutual trade is still bright. The exhibition is going to be held in the capital from January 2 to 6.

"Bangladesh can learn many ideas on tourism, particularly on package and conducted tours and tourism marketing while Bangladesh can help Nepal in the areas of jute products, agriculture and fisheries," he said.

The four-day trade exhibition organised jointly by Embassy of Bangladesh and Export Promotion Bureau of the government of Bangladesh is expected to be participated by over 19 internationally reputed Bangladeshi forms. The forms will put off wide verities of toiletries, pharmaceuticals, melamine, ceramic tableware, garments, leather products, and fertilizers in the fare. Kabir also expressed the hope that entrepreneurs of both the countries will find some opportunity for serious business negotiations to strike business deals with the representatives of the Bangladeshi business houses.

Referring to the low utilization of Kakarvitta –Fulbari–Banglabandh land transit facilities connecting Nepal and Bangladesh, he stressed on the need to find some creative way to encourage its utilization. "We urged the Nepali businesspersons to use the route to export their products into the Bangladeshi market,’ he said.