National 9 (Spotlight Weekly)

Skills For Success

Nepal seeks Indian cooperation in science and technology

By SANJAYA DHAKAL

Though the Ganges of knowledge and technology is flowing right in our neighborhood, we have been unable to tap it," said Bhakta Bahadur Balayar, Minister of State for Science and Technology. He referred to the big strides made by India in the field of science and technology, while Nepal continues to lag behind.

Balayar : "Science for the poor"

With the purpose of sharing the Indian experience in the field, Nepal and India had signed an agreement during Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba’s visit to India in March this year. Balayar, on behalf of Nepalese government, and Bachchi Singh Raut, India’s State Minister for Science and Technology, signed the agreement.As a follow-up to that agreement, the secretaries of the respective ministries of the two countries met in Kathmandu last week and signed the program of cooperation. The agreement includes cooperation in various sectors, including bio-tech and info-tech.

"Our main concern is to make use of science and technology to raise the living standard of the poor people. We aim to tailor the innovations so that they will benefit the poorest of the poor. We want to reach the un-reached," said Balayar.

The areas of cooperation include rural and intermediate technology concerned with the agro-technologies like post-harvest collection, processing, packaging, standardization and alternative energy devices. The cooperation on bio-technology will concentrate on agriculture and livestock development, virus-free improvised seeds and setting up gene bank and DNA lab.

"We are very backward in bio-technology. At a time when the rest of the world is engaged in gene culture, we are happy to be content with tissue culture," said the minister. He added that these innovations will be developed keeping in mind the provisions of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

Another area of cooperation is agro-satellite meteorology and numerical weather prediction. Till now Nepal had been making use of Japanese satellite to study weather patterns and forecast it.

"But as the Japanese satellite is relatively farther, the picture of Nepal we have been receiving has not been of good standard. With this agreement, we can now use INSAT (Indian Satellite) for space-mapping and weather forecasting," said Prof. Dr. Kedar Lal Shrestha, adviser to the Ministry of Science and Technology.

In the field of information technology, India has agreed to help Nepal in various disciplines like developing agriculture information system - which focuses on rural connectivity and helps farmers get knowledge about prospective markets and other areas of their concern - distance learning and tele-medicine. India has also promised to provide Ph.D.-level training to 10-15 Nepalese scientists each year. It will support the setting up of Institute of IT and Bio-tech where bachelor level education will be imparted.

Minister Balayar hopes that the agreement with India will inject fresh impetus to the sci-tech drive in the country. "No country has developed without sci-tech. But here, people are yet to realize the importance of this discipline."
He cites the example of poor productivity in Nepal. "Though we claim to be an agricultural country, we import agro-products worth around Rs.23 billion every year. This clearly shows our lacking in the productivity development."

The average agriculture productivity of Nepal is meager 1.4 MT per hectare despite the country possessing huge bio-diversity, water resource potentials and fertile lands Compare this with Israel’s 8 MT per hectare despite their not so fertile lands. "Until and unless we make use of scientific and technological innovations to increase our productivity, we cannot develop," said Balayar.

The ministry is currently engaged in developing the IT sector as well. With its support 11,000 young Nepalese are receiving various training on computer and Information Technology.

Meanwhile, Minister Balayar revealed that a Canada-bases NRN Aditya Jha has committed to support the government in setting up Institute of Information Technology Nepal (IITN) where post-graduate level education will be taught.

Jha, who is involved in software sector in Canada, has pledged to provide support worth Rs.250 million to establish the non-profit and sustainable IITN. Likewise, an American firm has shown interest in opening office in Nepal for software development and production of medial equipment and third generation mobile phones.

"By and by, our main objective will be to link science and technology with the poverty alleviation," said Balayar.