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	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sharu S Rangnekar</strong></p>
<p>
	<em><strong>Change is constantly with us from birth to grave. &nbsp;However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.</strong></em></p>
<p>
	<strong>Continuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Continuous change takes place continuously e.g. getting older by one day everyday. &nbsp;We do not pay much attention to this change and, by and large it manages itself. &nbsp;There is very little change day to day. &nbsp;Although over a period we look older or the hair becomes gray – or some of them fall out. &nbsp;Over a period, the change is significant but since it is at &nbsp;a slow rate, we get accustomed to it.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Discontinuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Discontinuous change makes a significant impact on our life immediately. &nbsp;The first discontinuous change we had was getting born. &nbsp;An embryo comfortable in the mother’s womb is thrown out one day in a totally different world and our first reaction to this change is protest (paaan). &nbsp;However, we do not remember this change. &nbsp;Perhaps the first discontinuous change we may remember is the first day at school. &nbsp;In my case, my grand-father carried me on his shoulder to the school and deposited me in the class. &nbsp;He admonished me, “Don’t come out of class; I am sitting in the verandah and if I see you coming out of the class, I shall break your leg.” &nbsp;So I sat inside the class crying. &nbsp;There were about 30 other children sitting around me also crying. &nbsp;When I am near a school on an opening day, I go to the preparatory class. &nbsp;Inside the class, there are 30 children crying; outside the class there are 30 mothers crying. &nbsp;It is their way to coping with the discontinuous change. &nbsp; From a familiar friendly atmosphere of the home, the child is pushed into an alien atmosphere of the school. &nbsp;Nobody is familiar to him. &nbsp;At least now most of the teacher are female and seem to be soft. &nbsp;In my times there were harsh looking male teachers with big mustaches. &nbsp;The cane was a part of their uniform and they banged the cane before sitting down – creating palpitation all over the class.</p>
<p>
	My mother had tried in her ways to prepare me for this discontinuous change. &nbsp;She asked me whether when I grow up I would like to go to office like my father sitting in a car. &nbsp;“Of course,” I said, “yes”. &nbsp;Then she said, “You have to go to school first.” &nbsp;I told her that I did not want to go to school. &nbsp;Then she told me the only alternative will be to wash utensils. &nbsp;At that age of five that was not a bad alternative but the tone in which my mother put it, it seemed like great disaster. &nbsp;I was made to feel that I was at cross roads – Go to school and eventually to office in a car like my father or wash utensils like the servant. &nbsp;Even then this did not convince me to go to school. &nbsp;Discontinuous changes can take a long time to be accepted.</p>
<p>
	Thereafter there are series of discontinuous changes: Getting a job and getting into relatively rigid office discipline; Getting married and getting into two-person democracy; Getting children with the tribulations involved.</p>
<p>
	In each case there was clearly a give and take. &nbsp;Some benefits and some hardship – &nbsp;and we have gone through numerous discontinuous changes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Tsunami Change</strong></p>
<p>
	The third kind of change is where everything around changes – like the havoc created by the tsunami wave. &nbsp;The benefits are hardly comprehended and the hardships are very clear. &nbsp;How does one get prepared for Tsunami change?</p>
<p>
	One way is to start with the dictum: “TINA” &nbsp;(There Is No Alternative). &nbsp;We are not happy with the situation but it is inevitable. &nbsp;The case in point is the female education. &nbsp;It started in 1850 with a great deal of opposition. &nbsp;The proponents of female education were attacked because the opponents said: &nbsp;“What have women to do in their life? - Cooking and bringing up children. &nbsp;That can be learnt in the house itself with apprenticeship to the mother. &nbsp;The girl can learn cooking under the supervision of mother and can also learn to bring up children – particularly in those days when mother had 8-10-12 children. &nbsp;The first 2-3 children were brought up by the mother, the rest were brought up by eldest sister who learnt skills as an apprentice. &nbsp;What is the point in the women learning Kalidas and Shakespeare?”</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the process of attrition played its role to make the female education accepted. &nbsp; Initially, it was stressed that widows should have education so that they can have the ability to sustain themselves economically. &nbsp;Mostly the widows attended these schools so they were known as “Bodkyanchi Shala” (School for the shaven-headed) – as the heads of the widows were shaved in those days.</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the benefit of the female education became evident and today even if a girl has graduated and is sitting at home doing nothing particularly, the neighbour advises that she should join a computer class.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	However, even today there are opposition groups - even in a city like Bombay. &nbsp;The two girls of a community were threatened because they were persuing their education which the opponents felt was against the religion and would spoil the girls for their traditional role of good housewives.</p>
<p>
	This opposition is reducing and the female education is getting accepted – although it has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;I worked in pharmaceutical industry where we believed that if a medicine has effect it has side effects also. If it has no side effects it has no effect also. So every change has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;The female education is a very strong medicine. &nbsp;It is effective to make the women contribute more significantly to the economic development but the side effect is its impact on domestic peace. &nbsp;So here it is a Tsunami change which took over 100 years to get accepted. &nbsp;In case of many changes that much time is not available – as in the case of natural Tsunami disaster. &nbsp;There the people are forced to accept unpleasant alternatives to carry on in life.</p>
<p>
	Another example of tsunami change is the role of horse drawn “Tongas” in transportation. &nbsp;Fifty years ago every railway station had Tongas which provided transportation to the travelers between station and their residences. &nbsp;Then came the tsunami change replacing Tongas with autorickshas and buses and Tongas have vanished altogether with the horses and the Tongawalas. &nbsp;Many of the tongawalas literally starved to death with their horses as they could not master the new technology of driving autorickshas and buses. &nbsp;However, this change took place over 25 years and did not create a strong backlash. &nbsp;I remember only one movie where DilipKumar as a tongadriver took a bet to beat a bus to stop the bus-route. &nbsp;In the movie, by driving through shortcuts, he could beat the bus. &nbsp;But in real life the tongas lost forever.</p>
<p>
	There are two other Tsunami changes which are making waves. &nbsp;One is in Singur and Nandigram where the agricultural land is being given for industrial development. &nbsp;There have been bloody battles. &nbsp;However, the logic of this tsunami change is obvious. &nbsp;The technological reforms in agriculture have made it possible for less and less land to provide food grains for more and more people so the land has to be released for industrial production. &nbsp;The land-owner who is traditionally attached to the land is refusing to give it up. &nbsp;Similar situation happened in Russia when the land had to be taken away from the farmers to form communes and it resulted in hundreds of thousands of farmers getting killed by the Russian army. &nbsp;However, in the long term it resulted in loss of production and Russia had to import food-grains to support its people. &nbsp;The present situation is very much different because it follows and not precedes agricultural productivity. &nbsp;If the farmer insists on pursuing agriculture he is bound to get caught in consequences. &nbsp;It is often said in America “agriculture is a passport to poverty” and that has become the sign of development.</p>
<p>
	Another tsunami change on the horizon is the abolition of traditional retailers in favour of large scale operators. &nbsp;The traditional retailers are opposed and started throwing stones at Ranchi. &nbsp;But here also the requirement of tsunami change is clear. &nbsp;The present way of operation of the traditional vegetable vendors, fruit vendors, grocer etc., is highly inefficient in terms of cost, convenience and time. &nbsp;The turnover of typical vegetable vendor is so low that his margin has to be very high to make him survive. &nbsp;The whole chain of middlemen are involved which makes the operation very costly. &nbsp;When the farmer gets hardly Rs. 3/- for one kilo of onions the consumers have to pay Rs.15/- per kilo. &nbsp;The large retailers buying directly from the farmers and selling directly to the consumers are going to make the operation much more cost effective. &nbsp;Furthermore, modern technology can be used to make the product available to consumer more conveniently and in the form he can use very easily. &nbsp;A traditional vegetable vendor can hardly protect the product from dirt and dust and that is the death-knell for the traditional vendor.</p>
<p>
	However, these large changes involving millions of people thrown out of their traditional jobs in a matter of few years and their inability to learn new technology of retailing is going to create a great deal of havoc.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Acceptance of Change</strong></p>
<p>
	In such situations the society and the government can control the process to give the time for acceptance of change. &nbsp;Acceptance of changes comes in three phases:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
	<li>
		Knowledge</li>
	<li>
		Belief&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Behaviour</li>
</ol>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">For the change to be accepted a sustained campaign has to be conducted to make people realize the advantages of the change. &nbsp;This is obviously a long term process and the society may not have the time for this change.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>TINA Factor&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity:</p>
<p>
	I was sitting with a friend of mine who was an amateur fisherman near a stream of water. &nbsp;The stream was moving fairly fast and most of the fish were swimming with the current. &nbsp;However, I found about 10% of the fish were swimming against the current. &nbsp;I asked my friend, “Why they are swimming against the current?” &nbsp;He said, “This is breeding season for this fish and the females are going against the stream to lay eggs in their chosen territory.</p>
<p>
	The stream proceeded for another 10 meters and jumped into a waterfall. &nbsp;Some of the fish who went down with the waterfall were trying to swim up the waterfall. &nbsp;But they were not successful. &nbsp;Looking at that my friend remarked, “You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity.” &nbsp;There are some tsunami changes. &nbsp;People try to resist these changes. &nbsp;But they can not succeed because you can swim against the current – but not against the gravity.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Management of Change" height="375" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/management_gyan_june2013_change_ahead_pottery_making.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="250" /></p>
<p>
	In 1951 when I started my career there were about 3 thousand railway stations in Indian and outside each station there was a Tonga stand. &nbsp;These 3 thousand stands plus others in the towns covered nearly about 1 lakh tongas.</p>
<p>
	The tsunami change started with autorikshas and buses taking away the passengers. &nbsp;The tongas made efforts to resist the change. &nbsp;In the film Naya Daur, the hero acted by Dilip Kumar races with the bus with his tonga and defeats it. &nbsp;That was a reel life. &nbsp;In real life the tonga could not stand the competition. &nbsp;The tongas were burnt as kindlewood, the horses died and so did the tongawalas. &nbsp;They could not fight against gravity.</p>
<p>
