BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Himalayan Expo to start next week

By A Staff Reporter

The tenth edition of the Himalayan Expo, the Himalayan Expo 2000 will start on 12th April at Bhrikuti Mandap.  There will be about 200 exhibitors from Nepal, USA, UK, Germany, Italy Portugal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malayasia and Thailand.

According to a press release of the House of Rajkarnicar Exhibitions and Events, the composition of foreign participation has grown this time to around 60 per cent of the participation. About 40 per cent of the exhibitors are joining the Expo for the first time.

The major features of this year’s Expo are the Nepal-USA Pavilion, British Pavilion, German Catalogue show, the SAARC Information Kiosk and the National Small Industries Corporation from India.

The organisers have estimated  70,000 to 80,000 visitors; out of which 42,000 will be business visitors.

At a press conference on Monday, Managing Director of the House of Rajkarnicar, the organiser of the Expo said  strengthening the trading aspect has been the strongest part of the Himalayan Expo.

Andrew Mitchell, Deputy Chief of Mission of the British Embassy in Kathmandu said that the British Pavilion at the Expo will consist of 22 companies and seven of them will come all the way from Britain. The British pavilion, among others, will also have an electronic library and a database.  The participation of the British Wool Marketing Board will be significant.

The Board has been trying to promote British wool in Nepalese hand-woven carpets.

Similarly, John Dyson of the US Embassy, said this will be the sixth time the US participated at the Himalayan Expo. The Expo will be participated by 23 companies, which include agriculture and machinery, construction, engineering and architecture, computers, food and environment. The Expo will end on April 16.

Number of poor people has increased

By A Staff Reporter

Despite spending millions of dollars in the development of third world countries, poverty in those countries is still not reduced, said a report published by UNCTAD.

In its research report of the developing countries for the year 1990, UNCTAD classified 42 countries as the developing countries and total population in these countries were almost 44 million. But, this year it has classified almost 48 countries as the poor and the total population of these countries is raised to 61.30 million. The number of poor people has increased by almost 36 percent.

This has showed that poverty has been increasing tremendously in the developing countries. At the same time, the donor countries has also lowered their aid to those countries. According to the report, foreign aid provided to the developing countries has decreased by almost 22.6 percent. “In real term, financial aid to those countries is reduced by more than 35 percent,” the report mentioned.

According to the same report, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of those countries has also decreased remarkably. In 1975, GDP of these countries fell by 5.4 percent, while in 1998, it decreased by 1.8 percent.

Industry & Commerce Day slated for April 10

By A Staff Reporter

Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala is scheduled to inaugurate and start off the nation’s first Industry & Commerce Day on April 10, at the Birendra International Convention Centre (BICC) Naya Baneshwar.

The day is to be celebrated under the aegis of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the country’s apex business and commerce outfit comprising of all the leading entrepreneurs from the private sectors.

The basic aim of celebrating the Industry & Commerce Day is, “to provide to the people and institutions engaged in this sector the necessary decorum and give due recognition to them and their profession,” points out FNCCI’s Secretary General Badri P. Ojha. The Day is to be celebrated each year and will be gradually developed into a nation-wide affair in the coming years.

IT Boom and Clinton Visit to Bharat

By Prof. Hari Bansh Jha

During his visit to India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, President Bill Clinton has given a message to the world that the poverty-stricken region of South Asia might turn into a most developed and prosperous region if the gains from knowledge revolution are consolidated to the advantage of the poor. In this context, the information technology (IT) boom in the region, particularly in India, could bring a phenomenal change towards improving education, health and economic life of the people of the region.

The emphasis given by President Clinton on the development of IT does not apply to India alone. It is applicable to all the South Asian countries, including Nepal. If the countries of this region want to alleviate poverty, they cannot undermine the role of IT. No revolution is bigger today than the revolution of IT.

In South Asia, the US has accorded utmost priority to its relations with India. Many people think that for all practical purposes Clinton visited Bharat and not to South Asia. During his itinerary, he visited only a few hours in Bangladesh. His visit to Pakistan was merely stopover. Importance was accorded to Bharat not simply because the US has developed love for this country. The fact is that the US is well convinced of Bharat emerging as world?s pioneer in IT technology.

Bharat?s software industry has increased from $150 million some ten years ago to $ 4 billion last year providing employment opportunities to nearly 300 thousand people. It is undisputedly accepted that a lot of American future depends on the right kind of partnership with Bharat.

Taking advantage of the development of IT in Bharat, a number of reputed American companies like the Apple, Texas Instruments and Oracle are likely to come to this country. The two leading business groups ? the US India Business Council and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry were discussing possibilities of taking infotech trade to new heights with a view to creating more jobs. The US Ambassador Frank Wisner and FICCI president G.P Goenka even signed the Indo-US protocol on knowledge-based products and services Clinton assessed that the IT recorded phenomenal growth in Bharat for its enduring values of nationhood. Many believe that there is something `special? in the brain of the Bharati people, which makes them pioneer in IT sector. Today, the Bharatiya Americans created a new economy as they own over 750 companies in Silicon Valley alone. The Bharati community have contributed significantly in IT revolution ? be it through the solution of Y2K problem or the designing of other software packages.

The visit of the US president to Bharat after the gap of 22 years is the recognition of Bharat?s achievements in various sectors, including in IT. Because of the IT revolution, Bharat is likely to turn from a country of `brain drain? to a country of `brain gain.?

It is speculated that may of the scientists from Middle East, Africa, Asia and other parts of the world would turn to Bharat rather than to the developed countries to share information technology.

In order to facilitate this process, a group of US-based entrepreneurs of Bharatiya origin plan to set up US $ 1 billion worth of global institute of science and technology in Bharat in collaboration with leading American universities. There is a serious thought to set up Global Institute for Governance in Information Age (GIGA) and Green Business Centre (GBC) close to Hi-Tech City near Hyderabad in Andhra Pradesh, Bharat. 

However, there are people in Nepal who lament for the way the US president could not find time to reach this country even for an hour. There are two important reasons why the US president did not feel the need of visiting Nepal. One, there is no sector in Nepal that could be reckoned as a success story. There was a potentiality for Nepal to tap the hydropower. But the country missed the bus. Two, the political instability and the low profile given to the foreign affairs have also caused despair. But in future the US president or the heads of government/state of other countries would be happier to visit Nepal once the country fairs well in some of these sectors.

Given the reality of interactions among the Nepalese and Bharatiya people at various levels, the Nepalese people could gain a lot from Bharat?s IT revolution. Bharatiya External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh assured all possible support to Nepal in sharing knowledge in IT. The ball is Nepal?s court as to how the country uses its expertise in benefiting from Bharat?s vast knowledge in IT. If the country moves forward in IT, Nepal might develop as world?s leading economic power like Bharat.