K And K: Offering Academic Excellence

Nov 30, -0001 0 3 minutes 17 seconds to read

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Economist’s V-Day Message

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Visual Edit Vol 4 Issue 7

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MAN’s Selection For The Year

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…

New Govt, Old Challenges

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…

Nepal Political Economic News In Brief (17 - 23 February 2014)

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Weekly Round Up (7 - 16 February 2014)

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ADB’s Additional $ 25 Mn Loan For Melamchi Tunnel

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Karan Singh In Kathmandu

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‘UML Won’t Join Govt Even If Given Home Ministry’

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Website For Foreign Investors

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Laxmi Group’s Organic Growth

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Nepal And The World News In Brief (17 - 27 February 2014)

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South Asian Airlines Projected To Add 18,000 New Aircraft By 2032

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Development Is Being Derailed By Ignoring Equality, Rights And Women’s Health: UN

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No Laughing Matter

The Sweet Rewards of Power

By Madan Lamsal

. . .
read more »

NEPSE

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			'title' => 'K And K: Offering Academic Excellence',
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			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet, Principal, K and K International College" src="/userfiles/images/lc(2).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
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				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Principal, K and K</div>
							<div>
								International College</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
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<div>
	K and K is the abbreviation derived from the name of the two colleges, which have earned their distinct names in two different educational sectors: Kantipur College of Business, Management and Humanities Studies (KCBMHS) and Knowledge and Wisdom Academy (KWA). Renowned academicians established KCBMHS in 1998 with a mission to create quality Nepali management professionals. While KWA was established in 2001 by equally renowned academicians to cater to the growing demand from parents and students for world class quality higher education.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K International College is an outcome of these two merged institutions. It was formally established in the year 2004 A.D and named K and K to represent both of the institution individually. However, the college has established its name distinctly in the field of education within a span of three years.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Located at the heart of the Kathmandu, New Baneshwor, the college commits to meet up to the level or standard of these two colleges, which have established their name in management education.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K offers HSEB affiliated +2 level courses, Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Social Work (BSW), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Arts (BA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Business Studies (BBS), and Master&rsquo;s programme in Rural Development with affiliation from Tribhuvan University (TU). Recently the college has introduced new programme: Master&rsquo;s in Gender Studies too.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Among these entire range of programme, K and K is the pioneer in BSW programme. The college adopted the programme in 2005, the very year TU introduced the course, and since then has been able to foster BSW graduates with best results and the ability to commit themselves social work field. The college is proud for its contribution in institutionalizing BSW course in Nepal and for establishing itself as one of the most vied upon institutions to study the course.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides courses prescribed by the University, the college provides needful computer courses to the students of all faculties. With that, students are also provided with the various extracurricular activities like workshops, seminars, educational tours, quiz contests and sports.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The college is spread over six ropanies of land with sufficient ground for sports, spacious library well-stocked with sufficient reference materials, hygenic and well maintained canteen, comfortable seminar hall, and class rooms with the best environment for academic excellence.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;We have always moved ahead by stepping on norms and ethics of social works&rdquo;, principal of college Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet said. &ldquo;We have provided top results in BSW till date,&rdquo; Basnet said adding that this year&rsquo;s gold medallist too is from K and K. Basnet shares that the K and K graduates have reached to higher level posts in big governmental and non-governmental organisations. &ldquo;Our programs are specially tailored to teach students for being responsible towards society and ensure that they posses skills that cater to market needs,&rdquo; he shares.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The success of the college lies in its strong, diverse and qualified faculty members, its students and its energetic management team. &ldquo;There is only one thing that we are concerned about: Quality Education,&rdquo; says Basnet.</div>',
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	A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine&rsquo;s Day:</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
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	&ldquo;Despite your decade of inflation, I still love you!&rdquo; <strong>&nbsp;-ML</strong></div>',
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	<span style="font-size: 16px;">The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector. Here in an interview with The Corporate&rsquo;s Eliza Tuladhar, MAN&rsquo;s newly elected president </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Dr Som Prasad Pudasaini</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"> who is also the chairman of King&rsquo;s College and </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Bina Basnet</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">, the founder principal of Orchid Garden Nepal who received the Women Manager Recognition award this year have talked about their experiences and their respective plans in the near future.&nbsp;</span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<strong><span style="font-size:18px;">&ldquo;I will do something different and productive&rdquo;</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Dr Som Pudasaini, President, MAN Chairman, King’s College" src="/userfiles/images/inter(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Dr Som Pudasaini</strong></div>
						<div>
							President, MAN</div>
						<div>
							Chairman, King&rsquo;s College</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As the new president of MAN, how do you plan to use your experience in fulfilling your responsibilities?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	I have a wide experience in both the national and international management sector. I have worked with the United Nations Population Fund as its country representative and UN advisor for Nepal. I am glad that our members have given due recognition to it by electing me as the association&rsquo;s new president. The association definitely has great expectation from me and so has the management sector from MAN. I will do something different and productive for the association.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What quite essential changes in MAN can pave way for the active participation of private sector?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN should be a think tank in the area of management for both government and non-government organisation. While establishing itself as a consultant to both of these sectors, it should be able to generate new ideas for resolving management issues faced by them. We are competent but we are not being able to provide consultancy services. Besides that it is important to improve the quality of trainings that the association provides. In the near future the association will provide trainings to national priority sectors such as hydropower, agriculture and tourism. Adding to it, we also have to improve the quality of our Executive MBA program by consulting evaluation experts from within the country.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Besides some private sectors actors who are still unaware of MAN&rsquo;s existence and objectives, even some private sector members of MAN are inactive. Why?&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It is not that the private sector is not interested in MAN or the association is not interested to members from the private sector but somehow the association and the private sector have not been able to work together. During my tenure we will meet representatives of the private sector, hold discussions with them for finding the exact problems hindering their participation and possible ways to resolve them. I am confident that such initiatives will help in increasing the participation of the private sector stakeholders in MAN.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As a common forum of professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines, MAN has tremendous role to play in developing management practices. Over the years of its operation how successful has MAN been in developing positive and performance oriented work culture in Nepal?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN has been here for almost three decade, it has over 2000 members of which some are life members and some are ordinary members. But only 40 per cent of the total members are actively participating in the association&rsquo;s activities. So what we have to do is take initiatives to increase the participation of majority of members, remove inactive members and provide membership to new members. MAN is well known for the award it gives and it will continue to make the selection process more rigorous and make the award more distinctive. Over the year the association has become successful to introduce new personalities and felicitate them for their work and the change they brought to the management sector. We have also introduced one more award this year to recognize and felicitate civil servant who made remarkable contribution in the public service sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What are the major training and research programme organized by the association?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Some of the key trainings that the association provides are on financial inventory, management skill, tax and VAT. Our trainings are sometimes tailored on the basis client&rsquo;s request. We have also dome some evaluation projects for local development department and municipalities. However we still lag behind when it comes to performing serious research and evaluation programmes. This remains another of our priorities in the days ahead.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>&ldquo;Recognition from the MAN has encouraged us&rdquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Bina Basnet Founder Principal Orchid Garden Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/inter1.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 210px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Bina Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Founder Principal</div>
							<div>
								Orchid Garden Nepal</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>How does it feel being recognized with the Women Manager Recognition Award 2013?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It feels great. The award recognized Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s contribution in securing good future for needy children. It has definitely encouraged me to rise much more above my present efforts and to work for a cause that will help to develop our society and create better environment to secure rights and needs of children that are deprived of it.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What inspired you to start a care centre for the needy children?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Seven years&rsquo; experience as a teacher in Balmandir, Naxal encouraged me to do something for the needy children and the parents who cannot afford quality education for their children. During my tenure there, I came across many parents and guardians who wanted to leave their children thereforever so that they could get good food and education, which was quite disheartening. As a response, on August 1, 2006, Orchid Garden Nepal was establishedto take care of such children, with support from various sources. There are many private day care centres, but rarely any of them are meant to accommodate children from low profile families. We have come across so many women from such families, mostly near construction sites and vegetable markets, who are unable to work or be employed in lack of someone to take care of their children. To address this issue we came up with the idea so as to build the future of their children at our care centre.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>You have been working in this sector for a long time. How tough it has been accommodate the children and gather support and funds to take care of them?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It has been almost nine years since we started the Orchid Garden Nepal at Kalopool and it was definitely not an easy task. We started with around 15 children and nowadays we are taking care of 180 children from early morning that is from eight in the morning to six in the evening. We do not have extended summer and winter vacations as our target group of children belong to a group of families that rarely can afford such holidays. We receive funds from various sources and volunteers have been always supporting Orchid Garden Nepal. Volunteers work here for maximum three months. Last year 122 volunteers supported us in catering to our objective.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Now that your work has received such recognition, do you have any plans to extend Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s to more such children and families?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Ofcourse, the recognition from the Management Association of Nepal has encouraged us and we are planning to open new centres in New Road and Kalimati area. This will require around Rs 4 million annual budget. We are trying to bring together these funds, as it will&nbsp;</div>',
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			'content' => '<div>
	The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year. The reason behind the UML&rsquo;s boycott is apparently the PM&rsquo;s refusal to give the party the home ministry. But the reason behind the UCPN (Maoist) voting against Koirala in the parliament is not clear yet; the party simply ignored its previous public statement to support a Koirala-led government.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	These two instances are just a symptom of the kind of challenges the new government faces on the political front; they signal how old problems of power game are very much likely to haunt the new government and thus affect the constitution drafting process. The political impact of UML&rsquo;s boycott is already seen &ndash; Koirala has not been able to expand his Cabinet even almost after a week of assuming office. Clearly, drafting the new constitution within the stipulated time is going to be an uphill task for the government led by Koirala who was elected the prime minister more than two months after the CA election.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The new constitution is possible only with the consensus and unity among all political parties. Forging such consensus is the biggest challenge that the new government faces. &nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Similarly, it is a validly-drawn conclusion that the new government faces a number of old challenges on the economic front as well. Long hours of load-shedding, a double-digit inflation, low capital expenditure, low foreign investment and high rate of unemployment are some of the chronic problems that the new government has inherited from its predecessor.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The problem of power outage has become chronic. It has taken a huge toll on the country&rsquo;s manufacturing sector. Almost all parties, including PM Koirala&rsquo;s Nepali Congress, have made commitments in their election manifestos to end the power crisis within the next five years. If this target has to be achieved, then the new government has no time to lose; it must start creating the right environment for foreign investment in hydropower right now.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides, a number of bills related with the country&rsquo;s business and economic sector have been pending at the parliament for a long time. Successive governments have failed to get them enacted through the parliament. Special Economic Zone Act, Electricity Act, Bank and Financial Institution Act etc are some of the bills pending at parliament. On the other hand, there are a number of crucial laws which have not been even tabled at the parliament. Some of them include the drafts of Industrial Enterprises Act, Labour Act, Anti-dumping Act, Company Act (amendment), and Foreign Trade Regulation Act, among over a dozen others. Similarly there are some policies such as Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Policy, Integrated Intellectual Property Policy which need the government&rsquo;s endorsement.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The private sector hopes the new government will act fast to implement these laws and policies at the earliest possible. Another major expectation of the private sector is the issue of peace and constitution should no more overshadow the agenda of economic development. The government should play the role of a facilitator to form common economic agenda of all the political parties. It means even if the parties differ on political issues, they should stand together on the economic issues. Similarly, the government has to do everything at its disposal to foster the environment for entrepreneurship in the country. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>',
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>New PM Assumes Office</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Sushil Koirala" src="/userfiles/images/np1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 115px; height: 127px;" />Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President&rsquo;s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day. Nepali Congress (NC) President Koirala was elected the prime minister by Parliament on February 10 after CPN-UML decided to support him in the prime ministerial voting. Koirala got 405 votes while 148 lawmakers, including those from the UCPN (Maoist), voted against him. After being sworn in, PM Koirala administered the oath of office and secrecy to NC leader Ram Saran Mahat who is yet to be assigned a ministerial portfolio. Meanwhile, the UML decided to boycott Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony and stay out of the government &ldquo;because the home ministry was not given to the party as agreed earlier.&rdquo; UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were, however, present in the swearing-in ceremony as former prime ministers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Regmi Resigns as CJ</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Khil Raj Regmi" src="/userfiles/images/np2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi resigned from the post of Chief Justice on February 11. In his valedictory address to the nation made on the same, Regmi said that he had already submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Baran Yadav. The bureaucratic government under Regmi formed in March last year was automatically dissolved with the election of NC President Sushil Koirala as the new prime minister. &ldquo;No law can stop me from returning to the judiciary, but I listened to my inner soul and decided to resign,&rdquo; Regmi said. Regmi also said he felt proud and satisfied to hand over the responsibility to an elected government. &ldquo;I will be at peace if the new constitution is drafted within a year,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;UML to join govt if consensus forged&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt=" Madhav Kumar Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/np3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former prime minister and senior leader of CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the party will not join the government without its respectable participation. Nepal added that the party will join the government if Nepali Congress forges consensus with understanding on the agreed points. Speaking at a press meet in Kaski on February 12, Nepal said no one should ignore deals that have been inked. However, Nepal clarified that the party will not create hindrances in the constitution drafting process despite being an opposition party. &ldquo;UML will move ahead prioritising constitution drafting,&rdquo; Nepal said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;New Statute in One Year Doubtful&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Pushpa Kamal Dahal" src="/userfiles/images/np4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed doubt over the promulgation of the new constitution within a year as committed by the major political parties. Speaking at a function organized to mark the 19th Anniversary of the &lsquo;People&rsquo;s War Day&rsquo; in the Capital on Thursday, Dahal said the possibility of promulgating the new constitution has been put into shadow mainly due to the ongoing dispute of two largest parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. Stating that NC and UML are fighting over one Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dahal doubted their commitment to promulgate the new statute in one year. On the occasion, he also underscored the need to form a front of pro-federalism political parties. &ldquo;Such a front has to be established inside the Constituent Assembly and outside, too,&rdquo; he said, adding that the revolutionary forces have to unite to establish the agenda of federalism.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President’s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day.',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2601',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Weekly Round Up (7 - 16 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Industrial Trade Fair Concludes</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers. The fair was jointly organised by the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry (FNCSI) and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). There were 312 stalls at the fair, including 125 stalls related to renewable energy, 32 stalls of women entrepreneurs, 12 stalls of sustainable energy, 25 stalls of micro industries and eight stalls showcasing leather products. Local products like green tea, organic coffee, honey and wine were largest selling items at the fair, the organizers said. Likewise, handicrafts and renewable and alternative energy products also attracted crowds, according t them.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>WB Grant for Pro-poor Project</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The World Bank has agreed to provide a grant assistance of USD 2.75 million (approximately NRs 274 million) for the implementation of the Pro-poor Urban Regeneration Pilot Project under the Japan Social Development Fund, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance. An agreement to this effect was signed on February 10. The objectives of the Project are to contribute to improving the living conditions of poor and vulnerable households in selected wards of the historic core of Lalitpur City by piloting urban regeneration activities; and demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated urban regeneration approach to decision-makers in the Kathmandu Valley. The project consists of four parts: (i) Participatory Action Plan for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration, (ii) Grant Facility for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration/Sub-grants; (iii) Community Awareness and Local Capacity Building for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration; and (iv) Project Management and Administration, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Dissemination. The Ministry of Urban Development will be implementing the project which will end in September 2017.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>&lsquo;Job creation critical for economic progress in Nepal&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The number of young people of working age in Nepal is currently increasing by 550,000 a year, and by 2020 it will climb to 633,000 a year, a new UNCTAD publication reports. The organization recommends that the new government should rethink its growth strategy to ensure that growth creates employment opportunities for the young people &ndash; who are currently largely under-employed, or trapped in vulnerable, low-paid jobs &ndash; to improve the growth prospects of the economy. The Least Developed Countries Report 2013, subtitled Growth with Employment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, urges that Nepal should put greater policy emphasis on employment generation as a central development objective. It cautions that otherwise, international migration or social and political instability may rise.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Asha Award: 40 Semifinalists Shortlisted</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Forty semifinalists have been selected for the second edition of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award. A total of 119 social entrepreneurs from 40 districts had applied for the award, according to a press release by Change Fusion Nepal, the organizer of the award. The semifinalists, who have made commendable contribution to social entrepreneurship, have been selected from 17 districts ranging from Panchthar to Dhankuta and Kailali to Bardiya. The semifinalists have contributed to social entrepreneurship through various sectors including health, agriculture, agro products, education, physical handicap, and human trafficking. The award will be given away on March 28 after a seven-member jury and a three-member advisory committee select the finalists from the 40 semifinalists. &nbsp; &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers.',
			'sortorder' => '2445',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2597',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'ADB’s Additional $ 25 Mn Loan For Melamchi Tunnel',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Once completed, Melamchi tunnel will be a lifeline for the people of the Kathmandu Valley. The tunnel will not only bring the people of Kathmandu more clean water, but also support other downstream water supply and wastewater projects in the Kathmandu Valley,&rdquo; said FeiYue, Director of the Urban Development and Water Division in ADB&rsquo;s South Asia Department.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB approved a restructured $137 million loan in February 2008 for the then $317 million MWSP but the completion of the project was delayed by political and economic uncertainties in Nepal, changes to the project design, and, most recently, the need to find a new contractor to complete the tunnel construction.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB&rsquo;s additional funds, along with an extra $13.1 million from the Government of Nepal, means the overall cost is now estimated at $355.4 million.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Under the project, CooperativaMuratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, an Italian construction firm, is contracted to complete the 27.5-kilometer Melamchi tunnel by the end of September 2016. The tunnel will take 170 million liters of water per day from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A water treatment plant, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is under construction in Sundarijal on the outskirts of Kathmandu that will treat the water brought through the Melamchi tunnel.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In addition, improvements to the Kathmandu Valley water transmission and distribution network are underway with an $80 million ADB loan, made in 2011, to take water from the treatment plant to households and reduce water lost to leakages. ADB approved another $80 million loan in April 2013 to expand and rehabilitate the sewerage network and build wastewater treatment plants to deal with more than 90 million liters of wastewater per day in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As part of the overall Melamchi project, ADB is also promoting reforms in Nepal&rsquo;s urban water sector including creating an independent water management board, setting up an independent commission to regulate water tariffs, and establishing an autonomous company for water and wastewater service delivery in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>',
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			'description' => 'The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2600',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Karan Singh In Kathmandu',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<img alt="Karan Singh" src="/userfiles/images/ks(1).jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; width: 100px; height: 114px;" />Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Singh, who is also a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, is the first high-level Indian leader to visit Nepal after the second Constituent Assembly election. In his meeting with PM Koirala, Singh is reported to have conveyed the messages of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and INC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.</div>',
			'published' => true,