	The similar contest is going on in Singur &amp; Nandigram by agriculturist and In Ranchi and other towns by Small Scale Retailers against Reliance. &nbsp;This again is a competition where they are going against the gravity and cannot win.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The alternative is to create the TINA factor i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;After the First World War, Turkey was in shambles and Kemal Ataturk took over the nation with the slogan “There is no alternative”. &nbsp;Overnight he abolished the ritualistic religion and the banned the veil as well as the Turkish cap which were seen as symbolic of ritualistic religion. &nbsp;The most significant change he made was in the script. &nbsp;The Turkish language which was written in Arabic script, he made it compulsory to use the Roman script. &nbsp;These changes were not universally welcomed but he had the traditional power of the army up his sleeves and so could ensure implementation of the changes almost in a single day with the slogan “TINA” i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The changes he made in this way kept on smoldering the rebellious feeling and in the end of last century the religious parties again made a come back trying to bring Turkey back to the religious mould. &nbsp;The army superseded the parliament and kept the reforms going.</p>
<p>
	The process thus goes through persuasion route i.e Knowledge, Belief and Behaviour to get accepted over a period with the opposition getting converted. &nbsp;Thus the changes introduced by the female education can get commented adversely but are unlikely to be thrown out by any democratic process. &nbsp;In fact, democracy also is a tsunami change which is based on the tenets of equality. &nbsp;The traditional societies were based on inequalities: a superior caste, a superior religion, a superior sex. &nbsp;These gave authority to rule over the others. &nbsp;However, democracy tries to establish equality. &nbsp;In fact all people are not equal but in the concept of democracy they have to be treated as equal and given a chance to become equal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	A case in this point is a rule made in New York that all public buildings must have ramps so that the physically disabled people will try to have the mobility similar to normal people. &nbsp;Somebody calculated the cost of providing ramps and suggested that it will be cheaper to keep disabled people home by giving them pension. &nbsp;The answer was the solution to disability is not charity but to create as much equality as it is possible.</p>
<p>
	Even the controversy over reservations can be seen in this light. &nbsp;Reservations cannot create equality. &nbsp;In fact they tend to emphasize inequality. &nbsp;However, by creating reservations more and more people are pushed towards equality.</p>
<p>
	Another case in this point has been the position of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or otherwise backward classes as against Muslims of India. &nbsp;At the time of independence, Muslims had 15% of all important positions in the government thanks to the special protection given by the British Raj. &nbsp;At that time scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs together were much less than 15%. &nbsp;Today after 60 years of independence the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs are nearly 30% while the Muslims have come down to 5%. &nbsp;So the reservation policy of British Raj created permanent inequality and when it was removed the Muslims suffered economically. &nbsp;The situation is somewhat similar to Negroes in America. &nbsp;Negroes are also 15% of American population but in three areas they are much more than 15% - In Olympic gold medals they have the majority. &nbsp;In art particularly music they are over 25% and in crime they are over 60%. &nbsp;These three areas do not require any support from the society to score. &nbsp;Individual abilities can sustain.</p>
<p>
	Similar is the position of Muslims in India. &nbsp;They are in the same 3 areas where they are more than 15% - Sports, Films and Crime. So to create equality there has to be sustained efforts to support the weaker to be equal. &nbsp;This is obviously the tsunami change and will be resisted at every step - but to retain democracy it will be essential to move towards this end.</p>
<p>
	In this process the persuasion of knowledge, belief and behaviour have to be used to make the tsunami change ultimately accepted in the society. &nbsp;This is essentially what is meant by management of change. '</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">(The writer is a popular consultant and author of management classics: “In the Wonderland of Indian Managers” and “In the World of Corporate Managers”.)</span></p>',
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	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sushila Budhathoki</strong></p>
<p>
	With the main trade partners mostly in Europe, Morocco is spreading its business all over the world as the late king of Morocco, Hassan II once said, “Morocco is like a tree, which has its roots in Africa and its branches in Europe.” As a trader, exporter of manufactured and agricultural products and a tourism destination, Morocco has turned out to be an emerging economy of North Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco, a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, shares common interest in the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), a regional grouping of five North African countries namely Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. According to Maghreb Markets, a magazine by Afro Asian Business Chronicle, the country is opting for greater economic integration into the world economy and contributing to the consolidation of the multilateral trading system. For this, it has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness, aiming at strengthening the liberalization of foreign trade since the early 1990s. France has been the main import and export partner of Moroccan trade (22.5%) followed by other partners Spain (16.9%), India (6.1%), Italy (4.5%) and United States (1.3%). &nbsp;Morocco has free trade agreements to a market of 55 countries that represent more than one billion consumers and 60% of world GDP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco has strong and stable macroeconomic performances. Agriculture, phosphates and tourism are the major resources of the Moroccan economy followed by industry, mining and sales of fish and seafood. The Moroccan agriculture sector which contributes 19% of the GDP also employs more than 4 million rural inhabitants creating approximately 100,000 jobs in the agro- industry sector. The country is the largest recipient of foreign investment in North Africa and is looking for expansion in ties to include more joint ventures from all around the world. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it received USD 18 billion FDI between 2000 and 2009 mainly in fertilizer and minerals. The industry, solar energy, wind energy, agriculture, fishing industry, retail and information communication and technology are the major sectors open for investment in Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Nepal- Morocco Friendship</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been very little progress in promoting economy, trade, culture and fewer efforts in enhancing people to people relations between Morocco and Nepal despite setting up diplomatic ties in 1975. The recent visit by Larbi Reffouh, Moroccan Ambassador to Nepal (who resides in New Delhi) to present the letter of credential to the President of Nepal on first May is expected to enhance friendship ties with Nepal. Larbi is also the Ambassador to the Bhutan, and according to him, his posting in India is a choice posting. According to Moroccan Consulate office in Nepal, Larbi, during his visit proposed for short-term as well as long-term trainings to the government officials without any financial obligations to the government of Nepal and allocation of scholarship quota for at least 15 graduate level technical educations in the field of Engineering, Medicines etc. Furthermore, he also officially requested the Chairman of Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nepal to visit the Kingdom of Morocco at their convenient times. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Facts and figures about Morocco" height="418" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_facts_and_figures.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="371" />Similarly, a high level Nepali business delegation is planning to visit Morocco to explore the possibilities of trade and business between these two countries. After the return of Nepali business delegation from Morocco, Moroccan business delegation is planned to be in Nepal for the same purpose. A socio-cultural delegation is also planning to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to boost cultural relations and people to people relations between Nepal and the Kingdom of Morocco. The ambassador also expressed Morocco’s interest to supply fertilizers to Nepal. The Kingdom is the second largest producer and the largest exporter of fertilizers in the world.</p>
<p>
	Both Nepal and Morocco are member of UN and partners of non-aligned campaign. Santosh Kumar Tiberawala was appointed as consul of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal on November 27, 2000. &nbsp;Basant K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of Chaudhary Group was appointed as consul on Norvember 26, 2007 and was promoted to Consul General in May, 2013. The Nepali Embassy in Cairo oversees the diplomatic relations of Nepal with Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal’s trade with Morocco has been limited as investors from both of the countries have less interaction in high level. The data from Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) shows decrease in the trade between the two countries. According to the data provided by TEPC, only 161 pieces of works of art, collector’s pieces and antiques worth Rs 257,690 were exported to Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013. The earlier export included products like dying extracts, dyes, pigments and other coloring matter, paints and varnishes, inks and carpets and other textile floor coverings among few others. Similarly, Nepal mainly imported fertilizers and rubber from Morocco before 2012. There is no import from Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nepal-Morocco Trade" height="198" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_nepal_morocco_trade.jpg" width="580" /></p>
<p>
	Moroccans are not among the regular tourist groups who come to Nepal for celebrating their vacation. According to Department of Immigration, Nepal, &nbsp;hardly 171 tourists were from Morocco who visited Nepal in 2012. On the other hand, Morocco, with 70 new tourist destinations, is becoming a growing tourism destination in the world. According to Maghreb Markets, around 9.3 million tourists visited Morocco in 2010.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>‘There is an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties’</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="H. E. Mr. Larbi Reffouh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India and Nepal" height="400" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_ambassador_larbi_reffouh.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="250" />How do you see the significance of your visit to Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The purpose of this visit is to present my credentials to His Excellency Dr Ram Baran Yadav, the President of the Republic of Nepal, as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal, with a residence in New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	This visit also was a good opportunity to hold several meetings with the Prime Minister, some members of the Government and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to discuss a gamut of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. All the contacts and interactions I have had during my visit are very positive and promising about the future of relations between Morocco and Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the possibilities for economic and trade cooperation between Nepal and Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	The diplomatic relations between Morocco and Nepal were established in 1975. Both countries have always enjoyed cordial, friendly and excellent political relations. This could be reflected by our work together and our coordinated efforts and positions on several international issues, either within or outside the United Nations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Our bilateral trade record remains below our common ambitions and expectations. There is for sure an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties. In this regard, both governments are currently considering the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which will be a cornerstone for the creation of a global legal framework to conceive and promote different “win-win” partnerships and projects in order to take our relationship to the next level, especially in the economic field.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please tell us the major sectors for cooperation between the two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	I believe we should target and focus on some key economic sectors. For instance, we have developed in Morocco a modern, competitive and export-oriented agriculture. Since we do really have an internationally recognized expertise and know how in this field, we are ready to share this experience with our Nepali friends, particularly in terms of modern irrigation techniques and human resource development.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to tourism, we have realized significant achievements over the last few years as Morocco has succeeded in positioning itself one of the world’s fast-growing tourism destinations, attracting over 12 million tourists a year. This achievement can be simply attributed to an ambitious strategy, dubbed “Vision 2020”, through developing state-of-the-art tourism-related infrastructure, including building new hotels and resorts, as well as investing in training human capital. Thus, we can look at the existing potential for initiating specific cooperation in this sector.</p>
