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With the formation of the new cabinet of ministers, all eyes are now on how the Pushpa Kamal Dahal-led government will resurrect the economy and boost the morale of the private sector.  As soon as he takes office, the new Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel has to get into action.

As the economy grapples with multiple issues, Poudel has his task cut out. From increasing capital expenditure, improving revenue collection, and uplifting the morale of the private sector, Poudel, in his third stint as Finance Minister, has a lot to do to resurrect the recession-mired economy. The continued recovery of the country’s external sector is expected to give some breathing space to the new finance minister.

The latest macroeconomic report published by the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) shows the balance of payment (BOP), remittance inflow and forex reserves all have increased, offering some level of respite to the government. Nepal’s balance of payments (BOP) is at a surplus of Rs 20.03bn, and forex reserves have increased by 2.5 percent to Rs 1,246.27bn in mid-Nov 2022.

The current state of the forex reserve is sufficient to cover merchandise imports for 9.7 months, and merchandise and services imports for 8.4 months.  But, declining imports and the slowdown in economic activities have put the government’s budgetary position, primarily in revenue collection, in a shaky position. The government revenue has been declining drastically over the last couple of months. 

While the import restrictions on vehicles, expensive mobile sets, and foreign liquors, helped the country to avert the looming forex reserves crisis, the government is now facing another crisis as it struggles to collect the targeted revenue as current revenue collection is not sufficient even to meet growing recurrent expenditure.   The government has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the first five months.

According to the Financial Comptroller General Office (FCGO), the government’s revenue collection has a shortfall of Rs 138bn of the target during this period.  Poudel, who is known as a ‘facilitator’ for his successful involvement in many political and governmental dealings and a private sector-friendly leader, Poudel will have to first bring the relationship between the Ministry of Finance (MoF) and Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) to a ‘working level’.

The deterioration of the relationship between the ministry and the central bank during Janardan Sharma’s tenure has cost the economy dearly. Many observers and business community members say the lack of trust between two key institutions driving the economy is the main cause of the current economic mess.

Given that current NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari was appointed by the then UML-led government, it is expected that the finance minister-governor relations will be better during Poudel’s tenure. Economists and private sector representatives say economic revival should be the prime agenda of the new government.

Economist Keshav Acharya says the first thing the new Finance Minister has to do is to convene a meeting with the National Planning Commission and Nepal Rastra Bank to take stock of the economy, i.e., the government fiscal situation, and monetary situation. “As soon as he takes charge of the Finance Ministry, the new minister has to sit down with them (NPC and NRB) for a detailed and serious review of the state of the economy,” he said.

The interest rate of banks and financial institutions has doubled within a year due to a prolonged liquidity crunch. Despite raising the interest rates, banks are struggling to provide loans. On the other hand, the private sector is now reluctant to expand investments by borrowing money at higher interest rates. Poudel has to walk a tightrope of providing stability to the interest rate, as well as boosting the confidence of investors.

Amid the current private sector-government face-off, the most worrying aspect is the deep slowdown in business and production activities. Most types of business activities have slumped to levels never seen before. How the new government and new finance minister re energize the private sector will be the key to the country’s economic revival. 

The recent surveys carried out by the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Confederation of Nepalese Industry show that the capacity utilization of manufacturing industries has hit a new low, investment plans have been put on hold and overall market demand in the country has shrunk dramatically.  

The FNCCI survey shows industries producing construction materials like cement and iron, and steel are operating at 30 percent of their installed capacity. The sales of daily consumable goods have declined by 18 percent, while the electrical equipment transactions have decreased by 55 percent. The housing and real estate transactions dropped by 48 percent in the first four months of the current fiscal year, while the stock market transactions have declined by 40 percent during the review period, according to the federation.

Similarly, the CNI survey said that new investments have halted in almost all sectors with 70 percent of investors postponing their new investment plans due to rising interest rates, impact on cash flow, and a huge drop in market demand for goods and services. 

With the private sector continuing its protest against high-interest rates and working capital loan guidelines, the new Finance Minister, according to Acharya, should ask the NRB which are the issues that can be addressed and cannot be addressed.   

According to Acharya, the new finance minister should also intervene in the country’s development administration to make capital expenditure meaningful. “He should also hold a discussion with the NPC team on what are the issues that hold the government agencies to expedite the capital expenditure,” said Acharya adding that there is an urgent need to identify the legal, administrative and political factors that have been affecting capital expenditure. 

