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Under the aegis of its India-Nepal Centre and in association with Visa Inc and Banking, Finance and Insurance Institute of Nepal (BFIN), the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCI) organised “India-Nepal Fintech Summit 2025” on 30 June at New Delhi. Participated by the leading policymakers and industry leaders from both India and Nepal, the Summit hosted meaningful dialogues to come forward for further enhancing India-Nepal bilateral cooperation in the financial technology (fintech) domain. This also paves the way of recognising Community Engagement, Social/Financial/Digital Inclusion & Diversity and Social Impact as major transformational attributes of payment innovation drive.

Speaking on the occasion, Amb Dr Shankar Prasad Sharma, Ambassador of Nepal to India, said: “Nepal has made impressive progress in FinTech, driven by the growing need for mobile banking and digital services. There's strong momentum, but to move forward, we must act quickly-beyond signing MOUs-to implementation. Coordination between ministries is crucial, and improving systems for digital service exports, taxation, and international payments will help us unlock our full potential.”

Amb Munu Mahawar, Additional Secretary (North), Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India, said: “India and Nepal share a very special relationship, rooted in history, culture, and a unique treaty framework. We deeply appreciate PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre for its constant support in promoting India-Nepal economic ties. With Nepal's special access to the Indian market and our shared commitment, I'm confident our partnership will continue to grow and flourish in the years ahead.”

Anand Jha, Vice President (Head of Government Engagement: India & South Asia), Visa Inc, said: “The idea for this seminar stemmed from my visit to Nepal, where I saw a real need for guidance and mentorship. Startups don't need rocket science-they need the right mentor and direction. Nepal, especially in the digital payments space, has a huge untapped market for fintech innovation. India has walked a similar path, and thanks to bold private initiatives and institutional support like Startup India.”

Vaibhav Taranekar, Vice President (Client Services), Visa Inc, said: “Fintech is now an integral part of the financial ecosystem across South Asia. While many initially believed they could operate alone, today, everyone wants to be part of the fintech experience. The biggest transformation has been in empowering merchants optimizing their digital footprint, made possible only through fintech. Its success lies in the spirit of collaboration that has turned fintech into a true support system.”

The “India-Nepal Fintech Summit 2025” was chaired by Amb Manjeev Singh Puri, Chair, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI & India’s Former Ambassador to Nepal and moderated by Atul K Thakur, Secretary, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI. Among others, it was addressed by: Md. Alam Ansari, Deputy Director (Startup India), Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India; Dr Jatinder Singh, Deputy Secretary General, PHDCCI; Anukool Bhatnagar, Adviser, India-Nepal Centre, PHDCCI & Former MD & CEO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd (NSBL); Jyoti Prakash Gadia, Co-Chair, BFSI Committee & Managing Director, Resurgent India Ltd; Diwas Sapkota, CEO, Fonepay; Pranaya Rajbhandari, CEO, FOCUSONE Payment Solutions (MOCO – Digital Wallet); Dr Binod Atreya, Managing Director, Banking, Finance and Insurance Institute of Nepal (BFIN); Dushyant Thakor, Deputy Executive Director, World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA); Dr Seema Sharma, Professor (Economics), Department of Management Studies, IIT Delhi; Dr Jayanthi Ranjan, Vice Chancellor, Sharda University (Agra); Dr Deepak Tandon, Senior Professor (Finance), Jaipuria School of Business; Shishir Sinha, Associate Editor, The Hindu Business Line; Shashvat Singh, Senior Fellow, India Foundation; Aniruddha Shanbhag, Director, Koan Advisory Group; Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, Bihar State Coordinator, Seema Jagran Manch; Atul Koirala, Board Member, BP Koirala India-Nepal Foundation & Techno-Entrepreneur; Bikas Rauniar, Executive Director, Interstate Multi Modal Transport (P) Ltd

India and Nepal have made significant strides in fintech collaboration, particularly through the integration of India's Unified Payments Interface (UPI) with Nepal's payment systems. This partnership aims to enhance cross-border digital transactions, promote financial inclusion, and strengthen economic ties between the two nations. In June 2023, the National Payments Corporation of India’s international arm (NIPL) and Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to integrate India's UPI with Nepal's National Payments Interface (NPI). This has eased the cross-border fund transfers and merchant payments between the two countries, however, recognising the challenges are important for broader fintech collaboration. Nepal lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework and a strong investor network to fully support fintech growth. Still, the nation has laid important groundwork that could enable fintech innovations to play a pivotal role in driving broader economic progress in the years ahead. Beyond digital payments, India and Nepal should explore collaborations in other fintech areas with focus on expertise and scale for payment innovations including Electronic Real-Time Payments, Investment Banking and Fintech Ecosystem Development.

