Showing posts with label Asian Development Bank. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Asian Development Bank. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

प्रत्यक्ष निर्वाचित वडा अध्यक्ष छैन मस्यौदा मा

English: Tarai Grey Langur
English: Tarai Grey Langur (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
प्रत्यक्ष निर्वाचित वडा अध्यक्ष छैन मस्यौदा मा भन्ने थाहा पाउने अन्तिम व्यक्ति म होला।

यो त अचम्मै भएन र भन्या?

वडा अध्यक्ष, मेयर, प्रदेश प्रमुख, प्रधान मंत्री ---- यी सब प्रत्यक्ष निर्वाचित गर्नु पर्छ।

अहिले को प्रस्तावमा प्रत्येक वडा बाट ५ जना छान्ने अनि गाउँ भरि बाट त्यसरी आएका ४६ जनाले प्रत्येक वडा को वडा अध्यक्ष छान्ने भनेको छ। भने पछि गाउँ स्तरमा एक दलीय व्यवस्था लागु गर्न खोजेको? मदन भंडारी कम्निस्ट मान्छे सुद्धा ले उहिले एक दलीय व्यवस्था छोडेको ---- कंस सिटौला लाई चाहिं एक दलीय व्यवस्था चाहिएको?

जिल्ला सभापति चाहिं त्यस जिल्ला को सबै वडा अध्यक्ष र मेयर, उप मेयर ले चुन्ने हो?

प्रत्येक वड़ा समान जनसंख्या को हुनुपर्ने भन्ने छ कि छैन? होइन भने जिल्ला सभा मा जहिले पनि शहर र महानगर लाई गाउँ ले थिचोमिचो गर्ने भो।

राजधानीमा मधेसी मोर्चाको प्रदर्शन
चार शीर्ष नेताले एकै मञ्चबाट भने - ‘साउन २० भित्र नयाँ संविधान’
‘मुलुक राजनीतिक सहमतिको दिशामा अघि बढिसक्यो,’ प्रधानमन्त्री सुशील कोइरालाले भने, ‘दुनियाँको कुनै शक्तिले पनि अब संविधान आउनबाट रोक्न सक्दैन।’ .... केपी शर्मा ओली ... अझै संविधान जारी हुन नदिने प्रपञ्च भइरहेको बताउँदै उनले भने, ‘संविधान जारी हुन नदिन अहिले पनि तुलसीको मोठमा पूजा भइरहेको छ, बरपीपल चौतारी पनि प्रयोग भइरहेका छन्।’ राष्ट्रिय एकता खल्बलिन नदिने उनले बताए। गिरिजाप्रसाद कोइरालालाई महान् नेताको संज्ञा दिँदै ओलीले उनको भूमिकाले नेपाली समाजलाई सकारात्मक दिशातर्फ उन्मुख गरेको उल्लेख गरे। ...... पुष्पकमल दाहालले पनि सबैको चित्त नबुझे पनि संविधान जारी भएरै छाड्ने दृढता व्यक्त गरे। ‘सहमतिमा हस्ताक्षर गरेका हामी कसैलाई पनि संविधानको मस्यौदा चित्त बुझदो छैन र हुँदैन पनि,’ उनले भने, ‘त्यसैले यो कुनै दल विशेषको नभएर जनताको संविधान हो।’ उनले आवश्यक परिमार्जन गरेर भए पनि सबैको भावना समेट्ने बताउँदै साउन २० भित्र जुनसुकै अवस्थामा संविधान जारी हुने बताए।
पश्चिमी संस्कारको प्रभावमा महिला अधिकारकर्मी : विद्या भण्डारी
'मदनले मेरो थर फेरिदिएको मलाई थाहा थिएन'
विद्या भण्डारीले वैवाहिक स्वतन्त्रता र नागरिकताको अधिकार फरक फरक विषय भए पनि पश्चिमी संस्कृतिको प्रभावमा बढी अधिकारको माग भइरहेको बताएकी छिन् । अनेरास्ववियु केन्द्रीय महिला विभागले राजधानीमा आयोजना गरेको ‘मस्यौदामा महिला हकसम्बन्धी थप्नुपर्ने विषयबारे छलफल’ मा बोल्दै भण्डारीले

नेपालमा जन्मेका नेपाली आमा र बाबुका सन्तानले वंशजको आधारमा नागरिकताको प्रमाणपत्र पाउनुपर्ने