The new Finance Minister also has to sit down with the concerned ministries directly related to the economy such as Energy, Industry and Commerce, Physical Infrastructure, and Transport—to expedite capital expenditure as well as resolve the issues related to the private sector.   Given the continuous slide in revenue collection, Poudel has the challenge to arrest this slide and improve the revenue. Acharya says Poudel would do well if he implements the report of the Public Expenditure Review Commission.

“Given the state of revenue collection, the Finance Ministry must hold a serious review meeting to find the causes and way out,” said Acharya.  The private sector says the first and only priority of the government should be the economy. “Economic revival should be the only priority of the new government,” said Deepak Raj Joshi, Director General of CNI. 

I will consider suggestions of experts and stakeholders: Minister Poudel

The newly appointed Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Paudel on Monday said that the economy has reached the point of crisis. Paudel said he will work hard to bring the economy back on track. “The economy is on the brink of crisis, we have to work hard to bring it back to a safe place,” Paudel said after assuming office on Monday. “I will identify the problems and consider suggestions of experts and stakeholders to find a solution.”

President Bidya Devi Bhandari has appointed CPN (Maoist Center) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal the prime minister as per Article 76 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal.  The article states: In cases where no party has a clear majority in the House of Representatives pursuant to clause (1), the President shall appoint as the Prime Minister a member of the House of Representatives who is able to command a majority with the support of two or more parties representing the House of Representatives. 

With the latest appointment, Dahal has become prime minister for the third time backed by a strength of 169 lawmakers from the UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party and Janamat Party. President Bhandari will administer to him the oath of office and secrecy at 4 pm on Monday.     

Dahal became prime minister in 2008 after his party emerged as the largest party. However, he was forced to step down after then President Ram Baran Yadav overturned his decision of sacking Army Chief Rukmangud Katawal.

Second time, he became the prime minister of the government in 2016, backed by Nepali Congress. After the merger of UML and his party in 2018 and formation of a powerful government in 2018, Dahal had expected that Oli would hand over the government leadership after 2.5 years.

Over the past few years, Dahal has been consistently saying that as he hid some mistakes in his first and second tenures, he wants to lead the government to implement his roadmap of peace and development. This time, he had expected that Nepali Congress would support him to form a government but that did not happen. Along with UML, Rastriya Swatantra Party, Rastriya Prajatantra Party, Nagarik Unmukti Party and Janamat Party and Janata Samajbadi Party have supported Dahal. 

As of Thursday, there were just 15 active Covid-19 cases in Nepal. But three cases of the Omicron subvariant BF.7—a newly discovered variant—have been found in China and India. The Omicron variant BA.5, of which BF.7 is a sub-lineage, has the strongest ability to cause infection since it’s highly contagious, incubates quickly, and has the ability to infect even those who have received vaccinations.

International media reports that the extremely contagious Omicron strain, primarily BF.7, which is the major variant circulating in Beijing, is currently affecting other cities of China as well. The US, the UK, as well as European countries including Belgium, Germany, France, and Denmark have already reported the new variant. The BF.7, which is believed to be the reason behind the rise of Covid cases in China, is a mutation of the BA.4/5.

Except for China, practically everywhere else it evolved, the new variant has remained steady. No variant, apart from the Delta variant,  has been found to have a high mortality rate, despite the fact that several variants have some capacity to resist immunity acquired from previous infections or vaccinations.  A recent study indicated that BF.7 could infect even those who have received a third booster dose of the vaccine.

With the exception of China, no scientific investigation has found that it has raised hospitalization rates or overstretched the healthcare system. Dr Sher Bahadur Pun of Sukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, Kathmandu says Nepal needs to keep a close watch on how things progress in India. “There is no need to panic but we must remain vigilant,” he says. 

A press release by the Ministry of Health and Population said though the BF.7 variant hasn’t been seen in Nepal, many other variants have been found in samples collected from different places of the country in the past month. The ministry has urged the public to wear masks, maintain social distance, and wash hands properly. 

Nepal Army is making preparations to hold a military drill with the People's Liberation Army of China after a gap of two years. With China easing the covid restrictions, the two armies are finally set to hold the joint exercise, which they had been holding regularly since 2017.    

According to NA spokesperson Narayan Silwal, the army has started the necessary homework for the joint drill.   