<p>
	Another sector that could be central for our future cooperation is higher education. Just to give you an idea, Morocco provide annually more than 1600 scholarships in favor of foreign students. Today, we have over 7000 students from over 48 countries to study in our universities and higher institutes. So, we will seriously consider the possibility of providing scholarships for Nepalese students to pursue their studies in Moroccan universities. I personally believe that if we succeed on this particular front, it will inevitably contribute to further promotion of people-to-people contacts.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What should Nepali government do to attract investment from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	I would like to emphasize that Moroccan investors are present overseas, primarily in Africa in areas such as banking, telecoms, housing and infrastructure. I can assure you that this economic presence is expanding and deepening thanks to the various opportunities existing in African countries and indeed to the capital and expertise offered by Moroccan companies. Since investors are guided by profit and better business environment, the Moroccan private sector is open and ready to explore other horizons and seek new opportunities, even here in Nepal. But this is the main responsibility of your government and business community, by engaging in some promotional and marketing activities, in order to attract Moroccan investments to Nepal, probably by looking at the possibility of establishing “joint-ventures” in specific sectors, like agriculture and tourism.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Agriculture is one of the important contributors in Moroccan economy. How can Nepal get benefit from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	Morocco is ready to share its expertise with Nepal in the field of agriculture and irrigation. Morocco initiated in 2008 a revolutionary program by investing, with the involvement of the private sector, in the modernization and development of our agriculture, and in promoting its international competitiveness. The adoption of this policy stems from the fact that agriculture is the major employer of our workforce, especially in rural areas, and it is one of main contributors to our GDP. We are now starting to reap the fruits of this ambitious strategy, either in terms of increasing output and improving global competitiveness. Having said that, we are ready to share the expertise we have developed so far in this sector with Nepal. We can offer training programs in favor of Nepali students in specific areas, such as irrigation techniques, agribusiness and veterinary.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please describe us the prospect of export-import business between two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	We do export so many things, from agricultural products to industrial items and very recently we have started exporting cars to the regional markets. In fact, we are one of the leading exporters of phosphate in the world. And nobody can ignore the importance of this commodity as an essential component for agricultural development and food security. As an example, we are a major exporter of phosphate and fertilizers to your immediate neighbour. I think it’s time to see if we can do the same with Nepal, to participate concretely with your country in its efforts for the development of your agricultural sector and achieving your food security.</p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-07-15',
			'keywords' => 'H. E. Mr. Larbi Reffouh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India and Nepal, Bilateral Relations, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Morocco has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness, aiming at strengthening the liberalization of foreign trade since the early 1990s.',
			'sortorder' => '938',
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	(int) 2 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1066',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'BRAINDIGIT: The Center For Technology Innovation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	The latest ICT Electronic Branding Expo held at Brikutimandap Exhibition hall held 87 stalls of 70 companies in 17 much decorated pavilions. Companies took part under a single roof introducing their products to get the valuable customer. A showcase namely ‘ramailomela.com was built online to preview the products available on the exhibition. The visitors needed not to hustle in the crowd; saving time and also receiving details on the major brands and vendors as showcased on the exhibition. The online service was from Braindigit which claims to be the powerhouse of creativity and innovation. The workforce from the company came up with this innovative marketing platform. The customer gets lots of product options and price ranges to choose from, of a win-win situation, for the vendor and for the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO, Braindigit" height="272" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_ceo_nischal.jpg" style="float:right; margn:0 0 0 10px;" width="201" />Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal. Saying about the immense evolution; Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO of the organization says, “We felt that our knowledge was limited. We said to ourselves; let’s do something big, something better. Then we started working on software building. There was a demand of customized software in the international market and we had to work hard to get hold of the opportunity.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Braindigit presents itself as an expert primarily focused on providing IT solutions like Web Application Development, Joomla Extensions and Component Development. According to the company, there is a team of highly trained and expert programmers who can efficiently use web technological advancements such as Joomla, .Net, PHP, Java, Ajax, Magento, Android apps and many such components that challenge the capabilities of the work group. The primary Braindigit mission is to provide a qualitative product that combines performance with value pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with the customer.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">“Here we are all goal oriented personals. First we generate a project plan directed towards the needs of our clients. Then we define the roles in our departments. The time extension is designed, and then we follow the projected plan and make sure that the goal is met,” says company executive. The workforce of the company consists of more than 50 staff members, assigned to various departments from programming, development, quality control and marketing. Each department is dedicated towards their assigned role whereby creating an environment that results to be work friendly and mostly goal oriented.” &nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Braindigit Products" height="110" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_products.jpg" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="590" /></p>
<p>
	“We had to overcome many challenges to be able to reach this position. The greater challenge for us is to create an efficient workforce. We train our people to be the best. Regardless of the fact that there is immense competition in the market to hold the best people, we believe motivating employees towards common goal and providing them expansion opportunities. When we recruit, we look for passion in the employee,” says Nischal Man Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	The company is closely working with the government to reduce some issues regarding the development in IT sector. Pradhan adds, “IT companies seek more coordinated support in terms of strengthening data security, information leakage management, visa improvement and certain fiscal incentives. This can attract large investments in the country”. He mentions the power crisis as one impediment and adds, “We have reached this height coping with the problems, and if they are met we know we can do even better. This not only helps to improve the economy of the country but also helps in the development in the emerging IT sector in Nepal.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>SageFrame</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">One of the major accomplishments for the company brings up the name SageFrame. SageFrame is an open source web development framework developed on the top of ASP.NET 3.5. The best features as incorporated by the product are its easy user interface, site optimization and the page management system. It contains necessary tools needed to develop custom modules, applications templates and multipurpose websites.</span></p>
<p>
	After the success of SageFrame 1.0, SageFrame 2.0 was developed and introduced with more appealing features such as plug and play module, drag-drop widget and easy customization. The plug-n-play module concept offers enhanced dynamism to website, and holds provision for addition of new features. The drag and drop widget feature, and a highly configurable control panel, SageFrame provides more flexibility and ease to the website owners and developers.</p>
<p>
	SageFrame was nominated for 2012 Critic’s Choice Best Budget CMS Awards and the runner-up title in People’s Choice Award for the Best Budget CMS (Content Management System). The framework CMS Critic, an industry popular name for CMS reviews, hosts the awards for best CMS platforms around the world. The awards are given in different categories one being the Best Budget CMS where SageFrame proudly claimed a place. “The success of this product made the company realize the true potential of the developers in Nepal. SageFrame had a good start in the market. It has been downloaded by more than thirty thousand clients and the response is very positive”, says Pradhan. The website of Ncell Pvt. Ltd, was developed using this platform. Ncell is the first private mobile operator in the country with an extensive coverage throughout the nation and providing telecommunication services to millions&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">of people.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sageframe, Braindigit" height="109" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_sageframe.jpg" width="535" /></strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">Core extraction of the Braindigit business model:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		The company is built upon the principle of fair dealing and ethical conduct of the employees.</li>
	<li>
		Highest standards of conduct and personal integrity should be maintained.</li>
	<li>
		Braindigit is dependent upon the client’s trust and continuously works on improving the quality of the products and support.</li>
	<li>
		Staff members have their responsibility towards clients benefit and should act the way that merited company’s outlook.</li>
	<li>
		Good judgment is encouraged to avoid business crisis. In a crisis situation, the matter is discussed with the immediate head of the department and, if necessary, with the directors, for advice and consultation.</li>
	<li>
		Compliance with the policy of business ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every employee &amp; associated members.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Disregarding or failing to comply with the standard of business ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including the possibility of possible termination of employment.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">Source: Braindigit</span></p>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