धारणा राखिन् । मस्यौदा हेर्दा ‘जसले जे खोज्यो त्यही पाइने’ प्रकारको बनेको भन्दै सकारात्मक पक्ष हेर्न उनको आग्रह थियो । ..... ‘हामीले माने पनि नमाने पनि पूर्वीय संस्कार र संस्कृतिमा महिला पुरुषप्रति नै सम्पूर्ण रुपमा समर्पित हुन्छिन्, यो विभेदकारी व्यवस्था भए पनि समाज यसैगरी चलिआएको छ,’ भण्डारीले भनिन्, ‘म पाण्डे भए पनि मदन भण्डारीसँग बिहे भएपछि उहाँले नै फारममा भण्डारी भरिदिनुभएछ । पछि थाहा भयो । मैले पनि सोध्ने कुरा आएन । मेरो थरमात्रै होइन, गोत्र नै बदलियो ।’ ...... नागरिकतामा व्यक्तिगत हकसँगै राष्ट्रिय सार्वभौमिकताको विषय पनि जोडिएकाले संवेदनशील हुन भण्डारीले सबै पक्षलाई आग्रह गरिन् । महिलाको दृष्टिले हेर्दा नेपालमा अझै पूर्ण लोकतन्त्र आइनसकेको उनले आरोप लगाइन् । ‘नेपालमा पितृसत्तात्मक निरंकुशता छ, आर्थिक सामाजिक सांस्कृतिक मूल्य मान्यतामा त्यो झल्किन्छ,’ उनले भनिन्, ‘महिला हकका लागि हामीले संविधानसभाका समितिमा आवाज राखे पनि त्यसको सुनुवाई हुन अझै निरन्तर आन्दोलन गर्नुपर्ने देखिएको छ ।’ ...... कुनै पनि सन्तानको जन्म आमा वा बाबु एक्लैबाट नहुने, दुवैको ‘अपरिहार्य उपस्थिति’ ले हुने भन्दै भण्डारीले आमा वा बाबुको नामबाट नागरिकता लिने प्रसंगको आलोचना गरिन् । ‘हिजोआज एकल महिलाको कोणबाट पनि अधिकारका आवाज उठ्न थालेका छन्, तर हाम्रो समाज त्यहाँसम्म पुगिसकेको छैन,’ उनले भनिन्, ‘हामीले अन्तरिम संविधानमा वंशजको नागरिकताका लागि आमा वा बाबुमध्ये एक भए हुने नै भनेका हौं, एमालेलाई नागरिकताबारे अनुदार भएको भनी लागिरहेको आरोप उचित छैन ।’ ....... सय वर्षपछिको समाज कल्पना गरेर आज संविधान लेख्न नसकिने भन्दै भण्डारीले त्यो समयका लागि अर्को पुस्ताले अधिकार माग्ने तर्क गरिन् । ‘महिलाका लागि धेरै संवैधानिक व्यवस्था भएका छन्, तर महिला आन्दोलनकारीहरु यसो र उसो भन्दै कराइरहेका छन्,’ उनले भनिन्, ‘मलाई त्योचाहिँ मन परेको छैन ।’
Time for Modi to nudge Nepal on writing an inclusive constitution
A second agitation had broken out in the Tarai, led by the Madhesis, people who shared close kinship, ethnic and linguistic ties with those across the border in Bihar and UP and had been excluded from the Nepali power structure. The Tarai forces demanded immediate federalism and inclusion in political structures and security forces. ..... The government assured the Madhesis that the elected CA would determine the boundaries of the State and committed to creating an ‘autonomous Madhes province’. The Madhesis called off their protests. The CA elections were held, and the peace process reached an ‘irreversible point’. ....... While the draft stipulates that the country would have eight provinces, it leaves the key issue of federal demarcation to a future commission. This has sparked outrage not only amongst the Madhesis but also hill ethnic groups across party lines. Both groups view the current draft as a way to postpone, dilute and subvert federalism and maintain the political hegemony of the hill upper-caste groups. ........ Responding to a petition, the Supreme Court ordered that the CA had to determine the boundaries and names of provinces as stipulated by the interim constitution. But the big parties slammed the judiciary for overreach and went ahead with the draft. This has now triggered dissent even within parties like the Nepali Congress, with veterans like Pradeep Giri and members of PM Sushil Koirala’s own family like MP Shekhar Koirala arguing against defiance of the judiciary. ...... The draft also has citizenship provisions that institutionalise gender inequality and attacks the special India-Nepal relationship. A person can be a citizen by descent if only both his father and mother are Nepali citizens. Given the extent of cross-border marriages between India and Nepal — the ‘roti-beti’ relationship as Union external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj put it — this will directly impact children of those from the bordering regions. There are also restrictive clauses on citizenship by naturalisation. The provision that only those who are citizens by descent can hold high public office will once again impact many in the Tarai with Indian roots. All these provisions are born out of xenophobic nationalism and fear of Indian ‘demographic aggression’. ...... The absence of reliable and strong interlocutors on the Tarai side does not help. ...... Distilled to the basics, India’s core interests in Nepal are peace, stability and a friendly Kathmandu. While the current constitutional proposal may go through, it will deliver neither peace nor stability. ...... Nepal’s current fundamental political problem is that its State structure does not reflect its enormous social diversity — the draft constitution does little to address this issue of political exclusion and even aggravates it. ........ The Tarai will remain fertile ground for unrest — the perceived failure of moderate Madhesi forces is already strengthening a separatist strand in the region. The xenophobia that has driven citizenship clauses will erode the people-to-people relationship on the ground. ...... There is now domestic pressure to revise the draft. The issue of federal demarcation is not intractable and there are many voices — from the NC to Maoists to the dissenting Madhesi and Janjati MPs — who are pushing for a constitution with state boundaries. Tarai parties are willing to accept two provinces in the plains, with some districts merged with the hills as proposed by the establishment.
Missing the point
The preamble mentions the 2006 Jana Aandolan and the Maoist armed struggle but not the Madhes Movement. It was because of the Madhes Uprising of 2007 that the major political parties were compelled to incorporate federalism into the Interim Constitution. ........ Secularism is also missing from the preamble of the draft constitution. This principle guarantees citizens that the state is neutral in terms of religion. ...... the Interim Constitution mentions federalism in the definition of the state, but the draft constitution has omitted this word from the definition of the state ...... Articles 23 and 47 highlight the needs of the Khas Arya group, but under these very articles, the Khas have been mentioned ahead of the Madhesi and Muslim groups. Further, the drafters have not defined any other community apart from the Khas in Article 88. Does this mean that