“The date has not been decided yet, but we are eagerly waiting to start the joint exercise, which was stalled after 2020 due to China’s zero-covid policy. ” India and the US have already resumed joint military exercise with Nepal. In fact, a two-week long joint military exercise between the NA and the Indian Army is currently underway in Rupandehi.  

Nepal and India have been holding military drills for the past 13 years.  The military drill between the NA and US Army resumed from last year, and they have already held two joint exercises.  While China maintains that its covid policy was the reason why the PLA did not conduct any military drills with the NA, security analyst Binoj Basnyat says the pandemic might not be the only reason.

“This is part of Beijing’s strategy. In the last two years, China may have been analyzing how things work with Indian, American and Nepali militaries.” Nepal is important for China in regards to its security strategy.  “China was not going to pause the joint military drill with Nepal for long, since India and the US had already resumed theirs.”

Janamat Party led by CK Raut became a national party after winning six seats in the federal parliament in the Nov 20 election. Raut, who forayed into politics as a radical outsider with his free-Madhes campaign, has tempered his hardline opinion over the years. Now his party has joined mainstream politics and is in the position where it could join the would-be coalition government. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talks to Raut regarding his political journey and his party.  

You boycotted the 2017 polls and now you are leading a national party in the federal parliament. How has the experience been so far?

We should accept natural changes. At some point, the Nepali Congress also boycotted the elections. The Maoists said that they do not accept the parliamentary system, and now they are in the parliament. This happens in politics.  It was exciting to participate in the election for the first time. I am excited about how this opportunity will be, and how much success we will achieve. But I have always kept in mind that if we fail, the people will not trust us anymore, and we have to accept that. We have no excuse to be like other ordinary parties.

You started off as a free-Madhes campaigner, only to join mainstream politics to the surprise of many. Can we expect other surprises from you and your party?

People may be surprised because they think traditionally. I make important and quick decisions. I can go against what is going on in society and prevail for the better. I don't have big agendas and ambitions at least. I don’t even want to promise anything big. The reason we established this party is to advocate for common people and provide them employment. This country can be made better by creating job opportunities and controlling corruption. For these, I have made all the decisions. These are not surprises, but the need of the hour.

Is this the right time for your party to get involved in government or strengthen the party organization?

We are now a national party and with six MPs in the federal parliament, we are a decent political force. It is necessary to involve and engage the government to meet our demands. We will work to build the internal system of the party, and I'm sure that involvement in the government won’t hamper our party system.

The past governments have failed to honor the agreements reached in favor of Madhes. The people of Madhes don’t seem to be in favor of Madhes-based parties joining the government either. Do you think the government will address the demands of Madhes the agreements this time? 

The governments so far have not been sincere in implementing the agreements. The agreements made by the previous governments with other parties have not been implemented. So, we have been in regular talks with all the parties. We will take the side of the party that is willing to take ownership of our agendas. And I don’t think Madhesi people don’t want us to be in the government. The downfall of other Madhes-based parties was caused due to the path they took for power and personal benefits. Janamat Party is different and it has a clean background. 

How does Janamat Party distinguish itself from other Madhes-based parties?

Janamat Party is not a party that broke off from another party to gain power or opportunity. We have built this party from scratch. Janamat Party is run by the people who do not wish to earn a position of power or money. They joined politics to improve the standard of living of the people. It is a party of people who come from a struggling background. 

The Bagmati Cleaning Campaign, that kicked off on 19 May 2013, marks its 500th week this Saturday, Dec 10. The cleaning campaign that started from the Kathmandu Valley has now expanded across the country. Since the beginning of the campaign, every Saturday, the team has been collecting around 1.5 metric tons of garbage from different stretches of the Bagmati river bank.  In its 100th week, 150,000 people formed a human chain. Similarly, in the 200th week, they had organized a formal program and requested schools and government offices to join the campaign. Not only that, the team requested all the local levels across the country to be involved in cleaning the rivers in their respective areas. This time the campaigners haven’t planned any special program to mark the 500th week. Mala Kharel, one of the core team members of the project says, “Due to the recent conflict between Kathmandu Metropolitan City and the squatters living on the banks of Bagmati, we couldn’t plan a special program.” They will instead be planting trees and cleaning as usual. We have captured the two sides of the Bagmati river—the clean and dirty. Because of the campaign there are now a few gardens and parks along the banks. However, the river isn’t as clean as it could be. The campaigners say that unless the government makes plans to divert the sewage system elsewhere, and stops it from emptying into the rivers, no cleaning campaign will ever be enough. 

