Take a quick look at some of the important news you may have missed from Wednesday’s paper.
Nepali currency is beautiful, but some say it’s time for a redesign
The first Nepali paper notes were issued by King Tribhuvan in 1945 and printed at India Security Press in Nashik, Maharashtra. They were called mohru, after mohar coins where two mohars equalled one mohru. These notes were rich in colour and embellished with birds, snakes and other animals, especially on the borders. In a violet-brown coloured five mohru note, a portrait of King Tribhuvan is positioned on the right in the obverse while the reverse has a jungle scene with a tiger surrounded by lush leaves, some even coming out of the frames—appearing alive and fresh—and paired with a font that resembles stone-carved Devanagari alphabets.
Can the government translate the hype around the Investment Summit to actual investments?
The summit this year, with the recently passed legislation to attract foreign investments, aims to double down on the same message in front of a much larger audience. According to the Nepal Investment Board, there will be delegates from around 50 countries compared to the participation of only 21 countries in the 2017 summit. Speaking to the Post earlier this month, Maha Prasad Adhikari, the CEO of Nepal Investment Board said, “Our pitch will be political stability, policy predictability and reforms. The state agencies will facilitate investors in an efficient and effective manner without bureaucratic hurdles and red-tapism.”
But some industry insiders say the preparations for the summit don’t show the government doing enough homework to implement the lessons learnt from the last summit.
How big—and widespread—is the Chand party? Depends who you ask.
Two weeks ago Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Developments Chandra Prakash Khanal, who was a deputy commander of the Maoists’ now disbanded People’s Liberation Army, told reporters in Surkhet that Chand’s group may have some weapons in its possession because the rebels had taken some arms from all the 18 camps under six divisions of the People’s Liberation Army.
But Khanal is not the only former Maoist leader to have said that Chand’s cadres have weapons with them.
Kathmandu airport runway restoration to begin Monday
Airport authorities moved to improve the runway due to extreme pressure following frequent cracks in the pavement that have raised safety concerns. For the last seven years, aircraft weighing more than 196 tonnes have been barred from Tribhuvan International Airport to prevent further damage to the runway. The old runway has been affecting smooth operation of aircraft due to repeated occurrences of cracks in the pavement.
The government didn’t do its homework before the investment summit: Ram Sharan Mahat
Are we talking about prosperity for the ruling elite or for all Nepalis? This government is only focused on increasing perks and privileges for those in power, from the president to the prime minister. Prosperity cannot be attained immediately. It takes time—time to raise the capability of state, expand economic opportunities, create business friendly atmosphere.
The real problem at the moment is the poor quality of governance. The civil service has been excessively politicised as appointments are being made based on party affiliations and personal connections. I don’t see this vision and quality in this government, which is harping on slogans and publicity with little substance.
27.12°C Kathmandu
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