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			'keywords' => 'Braindigit, The center for technology innovation, Corporate Focus, June 3003, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal.',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1065',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'Sunrise Bank: Eyeing To Secure Top Ten Positions Among Nepali Banks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer. According to a bank source, at present Sunrise Bank occupies the 12th position on Capital, 16th on deposits, 18th on total assets, 19th on total loans and 18th on net profit.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrise Bank" height="306" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_surendra_man_ceo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" width="201" />Background</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited officially started its operations in October 12, 2007 as the 22nd Commercial Bank of Nepal. The bank having the paid-up capital of Rs 2.015 Billion issued the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Rs 375 million. &nbsp;Headquartered in Gairidhara Kathmandu, at present, the Bank has the networks of 49 Branches and 57 ATM outlets. The bank has 215,000 deposits customers. Its 56 promoters own 70 per cent of share capital and the remaining 30 per cent is with the general public.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Products and Schemes</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been offering various products catering to all segments of consumers. The Bank has recently &nbsp; re-launched short term scheme: Sunrise Bishesh Muddati, which is provided only to individual customers. The interest rate of 7.50 per cent is provided to the fixed deposit of one year whereas 7.25 per cent of interest rate is provided to the deposit of 6 months. “The Bank aims to solicit the maximum deposit with the products that we have been offering,” says CEO Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Different deposit products offered&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">by the bank:&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Normal Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Super Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Exclusive Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Disable Account</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Suryodaya Remit Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Lakhapati Bachat</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Fixed Deposits&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Coverage</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been providing its services through 49 branches and 57 outlets with ATM services with presence all over the country from Ilam to Dadeldhura. “This enables customers to withdraw the fund by using Visa Domestic and International Debit Card from the nearest ATM outlet,” says CEO Pradhan.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Range of products&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	“We have offered customized services to our customers,” states Pradhan. “Due to diversified products, anyone can enjoy our banking facilities as per their choices.” Besides normal deposits, the Bank offers Current Deposit and also Call Account.</p>
<p>
	Internet Banking is to ‘deliver prompt banking service’ from anywhere and at anytime.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank has also initiated Mobile Banking Services whereby the customer can conduct banking transaction through their cell phones.</p>
<p>
	“We have remittance business through Suryodaya Remit from 12 countries and international correspondents and have more than 800 payout agents including our 49 branches,” claims CEO Pradhan. The Bank provides both incoming and outgoing remittance services by means of Demand Drafts, Swift Transfers, Telex Transfers, Fax Transfers, and Mail Transfers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Safe Deposit Locker: To safeguard the valuable goods and items, the Bank provides the facility of Sunrise Safe Deposit Locker. CEO Pradhan said, “The customers have multiple choices for the various sizes of locker with reasonable costs”.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank also provides services for foreign currency exchange as well. Other services that Sunrise Bank offers are import and export LC, bank guarantee, cash against document, document against cash and Telegraph Transfer.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">CSR Activities</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sunrise Bank Limited, Major Financial Indicators" height="1200" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_major_financial_indicators.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="298" /></strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Since the early days of incorporation, Sunrise Bank has been contributing to the society in various ways as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They mainly include Blood Donation, goods contribution to Bal Mandir every year and computers distribution to a community based School. “Besides that the Bank provides financial contribution time and again for noble cause like flood victims, health camps, education, sports and organizations working for deprived sectors, says CEO Pradhan.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Loan Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></u></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Ghar Karja:</strong> For individuals to construct or purchase homes. The loan can be both for short and long term.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Sajilo Karja: </strong>Flexible loan for social, personal or business purposes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Gold Loan:</strong> Against the mortgage of gold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Krishi Karja:</strong> For agricultural sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Term Loan: </strong>For acquiring fixed assets for a business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Demand Loan:</strong> For building up the stock and receivables to a desired level.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Loan:</strong> For small and medium businesses to meet the working capital as well as fixed assets financing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Overdraft Loan:</strong> To finance the daily working capital requirement and to support the stock build up of the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Hire Purchase:</strong> To finance the purchase of vehicles used for both consumer and commercial purposes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Import Loan:</strong> To finance domestic and international trade transactions through letter of credit. Financed in the form of trust receipt up to a certain percentage of the total L/C amount.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Short term pledge loan:</strong> Offered against the stock after verification of the same. The stock, however, is kept under lock and key of the Bank and the loan disbursed and settled in pro rata basis with the stock pledged and sold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Export Finance:</strong> To finance various export requirements such as pre-shipment loan and post-shipment loan, documents negotiation/documentary bill purchase etc.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">The Bank also provides various other loans like Deprived Sector Loans, Loan against Bank Guarantee, Loan against Government Bonds, Margin Lending, and Loan against Fixed Deposits of other Banks and Consortium Loans.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Under Service products the Bank has Suryodaya Remit, Visa Debit Card, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, Safe Deposit Locker and Trade Finance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Deposit Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong></u></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>Sunrise Normal Savings:</strong> For those customers who have the daily saving habit.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh:</strong> For children below the age of 16, operated under their parents’ guidance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata: For women.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings:</strong> Highest interest rate compared to other schemes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Disabled Account:</strong> This account focus in serving differently able customers.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Account: </strong>An interest bearing account targeted to proprietorship firms, partnership firms and private limited companies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata: </strong>Targeted to the general public seeking to invest in shares of Sunrise Bank Limited or any other banks licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata: </strong>For those who have been allotted Sunrise bank shares in the Initial Public Offering. Available also for those shareholders who purchase shares from secondary market and become shareholder of the bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Fixed Deposit:</strong> Offers high interest rates in quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis as per the choice of the customers.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="color:#f00;">SWOT</span> Analysis</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Strengths</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Founded by reputed entrepreneurs&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Best Human Resource personnel.</li>
	<li>
		49 Branches and 57 ATMs and 365 days of banking services.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Weaknesses</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Less focused on productive sector like agriculture, hydropower, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Opportunities</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Investment in Hydro power and agriculture. &nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Growing Banking market.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Increasing level of awareness.</li>
	<li>
		The Bank can capture a greater loan portfolio of the country because of SME Loan.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Threats</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Cooperatives, finance companies and development banks that are providing more interest on deposits.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		The frequently changing policy of the central bank.</li>
	<li>
		Unstable political situation&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Huge investment in Real Estate Sectors and lack of investment in secured sectors.</li>
</ul>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-07-15',
			'keywords' => 'Sunrise bank Limited, Corporate Focus, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer.',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1064',
			'article_category_id' => '42',
			'title' => 'Fear Of Oversupply',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Bikram Chitrakar</strong></p>
<p>
	(Review for 16 Apr to 16 May, 2013)</p>
<p>
	<strong><em>The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.</em></strong></p>
<p>
	The stock market drifted down to nearly six months low after the regulator Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) move to allow offloading of the promoter shares through brokers. General investors fear that this will cause an oversupply impacting their asset price. As a result, the benchmark Nepse index on May 16 plummeted below that of 3 December 2012.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Though the regulator tried to pacify the investors stating that offloading of the shares will not affect market, the move does not seem to convince the investors. SEBON said, its move was simply to minimize the lengthy process under the previous rule that required an offer document to be prepared and publishing it before promoters shares could be offloaded. &nbsp;The new rule does away with that and says such shares can be sold directly through brokers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There was another reason as well for the loss in the prices of the shares. During the review period, the price of bullions, particularly of the gold, has also gone down heavily attracting the investors away from the share market to the bullion market. The yellow metal lost nearly Rs 10,000 per tola (1 tola = 11.6638038 grammes). Nepali households buy gold for investment as well as for meeting some cultural necessities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Performance by Sector</p>
<p>
	Across the sectors, manufacturing and trading were the only two that gained. The ‘Others’ sector lost heavy (42.28 points or 6.60%) to rest at 640.32. Insurance sub-index plummeted 29.17 points to close at 859.99. Commercial banking sector trailed down 25.74 points or 5.19% to rest at 496.38. Similarly, hydropower sector descended 9.07 points to 1020.41. Hotels sector drifted 5.34 points along with 5.31 points fall in finance sector to 644.65 and 246.31 respectively. However manufacturing sector gained 26.32 points or 3.04% to rest at 866.55 while trading sector gained 2.93 points to 167.94. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sensitive index that measures the performance of 120 blue chip scrips skid 5.92 points or 4.72% to 125.55 while the float index calculated on the basis of real transaction went downhill 0.96 points or 2.69% to 35.75. Total turnover of Rs. 179,556,819 was recorded during the review period from 7,248,255 units of shares traded via 21,249 transactions.</p>
<p>