the drafters who are all from the Khas Arya group

more concerned about their own community than the other marginalised communities? Further, if all the groups are included in the list of those who need affirmative action, then there would be no need for open competition. ....... Article 90 of the draft constitution states that all the provinces will elect five members to the Upper House of Parliament. The government will nominate five members. As there seems to be a tentative agreement among the politicians to have two provinces in the Madhes, this means there will only be 10 representatives from the region in the Upper House as opposed to 30 representatives from the hills. Since the Madhes has a higher population than the hills, this will affect the ability of Madhesis to make laws that are vital for their empowerment. So each province should have the right to elect at least one representative to the Upper House and the rest should be elected on the basis of the province’s population. The basis of the election to the Upper House is first-past-the-post (FPTP), not proportional. The electoral college includes the head of the local bodies, which is complicated. Similarly, the mixed system will reduce the inclusion of excluded groups including Dalits in the House of Representatives until a priority list and some special provisions of inclusiveness are adopted. Only one or two parties will control the local bodies since elections will be held according to the FPTP system as stated in Article 221(4)........ Article 282 says that only citizens by descent will be entitled to hold the post of president, vice-president, speaker, chair of the Rastriya Sabha, chief minister, speaker of the Provincial Assembly and chief of the security agencies. When a non-resident Nepali holds political positions in the UK, US or other overseas countries, Nepalis swell with pride. But the draft statute seems intent on not allowing naturalised citizens from enjoying their full rights. What kind of nationalism is this? Such harsh provisions did not even exist in the Panchayat constitution. It is against equality and human rights to categorise citizens into first class, second class and third class. Article 282 could also have adverse effects on cultural and marital relations between Nepalis and Indians. It could discourage Indians from establishing marital relations with Nepalis for fear of their relatives being categorised as second or third class citizens. Article 19 stipulates that non-resident Nepali citizenship can be granted to people of Nepali origin living in foreign countries other than Saarc countries. These people will not be entitled to enjoy their economic, social and cultural rights. But what does the term ‘Nepali origin’ mean? Will Madhesis fit into the definition of people of Nepali origin? ........ Article 280 (13) states that the delineation of the constituencies will be carried out in every 20 years in contradiction with Article 154 of the Interim Constitution. Article 63 (3) of the Interim Constitution states that the constituencies will be delineated every 10 years which is more practical and logical. ......... The draft constitution has not mentioned what authority will prepare the voters’ lists. ....... On the one hand, the major parties want to delay settling the federalism issue and do not want to commit themselves as to when they want to hold provincial elections. But on the other hand, they are in a hurry to hold local elections. ........ without settling the issue of federalism in the constitution, an election to the Upper House cannot be held. And without holding the election, Parliament cannot be constituted and laws cannot be enacted. In such a situation, how can the government function? Without settling the provincial boundaries, no one can move ahead. If the new constitution is promulgated without federalism, it will be a defunct document.