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			'description' => 'Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.',
			'sortorder' => '2443',
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			'id' => '2599',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => '‘UML Won’t Join Govt Even If Given Home Ministry’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. &ldquo;The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,&rdquo; Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Poudel also said that his party&#39;s support to the NC-led government would depend on the government&#39;s performance. &quot;Our support will continue if the government does good work. If not, the support will be withdrawn,&quot; said he.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. “The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,” Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.',
			'sortorder' => '2442',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2598',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Website For Foreign Investors',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<div>
		With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).&nbsp;</div>
	<div>
		&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div>
	The website offers all the relevant information on Nepal&rsquo;s economic situation, and rules, regulations and laws related to investment in the country. According to Krishna Gyawali, secretary at the Ministry of Industry, the website is basically an investment guide to Nepal and is expected to help attract foreign investment.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;The website will help foreign investors to understand Nepal&rsquo;s overall situation,&rdquo; Gyawali said, &ldquo;It is expected to increase the flow of foreign investment to Nepal.&rdquo;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to Dhruva Lal Rajbanshi, director general of the DoI, foreign investors willing to invest in Nepal can get all relevant information on Nepal from their home countries through the website. &ldquo;We hope that the website will be instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Nepal,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	UNCTAD, which has already prepared such websites for other least developed countries had started preparing the website for Nepal from the last year. A similar website has already been launched in countries like Rwanda. &nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2592',
			'article_category_id' => '122',
			'title' => 'Laxmi Group’s Organic Growth',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By Gaurav Aryal</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director, Laxmi Group" src="/userfiles/images/sp1%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Anjan Shrestha</strong></div>
						<div>
							<em>Executive Director, Laxmi Group</em></div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	Laxmi Group&rsquo;s initial capital was Rs 100 invested in a hand-operated-machine to produce candies. Two brothers of the Shrestha family from Pokhara were government employees before they decided to change their career path and start-up a business of their own. One of them, Ajad Shrestha, had pondered on moving to Terai while the other brother decided not to leave Pokhara. During one of their visits to Butwal to explore new possibilities they came across a person who suggested them a business idea.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As suggested the two brothers established a confectionary factory in Pokhara that produced toffees and candies with a hand-operated-machine. Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director of Laxmi Group shares that the move then was driven by a necessity for a different career. Initial products of the venture were sold under the name of Muga Mithai and Laxmi Sweets.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Having their business based in Pokhara, neighbouring towns and areas like Damauli and Syangja were emerging as a market for confectioneries. Shrestha brothers did not restrict themselves from exploring prospects that surrounded them. To cater to the growing demand, the company automated the confectionary production by installing automatic machine in 1976. With the increased production capacity, the company also decided to penetrate into the nation&rsquo;s capital, Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the move was largely successful and the taste of success gave confidence to his father and uncle to diversify their business portfolio.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Broadening the Horizon</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The confectionary industry where the family had some experience and gained expertise over the years was further expanded in the first phase. Shrestha says that four factories were established in different places. &ldquo;We had very little capital. So, we started each factory with small investment and gradually moved up the ladder,&rdquo; he recalls. All those factories were consolidated under the Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd in the mid 1990s.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Sujal Foods changed the dynamism of the Nepali confectionary industry,&rdquo; says Shrestha. Chocofun wafer produced by the company was that remarkable product that changed the market. He adds that the true value for money offered by the company to its customers helped the company gain its presence in the market. &ldquo;We have adhered to the principle of giving value for the money since we started out business. We believe consumers must get what they pay for,&rdquo; believes Shrestha. The confectionary business of the group has around 60 per cent market share of the total confectionary market of Nepal, according to Shrestha.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Moreover, it was not only the success that inspired the growth of the group. The economic sanction imposed by the government of India in Nepal in 1989 created a shortage of packaging materials and wrappers for the company. Shrestha recalls that the existing stock of packaging materials was enough only for two months. So, the company was forced to close down for a while. Eventually, a decision was made to establish packaging material factory. This factory now produces wrappers, polythene-shopping bags, PET bottles, jars among others.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dairy Acquisition</strong></span></div>
<div>
	According to Shrestha, by 2004, the company had gained momentum in confectionary manufacturing. This new status of the company further encouraged diversifying the portfolio. The company acquired the Pokhara unit of Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), after a long haul of ten years in the privatisation. The family had an internal understanding that they will never venture into tobacco and alcohol production business. So, dairy was an appropriate industry for the group. When the company was eventually privatised in 2004, the group did not only have a new company in its portfolio but also a number of challenges.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	One of the biggest challenges was to keep the sales high even after rebranding the DDC into Safal. &ldquo;Changing the DDC brand that was on top of the mind of consumers into Safal was challenging,&rdquo; recalls Shrestha. As a rebranding campaign, one week prior to the launching of Safal brand, the company used shopping bags with Safal name printed on it. The company had mobilised a sales team one week before the company was handed over. Shrestha says that such move helped in creating the curiosity andtransforming the brand. He claims that sales of Safal milk equalled the sales of DDC within a week. At present, the Safal milk has over 60 per cent market share in Pokhara and five per cent in Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the company will increase the market presence in Kathmandu to 20 per cent within a year. It was launched in Kathmandu, last year.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Looking at the excess milk production during the flush season and practice of milk holiday, the company decided to establish a powdered milk factory. Shrestha says that the factory was established feeling that it is their responsibility to address the problem of dairy farmers whose milk is wasted during milk holiday. However, immediately after the factory was established the company realised that the problem of milk holiday was not in existence to the extent it was expected to be. So, he says that the factory is currently operating below its installed capacity.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In the trading business, the group came up with the distributorship of Hyundai Motors for Nepal in 2009. Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd is expanding its distributor network across the country with an aim to offer uniform service from any sales point across the country. Showrooms with such look and feel are being set-up in Banepa, Birtamode, Biratnagar, Narayangarh, Butwal and Dhangadhi.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Tourism Diversification</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is now willing to venture into the tourism and agro industry. The group had submitted a proposal to the government in 2011 to develop a cable car line from Basundhara Park to Shanti Stupa in Pokhara. The group had plans to consolidate the project along with amusement park and a resort. However, the project is not being developed due to a pending litigation at the court. Shrestha expects that this project would increase tourist flow and hence revenue collection in Pokhara. He hopes that that the case will soon be sorted out and project will be started.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The group has plans to establish hotels in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Shrestha reveals that these projects may begin services in 2016 as the group is presently conceptualising these projects. He explains that this is the sector in which Nepal has originality and competitive edgewhile forwarding it&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	as motivating factor for their groups involvement into the sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Management Transformation</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is not only expanding its business portfolio but also bringing changes in its management structure. The group, as of now is being managed as a family owned business. But, it is planning to hand over the responsibility of leading the group to professional managers. Presently, the members of Shrestha family are looking after various companies according to their expertise and experience in the respective fields. To expedite the transformation, the group is hiring managers, empowering and mentoring them. Shrestha expects that in three to four years, the leadership will be handed over to professional managers and the investors of the group will remain only in monitoring and supervision positions.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="center" width="100">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Launching of Hyundai Grand i10" src="/userfiles/images/sp2%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 550px; height: 217px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#DDDDDD">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<strong>Launching of Hyundai Grand i10</strong></div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="99%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#E5E4E2">
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Some Companies of Laxmi Group</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Confectionary Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Dairy Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Plastics Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Packaging Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd, automobile trader under the Laxmi Group has been importing and selling Hyundai vehicles in Nepal since February 2009. The company is not only selling vehicles but is also dedicated to provide after sales service to its customers. In order to achieve this aim, it has opened showrooms and service centres across Nepal. These showrooms promise to offer customers an improved service in terms of quality, space and ambience. Similarly, to capitalise the growing automobile market outside the Kathmandu valley, the company has established sub dealers at various locations such as Banepa, Pokhara, Narayangarh, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, Birgunj, Damak, Birtamode etc.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd is the flagship subsidiary of Laxmi Group. This company with over five brands in different product categories holds around 60 per cent market share from its entire portfolio. &nbsp;It produces cocoa based confectioneries, strip gums, toffees, lollypops and bubble gums.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					The company also has been exporting some of its products to India and China since 2006.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Major Brands of Sujal Foods</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Chocofun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Smart Lollypop</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Love Birds<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Eclairs</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Funstix Toffee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Gum</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Bubble Fun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Crave</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Candyman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Rasilo</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lactofun Premium Malt</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Fresho Menthalyptus</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>CSR</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi Group has been undertaking various Corporate Social Responsibilities in various occasions. Mostly on the occasion of its anniversary, it provides financial and other support for social causes. However, most of the CSR activities are concentrated in Pokhara. The group has been supporting drinking water projects, schools and hospitals. In the group&rsquo;s last anniversary, it built a waiting unit for visitors. Similarly, Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd has plans to launch extensive CSR activities within a year under the brand name of Hyundai.&nbsp;</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-17',
			'modified' => '2014-02-25',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Laxmi Group started its commercial journey four decades ago in Pokhara when it was just a rustic village. The Group grew leaps and bounds to be positioned among the prominent business houses of Nepal.',
			'sortorder' => '2440',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2596',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Nepal And The World News In Brief (17 - 27 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Europe Sees First Annual Growth Since 2011</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Led by a return to growth in France and Italy and stronger performance in key economies such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, Europe&rsquo;s economy grew on an annual basis for the first time in two years, as a recovery picked up pace slightly in the last three months of 2013. Eurozone GDP rose by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, compared with the third quarter, and by 0.5% over the same period of 2012, according to figures released Friday by Eurostat.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Gold Races Above $1,300</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Gold hit three-month highs on Friday and looked set to post its biggest weekly gain in six months as more weak US data raised fears about economic growth, hurting the dollar. Spot gold rose to its highest since Nov. 8 at $1,312.40 earlier in the session, and was up 0.8 per cent to $1,311.90 an ounce. It is up around four percent for the week - the largest such gain since mid-August.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Comcast Buys Time Warner Cable for $45 bn</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Comcast, the world&rsquo;s largest mass media and communication company said Thursday it had agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion in a deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States. If the deal is approved, the combined group will be the country&rsquo;s dominant provider of television channels and Internet connections, reaching roughly one in three American homes.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Lenovo Sales Hit Record High&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world&rsquo;s biggest smartphone market. The Chinese company said net income grew by 30% to $265.3 million in the final three months of the year. The results put Lenovo on solid footing as it branches out from its core PC business and enters the smartphone business in a big way.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Mark Zuckerberg Biggest US 2013 Philanthropist</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Mark Zuckerberg and his wife,Priscilla Chan, were the most generous American philanthropists in 2013, with a donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock valued at more than $970 million to a Silicon Valley nonprofit. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported Monday that Zuckerberg&rsquo;s donation was the largest charitable gift on the public record in 2013 and put the young couple at the top of the magazine&rsquo;s list of 50 most generous Americans in 2013.&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world’s biggest smartphone market.',
			'sortorder' => '2439',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2595',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'South Asian Airlines Projected To Add 18,000 New Aircraft By 2032',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said. &ldquo;Asia Pacific economies and passenger traffic continue to exhibit strong growth,&rdquo; Tinseth told reporters ahead of the opening of the Singapore Airshow from tomorrow.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Comparatively, airlines in China were expected to add 5,500 new planes and those in Southeast Asia 3,000. Overall, Boeing has forecast USD 1.9 trillion investment on 12,820 new aircraft over the 20-year period in Asia Pacific, representing 36 per cent of the world&rsquo;s new airplane deliveries. &ldquo;Over the next 20 years, nearly half of the world&rsquo;s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from or within the region. The Asia Pacific fleet will nearly triple &ndash; from 5,090 airplanes in 2012 to 14,750 in 2032 &ndash; to support the increased demand,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Boeing&rsquo;s data projects that passenger airlines in the region would rely primarily on single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and the 737 MAX, a new-engine variant of the market-leading 737, to connect passengers. Single-aisle airplanes would represent 69 per cent of the new airplanes in the region. &ldquo;New low-cost carriers and demand for intra-Asia travel have fuelled the substantial increase in single-aisle airplanes,&rdquo; said Tinseth. &ldquo;Fuel-efficient airplanes like the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX help the growing number of low-cost carriers operate more efficiently and provide affordable fares to the emerging middle class,&rdquo; he added.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	For long-haul traffic, Boeing forecast twin-aisle planes such as the 747-8 Intercontinental, 777 and the 787 Dreamliner will account for 28 per cent of new airplane deliveries. Boeing&rsquo;s recently launched 787-10 and 777X will also support the demand for fuel-efficient twin-aisle airplanes in the region. Singapore Airlines has already ordered 30 787-10s helping launch the programme at the 2013 Paris Air Show and Cathay Pacific recently ordered 21 777-9X airplanes, he said.</div>',
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			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said.',
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			'id' => '2594',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Development Is Being Derailed By Ignoring Equality, Rights And Women’s Health: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the &#39;United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report&#39; argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations. The report published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says many of the estimated 1 billion people living in the 50-60 poorest countries will stagnate as the rest of the world gets richer, and the growing inequality threatens economic development. It, however, notes that the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen dramatically from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Accordingly, it says richer countries have made advances toward equality for women and provided greater access to sexual and reproductive health care over the past two decades but the poorest countries have made little progress.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to the report, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and more women have access to education, work and political participation today in rich countries. But it says the poorest communities have seen little progress in improving women&#39;s status or reducing maternal deaths and child marriages.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&quot;Research suggests a significant positive correlation between female education, healthier families, and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth. The entry of women into Eastern and Southern Asia&rsquo;s export manufacturing sector, among other factors, has been a key driver of economic growth and contributed to a shift in the concentration of global wealth from West to East,&quot; it says. The report notes that gains in girls&rsquo; educational attainment is contributing to both Asia&rsquo;s and Latin America&rsquo;s success in knowledge-based economy.</div>',
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			'description' => 'A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the 'United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report' argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations.',
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			'id' => '2608',
			'article_category_id' => '151',
			'title' => 'K And K: Offering Academic Excellence',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet, Principal, K and K International College" src="/userfiles/images/lc(2).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
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			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Principal, K and K</div>
							<div>
								International College</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	K and K is the abbreviation derived from the name of the two colleges, which have earned their distinct names in two different educational sectors: Kantipur College of Business, Management and Humanities Studies (KCBMHS) and Knowledge and Wisdom Academy (KWA). Renowned academicians established KCBMHS in 1998 with a mission to create quality Nepali management professionals. While KWA was established in 2001 by equally renowned academicians to cater to the growing demand from parents and students for world class quality higher education.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K International College is an outcome of these two merged institutions. It was formally established in the year 2004 A.D and named K and K to represent both of the institution individually. However, the college has established its name distinctly in the field of education within a span of three years.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Located at the heart of the Kathmandu, New Baneshwor, the college commits to meet up to the level or standard of these two colleges, which have established their name in management education.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K offers HSEB affiliated +2 level courses, Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Social Work (BSW), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Arts (BA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Business Studies (BBS), and Master&rsquo;s programme in Rural Development with affiliation from Tribhuvan University (TU). Recently the college has introduced new programme: Master&rsquo;s in Gender Studies too.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Among these entire range of programme, K and K is the pioneer in BSW programme. The college adopted the programme in 2005, the very year TU introduced the course, and since then has been able to foster BSW graduates with best results and the ability to commit themselves social work field. The college is proud for its contribution in institutionalizing BSW course in Nepal and for establishing itself as one of the most vied upon institutions to study the course.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides courses prescribed by the University, the college provides needful computer courses to the students of all faculties. With that, students are also provided with the various extracurricular activities like workshops, seminars, educational tours, quiz contests and sports.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The college is spread over six ropanies of land with sufficient ground for sports, spacious library well-stocked with sufficient reference materials, hygenic and well maintained canteen, comfortable seminar hall, and class rooms with the best environment for academic excellence.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;We have always moved ahead by stepping on norms and ethics of social works&rdquo;, principal of college Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet said. &ldquo;We have provided top results in BSW till date,&rdquo; Basnet said adding that this year&rsquo;s gold medallist too is from K and K. Basnet shares that the K and K graduates have reached to higher level posts in big governmental and non-governmental organisations. &ldquo;Our programs are specially tailored to teach students for being responsible towards society and ensure that they posses skills that cater to market needs,&rdquo; he shares.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The success of the college lies in its strong, diverse and qualified faculty members, its students and its energetic management team. &ldquo;There is only one thing that we are concerned about: Quality Education,&rdquo; says Basnet.</div>',
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			'id' => '2605',
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			'title' => 'Economist’s V-Day Message',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine&rsquo;s Day:</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Despite your decade of inflation, I still love you!&rdquo; <strong>&nbsp;-ML</strong></div>',
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			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'description' => 'A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine’s Day:',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2606',
			'article_category_id' => '146',
			'title' => 'Visual Edit Vol 4 Issue 7',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
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			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'description' => 'Visual Edit',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2593',
			'article_category_id' => '134',
			'title' => 'MAN’s Selection For The Year',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size: 16px;">The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector. Here in an interview with The Corporate&rsquo;s Eliza Tuladhar, MAN&rsquo;s newly elected president </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Dr Som Prasad Pudasaini</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"> who is also the chairman of King&rsquo;s College and </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Bina Basnet</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">, the founder principal of Orchid Garden Nepal who received the Women Manager Recognition award this year have talked about their experiences and their respective plans in the near future.&nbsp;</span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<strong><span style="font-size:18px;">&ldquo;I will do something different and productive&rdquo;</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Dr Som Pudasaini, President, MAN Chairman, King’s College" src="/userfiles/images/inter(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Dr Som Pudasaini</strong></div>
						<div>
							President, MAN</div>
						<div>
