Hult Prize at Shanker Dev Campus concludes
The Hult Prize at Shanker Dev Campus reached its culmination during an event hosted at the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB) venue. This collaborative effort with NTB underscored the symbiotic relationship between academia and the tourism sector in nurturing sustainable ventures.
The finale commenced with a welcoming address by Pooja Sharma, the Campus Director of the Hult Prize, setting the stage for a day filled with insightful discussions and groundbreaking ideas. The Chief Guest, Leela Mani Paudyal, Former Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, graced the audience with his perspectives on innovation and sustainable development.
A highlight of the event was the keynote speech by Karna Shakya, a prominent figure in tourism entrepreneurship in Nepal. Addressing the young minds present, he emphasized the significance of perseverance and vision in the entrepreneurial journey.
The panel discussion, titled “Sustainable Venture: Pioneering Change for a Better Tomorrow,” featured Bhawani Rana, Chairperson of Sneha Group and Former President of FNCCI; Mani Raj Lamichhane, Director of NTB; and Rajeev Thapa, Partner/Country Manager, Nepal-CDM Smith Inc. Their dialogue centered around the challenges and opportunities in creating sustainable ventures for a better future.
The core of the event was the pitching session, where the top five finalists, chosen from a competitive pool of 40 teams, presented their innovative ideas to a distinguished panel of judges. This panel comprised Vidushi Rana, Executive Director of Goldstar; Anal Raj Bhattarai, Director of Rastriya Banijya Bank; and Anand Bagaria, Managing Director of NIMBUS. The presentations showcased the creativity and entrepreneurial spirit of the students.
The competition concluded with Team Digo emerging as the victors, securing a prize of over Rs 600,000. Following closely, Team Triaikyam claimed the first runner-up position, earning nearly Rs 500,000, and Team SuperSquad secured the second runner-up position, winning more than Rs 400,000 in prizes. The total prize pool exceeded Rs 1.5m, encompassing both cash and in-kind contributions, highlighting the event’s commitment to supporting innovative ventures.
Ather launched in Pokhara
Pokhara: Ather scooter has been officially launched in Pokhara, with Autoways Pvt Ltd as the authorized dealer for Ather in the region. The Ather experience center is now operational at the Autoways Building in Nayabazar, Pokhara.
Vaidya Energy, a subsidiary of the Vaidya Organization, has started the sale of products from the renowned Indian electric scooter company, Ather Energy, in Nepal.
Autoways has been serving as a Toyota dealer in Pokhara for over two decades, reflecting a longstanding association with the Vaidya family, who are the primary dealers of Toyota in Nepal.
In addition to establishing the first dealer and service station in Pokhara, Autoways has already set up two charging stations. These stations are conveniently located at the Autoways Building Center and Lakeside area. The company plans to install two more charging stations in Pokhara in the near future.
Expressing enthusiasm about the collaboration, Suryansh Vaidya, CEO of Vaidya Energy, stated, “We are excited to partner with Autoways Pvt Ltd to introduce Ather Energy to Pokhara.”
KU concludes AIU North Zone VC meet
Kathmandu University concluded the AIU North Zone Vice Chancellors meet with the theme ‘Globalization and Internationalisation of Higher Education & The Bharat-Nepal Higher Education Summit’ held from Feb 15 to 17. The summit, hosted at the University campus in Kavre’s Dhulikhel, aimed to facilitate collaboration and knowledge exchange among universities from India and Nepal, further strengthening educational ties between the two nations. The event comprised three Technical Sessions focusing on topics such as ‘International Collaborations and Partnerships: Building Bridges for Higher Education,’ ‘Global Higher Education Policy and Regulation: Harmonizing Standards,’ and ‘Student Mobility and Diversity: Enhancing International Experience.’
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the Summit, emphasizing the need to reverse the significant outflow of money from countries like Nepal for higher education. He advocated for creating an environment conducive to youths seeking global opportunities and re-evaluating the internationalization of higher education.
Vice-chancellor of Amity University, Uttar Pradesh, Balvinder Shukla, attended the Summit and highlighted the increased significance of global higher education policy and regulations on an international scale, particularly with the introduction of the National Education Policy-2020.
During the meet, 100 Indian Universities showcased around 5,000 academic and vocational programs, innovations, and best practices. The faculty and students from India and Nepal had the opportunity to interact and discuss mutual research collaborations, faculty/student exchange, twinning programs, joint/dual degrees, etc., showcasing their innovations and best practices.
Vice-chancellors from various universities in Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia, and other European and African countries also participated in the meeting.
KU Vice-chancellor Bhola Thapa stressed the need for coordination, collaboration, and ongoing dialogue among governments, international organizations, institutions, and stakeholders to ensure the quality, accessibility, and relevance of global higher education policy and regulation.
Deliberations on Nepal’s foreign and security challenges
Kathmandu: Global Center for Climate and Security Governance (GCSG), a kathmandu-based think-tank organized a closed-door deliberations on Nepal’s foreign policy challenges in the changing Geopolitics. Minister for Foreign Affairs NP Saud and senior ex-officials from Nepal Police, Nepal Army, Armed Police force and representatives from the civil society were present in the program.
The program held under the title Nepal’s Geostrategic Position in Changing Global Policies intensively deliberated Nepal’s foreign and security challenges. At the opening of the program, Abhaya R Joshi, Executive Director of GCSG, shed light on the importance of the program.
He said Nepal faces a challenging time to conduct its foreign policy in the fast-changing geopolitical scenario. CPN-UML leader Deepak Prakash Bhatta made a presentation about the recent global and Nepal scenario. The GCSG is a global think-tank with offices in Kathmandu and Sydney, Australia. According to the organizer, the report of this close-door discussion will be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and other state mechanisms.