	The accompanying figure depicts the sector-wise distribution based on the total volume of trade. As usual, commercial banking sector dominated the total volume of trade by holding 73.38% share. Insurance sector accounted for 9.16% and hydropower sector 8.42% while the remaining sectors made up for the rest.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Technically, the Simple Moving Average (SMA) has been dominated by Nepse index in the long term as 200 days SMA hovers below the index line while in the short term the index has approached towards the previous resistance level of 500 and suggests it is in a neutral position waiting for clearance towards new direction.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;"><strong>(Chitrakar is a Stock Analyst with Jamb Technologies Pvt Ltd.)</strong></span></p>',
			'published' => true,
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			'keywords' => 'Stock taking, Bikram Chitrakar, New Business Age-',
			'description' => 'The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1063',
			'article_category_id' => '76',
			'title' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Pinaki Roy</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been a surge of extreme sports in the Himalayan Kingdom in recent years. Along with the developments in the tourism sector, the recreation industry has also benefitted by luring an increasing number of foreign tourists, urban youth and others for a number of exciting adventure sports.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal is largely seen as a popular trekking destination. “Above 40 per cent of all tourists coming into Nepal go for trekking which is an integral part of tourism in Nepal,” says Mani Raj Lamichhane, Manager for Tourism Product &amp; Resource Development at Nepal Tourism Board. He further adds that around 60-70 per cent of all foreign tourists opt for various extreme sports activities altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Domestic tourism is doing well currently and Nepalis are participating in rafting activities in an enthusiastic manner,” analyses Nani Kaji Thapa, President of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA). As for foreigners, 20 per cent of all tourists coming to tour Nepal go for rafting to various destinations in the country, he adds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Manish Byanjankar, Sales Executive of The Last Resort says, “Besides the foreign tourists, Nepalis too have started taking part actively in adventure sports, particularly during the off season.” Most Nepalis indulge in adventure sports during their holidays and free time.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ideal Season</strong></p>
<p>
	“Summer is an ideal time for adventure sports activities in Nepal,” informs Lamichhane. He adds, “Besides the usual foreign tourists who come to Nepal for adventure activities, the Nepali people are also participating in high numbers.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The time period from Falgun (February – March) to Jestha (May – June), just before monsoon, is the ideal time for people to go rafting, says Thapa. “Nepalis contribute 5-10 per cent of all tourists who take part in rafting activities,” he adds. Another ideal time for rafting starts right after the monsoon period, from September to November. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Target Group</strong></p>
<p>
	Adventure Sports has mostly been associated with young people in the age group of 20-25 years. However, there is a surge in people in the age group of 30-40 years taking to extreme sports in an enthusiastic manner. “The entire thinking of the mature populace has changed. They want to enjoy these activities and make up for the experiences they missed during their youth,” observes Byanjankar.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Marketing Adventure Products</strong></p>
<p>
	Lamichhane says that Nepal Tourism Board markets adventure activities abroad while holding exhibitions and seminars in different countries. “Extreme sports are popular with tourists around the world and we look to cash in on this while marketing Nepal as a tourist destination in foreign countries,” he explains.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	One of the most prominent providers of some of these activities is The Last Resort, located on top of a gorge in the mountainous region of Panglang close to the Tibetan border. “Besides individual tourists, we see a lot of corporate houses sending their employees these days, notably for team building exercises,” informs Byanjankar.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He adds, “The group activities that the corporate houses mostly seek are hiking, high ropes, canyoning and rafting.” These activities are popular for team building exercises because they require participation from all group members to accomplish tasks and thus inculcate team value in them.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“There has been a gradual rise in the participation of these sports as people now are starting to go out of the house more often and have fun,” an employee with Initiatives Outdoor states. She adds, “There is an increasing awareness regarding health which has led a lot of young people as well as working professionals to start challenging themselves for different adventure activities.”</p>
<p>
	“We send our top performing agents to adventure destinations once in a while. We do so to motivate them to do better in the future,” says an Insurance Executive. A lot of Nepali companies send employees for extreme sports packages to break the monotony that people feel at work.</p>
<p>
	Thapa says that most people prefer Trishuli River for rafting while Bhote Koshi River is the second most preferred destination for rafting. He also informs, “There is a total investment of Rs 2 billion in rafting activities and around 1,500 are employed with this sector.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Nepali youth and the working professionals are getting more adventurous than ever before. This aspect is holding the extreme sports sector in good stead, say adventure sports entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Adventure Sports Activities in Nepal</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">White-water Rafting&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	With many rivers in the country, there are suitable choices for all levels, from fun rapids to hardcore rides. Nepal is famous for its long trips, such as a 12-day journey into the wilderness along the remote Karnali River. There are day trips along the Trishuli River as well as a wild ride along the monster rapids of Sun Koshi that begins near the Tibetan border.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Paragliding&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Paragliding has carved a niche for itself in Nepal. There are a number of companies in Pokhara offering great views via a tandem paraglide flight. Silence is a sublime experience once up there over the Pokhara valley and in the midst of the mighty Annapurna range.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Zip Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	The world’s longest adventurous zip-flyer, located in Nepal, runs at a speed of 140 km per hour and two people can make a ride at once in two trolleys sitting side-by-side suspended by the cable in the middle. The journey in the zip-flyer starts from a height of 5032 ft in Sarangkot and ends at 3,000 ft in Hemja plain covering a distance of 1,860 meters in length.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Mountain Biking</strong></p>
<p>
	The rural tracks in Nepal seem to be tailor-made for mountain biking. Mountain-bikers can tailor their routes combining cultural sites with mountain views on a mix of single tracks and jeep trails. One needs to be a fairly experienced rider with good fitness levels as mountain-biking across Nepal will have a lot of uphill sections.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ultra-light Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	Ultra-light Flying is a new era of recreational aviation in Nepal. Since its launch, scores of people have discovered the magic of this simple, elemental, pure flight. One can feel the wind in the face, observe clear, unobstructed views and explore the stunning landscapes, surrounded by a backdrop of lofty mountain peaks.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Bungy Jumping</strong></p>
<p>
	This leap of faith has already become a growing and immensely popular adventure sport in Nepal’s tourism scenario. The Last Resort facilitates the bungy jump from high above the Bhote Koshi River from a 500 ft suspension bridge nestled between the mountains. Bungy Jumping has become extremely popular among the foreign tourists as well as the Nepali nationals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Canyoning</strong></p>
<p>
	This adventure sport involves abseiling, sliding, jumping and climbing down canyon walls alongside waterfalls to deep pools below. One gets to swim into narrow passages through powerful blasts of water and past wild rock formations. This unique combination of skills gives a person the freedom to explore some of the most ruggedly beautiful places.</p>
<div>
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			'description' => 'Be it bungy jumping, canyoning, rock climbing, trekking, mountain biking or flying an ultralight aircraft, adventure activities are no longer expected of foreign tourists alone. Nepalis are increasingly being drawn to extreme sports in the country in large numbers.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1062',
			'article_category_id' => '73',
			'title' => 'HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Dhungana/Ural Singh Misra</strong></p>
<p>
	When it comes to sustainable development, Nepal has a rather rocky track record, from highs such as the establishment of our national parks, to lows such as the pitiful state of our environment, politics and even our ever fluctuating economy. The role of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation has been a bit different. HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population. HELVETAS’ very first international affiliation was with Nepal, and for over sixty years the organization has been working to help the underprivileged population obtain sustainable sources of income as well as train youths to acquire technical skills, provide clean sources of water to the rural population and probably the most important in the present context of Nepal - promote governance and peace.</p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong>Education and Skills Development</strong></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development " height="292" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture_traning(1).jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="595" /><br />
	</strong></span></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working in the education and skills development sector in Nepal to reduce the number of unemployed or underemployed people in our nation. It has three major projects which focus on this particular area: ELAM - Informal Sector Enterprise Development and Employment Generation Program which was implemented to uplift the economic status of many families in central Terai so they could manage their own micro-businesses; Employment Fund which provides underprivileged youths with skills training to help them enter the job market and the Skill development and Employment for the Informal Sector program. &nbsp;HELVETAS has been constantly striving to help the rural informal economy by contributing to help maintain peace and good economic health of rural families.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Environment and Climate</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working towards land and water resource management, community forest preservation and practices for climate change adaptation. As it has many years of experience in these fields and implemented projects which further help conserve Nepal’s environment, HELVETAS has been going for long-term gains to Nepal. The ‘Community Practice in Schools for Learning Climate Change Adaptation’ has been initiated to teach students how to adapt to the ever changing environment and the “Effective Water Governance in the Asian Highlands’ project teaches locals to effectively manage their water supply.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Water and Infrastructure</strong></p>
<p>
