Govt to introduce NRN visa

By Satyendra Timilsina

KATHMANDU, April 25 : Responding to the long-running demand of Non-Resident Nepalis (NRNs) to provide them with special concessions for carrying out trading and industrial activities in Nepal, the government is all set to introduce a new visa scheme for them.

According to a high-level Home Ministry source, the special visa would be valid for ten years and would be provided to the NRNs willing to stay in Nepal either for academic pursuit, establishing business or carrying out researches.

"The Ministry has finalised the draft and is currently busy on looking into the finer details of its legal aspects," said the source.

It is likely that the new provision would get endorsed by the Cabinet within a week, informed the source adding, "The visa would be provided at a minimal fee and can be used for several entries within the specified period."

The government during the budget presentation for the current fiscal year had announced to provide special concessions to NRNs in the wake of the Indian announcement to attract investment from Non-Resident Indians. And the latest is the first step taken to this direction.

NRNs from Thailand and Burma had been asking their respective embassies to provide them with special facilities to allow educating their children in Nepal. Likewise, professional NRNs including doctors, engineers and other technical personnel staying in Europe and the United States also have shown their willingness to serve in Nepal. The NRNs from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are also demanding such facilities to start business in Nepal.

The ministry has proposed to charge an annual fee of US $ 50 for new visa scheme applicable for the students, researchers and businessmen. However, the annual fee for those willing to spend retired life in Nepal would be US $ 1200, said the source.

According to the new provision, any NRN willing to receive the NRN visa under new scheme will have to apply to their respective embassies or the consular offices. With the new scheme in the offing more than one hundred thousand NRNs, who are currently using foreign passports to enter Nepal, are expected to be benefited.

While in the United States alone more than 40,000 NRNs are estimated, a considerable number of NRNs stay in Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, Thailand and Burma among other countries.

Along with new visa proposal the ministry is also presenting a proposal to materialise the previous decision to slash visa-fee and reduce its category, informed the source.

The government last December had announced a reduction of visa fees for single entry from US $ 50 to US $ 30 for the duration of more than two months, while the multiple visa fees was brought down from US $ 110 to US $ 80. According to the revised visa fees, renewal fee for a tourist visa would be US $ 30 a reduction of US $ 20 from the earlier fee of US $ 50.

Visa categories were reduced to two removing double-visa category from previous categories of single, double and multiple. The government then had announced that foreigners holding multiple-visa would be allowed to stay for a maximum of five months with several entries within a period.

Despite weak IP laws, Nepal ready for showdown

By Rudra Sharma

KATHMANDU, April 25 : The global community celebrates the World Intellectual Property Day (IP Day) on Friday with the slogan ‘Encourage Creativity’. And albeit weak enforcement and efficacy of the IP laws back home, Nepal is well prepared to join the global celebration.

Government authorities are all set to join hands with the international communities to celebrate the annual fanfare of intellectuals and industrialists. Officials at the Department of Industry (DoI) say they have made some preparations to mark the event, which the world community started some 32 years ago.

"We have chalked out some awareness generating type of programmes this year," says Bisu Kumar KC, an official at the DoI. Such effort from the government to raise awareness on IP comes at a time when copyrights holders and industrial property rights owners in Nepal are relaxed and sleeping over their rights.

People from some quarters who are better off in the sector say that indifferent attitude of IP rights holders are making it easy to play on others’ IP rights, which is further aggravated by the non-enforcement of IP laws. And now there is an increasing realisation that effective enforcement of IP laws in the context of globalisation is a must.

"Theoretically everyone makes hue and cry over the enforcement of IP laws. However, in practice, most of them are tempted to pilfer on other’s right," says a government official on condition of anonymity. "And the bigger the house, the bigger the crime. It is, hence, the bigger business houses that have always put off the enforcement of IP laws."

A release issued by Dr Kamil Idris, Director at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on the occasion of IP Day says, "Human inventiveness harnessed by the intellectual property system is a key to generating wealth, raising living standards and enriching our global cultural heritage."

