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PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre in association with the Nepal SBI Bank Ltd (NSBL), Nepal-India Chamber of Commerce and Industry (NICCI), Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI) and the Startup Network (TSN) organized India-Nepal Economic Partnership Summit 2023 in Birgunj on Thursday to create a uniquely important platform for discussing a forward looking bilateral economic partnership agenda. The deliberations supported by the decision-makers were aimed at opening new avenues of business engagements and investments in the key sectors of economy besides giving a much-needed boost to the trade near the crucial India-Nepal border in Birgunj, an economic hub of Nepal. Some of the key points of the Summit were to create a platform through joint action for deeper economic engagement between India and Nepal (with focus on remittance, imports, exports and Balance of Payment (BoP) challenges in Nepal), to channelize investment from India to Nepal and other ways round, to re-establish the India-Nepal bilateral relations as the core strength of the sub-regional co-operation in South Asia, to create a sustained convergence of industry and government for thriving on the mutually beneficial India-Nepal bilateral relations in all crucial realms. Likewise, to bring-in to notice the hidden potential in the Border Area Development Program (with focus on connectivity) and paving the way for India’s major involvement in helping the infrastructural facelift of Nepal’s bordering districts in Bihar and making them the gateways of India-Nepal Trade Connection, to discuss and ideate for making Cluster-based Economic Zones across Nepal and to further relax the cross-border trade norms to secure and sustain the greater economic engagements. During the program, Sushil Bhatta, CEO, Investment Board Nepal, gave an outline of the recent investments from the major Indian entities like NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) and Dabur—and welcomed the Indian investments citing the advantages Nepal has a friendly destination and with progressive investment policies for projects, reads a statement issued by the PHDCCI India-Nepal Centre. Representing the Consulate General of India, Satish Pattapu, Consul (Economic Cooperation & Commerce), Consulate General of India, Birgunj, Nepal shared an overview of the main constituents of economic cooperation and challenges at policy level that need to be tackled. For further making the border trade movement smoother and more efficient, Shailendra Kumar, Consul (PCS) apprised about the steps being undertaken. Speaking at the same program, Dipak Kumar De, MD & CEO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd and Rizwan Alam, Deputy CEO & CFO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd gave a detailed account of NSBL’s initiatives for fostering the entrepreneurial ecosystem of Nepal and help in easing the slowdown in economy. NSBL’s MD and CEO assured the industry captains and startups for offering the best-in-class banking services for Nepal’s successful transition from a recessionary to a booming economy with focus on project finance and landing for removing liquidity crunch, reads the statement. NSBL, with a majority stake of State Bank of India (SBI), has been working for almost three decades in Nepal in the private sector, it has had created a niche for itself as a technology and innovation driven bank with a resolve to support Nepal’s businesses and people. Ajay Kumar Chaurasiya, lawmaker Kumar Agrawal, President of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industry Anukool Bhatnagar, Managing Partner, Comprehensive Financial Assets & Advisory Services LLP and former MD and CEO, Nepal SBI Bank Ltd Deepak Rauniar, founder CEO, Oorja World Sunil KC, Vice President of NICCI Kunal Kayal, Chairperson (Industry & Export Promotion Committee) of NICCI Abhishek Choudhary, President of NICCI Birgunj Chapter Ashok Temani, President (Madhesh Pradesh) of FNCCI Vijay Kant Karna, Executive Chairperson of Centre for Social Inclusion and Federalism Mahesh Kumar Agrawal, Bihar State Coordinator of Seema Jagran Manch Ashok Kumar Baidya and Chairman of Nepal-Bharat Sahyog Manch Chandra Kishore among others were present in program.  

The fake Bhutanese refugee scam has rocked the country. Police have arrested 15 individuals so far, including a former deputy prime minister, a former home minister, and a sitting government secretary, for their alleged involvement in a racket that swindled tens of millions of rupees from hundreds of Nepali people by promising them resettlement in the US as Bhutanese refugees. The police plan to charge-sheet them under organized crime, while many are demanding that they be charged with treason. The racket was involved in forging the name list of Bhutanese refugees awaiting resettlement prepared by a task force formed by the Home Ministry.

Here is a simple guide to understanding the scandal that has disgraced Nepal’s government institutions, politicians and bureaucrats. 

The beginning of Bhutanese refugee problem 

The Bhutanese refugee crisis began in the early 1990s when tens of thousands of Nepali-speaking Bhutanese people (Lhotshampas) were driven away by the Bhutanese government from their homeland. Discriminatory policies and human rights violations targeting the Lhotshampas were the main cause of their displacement. Between 1990 and 1993, more than 100,000 Bhutanese refugees walked through India and entered Nepal in search of asylum.