Thursday, June 25, 2015

$3 Billion Pledged

English: Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Guja...
English: Narendra Modi, Chief Minister of Gujarat, India, speaks during the welcome lunch at the World Economic Forum's India Economic Summit 2008 in New Delhi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Go Inside the Effort to Rebuild Nepal
India announces $1 billion aid for rebuilding Nepal
highlighted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi ensured a prompt rescue and relief operation within six hours of the 7.9-magnitude April 25 quake. .... "We reacted as if a disaster had struck India," Swaraj said. ...... a powerful earthquake that struck exactly two months back on April 25, killing about 9,000 people and injuring around 23,000 others besides flattening over five lakh houses. ..... Government of India's pledge for Nepal's post-earthquake reconstruction of Nepali Rupees 10,000 crore, equivalent to $1 billion, one fourth of it as Grant ..... The conference was attended by several countries, including China, Britain, Norway, Japan, Sri Lanka, the European Union besides the UN, World Bank and Asian Development Bank. ...... "Ours is a 'Roti-Beti ka Sambandh' (a bond of family and kinship)." ...... India's response was "swift, spontaneous and substantive" ..... "Operation Maitri was our largest ever disaster assistance effort abroad, valued at nearly four billion Indian Rupees. But what is important is not that this support was larger than other foreign countries; what matters is the strong feeling of empathy and the instantaneous, instinctive and heart-felt response from Indians for their Nepali brothers and sisters," Swaraj said. ...... Nepal's challenge would be to ensure efficient and transparent utilisation of the funds ........ huge reconstruction needs of $6.7 billion. ..... Nepal, our oldest and closest friend and neighbour ...... "Hydropower projects now need to be speedily implemented and work on construction of the Kathmandu-Nijgadh fast track road and the Nijgadh airport with India's participation should be expedited."
Nepal earthquake: India and China pledge millions in aid
Pledges include $1bn (£640m) from India, $500m from China, and $600m from the Asian Development Bank. ..... Nepal says it needs $7bn after April and May's devastating quakes, in which nearly 9,000 people were killed....... Opening the conference, Nepalese Prime Minister Sushil Koirala promised that the relief funds would be used wisely. ....... Donor countries and international agencies have voiced concerns that red tape and poor planning could result in the donations being squandered. ...... Additional pledges of $260m from Japan, $130m from the US, and $100m from the European Union - as well as an earlier announcement of up to $500m from the World Bank - take the total assistance offered to around $3bn.
Foreign Donors Pledge $3 Billion to Help Rebuild Quake-Ravaged Nepal
“We will share periodically the use of the funds to maintain transparency because you are accountable to your own citizens,” Prime Minister Sushil Koirala told an international donors’ conference in Kathmandu ..... Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China promised $483 million, while the Japanese government pledged $260 million. ...... Chandan Sapkota, an economist at the Asian Development Bank who is based in Nepal, said concerns remained over the capacity of the Nepalese government, mired in bureaucratic delays, to use the aid effectively. ...... “We need a plan from the government that we can spend the money within four to five years,” Mr. Sapkota said. “And that’s a very tall order.” ...... Even as the central government made assurances that the funds would be implemented efficiently, officials in earthquake-affected districts have said that the government’s plan to immediately provide $2,000 to families for home rebuilding is mired in red tape. ....... the Asian Development Bank’s commitment of up to $600 million would largely go to reconstructing government schools.
After Nepal Quake, Nepalis In The US Now Eligible For Temporary Protection
some Nepalis in the United States can now apply to stay in the country for at least another year, with work permits and temporary protection from deportation. U.S. immigration authorities opened applications Wednesday for Nepalis to get “temporary protected status,” which could affect up to 25,000 people currently in the United States without long-term legal status........ may now qualify for TPS and receive authorization to stay in the country until December 2016. They have to show they have been in the country at least since Wednesday, and have until the end of 2015 to send in their applications. Nepalis who arrive in the U.S. after Wednesday aren’t eligible. ..... Lawmakers in New York also vocally supported the legislation: Around 40,000 Nepalis live in the city, mostly in Queens. .... The new measure could affect 10,000 to 25,000 Nepalis ..... The TPS program isn’t new. The U.S. previously granted TPS protection to Haitians after Haiti’s devastating earthquake in 2010. Since then U.S. officials have continuously extended TPS for Haitians given the slow pace of recovery after the quake, and about 58,000 people have been granted protection. Given the scale of the destruction caused by Nepal’s disaster, the U.S. could likewise easily extend protections for Nepalis past the December 2016 expiration date, potentially for several more years. ....... Immigrants from El Salvador and Honduras have received such long-term protection. The U.S. first granted TPS to Salvadorans in 2001 following a large-scale earthquake there, and to Nicaragua and Honduras in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch ravaged both countries. Anyone from those countries who was in the U.S. at the beginning of those programs is still eligible for TPS protection more than 15 years later. ..... TPS doesn’t provide for a path to legal status, however, and those who receive protection must reapply and pay new fees every time the program is extended. The comprehensive immigration bill that was passed in the Senate in 2013 would have provided a path to citizenship for TPS-eligible immigrants, but that bill has since languished amid congressional deadlock.
Go Inside the Effort to Rebuild Nepal
Rohingya Say Quake-Ravaged Nepal Is Better Than Life at Home or Death at Sea
“In Burma, just being Muslim is like a crime” ..... “This is the situation of the Rohingya,” says Hassan. “The person who is not a citizen anywhere has no limit to the punishment he can suffer.”