The policy recommendations of the Summit shall support the ongoing efforts to make the payment systems between India and Nepal smooth and thus making the businesses and lives reaping their benefits for greater common good.

Russia has imposed restrictions on 15 European media outlets in response to EU sanctions on several Russian publications. The Russian Foreign Ministry said the move was a countermeasure to the EU’s 16th sanctions package introduced in February.

The ministry stated that the restrictions target media accused of spreading disinformation. It added that the decision may be reconsidered if the EU lifts its ban on Russian media, according to Xinhua.

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order lifting most sanctions on Syria, marking a significant shift in US policy following the ouster of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.

The order ends five previous executive sanctions and authorizes relaxed export controls and foreign aid to Syria. However, sanctions will remain in place against Assad, his associates, and entities linked to terrorism, human rights abuses, and chemical weapons, according to Xinhua.

The Treasury Department issued a general license allowing transactions with Syria’s interim government and state-owned enterprises. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been tasked with exploring sanctions relief at the UN and reviewing Syria’s terror designations.

The Trump administration said it will continue monitoring Syria’s progress on normalization with Israel and counterterrorism efforts, Xinhua reported.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba has called on the international community to support sustainable agricultural systems for Nepal and countries with similar topographies, as well as climate finance for the Himalayan region.

Addressing the 44th General Assembly of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) held in Rome on Monday, she urged for ensuring grant-based international climate finance for Nepal, particularly for the mountainous regions, which are suffering from the impacts of climate change.

"The mountainous region of Nepal and countries like Nepal are the most vulnerable due to the climate crisis. However, these areas have been neglected in climate finance and adaptation efforts. It is essential that all those concerned over this issue pay attention to it," Minister Rana said.

Stating that the agricultural sector is the backbone of the economy, she mentioned that agriculture contributes 23 percent to Nepal's gross domestic product and that nearly two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture.

She also made it clear that the role of agriculture is crucial in food security, nutrition, poverty alleviation, and rural development.

Minister Rana stated that the goal of creating a hunger-free world by 2030 is still unfulfilled and it is being challenged by pandemics, climate crises, economic instability, and geopolitical tensions.

She stated that sustainable and resilient mountain agriculture promotion is essential not only for our livelihoods but also important for the planet's biodiversity, food security, and the ecological balance of the Earth.

"We are seeking collaboration to expand farmers' access to early warning systems. In the context of increasing climate risks, we expect stronger collaboration with FAO for the promotion of sustainable mountain agriculture. Additionally, Nepal has expressed the expectation of sharing experiences and knowledge about successful practices to increase the participation and leadership of women and youth farmers," reiterated Minister Rana, expressing Nepal's desire to expand successful and innovative agriculture practices as the 'four better' approach.

It is high time we wondered why our natural eyesight is hard to maintain today. According to “A systematic review and meta-analysis in Nepal” published in Nepal Journal of Ophthalmology, 8.4 percent of children suffer from refractive errors, with myopia present in 7.1 percent. It’s alarming how many children are losing their ability to see clearly before they even reach adulthood. The issue is wide ranging, from children to the elderly, showing up as myopia, hypermetropia, presbyopia and other related conditions. According to WHO, at present at least 2.2bn people around the world have a vision impairment.

The school’s role in a healthy vision

Schools should conduct regular free eye checkups, treat any errors and make accommodations in the learning environment accordingly. Proper and stable lighting should be managed in the classroom avoiding glare and dim lights. Likewise, classroom boards should be placed at a healthy distance, comfortable and clear to see. Seating arrangements should be designed accordingly. Yellow pages textbooks and copies should be encouraged as they reflect less light and provide more eye comfort. Textbooks, even for higher grades should have a large font and a clear contrast which reduces eye strain. 