According to government records, a total of 116,357 Bhutanese refugees were registered in Nepal. To accommodate the refugees, temporary camps were set up in Beldangi, Goldhap, Khudunabari, Timai of Jhapa, and Pahtari in Morang. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the number of refugees was 113,428 as per the count conducted in 2006. This number increased by 1,099 in 2008, 1,800 in 2012, and 30 between 2015 and 2018, bringing the total number of refugees to 116,357.

Overview of Bhutanese Refugee camp in Beldangi II camp | Photo: Bhutaneserefugee.com

​​​​​​​Failed repatriation talks

Soon after the Bhutanese refugee crisis, Nepal and Bhutan set up a foreign minister level talks team to repatriate Lhotshampas. But there was no breakthrough. After the 15th Miniterail Joint Committee meeting held in 2003, there has not been any talks between the two countries.

In 2007, the United States, along with several other countries, initiated the third-country resettlement program to provide permanent homes for the displaced Bhutanese residing in Nepal. As a result, tens of thousands of refugees were resettled in various countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several European nations. Between 2006 and 2019, 113,307 refugees were resettled in these countries. According to the UNHCR record, 96,170 of them were resettled in the US, 7,070 in Australia, 6,839 in Canada, 1,096 in New Zealand, 875 in Denmark, 570 in Norway, 358 in the United Kingdom, and 329 in the Netherlands.

According to the UNHCR, 3,050 refugees are still in the camps. However, the government puts the number of refugees in camps at 6,577. Among them, 817 are not in camps and are not even coming to avail themselves of the facilities provided to refugees. In 2019, then foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had initiated the talks to settle the remaining refugees but there was not any progress. Since the beginning, Bhutan has dismissed any possibility of taking back its citizens from Nepal. 

Bhutanese refugee Devi Maya Thapa (second left) sits on a bench with her family at a refugee camp in Nepal. She is the 100,000th Bhutanese refugee to be resettled | Photo: UNHCR

Management of remaining refugees 

On 13 June 2019, the government of Nepal formed a task force under Joint Secretary Balkrishna Panthi to study whether the remaining refugees could be repatriated to Bhutan or resettled in foreign countries. One of the mandates of the task force was to collect applications from those refugees who were yet to be registered. The task force presented three suggestions for managing the remaining refugees in the camps: repatriation to Bhutan, resettlement in third countries, or integration in Nepal.

Although countries that previously welcomed Bhutanese refugees for resettlement and UN agencies are advocating for local integration, the task force states that it would not be an appropriate solution, given Nepal’s geopolitics and economic situation. The task force suggested that the government stop collecting applications for refugees, manage the refugees in the camps, dismantle the camps, and close the chapter on Bhutanese refugees for good. The UNHCR had already closed the third-country resettlement plan in 2016.

Both Nepal government and UN were mum on how to settle refugees who were denied to go for the third country. 

The scam 

Police believe that Keshav Dulal, who served as a personal secretary to Nepali Congress leader Sujata Koirala for a long time and was aware of the resettlement process of Bhutanese refugees, was the mastermind behind the scam. Dulal took the help of one Sanu Bhandari to put the plan into action. 

The duo managed to obtain the report of the Panthi-led task force, which the ministry had yet to make public, and allegedly added the names of hundreds of Nepali people to the list of refugees awaiting resettlement or registration. It is said they had collected Rs 1m to Rs5m from over 800 Nepali individuals who dreamt of settling in the US as Bhutanese refugees. The racket is also found to have collected biometrics from the people and issued them refugee identification cards. Police investigations have also revealed that the racket members used to drive around in Home Ministry’s vehicles to convince the people that the entire process was authorized by the government.

So far, Nepal Police has arrested 15 people in connection with the investigation.  They include former Deputy Prime Minister and Member of the House of Representatives Top Bahadur Rayamajhi, former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand, Secretary at the Office of the Vice-president Tek Narayan Pandey, former member of the House of Representatives Ang Tawa Sherpa, former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa’s security advisor Indrajit Rai, Khand’s personal secretary Narendra KC, Keshav Dulal, Sanu Bhandari, Sagar Rai, Sandesh Sharma, Tanka Kumar Gurung, Sandeep Rayamajhi, Ram Sharan KC, Govinda Chaudhary, and Chairperson of Nepal Haj Committee Shamsher Miya. 

Arrest warrants have also been issued against Pratik Thapa, son of former Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa, and Niraj Rai, son of Indrajit Rai. But both of them are reportedly on the run.  