Monday, November 24, 2014

Rakesh Sood

At such moments, India is often first invited to play the role of peacemaker and then blamed for interfering in Nepal’s internal affairs.
his speech at the Constituent Assembly (CA) was a masterful exercise in touching all the issues that have troubled the India-Nepal relationship over years, and in striking the right notes. He spoke about respecting Nepali sovereignty and reiterated his readiness to revise the contentious 1950 Treaty in line with Nepali wishes, offering encouragement to the Constitution-drafting exercise. He wisely refrained from anything more, while expressing support for a federal, democratic Nepali republic but steering clear of the “secular versus Hindu rashtra” debate, speaking about the cultural and religious ties but without bringing in the Madhesi linkages and promising accelerated cooperation and generous terms for Nepal’s power exports to India. Even though the earlier $250 million line of credit was yet to be exhausted, a generous new line of credit of a billion dollars was announced. ....... the two governments signed a Power Trade Agreement (PTA) while GMR also concluded a Project Development Agreement (PDA) regarding a 900 MW hydel project on Upper Karnali. ...... Out of the 28 survey licences granted to private entities over the last decade, amounting to a total of 8,000 MW, GMR was the first to conclude a PDA. Nepal has an installed hydel capacity of 700 MW with an annual shortfall of 450 MW which is only partially made up through imports from India, leading to power cuts of more than 14 hours a day in the dry season. Despite a technically feasible and economically viable proven potential of more than 40,000 MW, development of the hydel sector has remained politically blocked. It is expected that during Mr. Modi’s visit, the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) Limited will also sign a PDA for the 900 MW Arun III project. ...... Three new international airports at Nijgadh (near Kathmandu), Pokhara and Bhairahawa (to service Lumbini) are being planned. A new Kathmandu-Terai highway is being fast-tracked along with the Kathmandu-Hetauda tunnel project. Nepal’s Planning Commission has pointed out that in order to graduate from a ‘Least Developed Country’ to a ‘Developing Country’ by 2022, Nepal would need an investment of nearly $100 billion in infrastructure, of which more than two-thirds will have to come from private sector and multilateral institutions. ........ The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) plan to issue long-term bonds amounting to a billion dollars each in local currency in order to provide greater depth to the capital market. There is talk about the need to create a new financial institution to undertake infrastructure financing. While all the buzz is not due to Mr. Modi’s first visit, it certainly added to it because Nepal felt that India was politically engaged, with a new decisive leader at the helm of affairs. ....... At both sites, Mr. Modi sought to address public gatherings which would have attracted huge numbers, including from Indian border towns and villages. Initiatives regarding border connectivity, the tourism potential of the Ayodhya-Janakpur circuit and the Lumbini-Bodhgaya-Sarnath circuit, and development of irrigation in the Terai which is the breadbasket of Nepal would have resonated with the audience and presented Mr. Modi as the tallest leader in the region. This evidently made Nepali political leaders uneasy. Nepal’s government has therefore cited security concerns to turn down the idea of public gatherings, proposing civic receptions instead where Nepali leaders would share the platform and Mr. Modi’s interaction would be limited to (selected) local community leaders. ........ the deep-rooted suspicion about the Indian agenda which surfaces time and again, particularly when domestic politics deteriorates into a polarising slugfest. .......... Madhesi resentment who are unhappy about the fact that not only are they being presented with a divided Madhes but the districts containing the Kosi, Gandak and Karnali river basins have been excluded from the two Madhesi provinces proposed. .......... The ruling coalition parties (NC, UML and RPP) have traditionally been dominated by the pahadi Bahuns and Chettris who have little sympathy for federalism, a demand associated with Maoists and Madhesis. Both these groups have fractured: from three parties in 2007, Madhesis now have over a dozen and the ruling coalition could well tempt some with offers of ministerial positions. ......... While the CA will continue till 2017 (it was elected for a four-year term in 2013), the positions of president, vice-president and prime minister will open up. Prime Minister Sushil Koirala has announced that he will step down once the task of Constitution drafting is completed. Leaders within the NC and UML are also positioning themselves accordingly. ........ if the Constitution is pushed through with a two-thirds majority, it can lead to the alienation of large sections of the population. The Madhesis would feel let down by India and the Janjati groups would gravitate to hard line Maoist positions. The challenge is therefore to develop a broader consensus than rely on two thirds. ........ He will have to draw a fine line in terms of remaining politically engaged with all groups and yet keep the focus on the economic issues where he can promise, and should ensure, quick delivery. .... He will need to adopt an open style of diplomacy so that, in a break from the past, Nepali nationalism is not reduced to anti-Indianism.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

The Terai Lags Behind

English: "Malnourishment in Niger" M...
English: "Malnourishment in Niger" Malnourished children in Niger, during the 2005 famine. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Help, not hinder
Almost all statistics including population density, literacy rate, annual income, unemployment, infant mortality rate, malnourished children, wasted status of children (20.4 percent in Tarai vs. 6.9 percent in Hills), anaemic women (42.0 in Tarai vs. 26.9 in Hills), families without toilet (51.2 in Tarai vs. 24.8 in Hills), Human Development Indicator, Human Poverty Index and Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) demonstrate much worse condition in Tarai compared to Hills. Despite this, only a small fraction of foreign aids and grants is allocated for Tarai. 51 percent of Nepal’s population lives in this region and carries the same proportion of burden of the loans by the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank and other donor agencies. Moreover, international agencies fare much worse than Nepal government’s structures in regards to the inclusion of Madheshis. According to the UNDP data published in 2001 about the manpower involved in 30 major multilateral agencies and 61 projects, they had only 5.2 percent of Madheshis. Foreign tourists, volunteers and journalists often flock to Nepal with their backpacks, full of stereotypes. Their Nepal revolves around mountains, monks and medieval temples. They crave for virgin goddess and yetis, for trekking on trails and resting in resorts. Madhesh is no Nepal-like for them. They are not ready to buy tickets to Nepal and then end up in a place that looks much like India, as a European friend of mine remarked after looking at the landscape and people of Tarai. “If I have to see this and spend time with these types of people, I’ll go to India. Why bother about Nepal?”
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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Feeling Intense About Nepal Hydro

Nepal topography. The green/yellow zones hold ...
Nepal topography. The green/yellow zones hold the Inner Terai valleys. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
(published in Vishwa Sandesh)

Feeling Intense About Nepal Hydro
By Paramendra Bhagat (www.paramendra.com)

I harbor pretty intense feelings about Nepal hydro and hopefully I have been infecting some of the people around me.