	A lack of strong infrastructure has led to many problems in Nepal in the hilly region. It has hindered people’s access to clean water. In order to help relieve pressure on rural farmers in hilly regions the Local Infrastructure for Livelihood Improvement Program was introduced in 2004. &nbsp; This has helped improve food security in the hills and income of has farmers risen. The ‘Trail Bridge Support Unit’ of the Trail Bridge Sub-Sector Program has also helped people in rural areas tremendously. &nbsp;It has helped provide safe and reliable means of crossing rivers, giving people access to expanded markets and children access to better schools. The ‘Water Resource Management Program’ is being implemented with the purpose of increasing drinking water access for rural population and to simultaneously promote sanitation and hygiene.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Rural Economy</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture.jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	As we all know a majority of the population are based in rural areas, so it is vital that people in the rural economy have a stable economic condition. HELVETAS has been working with local government authorities to help increase agricultural productivity, improve technology and promote sustainable soil management. Coffee is traditionally seen as a “cash crop” by farmers mainly because it fetches good price in the market. “Coffee Promotion Program” takes advantage of this and focuses on farmers who are cash deprived and helps with maintaining a regular source of income for those farmers. In order to promote food security, increased income and production technology the ‘Sustainable Soil Management Program’ was introduced in 2001 and is set to end in 2014. Going hand–in-hand with this project is the ‘Riverbed Farming Project’ which helps locals with their livelihoods. &nbsp; Seeing a huge positive impact, the organization plans to continue this project for a few more years, provided that funding is adequate.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Governance and Peace</strong></p>
<p>
	Arguably the thing people of Nepal want most is peace. If there was ever a time for anyone of the international community to come and help our poor nation, it is now. The most important aspect of democracy is the rule of the people, and if that is lost, we would end up with a nation of power-hungry dictators. &nbsp; A majority of the people must be satisfied with what is happening. Currently only minorities are happy and satisfied. HELVETAS feels that a crucial block of democracy is the interrelationship between the people, the state and local government bodies. The organization works in Nepal to stop exclusion and inequalities amongst the people whether they are based on gender, race, caste or even religion. The government of Japan through its Japanese Social Development Fund has awarded a USD 1.9 million grant to the Partnership for Transparency Fund to support independent monitoring of development projects by the World Bank in Nepal. As over 1,000 people leave Nepal every day to be migrant workers mainly in the Middle East and South-East-Asia, it is vital that they remain safe, which is why the ‘Safer Migration Project’ was initiated with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). &nbsp;In 1997 HELVETAS initiated the ‘Linking Local Initiatives to New Know-How’ in the mid and far-western regions of Nepal to help deprived communities with issues that adversely affected their economic status. &nbsp;This was done by way of income generation through cash crop production, skill development and social empowerment. This project has now been renamed ‘Linking Smallholders with Local Institutions and Markets’.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong>‘HELVETAS has been driving for long-term gains to Nepal’</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is a politically and religiously independent association, supported by 96,551 members, patrons and 12 volunteer-based regional groups in Switzerland. &nbsp;It is active in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus. HELVETAS came to Nepal in 1956 and now cooperates with many technical and social organizations in all 75 districts across the country.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Shiva_Prasad_Aryal, HELVETAS_Swiss_Intercooperation" height="282" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_intercooperation_shiva_prasad_country_director.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you evaluate your organization’s role in maintaining the bilateral relationship between Nepal and Switzerland?</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is not a donor agency; it is more of an implementing agency. &nbsp;However, we have our ‘Own Fund’ which is created and donated by our members in Switzerland. &nbsp;Most of the funds to conduct our programmes in the many nations come from our major donors. At present, 50 percent of project funding to the Nepal programme comes from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), about 25 percent comes from DFID and other funding comes from European Union (EU) and The World Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the bleak global macro-economic situation affected the support being provided to Nepal by Swiss government?</strong></p>
<p>
	So far Switzerland seems to be lucky because there has not been any considerable impact in Swiss economy. Also the support that Swiss government provides to other nations is not so much affected. In the case of Nepal, the assistance by Swiss government is increasing annually and it is still trying hard to increase the assistance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Employment Fund has been one of the major projects of HELVETAS in Nepal since 2007. What are the achievements so far? How satisfied are you from this?</strong></p>
<p>
	In fact, we are quite satisfied with the success of Employment Fund. When I joined HELVETAS in 2009, I used to doubt people when they talked about the employment rate and also the income rate of the training programme graduates under this project. But, only when I visited the field was I convinced with the statistical report. At present, we have an average employment rate of 70 percent from among our training graduates with average monthly income of Rs 4,600. With this, all our donors and even the Nepali government have appreciated the success of the project. Moreover, World Bank has even acknowledged the Employment Fund approach in a number of its other projects as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How is the Employment Fund regulated? What are its working principles?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I have mentioned, Employment Fund is funded by three donors and we are responsible for the overall management, control and supervision according to the need of the Fund. &nbsp;Furthermore, the Team Leader of the project is a HELVETAS employee who looks after the day-to-day activities of the project and submits us periodical reports. Our project team also makes some periodical visits to the field and discusses with stakeholders on how things are moving. In order to sum up overall progress of the project, we hold steering committee meeting where we discuss the challenges and gains made throughout the period. We also conduct our internal audit and the final reports are submitted to our donors as well as to our headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the plans for the future?</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, we have no plan to launch a new project. &nbsp;We shall instead focus on implementation of our running projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
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			'id' => '1061',
			'article_category_id' => '83',
			'title' => 'An Alternative Enterprise',
			'sub_title' => '',
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			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	“Within five years I will come out as the number one social entrepreneur and producer of natural products in Nepal,” says Govinda Ghimire, Chairman of Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL) expressing her determination. One of the winners of Surya Nepal Asha Awards 2012 and also a winner of Abraham Conservation Awards 2011 knows his route to the destination.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Govinda Ghimire, Chairman, Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="295" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_an_alternative_enterprise_chairman_govinda.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	Having worked in a community based enterprise with the ownership of local people, Ghimire believes that the way he is working now will take him where he wants to be. Ghimire through the AHPPL is working on producing natural products like organic coffee, organic spices, Marmelos Bael Juice, Aelovera Juice, Chuiri Butter and honey. He says that the production of these products is done by local people under the support and supervision of AHPPL. Branding, marketing, establishment of processing plant among others is done by the company while collection, processing and producing is mostly done by local people.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Investment Plans</strong></p>
<p>
	To establish AHPPL as the numero uno herbal company, Ghimire believes that higher income and capital base is required than that of today. But he does not feel he has made that required money yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Alternative Herbal is a small company by all means but it is not so small in terms of the trust it has built and the goodwill it has earned,” he says. Ghimire sees export potentials as the means to make the desired earnings which will be further invested in expansion of working area and product assortment.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire does not see investment as one of the bigger challenges. He is confident that any bank or financial institution will happily invest in his ventures and the donors too will cooperate with him in his initiatives. “The biggest asset that AHPPL today has is the expertise. I am not looking to sell it but to develop it as the property,” he explains.</p>
<p>
	Similarly, as an investment expansion plan, Ghimire is planning for plantation of herbs and other raw materials for production of natural products, where he is currently specialised on. He explains that the farming is not done by the company but by local farmers. “We will purchase their production giving them buy back guarantee so that they need not worry about getting the right value and market for their products,” he added.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="1142" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_products(1).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="325" />Expansion</strong></p>
<p>
	AHPPL initially produced herbal tea. Then it expanded its product range to organic coffee, spices and herbal soaps. Beginning this year, the company has also started exporting Chiuri butter. It has already exported this product worth Rs 5 million. Its production was 4000 kg last year and this year, according to Ghimire, production has doubled to 8000 kg.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The company’s one of the major products, Marmelos (brand of bael juice) is picking up within the domestic market. &nbsp;Currently, 100,000 bottles of this juice are sold within Kathmandu Valley annually. As the public liking for the product is increasing, the people in Siraha, Saptari and Bardiya have started bael plantation to produce juice. Currently, from two areas each, 50,000 litres of juice is produced annually. The initiative of the AHPPL has promoted one village one product (OVOP) in areas where the company is concentrated.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire and his company began working in Siraha, Saptari, Makwanpur and Chitwan districts. Now, the work has expanded to 16 districts with networks of value chain. According to Ghimire, institution is developed in local level that mechanises the production and supply side which further helps in having legal source of the products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There are entrepreneurs who complain about the lack of infrastructures for carrying out business initiatives. But, for Ghimire, the absence of road is not a problem. He says, “We work in that place where there is resource rather than looking for road access and infrastructures.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>Benefits to People&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire believes in working on fair trade values for profit making. He explains that if a product costs Rs 100, Rs 51 goes to the producer while Rs 49 is received by the market value chain and concerned stakeholders. In the process to produce 17 products, 2500 households from 16 districts are directly benefitted. Ghimire says that people directly get the money which they can use for their needs. He says that the company registers annual turnover of Rs 10 million.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire said that people who were involved in hunting of wild animals for their living now have stopped their old profession and involved in juice production. Similarly, in Siraha and Saptari bael trees were fell to fire brick kilns but after people knew about the importance of the fruits of that tree, they now have started plantation of bael that has not only protected environment but also helped in generating income for local community. This is one of the reasons he was awarded with the conservation awards.</p>
<p>