In Aug 2022, the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York, US, returned two archeological artifacts to Nepal: a 10th-century stone statue and a 13th-century wooden strut. These artifacts had arrived at the Met in the 90s.

The statue of Mahagauri of the 13th century was stolen in 1970 from Deopatan.

This is just one incident of lost and stolen historical, cultural and archeological heirlooms cropping up in personal and museum collections in different parts of the world. Rabindra Puri, Nepali conservationist, and his team are doing their best to return such pieces of Nepali art, history and culture. 

The statue of Dancing Ganesh of the 15th century was stolen in mid 1985 from Sanga.

Puri has started the project called ‘The Museum of Stolen Art’, which aims to preserve traditional arts, artifacts and monuments of Nepal by raising awareness about lost and stolen artifacts.

The statue of Female Divinity of the 18th century was stolen in early 1980 from Patan.

“As an initial step, we planned to display the replicas of 50 lost and stone sculptures. To date, we have already made 40 replicas,” he says.

The statue of Mahankal of the 17th century was stolen in 2009 from Inchotol, Bhaktapur.

These replicas are displayed at The Heritage Gallery in Toni Hagen House, Bhaktapur. These deities are not for sale, and will be taken to the Museum of Stolen Art in Panauti, Kavre, once the building is completed. 

The statue of Garudasana Vishnu of the 10th century was stolen in late 1970 from Hyumat Tol, Kathmandu.

All of these facsimiles were crafted under the leadership of a renowned stone artist Timir Nashan Ojha and his team of 11 Nepali and Indian sculptors.

The statue of Vishnu with Laxmi and Garuda of the 10th century was stolen in 1983 from Bhaktapur.

“The former US Ambassador to Nepal Randy Berry was very supportive in helping us bring back the statues,” Puri says. “I hope the newly appointed ambassador will continue to show us the similar level of support.”

The statue of Uma-Mahesvara of the 8th century was stolen in 1983 from Pashupatinath Temple.

The statue of Buddha Flanked by Bodhisattvas of the 9th century was stolen in late 1970 from Alkohiti, Patan.

Clint Folsom is the mayor of the Town of Superior in Colorado State of the United States. He was elected in November 2014 and re-elected in November 2018. In addition to serving as mayor, Clint is also the managing broker and owner of Folsom & Company Real Estate. He was recently in Nepal when Pratik Ghimire of ApEx caught up with him to talk about his time here.

What was your motive to visit Nepal?

I was especially here to visit Khadbari Municipality of Sankhuwasabha district as the Town of Superior and Khadbari had agreed to a sister-city relationship last year. With this, we will exchange many cultural and developmental activities between these cities. My town also hosted the delegation of Khadbari recently and hence I and my team are here.  

What did you learn from the visit?

We learned so much, from how the people live, what they do for a living and how to host the guests. They welcomed us beautifully with tika and flower garlands. I have never seen such a warm welcoming ritual. In the US, we don’t do that, as it is not part of our culture. I guess we too have to celebrate our visitors a little bit more in America. 

Could we see more of such sister-city collaborations?

Yes, there are possibilities. The other cities in America could enter into such agreements. As long as there are people in each community to form such an alliance, it could easily happen as a sister-city relationship is a relation between people to people, residence to residence, and the government to government. 

What difference do you see between the local governments of Nepal and America?

The most interesting difference was the mayor and the deputy here have their offices, assistants, drivers, and other facilities. It is a full-time job. But in the US, in most small and medium communities, there are no such facilities for the mayors. It is a voluntary job and you have to engage in other professional occupations for a living. When they visited us, one of the places I took them was in our board meeting room where we sit and there are sittings for the public too. The public can listen to our discussion and suggest to us what we should do. But in Nepal, the meeting was held in private. I was really happy to see that the Khadbari Municipality adopted that idea here and, during my visit, they showed it to me at first. It may look like a small thing but there must be the participation of the public in the functioning of local government because we exist for the people. 

Are there any suggestions for Nepali mayors?

I suggest they be transparent and listen to people. The people should feel that they are being heard by their representatives. Sometimes, not every idea could be implemented but you should convince the people.