Nepalis grew up being fed the potential of Nepal hydro. But if the country’s capacity is to produce 50,000 MW (some estimates put the capacity at 200,000 MW) then less than 1% has been produced so far, less than 500 MW. Most of what has been produced has been at the initiative of the government of Nepal with funding from entities like the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the like. But some small projects have made headway recently through efforts by private individuals in Nepal. That is commendable. There is some serious Chinese and Indian interest in the sector as well. China is especially to be watched. Some Chinese companies look like might swoop in and grab some really big projects.

And then there is the NRN effort. The NRNA is a non profit. It can not be making for profit moves. But it has incorporated a for profit company. That company I believe is investing in one small project in Nepal. That effort is commendable. But I can’t think of one Nepali in NYC who could put a million of his or her money into a project in Nepal when hydro projects routinely ask for tens of millions of dollars. Appealing to the patriotism of the global Nepali population has huge limitations.

My effort is in the hard core for profit sector, the shark eat shark world of global finance. This is early innings. From 500 MW to 50,000 MW might be two decades worth of work. I am going to start out by being the guy who raises money, but down the line my company is going to provide A to Z solutions. My multi-national corporation is also going to do construction work for the dams in Nepal. Fundraising is not going to be enough fun for too long.

And why stop at Nepal? There are hydro prospects in India, in Pakistan, in Brazil. Clean Energy is not limited to hydro. There is wind, there is solar. There are several continents to explore. But one step at a time.

One guy said, but why have not Binod Chaudhary or Upendra Mahato invested in Nepal hydro? Good question. Nepal hydro is a tough nut to crack. Whoever cracks up the Nepal hydro code is going to be bigger than Binod Chaudhary or Upendra Mahato. There is your answer.

My hydro team is going to be the top Nepal hydro team in New York City. I am smart, I am hard working, I am a super networker, I can penetrate Indian circles easily for being half Indian, I speak a few languages, I am no hydro philanthropist or hobbyist, as in I am not some full time lawyer, engineer, doctor, life insurance agent, peddler, business hawker, or whatever trying to wing hydro on the side during nights and weekends. Hydro for me is a serious career move. It is going to be getting full time like attention from me. It is between that and my software interests. If you are not going full time with it, it will be hard for you to compete with me. You might as well bring your projects to me for your small cut. Or you could languish like about 200 Nepalis in New York City who are each carrying PDFs of hydro projects in their email accounts. Those project PDFs are not wine. They don’t get better with time.

Funding necessarily has to be a package deal. Investors in NYC are capable of fully funding, but that’s not the point. If you have local private investors in Nepal and local and regional banks involved that builds trust. Imagine a scenario where a 10 MW project has an ask for $15 million. $7 gets raised in Nepal and the region. $8 gets raised in NYC. Of that $8 million, $1 million gets raised among Nepalis in the city. I can easily think of 20 Nepalis who could put in 50K each if they were interested, several could put much more. I really like the idea of raising 1,000 dollars each from about 100 Nepalis in the city.

But when none of the money has been raised, I ask the Nepal team to find me 10 Nepalis they might know in NYC who would be willing to put 1K each for shares worth 2K in the project. This is not about the money. 10K is not going to move the project. This is about social capital. Those ten people are going to help keep the communication between me and my local team and the Nepal team as smooth as possible. It is also a vote of confidence in Nepal’s hydro potential. As for that million to be raised from among Nepalis, I have been advised that has to be the very final step in the fundraising. Nepalis are going to come in, but not at the beginning. That makes sense. Can’t blame the local Nepalis for wanting to be the icing on the cake. After all, they have some claim to the country.

Investing is for those who have money to spare. If you are making below minimum wage in the shadow economy, chances are hydro projects are not of investment interests to you. That is understandable. Or even if you are making six figures but you have been living beyond your means, chances are you will yawn at the prospect of hydro projects.

And then there is sheer inertia in segments of the community. I went to meet someone. After some small talk I brought up the topic. I’d like to talk to you about Nepal hydro for a few minutes, I said. The guy paused for a few split seconds and said, “Please finish the tea and leave.”
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