							Chairman, King&rsquo;s College</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As the new president of MAN, how do you plan to use your experience in fulfilling your responsibilities?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	I have a wide experience in both the national and international management sector. I have worked with the United Nations Population Fund as its country representative and UN advisor for Nepal. I am glad that our members have given due recognition to it by electing me as the association&rsquo;s new president. The association definitely has great expectation from me and so has the management sector from MAN. I will do something different and productive for the association.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What quite essential changes in MAN can pave way for the active participation of private sector?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN should be a think tank in the area of management for both government and non-government organisation. While establishing itself as a consultant to both of these sectors, it should be able to generate new ideas for resolving management issues faced by them. We are competent but we are not being able to provide consultancy services. Besides that it is important to improve the quality of trainings that the association provides. In the near future the association will provide trainings to national priority sectors such as hydropower, agriculture and tourism. Adding to it, we also have to improve the quality of our Executive MBA program by consulting evaluation experts from within the country.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Besides some private sectors actors who are still unaware of MAN&rsquo;s existence and objectives, even some private sector members of MAN are inactive. Why?&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It is not that the private sector is not interested in MAN or the association is not interested to members from the private sector but somehow the association and the private sector have not been able to work together. During my tenure we will meet representatives of the private sector, hold discussions with them for finding the exact problems hindering their participation and possible ways to resolve them. I am confident that such initiatives will help in increasing the participation of the private sector stakeholders in MAN.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As a common forum of professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines, MAN has tremendous role to play in developing management practices. Over the years of its operation how successful has MAN been in developing positive and performance oriented work culture in Nepal?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN has been here for almost three decade, it has over 2000 members of which some are life members and some are ordinary members. But only 40 per cent of the total members are actively participating in the association&rsquo;s activities. So what we have to do is take initiatives to increase the participation of majority of members, remove inactive members and provide membership to new members. MAN is well known for the award it gives and it will continue to make the selection process more rigorous and make the award more distinctive. Over the year the association has become successful to introduce new personalities and felicitate them for their work and the change they brought to the management sector. We have also introduced one more award this year to recognize and felicitate civil servant who made remarkable contribution in the public service sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What are the major training and research programme organized by the association?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Some of the key trainings that the association provides are on financial inventory, management skill, tax and VAT. Our trainings are sometimes tailored on the basis client&rsquo;s request. We have also dome some evaluation projects for local development department and municipalities. However we still lag behind when it comes to performing serious research and evaluation programmes. This remains another of our priorities in the days ahead.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>&ldquo;Recognition from the MAN has encouraged us&rdquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Bina Basnet Founder Principal Orchid Garden Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/inter1.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 210px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Bina Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Founder Principal</div>
							<div>
								Orchid Garden Nepal</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>How does it feel being recognized with the Women Manager Recognition Award 2013?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It feels great. The award recognized Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s contribution in securing good future for needy children. It has definitely encouraged me to rise much more above my present efforts and to work for a cause that will help to develop our society and create better environment to secure rights and needs of children that are deprived of it.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What inspired you to start a care centre for the needy children?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Seven years&rsquo; experience as a teacher in Balmandir, Naxal encouraged me to do something for the needy children and the parents who cannot afford quality education for their children. During my tenure there, I came across many parents and guardians who wanted to leave their children thereforever so that they could get good food and education, which was quite disheartening. As a response, on August 1, 2006, Orchid Garden Nepal was establishedto take care of such children, with support from various sources. There are many private day care centres, but rarely any of them are meant to accommodate children from low profile families. We have come across so many women from such families, mostly near construction sites and vegetable markets, who are unable to work or be employed in lack of someone to take care of their children. To address this issue we came up with the idea so as to build the future of their children at our care centre.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>You have been working in this sector for a long time. How tough it has been accommodate the children and gather support and funds to take care of them?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It has been almost nine years since we started the Orchid Garden Nepal at Kalopool and it was definitely not an easy task. We started with around 15 children and nowadays we are taking care of 180 children from early morning that is from eight in the morning to six in the evening. We do not have extended summer and winter vacations as our target group of children belong to a group of families that rarely can afford such holidays. We receive funds from various sources and volunteers have been always supporting Orchid Garden Nepal. Volunteers work here for maximum three months. Last year 122 volunteers supported us in catering to our objective.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Now that your work has received such recognition, do you have any plans to extend Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s to more such children and families?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Ofcourse, the recognition from the Management Association of Nepal has encouraged us and we are planning to open new centres in New Road and Kalimati area. This will require around Rs 4 million annual budget. We are trying to bring together these funds, as it will&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2603',
			'article_category_id' => '144',
			'title' => 'New Govt, Old Challenges',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year. The reason behind the UML&rsquo;s boycott is apparently the PM&rsquo;s refusal to give the party the home ministry. But the reason behind the UCPN (Maoist) voting against Koirala in the parliament is not clear yet; the party simply ignored its previous public statement to support a Koirala-led government.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	These two instances are just a symptom of the kind of challenges the new government faces on the political front; they signal how old problems of power game are very much likely to haunt the new government and thus affect the constitution drafting process. The political impact of UML&rsquo;s boycott is already seen &ndash; Koirala has not been able to expand his Cabinet even almost after a week of assuming office. Clearly, drafting the new constitution within the stipulated time is going to be an uphill task for the government led by Koirala who was elected the prime minister more than two months after the CA election.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The new constitution is possible only with the consensus and unity among all political parties. Forging such consensus is the biggest challenge that the new government faces. &nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Similarly, it is a validly-drawn conclusion that the new government faces a number of old challenges on the economic front as well. Long hours of load-shedding, a double-digit inflation, low capital expenditure, low foreign investment and high rate of unemployment are some of the chronic problems that the new government has inherited from its predecessor.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The problem of power outage has become chronic. It has taken a huge toll on the country&rsquo;s manufacturing sector. Almost all parties, including PM Koirala&rsquo;s Nepali Congress, have made commitments in their election manifestos to end the power crisis within the next five years. If this target has to be achieved, then the new government has no time to lose; it must start creating the right environment for foreign investment in hydropower right now.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides, a number of bills related with the country&rsquo;s business and economic sector have been pending at the parliament for a long time. Successive governments have failed to get them enacted through the parliament. Special Economic Zone Act, Electricity Act, Bank and Financial Institution Act etc are some of the bills pending at parliament. On the other hand, there are a number of crucial laws which have not been even tabled at the parliament. Some of them include the drafts of Industrial Enterprises Act, Labour Act, Anti-dumping Act, Company Act (amendment), and Foreign Trade Regulation Act, among over a dozen others. Similarly there are some policies such as Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Policy, Integrated Intellectual Property Policy which need the government&rsquo;s endorsement.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The private sector hopes the new government will act fast to implement these laws and policies at the earliest possible. Another major expectation of the private sector is the issue of peace and constitution should no more overshadow the agenda of economic development. The government should play the role of a facilitator to form common economic agenda of all the political parties. It means even if the parties differ on political issues, they should stand together on the economic issues. Similarly, the government has to do everything at its disposal to foster the environment for entrepreneurship in the country. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2602',
			'article_category_id' => '141',
			'title' => 'Nepal Political Economic News In Brief (17 - 23 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>New PM Assumes Office</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Sushil Koirala" src="/userfiles/images/np1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 115px; height: 127px;" />Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President&rsquo;s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day. Nepali Congress (NC) President Koirala was elected the prime minister by Parliament on February 10 after CPN-UML decided to support him in the prime ministerial voting. Koirala got 405 votes while 148 lawmakers, including those from the UCPN (Maoist), voted against him. After being sworn in, PM Koirala administered the oath of office and secrecy to NC leader Ram Saran Mahat who is yet to be assigned a ministerial portfolio. Meanwhile, the UML decided to boycott Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony and stay out of the government &ldquo;because the home ministry was not given to the party as agreed earlier.&rdquo; UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were, however, present in the swearing-in ceremony as former prime ministers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Regmi Resigns as CJ</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Khil Raj Regmi" src="/userfiles/images/np2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi resigned from the post of Chief Justice on February 11. In his valedictory address to the nation made on the same, Regmi said that he had already submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Baran Yadav. The bureaucratic government under Regmi formed in March last year was automatically dissolved with the election of NC President Sushil Koirala as the new prime minister. &ldquo;No law can stop me from returning to the judiciary, but I listened to my inner soul and decided to resign,&rdquo; Regmi said. Regmi also said he felt proud and satisfied to hand over the responsibility to an elected government. &ldquo;I will be at peace if the new constitution is drafted within a year,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;UML to join govt if consensus forged&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt=" Madhav Kumar Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/np3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former prime minister and senior leader of CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the party will not join the government without its respectable participation. Nepal added that the party will join the government if Nepali Congress forges consensus with understanding on the agreed points. Speaking at a press meet in Kaski on February 12, Nepal said no one should ignore deals that have been inked. However, Nepal clarified that the party will not create hindrances in the constitution drafting process despite being an opposition party. &ldquo;UML will move ahead prioritising constitution drafting,&rdquo; Nepal said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;New Statute in One Year Doubtful&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Pushpa Kamal Dahal" src="/userfiles/images/np4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed doubt over the promulgation of the new constitution within a year as committed by the major political parties. Speaking at a function organized to mark the 19th Anniversary of the &lsquo;People&rsquo;s War Day&rsquo; in the Capital on Thursday, Dahal said the possibility of promulgating the new constitution has been put into shadow mainly due to the ongoing dispute of two largest parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. Stating that NC and UML are fighting over one Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dahal doubted their commitment to promulgate the new statute in one year. On the occasion, he also underscored the need to form a front of pro-federalism political parties. &ldquo;Such a front has to be established inside the Constituent Assembly and outside, too,&rdquo; he said, adding that the revolutionary forces have to unite to establish the agenda of federalism.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President’s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2601',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Weekly Round Up (7 - 16 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Industrial Trade Fair Concludes</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers. The fair was jointly organised by the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry (FNCSI) and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). There were 312 stalls at the fair, including 125 stalls related to renewable energy, 32 stalls of women entrepreneurs, 12 stalls of sustainable energy, 25 stalls of micro industries and eight stalls showcasing leather products. Local products like green tea, organic coffee, honey and wine were largest selling items at the fair, the organizers said. Likewise, handicrafts and renewable and alternative energy products also attracted crowds, according t them.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>WB Grant for Pro-poor Project</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The World Bank has agreed to provide a grant assistance of USD 2.75 million (approximately NRs 274 million) for the implementation of the Pro-poor Urban Regeneration Pilot Project under the Japan Social Development Fund, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance. An agreement to this effect was signed on February 10. The objectives of the Project are to contribute to improving the living conditions of poor and vulnerable households in selected wards of the historic core of Lalitpur City by piloting urban regeneration activities; and demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated urban regeneration approach to decision-makers in the Kathmandu Valley. The project consists of four parts: (i) Participatory Action Plan for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration, (ii) Grant Facility for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration/Sub-grants; (iii) Community Awareness and Local Capacity Building for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration; and (iv) Project Management and Administration, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Dissemination. The Ministry of Urban Development will be implementing the project which will end in September 2017.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>&lsquo;Job creation critical for economic progress in Nepal&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The number of young people of working age in Nepal is currently increasing by 550,000 a year, and by 2020 it will climb to 633,000 a year, a new UNCTAD publication reports. The organization recommends that the new government should rethink its growth strategy to ensure that growth creates employment opportunities for the young people &ndash; who are currently largely under-employed, or trapped in vulnerable, low-paid jobs &ndash; to improve the growth prospects of the economy. The Least Developed Countries Report 2013, subtitled Growth with Employment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, urges that Nepal should put greater policy emphasis on employment generation as a central development objective. It cautions that otherwise, international migration or social and political instability may rise.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Asha Award: 40 Semifinalists Shortlisted</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Forty semifinalists have been selected for the second edition of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award. A total of 119 social entrepreneurs from 40 districts had applied for the award, according to a press release by Change Fusion Nepal, the organizer of the award. The semifinalists, who have made commendable contribution to social entrepreneurship, have been selected from 17 districts ranging from Panchthar to Dhankuta and Kailali to Bardiya. The semifinalists have contributed to social entrepreneurship through various sectors including health, agriculture, agro products, education, physical handicap, and human trafficking. The award will be given away on March 28 after a seven-member jury and a three-member advisory committee select the finalists from the 40 semifinalists. &nbsp; &nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers.',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2597',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'ADB’s Additional $ 25 Mn Loan For Melamchi Tunnel',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Once completed, Melamchi tunnel will be a lifeline for the people of the Kathmandu Valley. The tunnel will not only bring the people of Kathmandu more clean water, but also support other downstream water supply and wastewater projects in the Kathmandu Valley,&rdquo; said FeiYue, Director of the Urban Development and Water Division in ADB&rsquo;s South Asia Department.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB approved a restructured $137 million loan in February 2008 for the then $317 million MWSP but the completion of the project was delayed by political and economic uncertainties in Nepal, changes to the project design, and, most recently, the need to find a new contractor to complete the tunnel construction.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB&rsquo;s additional funds, along with an extra $13.1 million from the Government of Nepal, means the overall cost is now estimated at $355.4 million.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Under the project, CooperativaMuratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, an Italian construction firm, is contracted to complete the 27.5-kilometer Melamchi tunnel by the end of September 2016. The tunnel will take 170 million liters of water per day from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A water treatment plant, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is under construction in Sundarijal on the outskirts of Kathmandu that will treat the water brought through the Melamchi tunnel.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In addition, improvements to the Kathmandu Valley water transmission and distribution network are underway with an $80 million ADB loan, made in 2011, to take water from the treatment plant to households and reduce water lost to leakages. ADB approved another $80 million loan in April 2013 to expand and rehabilitate the sewerage network and build wastewater treatment plants to deal with more than 90 million liters of wastewater per day in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As part of the overall Melamchi project, ADB is also promoting reforms in Nepal&rsquo;s urban water sector including creating an independent water management board, setting up an independent commission to regulate water tariffs, and establishing an autonomous company for water and wastewater service delivery in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).',
			'sortorder' => '2444',
			'image' => null,
			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
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	),
	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2600',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Karan Singh In Kathmandu',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<img alt="Karan Singh" src="/userfiles/images/ks(1).jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; width: 100px; height: 114px;" />Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Singh, who is also a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, is the first high-level Indian leader to visit Nepal after the second Constituent Assembly election. In his meeting with PM Koirala, Singh is reported to have conveyed the messages of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and INC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.',
			'sortorder' => '2443',
			'image' => null,
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2599',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => '‘UML Won’t Join Govt Even If Given Home Ministry’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. &ldquo;The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,&rdquo; Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Poudel also said that his party&#39;s support to the NC-led government would depend on the government&#39;s performance. &quot;Our support will continue if the government does good work. If not, the support will be withdrawn,&quot; said he.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. “The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,” Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.',
			'sortorder' => '2442',
			'image' => null,
			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
			'homepage' => false,
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	),
	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2598',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Website For Foreign Investors',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<div>
		With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).&nbsp;</div>
	<div>
		&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div>
	The website offers all the relevant information on Nepal&rsquo;s economic situation, and rules, regulations and laws related to investment in the country. According to Krishna Gyawali, secretary at the Ministry of Industry, the website is basically an investment guide to Nepal and is expected to help attract foreign investment.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;The website will help foreign investors to understand Nepal&rsquo;s overall situation,&rdquo; Gyawali said, &ldquo;It is expected to increase the flow of foreign investment to Nepal.&rdquo;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to Dhruva Lal Rajbanshi, director general of the DoI, foreign investors willing to invest in Nepal can get all relevant information on Nepal from their home countries through the website. &ldquo;We hope that the website will be instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Nepal,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	UNCTAD, which has already prepared such websites for other least developed countries had started preparing the website for Nepal from the last year. A similar website has already been launched in countries like Rwanda. &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).',
			'sortorder' => '2441',
			'image' => null,
			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
			'homepage' => false,
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			'user_id' => '0'
		)
	),
	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2592',
			'article_category_id' => '122',
			'title' => 'Laxmi Group’s Organic Growth',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By Gaurav Aryal</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director, Laxmi Group" src="/userfiles/images/sp1%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Anjan Shrestha</strong></div>
						<div>
							<em>Executive Director, Laxmi Group</em></div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	Laxmi Group&rsquo;s initial capital was Rs 100 invested in a hand-operated-machine to produce candies. Two brothers of the Shrestha family from Pokhara were government employees before they decided to change their career path and start-up a business of their own. One of them, Ajad Shrestha, had pondered on moving to Terai while the other brother decided not to leave Pokhara. During one of their visits to Butwal to explore new possibilities they came across a person who suggested them a business idea.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As suggested the two brothers established a confectionary factory in Pokhara that produced toffees and candies with a hand-operated-machine. Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director of Laxmi Group shares that the move then was driven by a necessity for a different career. Initial products of the venture were sold under the name of Muga Mithai and Laxmi Sweets.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Having their business based in Pokhara, neighbouring towns and areas like Damauli and Syangja were emerging as a market for confectioneries. Shrestha brothers did not restrict themselves from exploring prospects that surrounded them. To cater to the growing demand, the company automated the confectionary production by installing automatic machine in 1976. With the increased production capacity, the company also decided to penetrate into the nation&rsquo;s capital, Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the move was largely successful and the taste of success gave confidence to his father and uncle to diversify their business portfolio.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Broadening the Horizon</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The confectionary industry where the family had some experience and gained expertise over the years was further expanded in the first phase. Shrestha says that four factories were established in different places. &ldquo;We had very little capital. So, we started each factory with small investment and gradually moved up the ladder,&rdquo; he recalls. All those factories were consolidated under the Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd in the mid 1990s.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Sujal Foods changed the dynamism of the Nepali confectionary industry,&rdquo; says Shrestha. Chocofun wafer produced by the company was that remarkable product that changed the market. He adds that the true value for money offered by the company to its customers helped the company gain its presence in the market. &ldquo;We have adhered to the principle of giving value for the money since we started out business. We believe consumers must get what they pay for,&rdquo; believes Shrestha. The confectionary business of the group has around 60 per cent market share of the total confectionary market of Nepal, according to Shrestha.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Moreover, it was not only the success that inspired the growth of the group. The economic sanction imposed by the government of India in Nepal in 1989 created a shortage of packaging materials and wrappers for the company. Shrestha recalls that the existing stock of packaging materials was enough only for two months. So, the company was forced to close down for a while. Eventually, a decision was made to establish packaging material factory. This factory now produces wrappers, polythene-shopping bags, PET bottles, jars among others.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dairy Acquisition</strong></span></div>
<div>