	The company had to struggle hard in maintaining consistency in quality of the products in the initial days. Similarly, branding was another challenge but Ghimire says it has been solved by now. Ghimire says that technical knowhow is given to local people while all the responsibilities of branding and marketing are taken by the company.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Future of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire claims that the AHPPL has been established as an example among various government and private agencies as a successful model of social enterprise. He says that the goodwill and image of the company is yet to be converted into cash. So, he is planning to cash his intangible resources. Similarly, he is soon planning to establish a processing plant with an investment of Rs 50 million.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong>Genesis of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<div>
	<img alt="Aloe Vera Juice" height="331" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_product_aloe_vera(1).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="120" />
	<div>
		Ghimire is a lawyer by education but he never practiced law in court. He believes that the education he has got about law has proved to be of great help to him throughout his business career. Having worked as an employee for around half a decade in an environmental organisation, Centre for Agro Ecology and Development, he served as a social worker concentrating in Chepang Village in Chitwan district. He was working for enhancing the livelihood through income generation programmes for local people. The duration of almost seven years as an employee exposed him to a sea of practical knowledge about the marketing nitty-gritty and natural products know-how. Meanwhile, he also established a cooperative with support from donor agencies like SNV and OXFAM.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having worked with and for the local community, he developed nerves for enterprise. He also closely witnessed the wrongdoings of the middlemen and was not satisfied with the way local people were not getting the right price of their productions. Working in the market linkages, he understood how things should be done.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having a fire of entrepreneurship along with the technical know-how, he went ahead to establish a company of his own: Alternative Herbal Pvt Ltd. To begin with, he had four like-minded partners along with the investment of the cooperative that he established in his initiative. Ghimire says that the initial investment was only Rs 500,000. Herbal tea was the first product the company produced and marketed.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		In the initial days, products such as herbal tea were exported to European market including Belgium. A Belgium based company was taking the responsibility to supply goods to the European market. Ghimire admits that the products were not well received there because of the quality. But he says things are now changing. Having spent a lot of time and resources in research and development, Ghimire says that his products are well received in both domestic and &nbsp;international market as the company has been able to improve the quality as well as diversity of product range.</div>
</div>
<div>
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			'title' => 'A Tenacious Trader',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Tiwari</strong></p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd always had thoughts of being a businessman since he was a child. Even though he was born in a family whose profession was agriculture, he had deviations towards business. &nbsp; His family background was no motivation for him to start a business, so for some time he thought of holding a job, as he had no other career aims. “Besides my career, my ambition was to become a national level player and I fulfilled that. I was a national athlete from Koshi zone,” says Chapagain. But despite his success in sports, he wasn’t interested in making it his career. In the back of his head, he always thought of owning a business. Fortunately, he was able to realize his childhood dream immediately after graduating.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain’s new ventures will be in the sector of tourism and agriculture, which are quite new for him. After 29 years of running a successful trading business, Chapagain now has plans of opening a resort in Dhulikhel. “While abroad on business delegations, I have always tried to sell something from Nepal. As Nepal has such immense potential in tourism, I thought of opening a resort. I will accomplish this within the next two or three years,” says Chapagain. He also has plans of starting his own farming business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	For the last two years, Chapagain’s major focus has been on opening own retail outlets for his products. “The outlets reduce the hassle of appointing wholesalers and retailer. The customers can buy the products at a cheaper price so I am focusing on such outlets,” informed Chapagain. Till date, he has opened retail outlets for his brands Suvari, Istikbal, Rodimood and Colin’s.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he believes in doing fair business, and wants to be long-run player. “After all these years in business, I have made a name for myself and my company. I have a reputation to maintain. So I always do fair business,” says he. According to him, having moral courage to face the society is very important for him, and making profit comes only after that. He believes he has contributed to the society through his fair business, and is happy about that. “As I am associated with numerous trade associations, I encourage all to play fair game. It always pays off in the end,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Early Life&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Born in Bhojpur, Dingla in 1957 to Thama Nath Chapagain and Pushpa Kumari Chapagain, Chapagain says he was mischievous and aggressive since his childhood. With eight siblings, he grew up in quite a big family. He spent most of childhood and school days in Biratnagar. According to Chapagain, he was very athletic and loved sports, and had a lot of friend. “I still miss those days when I used to play with my friends in a garden near my school. We climbed trees, swam in the pool and had a really good time,” said he. After moving to Kathmandu, he joined Min Bhawan Campus for higher education, and later graduated from Trichandra College. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Initiation</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain had started his business journey by opening Akhil Trading Concern as a private trading firm in the year 1984. To start with, he imported wrist watches and cosmetics from Switzerland. Sadly, his first attempt didn’t pay back well and he suffered loss in both the products. “At that time, many companies were importing watches through illegal channels. I imported the watches through legal channels by paying all the taxes, which may have increased their prices. So it didn’t go well,” recollects Chapagain. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After receiving his first blow, he thought of changing his approach, and focused on the products that would suit the need of the people here, and were quite inexpensive. After much thought, he imported dry fruits from Singapore, and it did a satisfactory business. This helped him to cover his earlier loss, and most importantly, gave him the courage. Filled with new hope, he imported refrigerators from China, and it too went well. “Later, I discontinued importing Chinese as the quality was inferior, and I started importing FMCG from European countries,” says Chapagain. Today, majority of his imports are from Europe.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd " src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar(1).jpg" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>Evolution of Business</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain was in Germany once, searching for some business opportunities. Walking on the streets, his eyes fell on a store with a brand named Fakir. He found out that it was a household appliance brand, and intuitively wanted to import and sell its products in Nepal. After his return to Nepal, he made correspondence asking the company for dealership. Back then, Akhil Trading Concern wasn’t a big name as it is today, so he had little hopes that his request would be accepted. “I had informed them about my actual status, and they knew that mine wasn’t a very big company. I wasn’t very hopeful for a favourable response,” says he.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The representatives of the company came to Nepal and had talks with him. They also met with people from other companies here, most of them at a higher position than his. Sometime later, the company offered him the exclusive dealership despite the size of his company. This dealership gave him his first big break. “Years later, I asked the company men why they selected me over other companies. They said that they were impressed with my honesty as I had told them about my status without any exaggeration,” says Chapagain. The dealership did a good business for him and he focused on more European products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Present Times</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, Chapagain imports more than a dozen big brands from Europe, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Some of these brands are Suvari, Rodimood, Colin’s, Istikbal and Khao Shong. Most if his imports are from Turkey, as he says Turkish products are of European standard, and are affordable as well. He says he imports only the best products with superior quality. According to him, his import Khao Shong is the number two coffee brand in Nepal and Arabella is number one in pasta. The products include FMCG, textiles, furniture, appliances and apparels among others. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Honestly speaking, I wanted to do business because I dint want to work for anyone, and wanted to be my own master. I preferred it over doing a job for some company,” says Chapagain. He started his business with an investment of 300,000 rupees, and imported one or two products. Today, he runs a successful trading business and has more than a dozen products in his list. According to him, the business is doing really good, and is growing year after year. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	On success, Chapagain shares that he is satisfied with what he has accomplished. “To keep a trading firm running in Nepal all these years is a success in itself as it’s a very risky business,” says he. He strongly disagrees with those who say trading is easier business than manufacturing. According to him, trading is in no sense an easy business, and has its own threats and challenges. “Traders have to face problems like grey market, counterfeit goods and other traders’ monopoly over brands. We also have a huge responsibility towards the customers,” says Chapagain. He has no plans of foraying into manufacturing, and is contented with what he is doing and what he has achieved. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Family</strong></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil's Family" height="392" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar_family.jpg" width="450" /></p>
<p>
	Chapagain married Gyanu Chapagain at the age of 29. Their fathers were old friends, and the marriage was fixed even before he was aware of it. They went to the same school and knew each other, but he never thought he would marry her. Very shy around girls, Chapagain vividly remembers the first time they met with the purpose. “I was quite a rebel, so I didn’t want to go with my father’s decisions. But when she reached marriageable age, we got together quite well and we both agreed to marry,” says he. &nbsp;Gyanu is a housewife and maintains all aspects of his personal life. According to Chapagain, she maintains the family bond and looks after all the family matters as he is too busy for them. The couple is blessed with two sons Arpit and Arjit. His elder son Arpit has recently joined the company as the Managing Director.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Personal Side</strong></p>
<p>