Dr Idris says that WIPO is committed to the development of universal culture of creativity through the components of intellectual property such as copyright, patent and trademarks to capture the value of creativity and knowledge to promote economic and cultural developments so as to make the world a better place for the current and future generations.

Unfortunately, promotion of IP rights in Nepal is moving at a sluggish pace. A new copyright Act, 2058 has just been passed by the parliament replacing the Act with the same name made some 36 years ago. However, things about the industrial property aspect are still dismal.

An Industrial Property Act was drafted some five years ago. But it has still not been tabled in the parliament leaving the old Act made 36 years to prevail. And officials have an answer ready for the delay. Says Madhu Soodan Poudel, Director at the DoI, "The delay is because the government adopted the Stop, Look and Go policy to benefit most from the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as an LDC (least developed country)."

And experts in the field say that it is high time Nepal became serious over the sincere implementation of IP laws. "Though people take it as a joke, I have been telling that the development of the nation in the 21st century lies in the strict enforcement of IP laws," opines Santosh Sharma, General Secretary of Nepal Copyright Society.

Some even put the blame on the private sector for the ineffective implementation of IP laws, suggesting of possible ‘hidden motives of bigger houses’. And Bisu KC is of the view that the private sector should be more active to develop a culture of IP laws enforcement.

‘Create investment-friendly environment in Karnali zone’

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 25 : Following the willingness expressed by entrepreneurs to invest in the remote hilly region of Karnali, the civil society of the region is going to pressurise the government for preparing investment friendly policy to attract them.

The same is being done in the wake of entrepreneurs complaining over the lack of investment-friendly policy despite the high potentiality offered by the region.

Min Bahadur Shahi, Chairperson of Karnali Integrated Rural Development and Research Centre (KIRDRC), talking to The Kathmandu Post said that they are holding consultations with experts, business community and parliamentarians and the members of the local bodies, and would recommend the government to scrap off the complex policies and programmes.

"In the wake of enthusiasm shown by the private sector, we are excited to prepare investment-friendly environment for them, especially to expedite the development activities and also create employment opportunities in the region," he said.

The people from the region stressed that the private sector’s involvement would not only create self-employment but also assist in economically uplifting the locals through utilisation of the local resources. "This could also expedite infrastructure development," they said.

Entrepreneurs’ willingness to invest in the region was expressed during a programme on "Role of the Private Sector in Karnali’s Development" held recently in the capital. The fourth Vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Suraj Vaidya, during the meet stressed for generating ‘position paper’ for identifying potentialities and areas that need investment in the region.

"Position paper makes clear the economic impact of the investment and the FNCCI is willing to support its preparation," he said.

In the same vein, third Vice-president of the FNCCI, Chandi Raj Dhakal urged the local people and civil society to assist in and take initiatives for materialising the private sector’s willingness.

Although rich in expensive and rare herbs like Yarsagumba, Chirata, among others, these are not utilised commercially and also the herbs processing units are lacking in the region, highlighted Rajendra Bahadur Pradhan of the FNCCI.

"A number of such medicinally and economically profitable herbs are exported to Tibet at cheaper prices and again imported to the capital and re-exported to the third countries due to the government’s policy that prohibits the domestic entrepreneurs from processing them," he stated. This, he stressed, has deprived locals from getting its real price.

Likewise, Banwari Lal Mittal, providing helicopter service in the region, urged the government to utilise the rich and diverse natural resources of the region.

Highlighting topographic feature of the region, Dr Dev Ratna Shakya, Chief of the Agriculture Enterprise Centre (AEC) assessed that the region has potential for seed production and supports commercial farming of the high quality fruits including apple.

Representatives of Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) and business houses too expressed their interests in the region’s resources and zeal to invest there. "This is to ensure proper and optimum utilisation of the local resources and also for promoting economic activities in the region," viewed the business community.