In New Zealand up to date policies and practices to manage health and safety risks around the use of digital devices for students and staff is required under the health and safety work act 2015. Nowadays, classrooms are equipped with smart screens and projectors. While they can be great learning resources they must not be the alternative to physical learning tools as they contribute to increased screen time. Nepal should be in line with New Zealand and create a certain daily time limit.

Schools should promote healthy habits among students which include eye exercise classes, regular breaks and outdoor time.

When screens become the babysitter

Screens today have become the babysitter. With busy schedules, parents find it easier to keep their child occupied with phones or tablets for hours than to engage or supervise them. Some may know its effect but they see it as the only choice. Even in other situations parents do not encourage non screen activities or limit screen time. Parents themselves remain frequently occupied in social media, setting a bad example. A study conducted in Pokhara published in the Journal of Nepal Health Research Council (2020), found that 48.6 percent of children aged five to nine had screen time exceeding two hours per day, the study highlighted parental behavior as a major contributing factor.

It is crucial to inform parents about the adverse effects of such a habit. Similarly, free community activities, classes and designated play space should be made available to engage in screen free alternatives. But it is also to be considered that even with parental discouragement; children remain glued to screens harming mental, physical and social well-being.

Countries such as China, Sweden and Singapore have already introduced legal rules limiting children’s screen time and device usage. In China, children under 18 are allowed only one hour of online gaming, and only on public holidays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Sweden and Singapore have age based screen time limits.  Nepal must also direct a clear law limiting non- educational and educational screen usage.

We, as a society must prioritize and protect our young generation. That is, the problem is not just limited to people of young ages but now rather a national health concern. Modern necessity and addiction is causing many to spend hours on the internet. Eye safety precautions are lowly maintained in risky jobs and it is treated as a mere problem. Eye problems in the elderly are often neglected and simply dismissed as a natural part of aging. There are various free awareness programmes and eye treatment being conducted in Nepal. Yet, many are unaware and awareness is not being effectively applied. Basic eye care and treatment are not reached in many places. There is still a lot more to be done in the sector of eye health and this is a call for action.

Uma Regmi

Grade X

Shree Bal Uddhar Secondary School

Budhanilkantha Municipality-10, Kapan, Kathmandu

Migration is the movement of people from one place to another. There are two types of migration: internal migration (within a country) and external migration (between countries). There are many causes of migration such as unemployment, climate change, lack of education, natural disasters, lack of health services, and water crisis.

Unemployment: Unemployment is a major cause of migration. People are having difficulty finding jobs. Because of unemployment, people are not getting money for food and clothes.

Lack of education: Lack of education is the major cause of migration. There are good facilities of education in every corner of Nepal. People are coming to Kathmandu from the village.

Lack of health services: Lack of health service is the major cause of migration. There are good facilities of health service in every corner of Nepal. There are no hospitals and health posts in many rural villages.

Climate change: Climate change is the major cause of migration. Due to climate change, there are many natural disasters like floods, landslides etc. So, people are losing their homes, so they migrate from one place to another place.

Natural disaster: Natural disaster is the major cause of migration. It is happening due to climate change. People are losing home due to food, landslides etc.

Water crisis: Water crisis is the major cause of migration. Many people are having difficulty drinking water. Due to climate change the earth is being dry day by day. But many people are wasting water.

There are many ways to solve the migration problem which I have described as follows.

Giving jobs to everyone:  The government should give jobs to everyone. It helps in the finance of our country. There are many benefits. They are reduced poverty and inequality, increased economic growth and improved social well-being.

Building more health posts in rural areas: The government should make more health posts in rural areas. It helps the health status of our country. There are many benefits. They are expand health post network, improve infrastructure and strength healthcare force.

Making industries out of resident areas: We should make factories out of residential areas because it will pollute the city badly. There are many benefits. They decrease noise pollution, save air from getting polluted in cities and decrease traffic.

Proper use of water: We should use water properly. And we should not waste water. Proper use of water is that we should not keep water in a bucket for a long time because it may lead to dengue, appropriate use of water and we should not overuse it.

Giving knowledge to people not to migrate: There are many people who migrate from one place to another place. We should tell them how much our country has lost due to migration.

