Prez presents policies and programs

President Ramchandra Poudel on Tuesday presented the government's policies and programs for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the joint session of Federal Parliament, outlining ambitious plans like transforming Nepal into a global IT hub, putting Nepal’s own satellite into space and reintroducing the slogan of Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali, a vision of former Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli that harks back to his rule in 2018.

Some of the key takeaways from the policy document, on the basis of which the government plans to present its annual budget shortly, are as follows:

Focus on IT

The document has declared the next decade as the 'Information Technology Decade' so as to achieve socio-economic transformation and prosperity by taking information technology as the basis for digital transformation. 

Reading out the government’s year-long roadmap at the joint session, President Paudel outlined a vision to develop Nepal as a global information technology hub by promoting the development of  the IT industry as the major sector of employment and service export. 

The government has a ‘lofty’ plan of creating at least 5,000 jobs by running IT work stations in the Kathmandu Valley and each province. 

Creation of internet and data exchange platforms for maintaining inter-affiliation among electronic systems figures is part of the blueprint along with the expansion of broadband internet and high-capacity optical fiber network, and satellite-based internet services (in remote and rural areas). Development of an Information Technology Knowledge Park is also on the agenda and so is the development of a Data Center and standards for its operation. 

The policy aims to put institutional arrangements in place for enhancing the effectiveness of research, response and public awareness on cybersecurity-related works. Increasing the access of women, minorities and backward classes, regions and communities to information technology through expansion of digital literacy is also part of the plan. 

It envisages making IT systems in use in public bodies safer and more reliable through technical testing of hardware, software and network, among others. As per the plan, the government sector itself will develop systems and software to be used in government bodies, pledging to give preference to domestically-developed software.

Postal service 2.0 

Restructuring the postal service and making it fast, efficient and information technology-friendly, and linking it with e-commerce is very much on the agenda. What’s more, the government plans to arrange state-of-the-art, high-quality and competitive printing of excise stickers, postage stamps, driving licenses and passports.

Integrated services

In collaboration with local levels, the government plans to bring citizen service centers into operation so as to provide all public services under one roof.

Space is the limit

Encouragingly, the government’s vision has gone well beyond the gravitational pull as it seeks to accelerate efforts to put Nepal's own satellite into the orbit. 

Something for the media

In the larger scheme of things, there’s something for the mass media too as the document pledges policy, legal and structural reforms for professional development of the sector. As expected, regulating social media to make it “dignified and well-managed” is part of the plan along with the promotion of rural journalism in mother tongue. The plan also entails development and operation of Media Village in all provinces. In collaboration with Lumbini Province, it aims to begin preparatory work for the establishment of Krishnasen Media Village in Dang. The blueprint has pledged to encourage the merger of TV stations, FM stations and internet service providers. 

Powering the economy

In the finance-economy sector, the policy paper has pledged measures to address issues facing banks and financial institutions as well as microfinance, cooperative sectors and the capital market. 

It has assured of the facility of loan re-tabulation and restructuring for microfinance debtors by making suitable changes in the cooperative policy. 

The policy has pledged to encourage merger of savings and credit cooperatives and facilitate the integration of government-owned cooperatives. The plan is also to bring savings and credit cooperatives under the Cooperative and Poverty-related Management Information System. 

It further aims to pool in scattered small capital for implementing big projects apart from seeking the involvement of private investment companies for operation and management of closed industries such as the Gorakhkali Rubber Industry, Butwal Spinning Mills and Hetauda Garment Factory. A just, balanced and estimable revenue distribution system is also part of the big plan. 

Sharing of resources

The blueprint has pledged integrated laws for determining mobilization and sharing of natural resources, investment, and profit-sharing among three-level governments, as well as for resolving disputes among them. 

Attracting investment

Mobilization of innovative instruments of development finance with additional legal provisions for encouragement of private capital mobilization features in the document and so do legal and structural interventions to enhance and expand domestic and external investment atmosphere, along with attracting foreign loans and other mixed forms of investment. 

Commitment to further simplifying the approval process for domestic and foreign investment through an automated digital system is also on the government’s agenda. 

A thousand freeships

The document has pledged fellowship to 1,000 talented youths representing different sectors.

President Ramchandra Paudel said the government will provide fellowship to these youths, adding that the private sector will also be encouraged to provide such freeships. 

A volunteer program for the mobilization of youths and their capacity enhancement figures is part of the plan and so is the empowerment of youths through skills development, financial literacy and entrepreneurship development training. The idea is to turn them into key partners and torchbearers in all aspects of social life. 

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A short break

Earlier in the day, Nepali Congress, the main opposition party that had been obstructing the Parliament for long demanding the formation of a parliamentary panel to probe Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in a cooperative fraud, decided to allow President Paudel to present the government’s policies and programs. According to NC leaders, the party has decided to give continuity to parliamentary obstructions after the presentation of policies and programs.