	According to Shrestha, by 2004, the company had gained momentum in confectionary manufacturing. This new status of the company further encouraged diversifying the portfolio. The company acquired the Pokhara unit of Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), after a long haul of ten years in the privatisation. The family had an internal understanding that they will never venture into tobacco and alcohol production business. So, dairy was an appropriate industry for the group. When the company was eventually privatised in 2004, the group did not only have a new company in its portfolio but also a number of challenges.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	One of the biggest challenges was to keep the sales high even after rebranding the DDC into Safal. &ldquo;Changing the DDC brand that was on top of the mind of consumers into Safal was challenging,&rdquo; recalls Shrestha. As a rebranding campaign, one week prior to the launching of Safal brand, the company used shopping bags with Safal name printed on it. The company had mobilised a sales team one week before the company was handed over. Shrestha says that such move helped in creating the curiosity andtransforming the brand. He claims that sales of Safal milk equalled the sales of DDC within a week. At present, the Safal milk has over 60 per cent market share in Pokhara and five per cent in Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the company will increase the market presence in Kathmandu to 20 per cent within a year. It was launched in Kathmandu, last year.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Looking at the excess milk production during the flush season and practice of milk holiday, the company decided to establish a powdered milk factory. Shrestha says that the factory was established feeling that it is their responsibility to address the problem of dairy farmers whose milk is wasted during milk holiday. However, immediately after the factory was established the company realised that the problem of milk holiday was not in existence to the extent it was expected to be. So, he says that the factory is currently operating below its installed capacity.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In the trading business, the group came up with the distributorship of Hyundai Motors for Nepal in 2009. Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd is expanding its distributor network across the country with an aim to offer uniform service from any sales point across the country. Showrooms with such look and feel are being set-up in Banepa, Birtamode, Biratnagar, Narayangarh, Butwal and Dhangadhi.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Tourism Diversification</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is now willing to venture into the tourism and agro industry. The group had submitted a proposal to the government in 2011 to develop a cable car line from Basundhara Park to Shanti Stupa in Pokhara. The group had plans to consolidate the project along with amusement park and a resort. However, the project is not being developed due to a pending litigation at the court. Shrestha expects that this project would increase tourist flow and hence revenue collection in Pokhara. He hopes that that the case will soon be sorted out and project will be started.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The group has plans to establish hotels in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Shrestha reveals that these projects may begin services in 2016 as the group is presently conceptualising these projects. He explains that this is the sector in which Nepal has originality and competitive edgewhile forwarding it&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	as motivating factor for their groups involvement into the sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Management Transformation</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is not only expanding its business portfolio but also bringing changes in its management structure. The group, as of now is being managed as a family owned business. But, it is planning to hand over the responsibility of leading the group to professional managers. Presently, the members of Shrestha family are looking after various companies according to their expertise and experience in the respective fields. To expedite the transformation, the group is hiring managers, empowering and mentoring them. Shrestha expects that in three to four years, the leadership will be handed over to professional managers and the investors of the group will remain only in monitoring and supervision positions.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="center" width="100">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Launching of Hyundai Grand i10" src="/userfiles/images/sp2%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 550px; height: 217px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#DDDDDD">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<strong>Launching of Hyundai Grand i10</strong></div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="99%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#E5E4E2">
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Some Companies of Laxmi Group</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Confectionary Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Dairy Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Plastics Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Packaging Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd, automobile trader under the Laxmi Group has been importing and selling Hyundai vehicles in Nepal since February 2009. The company is not only selling vehicles but is also dedicated to provide after sales service to its customers. In order to achieve this aim, it has opened showrooms and service centres across Nepal. These showrooms promise to offer customers an improved service in terms of quality, space and ambience. Similarly, to capitalise the growing automobile market outside the Kathmandu valley, the company has established sub dealers at various locations such as Banepa, Pokhara, Narayangarh, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, Birgunj, Damak, Birtamode etc.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd is the flagship subsidiary of Laxmi Group. This company with over five brands in different product categories holds around 60 per cent market share from its entire portfolio. &nbsp;It produces cocoa based confectioneries, strip gums, toffees, lollypops and bubble gums.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					The company also has been exporting some of its products to India and China since 2006.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Major Brands of Sujal Foods</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Chocofun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Smart Lollypop</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Love Birds<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Eclairs</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Funstix Toffee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Gum</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Bubble Fun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Crave</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Candyman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Rasilo</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lactofun Premium Malt</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Fresho Menthalyptus</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>CSR</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi Group has been undertaking various Corporate Social Responsibilities in various occasions. Mostly on the occasion of its anniversary, it provides financial and other support for social causes. However, most of the CSR activities are concentrated in Pokhara. The group has been supporting drinking water projects, schools and hospitals. In the group&rsquo;s last anniversary, it built a waiting unit for visitors. Similarly, Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd has plans to launch extensive CSR activities within a year under the brand name of Hyundai.&nbsp;</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-17',
			'modified' => '2014-02-25',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Laxmi Group started its commercial journey four decades ago in Pokhara when it was just a rustic village. The Group grew leaps and bounds to be positioned among the prominent business houses of Nepal.',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2596',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Nepal And The World News In Brief (17 - 27 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Europe Sees First Annual Growth Since 2011</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Led by a return to growth in France and Italy and stronger performance in key economies such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, Europe&rsquo;s economy grew on an annual basis for the first time in two years, as a recovery picked up pace slightly in the last three months of 2013. Eurozone GDP rose by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, compared with the third quarter, and by 0.5% over the same period of 2012, according to figures released Friday by Eurostat.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Gold Races Above $1,300</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Gold hit three-month highs on Friday and looked set to post its biggest weekly gain in six months as more weak US data raised fears about economic growth, hurting the dollar. Spot gold rose to its highest since Nov. 8 at $1,312.40 earlier in the session, and was up 0.8 per cent to $1,311.90 an ounce. It is up around four percent for the week - the largest such gain since mid-August.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Comcast Buys Time Warner Cable for $45 bn</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Comcast, the world&rsquo;s largest mass media and communication company said Thursday it had agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion in a deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States. If the deal is approved, the combined group will be the country&rsquo;s dominant provider of television channels and Internet connections, reaching roughly one in three American homes.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Lenovo Sales Hit Record High&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world&rsquo;s biggest smartphone market. The Chinese company said net income grew by 30% to $265.3 million in the final three months of the year. The results put Lenovo on solid footing as it branches out from its core PC business and enters the smartphone business in a big way.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Mark Zuckerberg Biggest US 2013 Philanthropist</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Mark Zuckerberg and his wife,Priscilla Chan, were the most generous American philanthropists in 2013, with a donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock valued at more than $970 million to a Silicon Valley nonprofit. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported Monday that Zuckerberg&rsquo;s donation was the largest charitable gift on the public record in 2013 and put the young couple at the top of the magazine&rsquo;s list of 50 most generous Americans in 2013.&nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world’s biggest smartphone market.',
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			'id' => '2595',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'South Asian Airlines Projected To Add 18,000 New Aircraft By 2032',
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			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said. &ldquo;Asia Pacific economies and passenger traffic continue to exhibit strong growth,&rdquo; Tinseth told reporters ahead of the opening of the Singapore Airshow from tomorrow.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Comparatively, airlines in China were expected to add 5,500 new planes and those in Southeast Asia 3,000. Overall, Boeing has forecast USD 1.9 trillion investment on 12,820 new aircraft over the 20-year period in Asia Pacific, representing 36 per cent of the world&rsquo;s new airplane deliveries. &ldquo;Over the next 20 years, nearly half of the world&rsquo;s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from or within the region. The Asia Pacific fleet will nearly triple &ndash; from 5,090 airplanes in 2012 to 14,750 in 2032 &ndash; to support the increased demand,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Boeing&rsquo;s data projects that passenger airlines in the region would rely primarily on single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and the 737 MAX, a new-engine variant of the market-leading 737, to connect passengers. Single-aisle airplanes would represent 69 per cent of the new airplanes in the region. &ldquo;New low-cost carriers and demand for intra-Asia travel have fuelled the substantial increase in single-aisle airplanes,&rdquo; said Tinseth. &ldquo;Fuel-efficient airplanes like the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX help the growing number of low-cost carriers operate more efficiently and provide affordable fares to the emerging middle class,&rdquo; he added.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	For long-haul traffic, Boeing forecast twin-aisle planes such as the 747-8 Intercontinental, 777 and the 787 Dreamliner will account for 28 per cent of new airplane deliveries. Boeing&rsquo;s recently launched 787-10 and 777X will also support the demand for fuel-efficient twin-aisle airplanes in the region. Singapore Airlines has already ordered 30 787-10s helping launch the programme at the 2013 Paris Air Show and Cathay Pacific recently ordered 21 777-9X airplanes, he said.</div>',
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			'title' => 'Development Is Being Derailed By Ignoring Equality, Rights And Women’s Health: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the &#39;United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report&#39; argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations. The report published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says many of the estimated 1 billion people living in the 50-60 poorest countries will stagnate as the rest of the world gets richer, and the growing inequality threatens economic development. It, however, notes that the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen dramatically from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Accordingly, it says richer countries have made advances toward equality for women and provided greater access to sexual and reproductive health care over the past two decades but the poorest countries have made little progress.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to the report, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and more women have access to education, work and political participation today in rich countries. But it says the poorest communities have seen little progress in improving women&#39;s status or reducing maternal deaths and child marriages.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&quot;Research suggests a significant positive correlation between female education, healthier families, and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth. The entry of women into Eastern and Southern Asia&rsquo;s export manufacturing sector, among other factors, has been a key driver of economic growth and contributed to a shift in the concentration of global wealth from West to East,&quot; it says. The report notes that gains in girls&rsquo; educational attainment is contributing to both Asia&rsquo;s and Latin America&rsquo;s success in knowledge-based economy.</div>',
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			'description' => 'A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the 'United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report' argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations.',
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			'id' => '2608',
			'article_category_id' => '151',
			'title' => 'K And K: Offering Academic Excellence',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet, Principal, K and K International College" src="/userfiles/images/lc(2).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Principal, K and K</div>
							<div>
								International College</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	K and K is the abbreviation derived from the name of the two colleges, which have earned their distinct names in two different educational sectors: Kantipur College of Business, Management and Humanities Studies (KCBMHS) and Knowledge and Wisdom Academy (KWA). Renowned academicians established KCBMHS in 1998 with a mission to create quality Nepali management professionals. While KWA was established in 2001 by equally renowned academicians to cater to the growing demand from parents and students for world class quality higher education.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K International College is an outcome of these two merged institutions. It was formally established in the year 2004 A.D and named K and K to represent both of the institution individually. However, the college has established its name distinctly in the field of education within a span of three years.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Located at the heart of the Kathmandu, New Baneshwor, the college commits to meet up to the level or standard of these two colleges, which have established their name in management education.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K offers HSEB affiliated +2 level courses, Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Social Work (BSW), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Arts (BA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Business Studies (BBS), and Master&rsquo;s programme in Rural Development with affiliation from Tribhuvan University (TU). Recently the college has introduced new programme: Master&rsquo;s in Gender Studies too.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Among these entire range of programme, K and K is the pioneer in BSW programme. The college adopted the programme in 2005, the very year TU introduced the course, and since then has been able to foster BSW graduates with best results and the ability to commit themselves social work field. The college is proud for its contribution in institutionalizing BSW course in Nepal and for establishing itself as one of the most vied upon institutions to study the course.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides courses prescribed by the University, the college provides needful computer courses to the students of all faculties. With that, students are also provided with the various extracurricular activities like workshops, seminars, educational tours, quiz contests and sports.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The college is spread over six ropanies of land with sufficient ground for sports, spacious library well-stocked with sufficient reference materials, hygenic and well maintained canteen, comfortable seminar hall, and class rooms with the best environment for academic excellence.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;We have always moved ahead by stepping on norms and ethics of social works&rdquo;, principal of college Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet said. &ldquo;We have provided top results in BSW till date,&rdquo; Basnet said adding that this year&rsquo;s gold medallist too is from K and K. Basnet shares that the K and K graduates have reached to higher level posts in big governmental and non-governmental organisations. &ldquo;Our programs are specially tailored to teach students for being responsible towards society and ensure that they posses skills that cater to market needs,&rdquo; he shares.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The success of the college lies in its strong, diverse and qualified faculty members, its students and its energetic management team. &ldquo;There is only one thing that we are concerned about: Quality Education,&rdquo; says Basnet.</div>',
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	A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine&rsquo;s Day:</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Despite your decade of inflation, I still love you!&rdquo; <strong>&nbsp;-ML</strong></div>',
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			'description' => 'A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine’s Day:',
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			'description' => 'Visual Edit',
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			'title' => 'MAN’s Selection For The Year',
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			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size: 16px;">The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector. Here in an interview with The Corporate&rsquo;s Eliza Tuladhar, MAN&rsquo;s newly elected president </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Dr Som Prasad Pudasaini</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"> who is also the chairman of King&rsquo;s College and </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Bina Basnet</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">, the founder principal of Orchid Garden Nepal who received the Women Manager Recognition award this year have talked about their experiences and their respective plans in the near future.&nbsp;</span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<strong><span style="font-size:18px;">&ldquo;I will do something different and productive&rdquo;</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Dr Som Pudasaini, President, MAN Chairman, King’s College" src="/userfiles/images/inter(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Dr Som Pudasaini</strong></div>
						<div>
							President, MAN</div>
						<div>
							Chairman, King&rsquo;s College</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As the new president of MAN, how do you plan to use your experience in fulfilling your responsibilities?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	I have a wide experience in both the national and international management sector. I have worked with the United Nations Population Fund as its country representative and UN advisor for Nepal. I am glad that our members have given due recognition to it by electing me as the association&rsquo;s new president. The association definitely has great expectation from me and so has the management sector from MAN. I will do something different and productive for the association.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What quite essential changes in MAN can pave way for the active participation of private sector?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN should be a think tank in the area of management for both government and non-government organisation. While establishing itself as a consultant to both of these sectors, it should be able to generate new ideas for resolving management issues faced by them. We are competent but we are not being able to provide consultancy services. Besides that it is important to improve the quality of trainings that the association provides. In the near future the association will provide trainings to national priority sectors such as hydropower, agriculture and tourism. Adding to it, we also have to improve the quality of our Executive MBA program by consulting evaluation experts from within the country.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Besides some private sectors actors who are still unaware of MAN&rsquo;s existence and objectives, even some private sector members of MAN are inactive. Why?&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It is not that the private sector is not interested in MAN or the association is not interested to members from the private sector but somehow the association and the private sector have not been able to work together. During my tenure we will meet representatives of the private sector, hold discussions with them for finding the exact problems hindering their participation and possible ways to resolve them. I am confident that such initiatives will help in increasing the participation of the private sector stakeholders in MAN.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As a common forum of professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines, MAN has tremendous role to play in developing management practices. Over the years of its operation how successful has MAN been in developing positive and performance oriented work culture in Nepal?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN has been here for almost three decade, it has over 2000 members of which some are life members and some are ordinary members. But only 40 per cent of the total members are actively participating in the association&rsquo;s activities. So what we have to do is take initiatives to increase the participation of majority of members, remove inactive members and provide membership to new members. MAN is well known for the award it gives and it will continue to make the selection process more rigorous and make the award more distinctive. Over the year the association has become successful to introduce new personalities and felicitate them for their work and the change they brought to the management sector. We have also introduced one more award this year to recognize and felicitate civil servant who made remarkable contribution in the public service sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What are the major training and research programme organized by the association?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Some of the key trainings that the association provides are on financial inventory, management skill, tax and VAT. Our trainings are sometimes tailored on the basis client&rsquo;s request. We have also dome some evaluation projects for local development department and municipalities. However we still lag behind when it comes to performing serious research and evaluation programmes. This remains another of our priorities in the days ahead.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>&ldquo;Recognition from the MAN has encouraged us&rdquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Bina Basnet Founder Principal Orchid Garden Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/inter1.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 210px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Bina Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Founder Principal</div>
							<div>
								Orchid Garden Nepal</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>How does it feel being recognized with the Women Manager Recognition Award 2013?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It feels great. The award recognized Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s contribution in securing good future for needy children. It has definitely encouraged me to rise much more above my present efforts and to work for a cause that will help to develop our society and create better environment to secure rights and needs of children that are deprived of it.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What inspired you to start a care centre for the needy children?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Seven years&rsquo; experience as a teacher in Balmandir, Naxal encouraged me to do something for the needy children and the parents who cannot afford quality education for their children. During my tenure there, I came across many parents and guardians who wanted to leave their children thereforever so that they could get good food and education, which was quite disheartening. As a response, on August 1, 2006, Orchid Garden Nepal was establishedto take care of such children, with support from various sources. There are many private day care centres, but rarely any of them are meant to accommodate children from low profile families. We have come across so many women from such families, mostly near construction sites and vegetable markets, who are unable to work or be employed in lack of someone to take care of their children. To address this issue we came up with the idea so as to build the future of their children at our care centre.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>You have been working in this sector for a long time. How tough it has been accommodate the children and gather support and funds to take care of them?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It has been almost nine years since we started the Orchid Garden Nepal at Kalopool and it was definitely not an easy task. We started with around 15 children and nowadays we are taking care of 180 children from early morning that is from eight in the morning to six in the evening. We do not have extended summer and winter vacations as our target group of children belong to a group of families that rarely can afford such holidays. We receive funds from various sources and volunteers have been always supporting Orchid Garden Nepal. Volunteers work here for maximum three months. Last year 122 volunteers supported us in catering to our objective.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Now that your work has received such recognition, do you have any plans to extend Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s to more such children and families?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Ofcourse, the recognition from the Management Association of Nepal has encouraged us and we are planning to open new centres in New Road and Kalimati area. This will require around Rs 4 million annual budget. We are trying to bring together these funds, as it will&nbsp;</div>',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2603',
			'article_category_id' => '144',
			'title' => 'New Govt, Old Challenges',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year. The reason behind the UML&rsquo;s boycott is apparently the PM&rsquo;s refusal to give the party the home ministry. But the reason behind the UCPN (Maoist) voting against Koirala in the parliament is not clear yet; the party simply ignored its previous public statement to support a Koirala-led government.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	These two instances are just a symptom of the kind of challenges the new government faces on the political front; they signal how old problems of power game are very much likely to haunt the new government and thus affect the constitution drafting process. The political impact of UML&rsquo;s boycott is already seen &ndash; Koirala has not been able to expand his Cabinet even almost after a week of assuming office. Clearly, drafting the new constitution within the stipulated time is going to be an uphill task for the government led by Koirala who was elected the prime minister more than two months after the CA election.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The new constitution is possible only with the consensus and unity among all political parties. Forging such consensus is the biggest challenge that the new government faces. &nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Similarly, it is a validly-drawn conclusion that the new government faces a number of old challenges on the economic front as well. Long hours of load-shedding, a double-digit inflation, low capital expenditure, low foreign investment and high rate of unemployment are some of the chronic problems that the new government has inherited from its predecessor.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The problem of power outage has become chronic. It has taken a huge toll on the country&rsquo;s manufacturing sector. Almost all parties, including PM Koirala&rsquo;s Nepali Congress, have made commitments in their election manifestos to end the power crisis within the next five years. If this target has to be achieved, then the new government has no time to lose; it must start creating the right environment for foreign investment in hydropower right now.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides, a number of bills related with the country&rsquo;s business and economic sector have been pending at the parliament for a long time. Successive governments have failed to get them enacted through the parliament. Special Economic Zone Act, Electricity Act, Bank and Financial Institution Act etc are some of the bills pending at parliament. On the other hand, there are a number of crucial laws which have not been even tabled at the parliament. Some of them include the drafts of Industrial Enterprises Act, Labour Act, Anti-dumping Act, Company Act (amendment), and Foreign Trade Regulation Act, among over a dozen others. Similarly there are some policies such as Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Policy, Integrated Intellectual Property Policy which need the government&rsquo;s endorsement.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The private sector hopes the new government will act fast to implement these laws and policies at the earliest possible. Another major expectation of the private sector is the issue of peace and constitution should no more overshadow the agenda of economic development. The government should play the role of a facilitator to form common economic agenda of all the political parties. It means even if the parties differ on political issues, they should stand together on the economic issues. Similarly, the government has to do everything at its disposal to foster the environment for entrepreneurship in the country. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year.',