The people of Karnali zone, meanwhile, have been asking the government to devise and implement measures to ensure economic advancement of the region. One among such demands put forth by them is to formalise Nepalgunj-Simikot route for visiting Kailash-Mansarovar.

"As of now, Indian Hindu-pilgrims are travelling to Kailash-Mansarovar through Tatopani, Tibet spending Rs 60 thousand per visit. If this can be diverted to the region by announcing Nepalgunj-Simikot route as a formal one for travelling to Mansarovar, it will foster the business activity of the region," said Shahi. Besides, he claimed that visitors’ expense would also come down if this route were used, he added.

These apart, the region has competitive advantage in tourism products as well. Places of the region like Rara, Shey-Phoksundo, Upper-Jumla, Mubra island of Mugu are already included in the popular tourism destination of the country. These are among the lakes located on the highest altitude in the globe and one can behold the Himalayas and the Terai.

Despite the region’s abundant natural resources and potential areas offering economic advantage, it is dependent economically and socially on other regions. The government’s effort to promote agriculture in the region through the Karnali Zone Special Agriculture Development Project (KZSADP) by providing various subsidies has helped in promoting horticulture. But the region still requires higher level of investment, as Shahi puts it.

Even as apple processing and brewing unit is a profitable investment area, rearing sheep for wool and meat is equally viable financially, Shahi adds.

"Radi-pakhi (hand-woven woollen blankets) and micro-hydroelectricity project are also economically viable areas and the domestic entrepreneurs fail to exploit the potential of the region so far, Indian and Chinese businessmen are taking advantage of the same."

Govt constitutes NITCC

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 25 : With an objective of expediting the development of information technology (IT), the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST) has constituted the National Information Technology Coordination Committee (NITCC) under the chairmanship of Bhakta Bahadur Balayar, State Minister for Science and Technology.

A press handout issued by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the 14-member committee was formed as per the provision in the IT Policy 2000.

Rameshananda Vaidya, member of National Planning Commission (NPC), has been appointed as the vice-chairman and Atma Ram Ghimire, Executive Director of the National Information Technology Centre as member-secretary of the Committee.

Similarly, Navin Prakash Jung Shah, vice-chancellor of Tribhuvan University, Professor Suresh Raj Sharma, vice-chancellor of Kathmandu University, Finance Secretary Dr Bimal Koirala, Bhanu Prasad Acharya, secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Mahesh Man Shrestha, secretary at MoST have been appointed as the Committee members.

Likewise, Lava Devkota, Secretary at the Ministry of Education, Prabhakar Adhikari, Acting Secretary at the Ministry of Information and Communications, Muni Bahadur Shakya and Suresh Kumar Regmi, IT experts have also been made members of the Committee.

Rajendra Kumar Khetan, second vice-president of the FNCCI and Biplav Man Singh, vice-president of Computer Association of Nepal (CAN) have also been nominated as members of the Coordination Committee.

FNCCI, NCC hold joint rally opposing bandh

Post Report

KATHMANDU, April 25 : Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) today jointly organised a rally protesting the five-day bandh called by the outlawed Maoists.

According to a press release issued here today, the rally was participated in by various political personalities including State Minister for Home Devendra Kandel, as well as general people and a large number of businessmen.

FNCCI president Rabi Bhakta Shrestha on the occasion stressed that frequent bandhs adversely affect business activities, which can hit the economy seriously. He also said that the FNCCI would press the government to provide compensation to those who incur losses due to vandalising of property in course of operating their businesses during bandhs.

Similarly, President of NCC Rajesh Kazi Shrestha said that the private sector must unitedly oppose bandhs called by any political or non-political parties, says the release.

Today’s rally was also participated in by Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs Federation, Nepal Association of Travel Agents, Hotel Association Nepal, Nepal Retailers’ Association, and Bishal Bazaar Trade Association, among others.

Many business establishments that were closed on Tuesday and Wednesday opened today at the initiatives of the FNCCI and NCC. Meanwhile, another press release issued by Lalitpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry states that another protest rally would be organised in the capital Friday morning.