Prabesh Bhattarai

Grade: VIII

Global Pathashala

Kaushaltar, Bhaktapur 

Our school has assigned a teacher in our school’s dining hall to make sure that nobody wastes food. He is often seen as very assertive about his command. Unless we offer a justifiable explanation for not finishing our meals, he sends us back to our table to clear our plates..

At first, I found this very unfair because he would force us to eat. But later a question came to my mind. Who forces us to take a specific amount of food? The answer justified what he was doing to be right. In fact, two things make us take in more food than we can manage to eat. First, our eyes are bigger than our stomachs. Second, we are thoughtless and irrational. If we had expressed our desire to partake a specific amount of food before the kitchen staff, they would certainly have cooperated and given us food accordingly. So, we are the fully responsible people for the wastage of food, aren't we? The wastage of food can be linked with our greedy and apathetic attitudes.

I have seen some people who consider themselves cool at leaving their plate unfinished at public gatherings. Instead, they should consider themselves losers and uncivilized. On the other hand, there are people at parties who pile as many food items on their plate and end up wasting it. It may be because of the greed for food.

So, in order to minimize the food wasting culture, we should start from the individual level by changing our attitudes first. There should also be a culture of shaming the person who shamelessly wastes food. Let us not consider him/her to be cool, shall we? 

Nitisha Basnet

Grade VII

Sanskar Pathshala, Dang

Despite a notable increase in rice production this fiscal year, Nepal continues to face a significant rice deficit, with over 1m metric tons still required to meet the country’s total demand. The government’s pledge of achieving self-reliance in rice is increasingly being challenged by the reality of soaring imports and regional disparities in cultivation.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, a total of 5.955m metric tons of rice were produced in the current fiscal year 2024/25, cultivated across 1.420m hectares of land. While the area under cultivation was 1.28 percent less than the previous year, overall production rose by 4.04 percent, marking the highest average productivity to date.

Nepal’s annual rice requirement stands at approximately 7m metric tons, leaving a gap of around 1m metric tons. This shortfall has led to a steep rise in rice imports. From July to May, the country imported paddy and rice worth over Rs 38.94bn, according to the Department of Customs.

These figures surface just as the government celebrates the 22nd National Rice Day on 29 June under the slogan “Intensification in Rice Crops: Food Security and Self-Reliance.” Critics argue the slogan contrasts sharply with the ground realities, as imports continue to undermine the self-sufficiency narrative.

Nepal imports rice from multiple countries, including the United States, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Italy, Britain, and Namibia.

To address this persistent gap, the government has introduced a targeted initiative for the next fiscal year 2025/26, aiming to scale up Chaite rice cultivation in 22 Tarai districts with a budget of Rs. 330m. The objective is to boost production by an additional 1.2m metric tons, increasing the Chaite rice cultivated area from 110,000 to 200,000 hectares.

Regional planting patterns show varying progress. In Koshi Province, paddy planting had reached 14.25 percent by the second week of Asad, slightly up from 13.71 percent in the same period last year. According to Sharan Kumar Pandey, secretary at the provincial agriculture ministry, 826,646 hectares are cultivable, with 39,387 hectares already planted.

In Karnali Province, paddy cultivation remains limited due to geographical and irrigation constraints. Only 9.52 percent of land is cultivable, and just 39,636 hectares are used for rice farming. Still, officials expect an improvement in yields due to timely rainfall this year.

The Sudurpaschim Province shows relatively strong progress, with 45 percent of rice planting completed by mid-Asad across 176,151 hectares. In contrast, Madhes Province, which contributes around 25 percent to national rice production, is lagging behind due to delayed monsoon rains, with only 10 percent of planting completed.

Gandaki Province also reported a dip in rice production. This year, 379,032 metric tons were harvested across 97,959 hectares, compared to 391,624 metric tons the previous year. Urbanization, especially in Kaski, has reduced both the area and productivity, causing an annual rice deficit of over 120,000 metric tons in the district.

As the government pushes for greater agricultural output and rice self-sufficiency, experts emphasize the need for better irrigation, subsidies, mechanization, and post-harvest infrastructure. Without substantial changes, Nepal’s dependency on rice imports is unlikely to end soon—raising questions about the effectiveness of current agricultural policies.