			'sortorder' => '2447',
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			'user_id' => '0'
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	),
	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2602',
			'article_category_id' => '141',
			'title' => 'Nepal Political Economic News In Brief (17 - 23 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>New PM Assumes Office</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Sushil Koirala" src="/userfiles/images/np1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 115px; height: 127px;" />Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President&rsquo;s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day. Nepali Congress (NC) President Koirala was elected the prime minister by Parliament on February 10 after CPN-UML decided to support him in the prime ministerial voting. Koirala got 405 votes while 148 lawmakers, including those from the UCPN (Maoist), voted against him. After being sworn in, PM Koirala administered the oath of office and secrecy to NC leader Ram Saran Mahat who is yet to be assigned a ministerial portfolio. Meanwhile, the UML decided to boycott Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony and stay out of the government &ldquo;because the home ministry was not given to the party as agreed earlier.&rdquo; UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were, however, present in the swearing-in ceremony as former prime ministers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Regmi Resigns as CJ</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Khil Raj Regmi" src="/userfiles/images/np2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi resigned from the post of Chief Justice on February 11. In his valedictory address to the nation made on the same, Regmi said that he had already submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Baran Yadav. The bureaucratic government under Regmi formed in March last year was automatically dissolved with the election of NC President Sushil Koirala as the new prime minister. &ldquo;No law can stop me from returning to the judiciary, but I listened to my inner soul and decided to resign,&rdquo; Regmi said. Regmi also said he felt proud and satisfied to hand over the responsibility to an elected government. &ldquo;I will be at peace if the new constitution is drafted within a year,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;UML to join govt if consensus forged&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt=" Madhav Kumar Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/np3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former prime minister and senior leader of CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the party will not join the government without its respectable participation. Nepal added that the party will join the government if Nepali Congress forges consensus with understanding on the agreed points. Speaking at a press meet in Kaski on February 12, Nepal said no one should ignore deals that have been inked. However, Nepal clarified that the party will not create hindrances in the constitution drafting process despite being an opposition party. &ldquo;UML will move ahead prioritising constitution drafting,&rdquo; Nepal said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;New Statute in One Year Doubtful&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Pushpa Kamal Dahal" src="/userfiles/images/np4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed doubt over the promulgation of the new constitution within a year as committed by the major political parties. Speaking at a function organized to mark the 19th Anniversary of the &lsquo;People&rsquo;s War Day&rsquo; in the Capital on Thursday, Dahal said the possibility of promulgating the new constitution has been put into shadow mainly due to the ongoing dispute of two largest parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. Stating that NC and UML are fighting over one Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dahal doubted their commitment to promulgate the new statute in one year. On the occasion, he also underscored the need to form a front of pro-federalism political parties. &ldquo;Such a front has to be established inside the Constituent Assembly and outside, too,&rdquo; he said, adding that the revolutionary forces have to unite to establish the agenda of federalism.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President’s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day.',
			'sortorder' => '2446',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2601',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Weekly Round Up (7 - 16 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Industrial Trade Fair Concludes</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers. The fair was jointly organised by the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry (FNCSI) and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). There were 312 stalls at the fair, including 125 stalls related to renewable energy, 32 stalls of women entrepreneurs, 12 stalls of sustainable energy, 25 stalls of micro industries and eight stalls showcasing leather products. Local products like green tea, organic coffee, honey and wine were largest selling items at the fair, the organizers said. Likewise, handicrafts and renewable and alternative energy products also attracted crowds, according t them.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>WB Grant for Pro-poor Project</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The World Bank has agreed to provide a grant assistance of USD 2.75 million (approximately NRs 274 million) for the implementation of the Pro-poor Urban Regeneration Pilot Project under the Japan Social Development Fund, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance. An agreement to this effect was signed on February 10. The objectives of the Project are to contribute to improving the living conditions of poor and vulnerable households in selected wards of the historic core of Lalitpur City by piloting urban regeneration activities; and demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated urban regeneration approach to decision-makers in the Kathmandu Valley. The project consists of four parts: (i) Participatory Action Plan for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration, (ii) Grant Facility for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration/Sub-grants; (iii) Community Awareness and Local Capacity Building for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration; and (iv) Project Management and Administration, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Dissemination. The Ministry of Urban Development will be implementing the project which will end in September 2017.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>&lsquo;Job creation critical for economic progress in Nepal&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The number of young people of working age in Nepal is currently increasing by 550,000 a year, and by 2020 it will climb to 633,000 a year, a new UNCTAD publication reports. The organization recommends that the new government should rethink its growth strategy to ensure that growth creates employment opportunities for the young people &ndash; who are currently largely under-employed, or trapped in vulnerable, low-paid jobs &ndash; to improve the growth prospects of the economy. The Least Developed Countries Report 2013, subtitled Growth with Employment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, urges that Nepal should put greater policy emphasis on employment generation as a central development objective. It cautions that otherwise, international migration or social and political instability may rise.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Asha Award: 40 Semifinalists Shortlisted</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Forty semifinalists have been selected for the second edition of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award. A total of 119 social entrepreneurs from 40 districts had applied for the award, according to a press release by Change Fusion Nepal, the organizer of the award. The semifinalists, who have made commendable contribution to social entrepreneurship, have been selected from 17 districts ranging from Panchthar to Dhankuta and Kailali to Bardiya. The semifinalists have contributed to social entrepreneurship through various sectors including health, agriculture, agro products, education, physical handicap, and human trafficking. The award will be given away on March 28 after a seven-member jury and a three-member advisory committee select the finalists from the 40 semifinalists. &nbsp; &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers.',
			'sortorder' => '2445',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2597',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'ADB’s Additional $ 25 Mn Loan For Melamchi Tunnel',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Once completed, Melamchi tunnel will be a lifeline for the people of the Kathmandu Valley. The tunnel will not only bring the people of Kathmandu more clean water, but also support other downstream water supply and wastewater projects in the Kathmandu Valley,&rdquo; said FeiYue, Director of the Urban Development and Water Division in ADB&rsquo;s South Asia Department.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB approved a restructured $137 million loan in February 2008 for the then $317 million MWSP but the completion of the project was delayed by political and economic uncertainties in Nepal, changes to the project design, and, most recently, the need to find a new contractor to complete the tunnel construction.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB&rsquo;s additional funds, along with an extra $13.1 million from the Government of Nepal, means the overall cost is now estimated at $355.4 million.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Under the project, CooperativaMuratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, an Italian construction firm, is contracted to complete the 27.5-kilometer Melamchi tunnel by the end of September 2016. The tunnel will take 170 million liters of water per day from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A water treatment plant, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is under construction in Sundarijal on the outskirts of Kathmandu that will treat the water brought through the Melamchi tunnel.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In addition, improvements to the Kathmandu Valley water transmission and distribution network are underway with an $80 million ADB loan, made in 2011, to take water from the treatment plant to households and reduce water lost to leakages. ADB approved another $80 million loan in April 2013 to expand and rehabilitate the sewerage network and build wastewater treatment plants to deal with more than 90 million liters of wastewater per day in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As part of the overall Melamchi project, ADB is also promoting reforms in Nepal&rsquo;s urban water sector including creating an independent water management board, setting up an independent commission to regulate water tariffs, and establishing an autonomous company for water and wastewater service delivery in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).',
			'sortorder' => '2444',
			'image' => null,
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2600',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Karan Singh In Kathmandu',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<img alt="Karan Singh" src="/userfiles/images/ks(1).jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; width: 100px; height: 114px;" />Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Singh, who is also a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, is the first high-level Indian leader to visit Nepal after the second Constituent Assembly election. In his meeting with PM Koirala, Singh is reported to have conveyed the messages of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and INC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.',
			'sortorder' => '2443',
			'image' => null,
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2599',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => '‘UML Won’t Join Govt Even If Given Home Ministry’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. &ldquo;The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,&rdquo; Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Poudel also said that his party&#39;s support to the NC-led government would depend on the government&#39;s performance. &quot;Our support will continue if the government does good work. If not, the support will be withdrawn,&quot; said he.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. “The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,” Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.',
			'sortorder' => '2442',
			'image' => null,
			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2598',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Website For Foreign Investors',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<div>
		With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).&nbsp;</div>
	<div>
		&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div>
	The website offers all the relevant information on Nepal&rsquo;s economic situation, and rules, regulations and laws related to investment in the country. According to Krishna Gyawali, secretary at the Ministry of Industry, the website is basically an investment guide to Nepal and is expected to help attract foreign investment.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;The website will help foreign investors to understand Nepal&rsquo;s overall situation,&rdquo; Gyawali said, &ldquo;It is expected to increase the flow of foreign investment to Nepal.&rdquo;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to Dhruva Lal Rajbanshi, director general of the DoI, foreign investors willing to invest in Nepal can get all relevant information on Nepal from their home countries through the website. &ldquo;We hope that the website will be instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Nepal,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	UNCTAD, which has already prepared such websites for other least developed countries had started preparing the website for Nepal from the last year. A similar website has already been launched in countries like Rwanda. &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).',
			'sortorder' => '2441',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2592',
			'article_category_id' => '122',
			'title' => 'Laxmi Group’s Organic Growth',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By Gaurav Aryal</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director, Laxmi Group" src="/userfiles/images/sp1%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Anjan Shrestha</strong></div>
						<div>
							<em>Executive Director, Laxmi Group</em></div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	Laxmi Group&rsquo;s initial capital was Rs 100 invested in a hand-operated-machine to produce candies. Two brothers of the Shrestha family from Pokhara were government employees before they decided to change their career path and start-up a business of their own. One of them, Ajad Shrestha, had pondered on moving to Terai while the other brother decided not to leave Pokhara. During one of their visits to Butwal to explore new possibilities they came across a person who suggested them a business idea.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As suggested the two brothers established a confectionary factory in Pokhara that produced toffees and candies with a hand-operated-machine. Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director of Laxmi Group shares that the move then was driven by a necessity for a different career. Initial products of the venture were sold under the name of Muga Mithai and Laxmi Sweets.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Having their business based in Pokhara, neighbouring towns and areas like Damauli and Syangja were emerging as a market for confectioneries. Shrestha brothers did not restrict themselves from exploring prospects that surrounded them. To cater to the growing demand, the company automated the confectionary production by installing automatic machine in 1976. With the increased production capacity, the company also decided to penetrate into the nation&rsquo;s capital, Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the move was largely successful and the taste of success gave confidence to his father and uncle to diversify their business portfolio.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Broadening the Horizon</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The confectionary industry where the family had some experience and gained expertise over the years was further expanded in the first phase. Shrestha says that four factories were established in different places. &ldquo;We had very little capital. So, we started each factory with small investment and gradually moved up the ladder,&rdquo; he recalls. All those factories were consolidated under the Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd in the mid 1990s.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Sujal Foods changed the dynamism of the Nepali confectionary industry,&rdquo; says Shrestha. Chocofun wafer produced by the company was that remarkable product that changed the market. He adds that the true value for money offered by the company to its customers helped the company gain its presence in the market. &ldquo;We have adhered to the principle of giving value for the money since we started out business. We believe consumers must get what they pay for,&rdquo; believes Shrestha. The confectionary business of the group has around 60 per cent market share of the total confectionary market of Nepal, according to Shrestha.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Moreover, it was not only the success that inspired the growth of the group. The economic sanction imposed by the government of India in Nepal in 1989 created a shortage of packaging materials and wrappers for the company. Shrestha recalls that the existing stock of packaging materials was enough only for two months. So, the company was forced to close down for a while. Eventually, a decision was made to establish packaging material factory. This factory now produces wrappers, polythene-shopping bags, PET bottles, jars among others.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dairy Acquisition</strong></span></div>
<div>
	According to Shrestha, by 2004, the company had gained momentum in confectionary manufacturing. This new status of the company further encouraged diversifying the portfolio. The company acquired the Pokhara unit of Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), after a long haul of ten years in the privatisation. The family had an internal understanding that they will never venture into tobacco and alcohol production business. So, dairy was an appropriate industry for the group. When the company was eventually privatised in 2004, the group did not only have a new company in its portfolio but also a number of challenges.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	One of the biggest challenges was to keep the sales high even after rebranding the DDC into Safal. &ldquo;Changing the DDC brand that was on top of the mind of consumers into Safal was challenging,&rdquo; recalls Shrestha. As a rebranding campaign, one week prior to the launching of Safal brand, the company used shopping bags with Safal name printed on it. The company had mobilised a sales team one week before the company was handed over. Shrestha says that such move helped in creating the curiosity andtransforming the brand. He claims that sales of Safal milk equalled the sales of DDC within a week. At present, the Safal milk has over 60 per cent market share in Pokhara and five per cent in Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the company will increase the market presence in Kathmandu to 20 per cent within a year. It was launched in Kathmandu, last year.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Looking at the excess milk production during the flush season and practice of milk holiday, the company decided to establish a powdered milk factory. Shrestha says that the factory was established feeling that it is their responsibility to address the problem of dairy farmers whose milk is wasted during milk holiday. However, immediately after the factory was established the company realised that the problem of milk holiday was not in existence to the extent it was expected to be. So, he says that the factory is currently operating below its installed capacity.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In the trading business, the group came up with the distributorship of Hyundai Motors for Nepal in 2009. Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd is expanding its distributor network across the country with an aim to offer uniform service from any sales point across the country. Showrooms with such look and feel are being set-up in Banepa, Birtamode, Biratnagar, Narayangarh, Butwal and Dhangadhi.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Tourism Diversification</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is now willing to venture into the tourism and agro industry. The group had submitted a proposal to the government in 2011 to develop a cable car line from Basundhara Park to Shanti Stupa in Pokhara. The group had plans to consolidate the project along with amusement park and a resort. However, the project is not being developed due to a pending litigation at the court. Shrestha expects that this project would increase tourist flow and hence revenue collection in Pokhara. He hopes that that the case will soon be sorted out and project will be started.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The group has plans to establish hotels in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Shrestha reveals that these projects may begin services in 2016 as the group is presently conceptualising these projects. He explains that this is the sector in which Nepal has originality and competitive edgewhile forwarding it&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	as motivating factor for their groups involvement into the sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Management Transformation</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is not only expanding its business portfolio but also bringing changes in its management structure. The group, as of now is being managed as a family owned business. But, it is planning to hand over the responsibility of leading the group to professional managers. Presently, the members of Shrestha family are looking after various companies according to their expertise and experience in the respective fields. To expedite the transformation, the group is hiring managers, empowering and mentoring them. Shrestha expects that in three to four years, the leadership will be handed over to professional managers and the investors of the group will remain only in monitoring and supervision positions.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="center" width="100">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Launching of Hyundai Grand i10" src="/userfiles/images/sp2%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 550px; height: 217px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#DDDDDD">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<strong>Launching of Hyundai Grand i10</strong></div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="99%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#E5E4E2">
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Some Companies of Laxmi Group</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Confectionary Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Dairy Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Plastics Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Packaging Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd, automobile trader under the Laxmi Group has been importing and selling Hyundai vehicles in Nepal since February 2009. The company is not only selling vehicles but is also dedicated to provide after sales service to its customers. In order to achieve this aim, it has opened showrooms and service centres across Nepal. These showrooms promise to offer customers an improved service in terms of quality, space and ambience. Similarly, to capitalise the growing automobile market outside the Kathmandu valley, the company has established sub dealers at various locations such as Banepa, Pokhara, Narayangarh, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, Birgunj, Damak, Birtamode etc.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd is the flagship subsidiary of Laxmi Group. This company with over five brands in different product categories holds around 60 per cent market share from its entire portfolio. &nbsp;It produces cocoa based confectioneries, strip gums, toffees, lollypops and bubble gums.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					The company also has been exporting some of its products to India and China since 2006.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Major Brands of Sujal Foods</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Chocofun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Smart Lollypop</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Love Birds<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Eclairs</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Funstix Toffee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Gum</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Bubble Fun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Crave</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Candyman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Rasilo</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lactofun Premium Malt</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Fresho Menthalyptus</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>CSR</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi Group has been undertaking various Corporate Social Responsibilities in various occasions. Mostly on the occasion of its anniversary, it provides financial and other support for social causes. However, most of the CSR activities are concentrated in Pokhara. The group has been supporting drinking water projects, schools and hospitals. In the group&rsquo;s last anniversary, it built a waiting unit for visitors. Similarly, Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd has plans to launch extensive CSR activities within a year under the brand name of Hyundai.&nbsp;</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-17',
			'modified' => '2014-02-25',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Laxmi Group started its commercial journey four decades ago in Pokhara when it was just a rustic village. The Group grew leaps and bounds to be positioned among the prominent business houses of Nepal.',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2596',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Nepal And The World News In Brief (17 - 27 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Europe Sees First Annual Growth Since 2011</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Led by a return to growth in France and Italy and stronger performance in key economies such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, Europe&rsquo;s economy grew on an annual basis for the first time in two years, as a recovery picked up pace slightly in the last three months of 2013. Eurozone GDP rose by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, compared with the third quarter, and by 0.5% over the same period of 2012, according to figures released Friday by Eurostat.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Gold Races Above $1,300</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Gold hit three-month highs on Friday and looked set to post its biggest weekly gain in six months as more weak US data raised fears about economic growth, hurting the dollar. Spot gold rose to its highest since Nov. 8 at $1,312.40 earlier in the session, and was up 0.8 per cent to $1,311.90 an ounce. It is up around four percent for the week - the largest such gain since mid-August.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Comcast Buys Time Warner Cable for $45 bn</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Comcast, the world&rsquo;s largest mass media and communication company said Thursday it had agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion in a deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States. If the deal is approved, the combined group will be the country&rsquo;s dominant provider of television channels and Internet connections, reaching roughly one in three American homes.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Lenovo Sales Hit Record High&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world&rsquo;s biggest smartphone market. The Chinese company said net income grew by 30% to $265.3 million in the final three months of the year. The results put Lenovo on solid footing as it branches out from its core PC business and enters the smartphone business in a big way.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Mark Zuckerberg Biggest US 2013 Philanthropist</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Mark Zuckerberg and his wife,Priscilla Chan, were the most generous American philanthropists in 2013, with a donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock valued at more than $970 million to a Silicon Valley nonprofit. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported Monday that Zuckerberg&rsquo;s donation was the largest charitable gift on the public record in 2013 and put the young couple at the top of the magazine&rsquo;s list of 50 most generous Americans in 2013.&nbsp;</div>',