President Ram Chandra Paudel is scheduled to address the joint meeting of the Federal Parliament to table the government's policy and programs for the upcoming fiscal year on Friday. The Federal Parliament Secretariat said that the President will address the meeting of the Federal Parliament at 4:00 this afternoon in the Federal Parliament Building, Naya Baneshwor. As per the constitutional provision, the President shall address either a meeting of any House or a joint sitting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament, and summon the MPs. This is the first address to the parliament after Paudel's election to the post of the President. The President shall address the first session after election to the House of Representatives and a joint sitting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament after the commencement of the first session of each year, the constitution states. In today's meeting, leaders of the political parties, chiefs and representatives of the constitutional bodies, high-ranking officials of the government and chiefs of diplomatic missions in Nepal will attend the meeting for observation. After the joint meeting, the separate meetings of the House of Representatives and National Assembly would take place. Likewise, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal would table the copies, read out by the President in the joint meeting of the Federal Parliament, of the policy and programs of the government in the separate meetings of the two Houses.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has reiterated that Nepal's foreign policy is conducted on the basis of Panchasheel or the five principles of peaceful co-existence. Replying to queries from lawmakers in the meeting of the House of Representatives today, he said Nepal's foreign policy would be advanced taking into consideration the national interest. Lawmaker Dilendra Prasad Badu had asked the PM how the government was planning to pursue Nepal's foreign policy. Similarly, Raghuji Panta had asked whether discussions would be held on the Nepal-India Treaty of 1950 and the protection of Nepal's border and territory during the PM's visit to India. In reply, PM Dahal said, "We will not give even an inch of our territory in the context of the border, nor do we want an inch of our neighbor’s territory. We will state this during the India trip. Nothing that affects Nepal's national interest and unity would be done." To a question by Deepak Giri as to when the Tarigaun airport in Dang would be upgraded, the Prime Minister said the government was serious regarding upgrading the airport and asserted that works would be initiated soon towards that end. Stating that corruption and misrule has been increasing in the country, Bidya Bhattarai asked what has the government been doing regarding corruption control and taking action against the alleged corruption scams related to the ex-Maoist combatants' camp, the Lalita Niwas and the fake Bhutanese refugee scandal. In reply, PM Dahal said, "The government will not spare the corruption and organized crime. The issue of the fake Bhutanese refugee scam has become the topic of Nepal's prestige. The government has adopted the policy of zero tolerance on corruption and the government is committed to it." On a question by Ramhari Khatiwada on post-earthquake reconstruction and the latest economic situation of the country, PM Dahal said that there has been a notable improvement in the remittance inflow and foreign currency reserve. He added that the public trust towards the state and government has increased due to the improved public service delivery. He also stated that the remaining installment of the amount earmarked for the earthquake victims would be distributed within the deadline. On the occasion, PM Dahal presented statistics on the progress made in education, health, literacy, economic development, agriculture, among other sectors following the establishment of republicanism in the country. Government has kept peace process in priority Likewise, in the course of the question-answer session, the Prime Minister said that the government has kept taking the peace process to conclusion in its priority and made it clear it would be completed as per the letter and spirit of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. "The remaining works of the peace process would be moved ahead with priority. The Bill related to Truth and Reconciliation and Enquiry on Enforced Disappeared Persons Commission is under study. I have been making efforts to forge broader political consensus on this topic," he added. Lawmaker Purna Bahadur Gharti Magar had asked the PM as to when the peace process and transitional justice would be concluded. The PM also reiterated that the government is ready to provide quality education in government schools and it has plans to provide employment to the youths within the country. There are several programs for enhancing the capacity of teachers as well. Lawmaker Ishwori Devi Neupane had asked about the government's plan of enhancing the quality of education in government schools and providing employment to youths within the country itself. Stating that all are aware about the overall economic development facing problems due to the setback on the economy, PM Dahal said programs creating employment opportunities were in the government's priority. He also said that the government has been working to cut back on unnecessary expenditure and strictly checking revenue leakage. The head of the government said there is a plan to encourage foreign direct investment and aiding the domestic industries for boosting Nepal's economy. Lawmaker Padam Giri had asked the PM about the government's plan regarding raising up the country's economy. To the question by Sishir Khanal as to when the Lal Commission's report would be made public, the PM said the report would be made public after the Supreme Court's order in this regard is settled. He maintained that there is also the international practice in which states are found not sharing such reports if they deem the issue is sensitive. He also refuted that the former disqualified Maoist combatants were being doled out money from the state coffers terming that as mere allegations. "An agreement was made in the CPA itself to keep the Maoist combatants in cantonment. If anyone files a case against me on this topic and I am convicted of any wrongdoing, I am ready to go to prison," the PM said, replying a question by Gyanendra Shahi, who asked about the authenticity of the 8460 'disqualified' Maoist combatants and the government's plan of providing Rs 200 thousand to each of them.