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			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'description' => 'Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world’s biggest smartphone market.',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2595',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'South Asian Airlines Projected To Add 18,000 New Aircraft By 2032',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said. &ldquo;Asia Pacific economies and passenger traffic continue to exhibit strong growth,&rdquo; Tinseth told reporters ahead of the opening of the Singapore Airshow from tomorrow.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Comparatively, airlines in China were expected to add 5,500 new planes and those in Southeast Asia 3,000. Overall, Boeing has forecast USD 1.9 trillion investment on 12,820 new aircraft over the 20-year period in Asia Pacific, representing 36 per cent of the world&rsquo;s new airplane deliveries. &ldquo;Over the next 20 years, nearly half of the world&rsquo;s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from or within the region. The Asia Pacific fleet will nearly triple &ndash; from 5,090 airplanes in 2012 to 14,750 in 2032 &ndash; to support the increased demand,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Boeing&rsquo;s data projects that passenger airlines in the region would rely primarily on single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and the 737 MAX, a new-engine variant of the market-leading 737, to connect passengers. Single-aisle airplanes would represent 69 per cent of the new airplanes in the region. &ldquo;New low-cost carriers and demand for intra-Asia travel have fuelled the substantial increase in single-aisle airplanes,&rdquo; said Tinseth. &ldquo;Fuel-efficient airplanes like the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX help the growing number of low-cost carriers operate more efficiently and provide affordable fares to the emerging middle class,&rdquo; he added.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	For long-haul traffic, Boeing forecast twin-aisle planes such as the 747-8 Intercontinental, 777 and the 787 Dreamliner will account for 28 per cent of new airplane deliveries. Boeing&rsquo;s recently launched 787-10 and 777X will also support the demand for fuel-efficient twin-aisle airplanes in the region. Singapore Airlines has already ordered 30 787-10s helping launch the programme at the 2013 Paris Air Show and Cathay Pacific recently ordered 21 777-9X airplanes, he said.</div>',
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			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said.',
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			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Development Is Being Derailed By Ignoring Equality, Rights And Women’s Health: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the &#39;United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report&#39; argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations. The report published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says many of the estimated 1 billion people living in the 50-60 poorest countries will stagnate as the rest of the world gets richer, and the growing inequality threatens economic development. It, however, notes that the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen dramatically from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Accordingly, it says richer countries have made advances toward equality for women and provided greater access to sexual and reproductive health care over the past two decades but the poorest countries have made little progress.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to the report, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and more women have access to education, work and political participation today in rich countries. But it says the poorest communities have seen little progress in improving women&#39;s status or reducing maternal deaths and child marriages.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&quot;Research suggests a significant positive correlation between female education, healthier families, and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth. The entry of women into Eastern and Southern Asia&rsquo;s export manufacturing sector, among other factors, has been a key driver of economic growth and contributed to a shift in the concentration of global wealth from West to East,&quot; it says. The report notes that gains in girls&rsquo; educational attainment is contributing to both Asia&rsquo;s and Latin America&rsquo;s success in knowledge-based economy.</div>',
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			'description' => 'A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the 'United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report' argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations.',
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	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet, Principal, K and K International College" src="/userfiles/images/lc(2).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
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							<div>
								<strong>Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Principal, K and K</div>
							<div>
								International College</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	K and K is the abbreviation derived from the name of the two colleges, which have earned their distinct names in two different educational sectors: Kantipur College of Business, Management and Humanities Studies (KCBMHS) and Knowledge and Wisdom Academy (KWA). Renowned academicians established KCBMHS in 1998 with a mission to create quality Nepali management professionals. While KWA was established in 2001 by equally renowned academicians to cater to the growing demand from parents and students for world class quality higher education.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K International College is an outcome of these two merged institutions. It was formally established in the year 2004 A.D and named K and K to represent both of the institution individually. However, the college has established its name distinctly in the field of education within a span of three years.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Located at the heart of the Kathmandu, New Baneshwor, the college commits to meet up to the level or standard of these two colleges, which have established their name in management education.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	K and K offers HSEB affiliated +2 level courses, Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Social Work (BSW), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Arts (BA), Bachelor&rsquo;s in Business Studies (BBS), and Master&rsquo;s programme in Rural Development with affiliation from Tribhuvan University (TU). Recently the college has introduced new programme: Master&rsquo;s in Gender Studies too.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Among these entire range of programme, K and K is the pioneer in BSW programme. The college adopted the programme in 2005, the very year TU introduced the course, and since then has been able to foster BSW graduates with best results and the ability to commit themselves social work field. The college is proud for its contribution in institutionalizing BSW course in Nepal and for establishing itself as one of the most vied upon institutions to study the course.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides courses prescribed by the University, the college provides needful computer courses to the students of all faculties. With that, students are also provided with the various extracurricular activities like workshops, seminars, educational tours, quiz contests and sports.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The college is spread over six ropanies of land with sufficient ground for sports, spacious library well-stocked with sufficient reference materials, hygenic and well maintained canteen, comfortable seminar hall, and class rooms with the best environment for academic excellence.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;We have always moved ahead by stepping on norms and ethics of social works&rdquo;, principal of college Prof Dr Resh Bahadur Basnet said. &ldquo;We have provided top results in BSW till date,&rdquo; Basnet said adding that this year&rsquo;s gold medallist too is from K and K. Basnet shares that the K and K graduates have reached to higher level posts in big governmental and non-governmental organisations. &ldquo;Our programs are specially tailored to teach students for being responsible towards society and ensure that they posses skills that cater to market needs,&rdquo; he shares.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The success of the college lies in its strong, diverse and qualified faculty members, its students and its energetic management team. &ldquo;There is only one thing that we are concerned about: Quality Education,&rdquo; says Basnet.</div>',
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			'description' => 'K and K is the abbreviation derived from the name of the two colleges, which have earned their distinct names in two different educational sectors: Kantipur College of Business, Management and Humanities Studies (KCBMHS) and Knowledge and Wisdom Academy (KWA). Renowned academicians established KCBMHS in 1998 with a mission to create quality Nepali management professionals.',
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			'id' => '2605',
			'article_category_id' => '86',
			'title' => 'Economist’s V-Day Message',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine&rsquo;s Day:</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Despite your decade of inflation, I still love you!&rdquo; <strong>&nbsp;-ML</strong></div>',
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			'description' => 'A Nepali economist sent the following message to his beloved on the last Valentine’s Day:',
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			'title' => 'Visual Edit Vol 4 Issue 7',
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			'description' => 'Visual Edit',
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			'id' => '2593',
			'article_category_id' => '134',
			'title' => 'MAN’s Selection For The Year',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size: 16px;">The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector. Here in an interview with The Corporate&rsquo;s Eliza Tuladhar, MAN&rsquo;s newly elected president </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Dr Som Prasad Pudasaini</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;"> who is also the chairman of King&rsquo;s College and </span><strong style="font-size: 16px;">Bina Basnet</strong><span style="font-size: 16px;">, the founder principal of Orchid Garden Nepal who received the Women Manager Recognition award this year have talked about their experiences and their respective plans in the near future.&nbsp;</span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<strong><span style="font-size:18px;">&ldquo;I will do something different and productive&rdquo;</span></strong></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Dr Som Pudasaini, President, MAN Chairman, King’s College" src="/userfiles/images/inter(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Dr Som Pudasaini</strong></div>
						<div>
							President, MAN</div>
						<div>
							Chairman, King&rsquo;s College</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As the new president of MAN, how do you plan to use your experience in fulfilling your responsibilities?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	I have a wide experience in both the national and international management sector. I have worked with the United Nations Population Fund as its country representative and UN advisor for Nepal. I am glad that our members have given due recognition to it by electing me as the association&rsquo;s new president. The association definitely has great expectation from me and so has the management sector from MAN. I will do something different and productive for the association.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What quite essential changes in MAN can pave way for the active participation of private sector?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN should be a think tank in the area of management for both government and non-government organisation. While establishing itself as a consultant to both of these sectors, it should be able to generate new ideas for resolving management issues faced by them. We are competent but we are not being able to provide consultancy services. Besides that it is important to improve the quality of trainings that the association provides. In the near future the association will provide trainings to national priority sectors such as hydropower, agriculture and tourism. Adding to it, we also have to improve the quality of our Executive MBA program by consulting evaluation experts from within the country.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Besides some private sectors actors who are still unaware of MAN&rsquo;s existence and objectives, even some private sector members of MAN are inactive. Why?&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It is not that the private sector is not interested in MAN or the association is not interested to members from the private sector but somehow the association and the private sector have not been able to work together. During my tenure we will meet representatives of the private sector, hold discussions with them for finding the exact problems hindering their participation and possible ways to resolve them. I am confident that such initiatives will help in increasing the participation of the private sector stakeholders in MAN.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>As a common forum of professionals from diverse sectors and disciplines, MAN has tremendous role to play in developing management practices. Over the years of its operation how successful has MAN been in developing positive and performance oriented work culture in Nepal?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	MAN has been here for almost three decade, it has over 2000 members of which some are life members and some are ordinary members. But only 40 per cent of the total members are actively participating in the association&rsquo;s activities. So what we have to do is take initiatives to increase the participation of majority of members, remove inactive members and provide membership to new members. MAN is well known for the award it gives and it will continue to make the selection process more rigorous and make the award more distinctive. Over the year the association has become successful to introduce new personalities and felicitate them for their work and the change they brought to the management sector. We have also introduced one more award this year to recognize and felicitate civil servant who made remarkable contribution in the public service sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What are the major training and research programme organized by the association?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Some of the key trainings that the association provides are on financial inventory, management skill, tax and VAT. Our trainings are sometimes tailored on the basis client&rsquo;s request. We have also dome some evaluation projects for local development department and municipalities. However we still lag behind when it comes to performing serious research and evaluation programmes. This remains another of our priorities in the days ahead.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:18px;"><strong>&ldquo;Recognition from the MAN has encouraged us&rdquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Bina Basnet Founder Principal Orchid Garden Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/inter1.jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 210px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<div>
								<strong>Bina Basnet</strong></div>
							<div>
								Founder Principal</div>
							<div>
								Orchid Garden Nepal</div>
						</div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>How does it feel being recognized with the Women Manager Recognition Award 2013?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It feels great. The award recognized Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s contribution in securing good future for needy children. It has definitely encouraged me to rise much more above my present efforts and to work for a cause that will help to develop our society and create better environment to secure rights and needs of children that are deprived of it.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>What inspired you to start a care centre for the needy children?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Seven years&rsquo; experience as a teacher in Balmandir, Naxal encouraged me to do something for the needy children and the parents who cannot afford quality education for their children. During my tenure there, I came across many parents and guardians who wanted to leave their children thereforever so that they could get good food and education, which was quite disheartening. As a response, on August 1, 2006, Orchid Garden Nepal was establishedto take care of such children, with support from various sources. There are many private day care centres, but rarely any of them are meant to accommodate children from low profile families. We have come across so many women from such families, mostly near construction sites and vegetable markets, who are unable to work or be employed in lack of someone to take care of their children. To address this issue we came up with the idea so as to build the future of their children at our care centre.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>You have been working in this sector for a long time. How tough it has been accommodate the children and gather support and funds to take care of them?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	It has been almost nine years since we started the Orchid Garden Nepal at Kalopool and it was definitely not an easy task. We started with around 15 children and nowadays we are taking care of 180 children from early morning that is from eight in the morning to six in the evening. We do not have extended summer and winter vacations as our target group of children belong to a group of families that rarely can afford such holidays. We receive funds from various sources and volunteers have been always supporting Orchid Garden Nepal. Volunteers work here for maximum three months. Last year 122 volunteers supported us in catering to our objective.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Now that your work has received such recognition, do you have any plans to extend Orchid Garden Nepal&rsquo;s to more such children and families?</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Ofcourse, the recognition from the Management Association of Nepal has encouraged us and we are planning to open new centres in New Road and Kalimati area. This will require around Rs 4 million annual budget. We are trying to bring together these funds, as it will&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'The 33rd National Management Convention and Annual General Meeting of Management Association of Nepal (MAN) last week elected few new personalities for its new tenure and at the same time as a part of its felicitation programme the association also recognized few personalities from the private and the government sector.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2603',
			'article_category_id' => '144',
			'title' => 'New Govt, Old Challenges',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year. The reason behind the UML&rsquo;s boycott is apparently the PM&rsquo;s refusal to give the party the home ministry. But the reason behind the UCPN (Maoist) voting against Koirala in the parliament is not clear yet; the party simply ignored its previous public statement to support a Koirala-led government.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	These two instances are just a symptom of the kind of challenges the new government faces on the political front; they signal how old problems of power game are very much likely to haunt the new government and thus affect the constitution drafting process. The political impact of UML&rsquo;s boycott is already seen &ndash; Koirala has not been able to expand his Cabinet even almost after a week of assuming office. Clearly, drafting the new constitution within the stipulated time is going to be an uphill task for the government led by Koirala who was elected the prime minister more than two months after the CA election.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The new constitution is possible only with the consensus and unity among all political parties. Forging such consensus is the biggest challenge that the new government faces. &nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Similarly, it is a validly-drawn conclusion that the new government faces a number of old challenges on the economic front as well. Long hours of load-shedding, a double-digit inflation, low capital expenditure, low foreign investment and high rate of unemployment are some of the chronic problems that the new government has inherited from its predecessor.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The problem of power outage has become chronic. It has taken a huge toll on the country&rsquo;s manufacturing sector. Almost all parties, including PM Koirala&rsquo;s Nepali Congress, have made commitments in their election manifestos to end the power crisis within the next five years. If this target has to be achieved, then the new government has no time to lose; it must start creating the right environment for foreign investment in hydropower right now.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Besides, a number of bills related with the country&rsquo;s business and economic sector have been pending at the parliament for a long time. Successive governments have failed to get them enacted through the parliament. Special Economic Zone Act, Electricity Act, Bank and Financial Institution Act etc are some of the bills pending at parliament. On the other hand, there are a number of crucial laws which have not been even tabled at the parliament. Some of them include the drafts of Industrial Enterprises Act, Labour Act, Anti-dumping Act, Company Act (amendment), and Foreign Trade Regulation Act, among over a dozen others. Similarly there are some policies such as Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Policy, Integrated Intellectual Property Policy which need the government&rsquo;s endorsement.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The private sector hopes the new government will act fast to implement these laws and policies at the earliest possible. Another major expectation of the private sector is the issue of peace and constitution should no more overshadow the agenda of economic development. The government should play the role of a facilitator to form common economic agenda of all the political parties. It means even if the parties differ on political issues, they should stand together on the economic issues. Similarly, the government has to do everything at its disposal to foster the environment for entrepreneurship in the country. &nbsp;&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'The way the CPN-UML, the second largest party in the Constituent Assembly (CA), boycotted newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koirala’s swearing-in ceremony on Feb 10 and the UCPN (Maoist), the third largest party in the CA, voted against him in parliament a day before despite an earlier public statement to support him, shows that the new government faces a bumpy road ahead in achieving its main objective of promulgating the new constitution within a year.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2602',
			'article_category_id' => '141',
			'title' => 'Nepal Political Economic News In Brief (17 - 23 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>New PM Assumes Office</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Sushil Koirala" src="/userfiles/images/np1.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 115px; height: 127px;" />Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President&rsquo;s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day. Nepali Congress (NC) President Koirala was elected the prime minister by Parliament on February 10 after CPN-UML decided to support him in the prime ministerial voting. Koirala got 405 votes while 148 lawmakers, including those from the UCPN (Maoist), voted against him. After being sworn in, PM Koirala administered the oath of office and secrecy to NC leader Ram Saran Mahat who is yet to be assigned a ministerial portfolio. Meanwhile, the UML decided to boycott Koirala&rsquo;s swearing-in ceremony and stay out of the government &ldquo;because the home ministry was not given to the party as agreed earlier.&rdquo; UML Chairman Jhalanath Khanal and senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal were, however, present in the swearing-in ceremony as former prime ministers.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Regmi Resigns as CJ</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Khil Raj Regmi" src="/userfiles/images/np2.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former chairman of the Interim Election Council Khil Raj Regmi resigned from the post of Chief Justice on February 11. In his valedictory address to the nation made on the same, Regmi said that he had already submitted his resignation letter to President Ram Baran Yadav. The bureaucratic government under Regmi formed in March last year was automatically dissolved with the election of NC President Sushil Koirala as the new prime minister. &ldquo;No law can stop me from returning to the judiciary, but I listened to my inner soul and decided to resign,&rdquo; Regmi said. Regmi also said he felt proud and satisfied to hand over the responsibility to an elected government. &ldquo;I will be at peace if the new constitution is drafted within a year,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;UML to join govt if consensus forged&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt=" Madhav Kumar Nepal" src="/userfiles/images/np3.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />Former prime minister and senior leader of CPN-UML, Madhav Kumar Nepal has said that the party will not join the government without its respectable participation. Nepal added that the party will join the government if Nepali Congress forges consensus with understanding on the agreed points. Speaking at a press meet in Kaski on February 12, Nepal said no one should ignore deals that have been inked. However, Nepal clarified that the party will not create hindrances in the constitution drafting process despite being an opposition party. &ldquo;UML will move ahead prioritising constitution drafting,&rdquo; Nepal said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>&lsquo;New Statute in One Year Doubtful&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	<img alt="Pushpa Kamal Dahal" src="/userfiles/images/np4.jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;width: 110px; height: 126px;" />UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed doubt over the promulgation of the new constitution within a year as committed by the major political parties. Speaking at a function organized to mark the 19th Anniversary of the &lsquo;People&rsquo;s War Day&rsquo; in the Capital on Thursday, Dahal said the possibility of promulgating the new constitution has been put into shadow mainly due to the ongoing dispute of two largest parties, Nepali Congress (NC) and CPN-UML. Stating that NC and UML are fighting over one Ministry, the Ministry of Home Affairs, Dahal doubted their commitment to promulgate the new statute in one year. On the occasion, he also underscored the need to form a front of pro-federalism political parties. &ldquo;Such a front has to be established inside the Constituent Assembly and outside, too,&rdquo; he said, adding that the revolutionary forces have to unite to establish the agenda of federalism.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>',
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			'description' => 'Newly elected Prime Minister Sushil Koiralal assumed his office at Singha Durbar on February 11 after taking the oath of office and secrecy from President Dr Ram Baran Yadav amid a special function at the President’s office in Sheetal Niwas on the same day.',
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			'id' => '2601',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Weekly Round Up (7 - 16 February 2014)',
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			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Industrial Trade Fair Concludes</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers. The fair was jointly organised by the Federation of Nepal Cottage and Small Industry (FNCSI) and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC). There were 312 stalls at the fair, including 125 stalls related to renewable energy, 32 stalls of women entrepreneurs, 12 stalls of sustainable energy, 25 stalls of micro industries and eight stalls showcasing leather products. Local products like green tea, organic coffee, honey and wine were largest selling items at the fair, the organizers said. Likewise, handicrafts and renewable and alternative energy products also attracted crowds, according t them.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>WB Grant for Pro-poor Project</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The World Bank has agreed to provide a grant assistance of USD 2.75 million (approximately NRs 274 million) for the implementation of the Pro-poor Urban Regeneration Pilot Project under the Japan Social Development Fund, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Finance. An agreement to this effect was signed on February 10. The objectives of the Project are to contribute to improving the living conditions of poor and vulnerable households in selected wards of the historic core of Lalitpur City by piloting urban regeneration activities; and demonstrate the feasibility of an integrated urban regeneration approach to decision-makers in the Kathmandu Valley. The project consists of four parts: (i) Participatory Action Plan for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration, (ii) Grant Facility for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration/Sub-grants; (iii) Community Awareness and Local Capacity Building for Pro-poor Urban Regeneration; and (iv) Project Management and Administration, Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation and Knowledge Dissemination. The Ministry of Urban Development will be implementing the project which will end in September 2017.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>&lsquo;Job creation critical for economic progress in Nepal&rsquo;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The number of young people of working age in Nepal is currently increasing by 550,000 a year, and by 2020 it will climb to 633,000 a year, a new UNCTAD publication reports. The organization recommends that the new government should rethink its growth strategy to ensure that growth creates employment opportunities for the young people &ndash; who are currently largely under-employed, or trapped in vulnerable, low-paid jobs &ndash; to improve the growth prospects of the economy. The Least Developed Countries Report 2013, subtitled Growth with Employment for Inclusive and Sustainable Development, urges that Nepal should put greater policy emphasis on employment generation as a central development objective. It cautions that otherwise, international migration or social and political instability may rise.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Asha Award: 40 Semifinalists Shortlisted</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Forty semifinalists have been selected for the second edition of Surya Nepal Asha Social Entrepreneurship Award. A total of 119 social entrepreneurs from 40 districts had applied for the award, according to a press release by Change Fusion Nepal, the organizer of the award. The semifinalists, who have made commendable contribution to social entrepreneurship, have been selected from 17 districts ranging from Panchthar to Dhankuta and Kailali to Bardiya. The semifinalists have contributed to social entrepreneurship through various sectors including health, agriculture, agro products, education, physical handicap, and human trafficking. The award will be given away on March 28 after a seven-member jury and a three-member advisory committee select the finalists from the 40 semifinalists. &nbsp; &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
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			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The 12th edition of the National Industrial Trade Fair, Cottage Industry Festival and Renewable Energy Week 2014 concluded in the capital on Feb 10. More than 225,000 visitors attended the fair which saw a business transaction of around Rs 125 million, according to the organizers.',
			'sortorder' => '2445',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2597',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'ADB’s Additional $ 25 Mn Loan For Melamchi Tunnel',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Once completed, Melamchi tunnel will be a lifeline for the people of the Kathmandu Valley. The tunnel will not only bring the people of Kathmandu more clean water, but also support other downstream water supply and wastewater projects in the Kathmandu Valley,&rdquo; said FeiYue, Director of the Urban Development and Water Division in ADB&rsquo;s South Asia Department.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB approved a restructured $137 million loan in February 2008 for the then $317 million MWSP but the completion of the project was delayed by political and economic uncertainties in Nepal, changes to the project design, and, most recently, the need to find a new contractor to complete the tunnel construction.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	ADB&rsquo;s additional funds, along with an extra $13.1 million from the Government of Nepal, means the overall cost is now estimated at $355.4 million.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Under the project, CooperativaMuratori e Cementisti di Ravenna, an Italian construction firm, is contracted to complete the 27.5-kilometer Melamchi tunnel by the end of September 2016. The tunnel will take 170 million liters of water per day from the Melamchi River to Kathmandu.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A water treatment plant, financed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, is under construction in Sundarijal on the outskirts of Kathmandu that will treat the water brought through the Melamchi tunnel.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In addition, improvements to the Kathmandu Valley water transmission and distribution network are underway with an $80 million ADB loan, made in 2011, to take water from the treatment plant to households and reduce water lost to leakages. ADB approved another $80 million loan in April 2013 to expand and rehabilitate the sewerage network and build wastewater treatment plants to deal with more than 90 million liters of wastewater per day in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As part of the overall Melamchi project, ADB is also promoting reforms in Nepal&rsquo;s urban water sector including creating an independent water management board, setting up an independent commission to regulate water tariffs, and establishing an autonomous company for water and wastewater service delivery in the Kathmandu Valley.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has agreed to provide an additional $25 million loan to Nepal to complete the tunnel of the Melamchi Water Supply Project (MWSP).',
			'sortorder' => '2444',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2600',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Karan Singh In Kathmandu',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<img alt="Karan Singh" src="/userfiles/images/ks(1).jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px; width: 100px; height: 114px;" />Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Singh, who is also a member of the Indian Rajya Sabha, is the first high-level Indian leader to visit Nepal after the second Constituent Assembly election. In his meeting with PM Koirala, Singh is reported to have conveyed the messages of Indian Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh and INC Chairperson Sonia Gandhi.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Senior leader of the ruling Indian National Congress (INC), Karan Singh arrived in Kathmandu on Friday (Feb 14). During his two-day visit, Singh met with President Dr Ram Baran Yadav, Prime Minister Sushil Koirala and other political leaders.',
			'sortorder' => '2443',
			'image' => null,
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2599',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => '‘UML Won’t Join Govt Even If Given Home Ministry’',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. &ldquo;The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,&rdquo; Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Poudel also said that his party&#39;s support to the NC-led government would depend on the government&#39;s performance. &quot;Our support will continue if the government does good work. If not, the support will be withdrawn,&quot; said he.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'CPN-UML Secretary Bishnu Podel has said that his party would not join the Sushil Koirala government even if it is offered the home ministry. “The chances of UML joining the government has now ended as the Nepali Congress (NC) breached the agreement forged with our party,” Poudel said while speaking at a programme organised in the Capital on Saturday (Feb 15). He added that the NC had betrayed UML by breaching the agreement.',
			'sortorder' => '2442',
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			'article_date' => '0000-00-00 00:00:00',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2598',
			'article_category_id' => '140',
			'title' => 'Website For Foreign Investors',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<strong>--By TC Correspondent</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<div>
		With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).&nbsp;</div>
	<div>
		&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div>
	The website offers all the relevant information on Nepal&rsquo;s economic situation, and rules, regulations and laws related to investment in the country. According to Krishna Gyawali, secretary at the Ministry of Industry, the website is basically an investment guide to Nepal and is expected to help attract foreign investment.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;The website will help foreign investors to understand Nepal&rsquo;s overall situation,&rdquo; Gyawali said, &ldquo;It is expected to increase the flow of foreign investment to Nepal.&rdquo;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to Dhruva Lal Rajbanshi, director general of the DoI, foreign investors willing to invest in Nepal can get all relevant information on Nepal from their home countries through the website. &ldquo;We hope that the website will be instrumental in attracting foreign investment to Nepal,&rdquo; he said.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	UNCTAD, which has already prepared such websites for other least developed countries had started preparing the website for Nepal from the last year. A similar website has already been launched in countries like Rwanda. &nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'With an aim to provide detailed information on investment prospects in Nepal, a new website has been launched for foreign investors. The website (www.theiguides.org/nepal) was launched last Thursday (February 13) with joint efforts from the Department of Industry (DoI) and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).',
			'sortorder' => '2441',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2592',
			'article_category_id' => '122',
			'title' => 'Laxmi Group’s Organic Growth',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<strong>--By Gaurav Aryal</strong></div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="right" style="margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="25">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director, Laxmi Group" src="/userfiles/images/sp1%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 200px; height: 233px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#FFFFFF">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<div>
							<strong>Anjan Shrestha</strong></div>
						<div>
							<em>Executive Director, Laxmi Group</em></div>
					</div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	Laxmi Group&rsquo;s initial capital was Rs 100 invested in a hand-operated-machine to produce candies. Two brothers of the Shrestha family from Pokhara were government employees before they decided to change their career path and start-up a business of their own. One of them, Ajad Shrestha, had pondered on moving to Terai while the other brother decided not to leave Pokhara. During one of their visits to Butwal to explore new possibilities they came across a person who suggested them a business idea.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	As suggested the two brothers established a confectionary factory in Pokhara that produced toffees and candies with a hand-operated-machine. Anjan Shrestha, Executive Director of Laxmi Group shares that the move then was driven by a necessity for a different career. Initial products of the venture were sold under the name of Muga Mithai and Laxmi Sweets.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Having their business based in Pokhara, neighbouring towns and areas like Damauli and Syangja were emerging as a market for confectioneries. Shrestha brothers did not restrict themselves from exploring prospects that surrounded them. To cater to the growing demand, the company automated the confectionary production by installing automatic machine in 1976. With the increased production capacity, the company also decided to penetrate into the nation&rsquo;s capital, Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the move was largely successful and the taste of success gave confidence to his father and uncle to diversify their business portfolio.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Broadening the Horizon</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The confectionary industry where the family had some experience and gained expertise over the years was further expanded in the first phase. Shrestha says that four factories were established in different places. &ldquo;We had very little capital. So, we started each factory with small investment and gradually moved up the ladder,&rdquo; he recalls. All those factories were consolidated under the Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd in the mid 1990s.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&ldquo;Sujal Foods changed the dynamism of the Nepali confectionary industry,&rdquo; says Shrestha. Chocofun wafer produced by the company was that remarkable product that changed the market. He adds that the true value for money offered by the company to its customers helped the company gain its presence in the market. &ldquo;We have adhered to the principle of giving value for the money since we started out business. We believe consumers must get what they pay for,&rdquo; believes Shrestha. The confectionary business of the group has around 60 per cent market share of the total confectionary market of Nepal, according to Shrestha.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Moreover, it was not only the success that inspired the growth of the group. The economic sanction imposed by the government of India in Nepal in 1989 created a shortage of packaging materials and wrappers for the company. Shrestha recalls that the existing stock of packaging materials was enough only for two months. So, the company was forced to close down for a while. Eventually, a decision was made to establish packaging material factory. This factory now produces wrappers, polythene-shopping bags, PET bottles, jars among others.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Dairy Acquisition</strong></span></div>
<div>
	According to Shrestha, by 2004, the company had gained momentum in confectionary manufacturing. This new status of the company further encouraged diversifying the portfolio. The company acquired the Pokhara unit of Dairy Development Corporation (DDC), after a long haul of ten years in the privatisation. The family had an internal understanding that they will never venture into tobacco and alcohol production business. So, dairy was an appropriate industry for the group. When the company was eventually privatised in 2004, the group did not only have a new company in its portfolio but also a number of challenges.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	One of the biggest challenges was to keep the sales high even after rebranding the DDC into Safal. &ldquo;Changing the DDC brand that was on top of the mind of consumers into Safal was challenging,&rdquo; recalls Shrestha. As a rebranding campaign, one week prior to the launching of Safal brand, the company used shopping bags with Safal name printed on it. The company had mobilised a sales team one week before the company was handed over. Shrestha says that such move helped in creating the curiosity andtransforming the brand. He claims that sales of Safal milk equalled the sales of DDC within a week. At present, the Safal milk has over 60 per cent market share in Pokhara and five per cent in Kathmandu. Shrestha says that the company will increase the market presence in Kathmandu to 20 per cent within a year. It was launched in Kathmandu, last year.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Looking at the excess milk production during the flush season and practice of milk holiday, the company decided to establish a powdered milk factory. Shrestha says that the factory was established feeling that it is their responsibility to address the problem of dairy farmers whose milk is wasted during milk holiday. However, immediately after the factory was established the company realised that the problem of milk holiday was not in existence to the extent it was expected to be. So, he says that the factory is currently operating below its installed capacity.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	In the trading business, the group came up with the distributorship of Hyundai Motors for Nepal in 2009. Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd is expanding its distributor network across the country with an aim to offer uniform service from any sales point across the country. Showrooms with such look and feel are being set-up in Banepa, Birtamode, Biratnagar, Narayangarh, Butwal and Dhangadhi.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Tourism Diversification</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is now willing to venture into the tourism and agro industry. The group had submitted a proposal to the government in 2011 to develop a cable car line from Basundhara Park to Shanti Stupa in Pokhara. The group had plans to consolidate the project along with amusement park and a resort. However, the project is not being developed due to a pending litigation at the court. Shrestha expects that this project would increase tourist flow and hence revenue collection in Pokhara. He hopes that that the case will soon be sorted out and project will be started.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	The group has plans to establish hotels in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Shrestha reveals that these projects may begin services in 2016 as the group is presently conceptualising these projects. He explains that this is the sector in which Nepal has originality and competitive edgewhile forwarding it&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	as motivating factor for their groups involvement into the sector.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Management Transformation</strong></span></div>
<div>
	The group is not only expanding its business portfolio but also bringing changes in its management structure. The group, as of now is being managed as a family owned business. But, it is planning to hand over the responsibility of leading the group to professional managers. Presently, the members of Shrestha family are looking after various companies according to their expertise and experience in the respective fields. To expedite the transformation, the group is hiring managers, empowering and mentoring them. Shrestha expects that in three to four years, the leadership will be handed over to professional managers and the investors of the group will remain only in monitoring and supervision positions.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table align="center" width="100">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>
				<img alt="Launching of Hyundai Grand i10" src="/userfiles/images/sp2%20(Copy)(1).jpg" style="border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; width: 550px; height: 217px;" /></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#DDDDDD">
				<div align="center">
					<div style="text-align: center;">
						<strong>Launching of Hyundai Grand i10</strong></div>
				</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<table border="0" cellpadding="10" width="99%">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td bgcolor="#E5E4E2">
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Some Companies of Laxmi Group</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Confectionary Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Dairy Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Plastics Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Jaya Packaging Pvt Ltd</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd, automobile trader under the Laxmi Group has been importing and selling Hyundai vehicles in Nepal since February 2009. The company is not only selling vehicles but is also dedicated to provide after sales service to its customers. In order to achieve this aim, it has opened showrooms and service centres across Nepal. These showrooms promise to offer customers an improved service in terms of quality, space and ambience. Similarly, to capitalise the growing automobile market outside the Kathmandu valley, the company has established sub dealers at various locations such as Banepa, Pokhara, Narayangarh, Butwal, Nepalgunj, Dhangadi, Birgunj, Damak, Birtamode etc.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;Sujal Foods Pvt Ltd is the flagship subsidiary of Laxmi Group. This company with over five brands in different product categories holds around 60 per cent market share from its entire portfolio. &nbsp;It produces cocoa based confectioneries, strip gums, toffees, lollypops and bubble gums.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					The company also has been exporting some of its products to India and China since 2006.</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>Major Brands of Sujal Foods</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Chocofun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Smart Lollypop</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Love Birds<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Eclairs</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Funstix Toffee<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Sujal Gum</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Bubble Fun<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Crave</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Candyman<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Rasilo</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Lactofun Premium Malt</div>
				<div>
					&bull;<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Fresho Menthalyptus</div>
				<div>
					&nbsp;</div>
				<div>
					<span style="font-size:16px;"><strong>CSR</strong></span></div>
				<div>
					Laxmi Group has been undertaking various Corporate Social Responsibilities in various occasions. Mostly on the occasion of its anniversary, it provides financial and other support for social causes. However, most of the CSR activities are concentrated in Pokhara. The group has been supporting drinking water projects, schools and hospitals. In the group&rsquo;s last anniversary, it built a waiting unit for visitors. Similarly, Laxmi InterContinental Pvt Ltd has plans to launch extensive CSR activities within a year under the brand name of Hyundai.&nbsp;</div>
			</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-17',
			'modified' => '2014-02-25',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Laxmi Group started its commercial journey four decades ago in Pokhara when it was just a rustic village. The Group grew leaps and bounds to be positioned among the prominent business houses of Nepal.',
			'sortorder' => '2440',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2596',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Nepal And The World News In Brief (17 - 27 February 2014)',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Europe Sees First Annual Growth Since 2011</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Led by a return to growth in France and Italy and stronger performance in key economies such as Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, Europe&rsquo;s economy grew on an annual basis for the first time in two years, as a recovery picked up pace slightly in the last three months of 2013. Eurozone GDP rose by 0.3% in the fourth quarter, compared with the third quarter, and by 0.5% over the same period of 2012, according to figures released Friday by Eurostat.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Gold Races Above $1,300</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Gold hit three-month highs on Friday and looked set to post its biggest weekly gain in six months as more weak US data raised fears about economic growth, hurting the dollar. Spot gold rose to its highest since Nov. 8 at $1,312.40 earlier in the session, and was up 0.8 per cent to $1,311.90 an ounce. It is up around four percent for the week - the largest such gain since mid-August.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Comcast Buys Time Warner Cable for $45 bn</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Comcast, the world&rsquo;s largest mass media and communication company said Thursday it had agreed to buy Time Warner Cable for $45 billion in a deal that would combine the two biggest cable companies in the United States. If the deal is approved, the combined group will be the country&rsquo;s dominant provider of television channels and Internet connections, reaching roughly one in three American homes.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Lenovo Sales Hit Record High&nbsp;</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world&rsquo;s biggest smartphone market. The Chinese company said net income grew by 30% to $265.3 million in the final three months of the year. The results put Lenovo on solid footing as it branches out from its core PC business and enters the smartphone business in a big way.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong>Mark Zuckerberg Biggest US 2013 Philanthropist</strong></span></div>
<div>
	Mark Zuckerberg and his wife,Priscilla Chan, were the most generous American philanthropists in 2013, with a donation of 18 million shares of Facebook stock valued at more than $970 million to a Silicon Valley nonprofit. The Chronicle of Philanthropy reported Monday that Zuckerberg&rsquo;s donation was the largest charitable gift on the public record in 2013 and put the young couple at the top of the magazine&rsquo;s list of 50 most generous Americans in 2013.&nbsp;</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Lenovo posted record sales of $10.8 billion on Thursday and emphasized plans to expand aggressively in China -- the world’s biggest smartphone market.',
			'sortorder' => '2439',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2595',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'South Asian Airlines Projected To Add 18,000 New Aircraft By 2032',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said. &ldquo;Asia Pacific economies and passenger traffic continue to exhibit strong growth,&rdquo; Tinseth told reporters ahead of the opening of the Singapore Airshow from tomorrow.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Comparatively, airlines in China were expected to add 5,500 new planes and those in Southeast Asia 3,000. Overall, Boeing has forecast USD 1.9 trillion investment on 12,820 new aircraft over the 20-year period in Asia Pacific, representing 36 per cent of the world&rsquo;s new airplane deliveries. &ldquo;Over the next 20 years, nearly half of the world&rsquo;s air traffic growth will be driven by travel to, from or within the region. The Asia Pacific fleet will nearly triple &ndash; from 5,090 airplanes in 2012 to 14,750 in 2032 &ndash; to support the increased demand,&quot; he said.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	Boeing&rsquo;s data projects that passenger airlines in the region would rely primarily on single-aisle airplanes such as the Next-Generation 737 and the 737 MAX, a new-engine variant of the market-leading 737, to connect passengers. Single-aisle airplanes would represent 69 per cent of the new airplanes in the region. &ldquo;New low-cost carriers and demand for intra-Asia travel have fuelled the substantial increase in single-aisle airplanes,&rdquo; said Tinseth. &ldquo;Fuel-efficient airplanes like the Next-Generation 737 and 737 MAX help the growing number of low-cost carriers operate more efficiently and provide affordable fares to the emerging middle class,&rdquo; he added.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	For long-haul traffic, Boeing forecast twin-aisle planes such as the 747-8 Intercontinental, 777 and the 787 Dreamliner will account for 28 per cent of new airplane deliveries. Boeing&rsquo;s recently launched 787-10 and 777X will also support the demand for fuel-efficient twin-aisle airplanes in the region. Singapore Airlines has already ordered 30 787-10s helping launch the programme at the 2013 Paris Air Show and Cathay Pacific recently ordered 21 777-9X airplanes, he said.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'Airlines in South Asia would invest an estimated USD 240 billion to purchase nearly 18,000 aircraft over the next 20 years, a senior Boeing official said on Monday. The South Asian airlines would invest an estimated $240 billion between 2013 and 2032, increasing their fleet to over 2,060 from the current 450, Vice President for market at Boeing Commercial Airplanes Randy Tinseth said.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '2594',
			'article_category_id' => '138',
			'title' => 'Development Is Being Derailed By Ignoring Equality, Rights And Women’s Health: UN',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the &#39;United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report&#39; argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations. The report published by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) says many of the estimated 1 billion people living in the 50-60 poorest countries will stagnate as the rest of the world gets richer, and the growing inequality threatens economic development. It, however, notes that the number of people living in extreme poverty in developing countries has fallen dramatically from 47 per cent in 1990 to 22 per cent in 2010. Accordingly, it says richer countries have made advances toward equality for women and provided greater access to sexual and reproductive health care over the past two decades but the poorest countries have made little progress.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	According to the report, fewer women are dying in pregnancy and childbirth and more women have access to education, work and political participation today in rich countries. But it says the poorest communities have seen little progress in improving women&#39;s status or reducing maternal deaths and child marriages.</div>
<div>
	&nbsp;</div>
<div>
	&quot;Research suggests a significant positive correlation between female education, healthier families, and stronger Gross Domestic Product growth. The entry of women into Eastern and Southern Asia&rsquo;s export manufacturing sector, among other factors, has been a key driver of economic growth and contributed to a shift in the concentration of global wealth from West to East,&quot; it says. The report notes that gains in girls&rsquo; educational attainment is contributing to both Asia&rsquo;s and Latin America&rsquo;s success in knowledge-based economy.</div>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2014-02-18',
			'modified' => '2014-02-18',
			'keywords' => 'the corporate weekly from Nepal, nepali corporate events – news – interviews – reviews, nepali corporate focus, nepali corporate status and news, news from nepali corporate industry, corporate happenings – events – news from nepal',
			'description' => 'A new United Nations report finds that growing inequalities will undo significant gains in health and longevity made over the past 20 years. To sustain these gains, the 'United Nations ICPD Beyond 2014 Global Report' argues that governments must pass and enforce laws to protect the poorest and most marginalized, including adolescent girls and women affected by violence as well as rural populations.',
			'sortorder' => '2437',
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file not found!

Latest

173 People Die in Disaster Incidents since June 10

Crusher Federation Urges PM Oli for Industry Renewal

Prime Minister Calls for Enhancing 'Hello Sarkar' Service

Bardiya National Park Sees Increase in Tourist Arrivals

Experts, Manpower Agencies at Odds Over Draft of Labour Migration Policy

Lower Seti Hydropower Project Acquires o500 Ropanis of Land

Government Proposes Formation of New Authority to Regulate Cooperatives

Sugar Prices Surge ahead of Festive Season amid Govt’s Failure to Import Sugar

BFIN to Host Conference in Kathmandu on Wednesday

Price of Gold Reaches All-Time High in Nepal

FOREX

Currency	Unit	Buy	Sell
U.S. Dollar	1	121.23	121.83
European Euro	1	131.65	132.31
UK Pound Sterling	1	142.47	143.18
Swiss Franc	1	124.29	124.90
Australian Dollar	1	71.69	72.05
Canadian Dollar	1	83.90	84.32
Japanese Yen	10	10.94	11.00
Chinese Yuan	1	17.17	17.26
Saudi Arabian Riyal	1	32.27	32.43
UAE Dirham	1	33.01	33.17
Malaysian Ringgit	1	27.36	27.50
South Korean Won	100	9.77	9.82

Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)

Bullion

Fine Gold	1 tola	77000.00
Tejabi Gold	1 tola	76700.00
Silver	1 tola	720.00

Update : 2020-03-25

Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association

Petroleum

Petrol	1 Liter	106.00
Diesel	1 Liter	95.00
Kerosene	1 Liter	95.00
LP Gas	1 Cylinder	1375.00