	Very health conscious and athletic, Chapagain exercises a lot. He jogs 5 kilometers every day, and has been doing it for the last 25 years. He is a frequent blood donor and has donated blood 26 times. Travelling and trekking are his hobbies, and is abroad for about five months a year. He has travelled Asia and Europe extensively. He spends most of his free time with his family and acquaintances in outings and get-togethers. Chapagain enjoys all sorts of foods, and is a social drinker. He enjoys good wine, and imports them too.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he is very conscious of his clothing, and wears brands like Pierre Cardin, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and of course, Suvari. “I like to groom myself, and use some cosmetic products as well. &nbsp;I always want to look presentable,” says Chapagain. He is passionate about gadgets, and owns iPhone 4S and a Sony Vaio. Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 are on his wish list. Chapagain currently drives Nissan Super Saloon.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Epilogue</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain believes that all the diplomatic missions and offices in foreign countries should promote Nepal. “All such offices should have a booth to inform about Nepal and our products as it helps in promotion and publicity of Nepal. The rest of the world needs to know about Nepal and what Nepal has to offer,” says he. He has personally promoted Nepal during his business delegations and visits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He believes that all should stop blaming the government for the problems, and take responsibility squarely on their shoulders. “There is too much negativity around us. Everyone from all walks of life should move ahead with a positive and constructive mindset,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<div>
	 </div>
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			'title' => 'Coca-Cola Strives Be Relevant To New Generations',
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	 </p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name. Recently, Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit visited Nepal. New Business Age Editor-in-chief Madan Lamsal talked with him regarding business prospects of Coca-Cola in Nepali market during his visit.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Kindly talk about your career growth and your role in the Coca Cola business today.</strong></p>
<p>
	I have spent most of my working life with Coca-Cola, having been with the company for almost two decades now. I joined in 1994 and worked in a variety of roles mostly involving Operations and Commercial beverages. I had an eight year stint with Coca-Cola China where I worked on a variety of roles from Business Development to Shanghai Region Manager and also managed The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Partnership for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. I moved back to India in early 2011 as VP-Operations providing leadership support to the company owned bottling operations (CBO) and franchise bottling operations (FBO’s) in India. In October 2012, I took over the role of VP-South West Asia Operations and as the Head of our Juice business for the India and South West Asia Business Unit.</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola is a great company and a great brand to work for. I’ve had some extremely challenging yet fantastic experiences in my years with Coke. I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most engaged and inspiring people as a part of the Coca-Cola family and I hope I can continue to do so in the future as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Till a few years ago Coke in Nepal enjoyed close to 80 percent of market share. That is now reduced about 64 percent only, somewhat due to aggressive marketing from the competitor. What is being planned in order for Coke to regain the same past glory? Where have you reached in your expansion plan for Coca-Cola in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies and our products are available in more than 200 countries. In Nepal as well, our brands enjoy consumer preference and share of throat, as we like to call it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After 126 years in the beverage business, we are still innovating, evolving and striving to be relevant to new generations. &nbsp;We constantly strive to stay relevant to our consumers by focusing on their needs and consumption patterns and connecting with them through our products. For example, Trademark Coca-Cola has partnered with the All Nepal Football Association for the Coca-Cola Cup to connect with young footballers across Nepal and promote healthy active lifestyles. Brand Fanta has partnered with the Miss Nepal pageant to stay relevant to teenagers and add some ‘play’ in their lives. So we are constantly trying to find touch points that connect our brands with our consumers across the country.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We face aggressive competition in any country that we operate in, but this is good since it not only helps the category to grow, but also provides consumers with a choice of high quality beverages. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Providing consumers with choice and value continues to be the cornerstone of our business strategy.We are focused on offering a range of products in different packs at varying price points, which is in keeping with our OBPPC (occasion, brand, price, pack, and channel) architecture. To ensure this, we are investing in our distribution, innovation and marketing investments to continue to drive recruitment for the beverage category. Further improvement in the company’s route-to-market and organizational capabilities are also areas we need to focus on. We have solid plans for Nepal this year and if we can do the right things every day, business growth is a given.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Coca-Cola in Nepal does not have a wide range of products that the company’s consumers enjoy elsewhere. What are you doing in this regard? Is any products line expansion in the offing in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies in the world today. We are available in more than 200 countries across the world and have more than 3500 product offerings, including more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from.</p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day. We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes across channels. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides and we are constantly researching and evaluating need states to grow our business and expand our portfolio of products.</p>
<p>
	We have been researching and innovating and have a number of plans for Nepal this year in terms of our beverage choices and packaging varieties. You will have to watch out for those in the coming months!</p>
<p>
	<strong>What is the contribution of Coca-Cola’s pure juice and juice products to its total annual revenue collection from Nepal?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes including in RGB 250ml, Cans 330 ml, PET 500ml, 1.5 Liters and 2.25 Liters. Our current portfolio does not include juices and juice products. As I said before, we are focusing on our distribution, route-to-market and organizational capabilities to drive recruitment for the beverage category, grow our business and expand our portfolio of products, in line with consumer choice and preference.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coca-Cola’s fruit juice and juice products like the Minute-Maid and Simply Orange apparently do not have any significant market share in the Nepali market. What are the plans to promote these juice products of the company in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned earlier, we currently do not manufacture any juice in Nepal.We offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. Packaged beverage consumption is on the rise in Nepal and we are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide our consumers with a variety of still and sparkling beverages.We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times, to further grow the packaged ready to drink beverage business in the country. We will of course continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ tastes in the Nepalese market.</p>
<p>
	<strong>There is one controversy in Nepal. People say that the Coke they get to drink here in Nepal or this part of the world is not the same as what the people in the US or Europe get to drink. Is the perception right? If there is perceptive difference, why so and do you find reasons enough to alter this perception? How?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our beverages across the world provide consumers with the same great taste and quality. We strive toprovide the same high quality, safe and tasty products in all 200+ countries in which we operate. Our quality testing parameters and taste standards apply to all our manufacturing facilities worldwide. We aim to provide our consumers the same refreshing and flavourful beverages across the world.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coke is no doubt the most popular carbonated drinks in Nepal as well as in the South Asian region. But perhaps the same is not true for Coke’s juices. How far is Coca-Cola from realizing the optimum potential of its juice business in the South Asianregion?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Nepal’s beverage industry is growing. Consumers now have a lot of choice in terms of choosing what type of beverage they want, at what pack and what occasion.</p>
<p>
	That being said, the industry still has a lot of potential to grow. This is a country which has a relatively low per capita consumption levels for packaged beverages and we see steady and robust growth in both sparkling and still beverage categories in the future. The per capita consumption of our products is only 9.2. Contrast this to a global average of 92, 38 in China and 728 in Mexico. In Nepal our portfolio includes Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda. In India we have products like Thums Up and Limca and the Minute Maid Brand of juices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Minute Maid Pulpy Orange is the number one orange juice drink and Maaza, our mango juice drink has been the leader in the mango juice category for years now. In Sri Lanka as well, we have our Minute Maid range of juices, including Orange, Mango, Apple and Mixed Fruit flavours which are doing exceptionally well in that market. We are currently the market leaders in Sri Lanka. So we are seeing a rise in the consumption of juice and juice drinks in all our markets in this region. Our outlook towards juices and juice based beverages in this region is very positive. With disposable incomes rising, consumers are focusing on hygiene and quality of packaged beverages which will lead to growth in consumption of our juice drinks as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The company’s other beverages such asLimca, ThumsUp, Maaza etc.are quite popular in India but not that much in Nepal. Is the company going to adopt any new marketing strategy in order to promote these brands in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products and we have been investing behind our brands and brand positioning to drive recruitment for the sparkling beverage category. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides. We have some solid marketing plans for Nepal this year and we will continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ taste preferences in Nepal.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Is the company planning to promote its juice brands in a major way globally as it seems the consumers, of not only Coke but also other carbonated drinks as well, seem to gradually believe that soda is not very god for human health and hence are shifting to juices which are healthier alternatives? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	All over the world, consumers are telling us they care about their well-being, and we care too. &nbsp;We recognize the health of our business is interwoven with the well-being of our consumers, our employees and the communities in which we operate. &nbsp;That is why we offer consumers a wide range of choices in products, sizes and with and without calories. Bringing real choice to consumers everywhere, and educating them on the role their choices play in achieving sensible, balanced diets and active, healthy lifestyles, is part of our commitment to responsible marketing and consumer education around our products.</p>
<p>
	As I said before, we have more than 3500 product offerings, which include more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from. We have demonstrated that both the Sparkling and Still segments have tremendous upside. We want to be a total beverage company and keeping this in mind have launched several products in the recent past to ensure we are able to cater to the varying needs of the consumer. Juices and juice drinks play a key role in our portfolio and have been showing robust growth over the past few years. All our products, not just juice drinks, can be enjoyed as part of an active healthy lifestyle.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_neeraj_garg(2).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" />In recent years, Coke in Nepal is increasing its spend on CSR activities. What new activities are being planned?</strong></p>
<p>
	We operate in world which is constantly innovating and evolving to become more and more sustainable in the long term. Consumers across the world are conscious to companies that are investing in CSR and are seen doing something for the betterment of the community.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sustainability is a crucial component of The Coca-Cola Company’s global business strategy and Vision 2020 statement. We strongly believe that in order for us to do well, we need our communities to succeed and give us the social license to operate. As our Chairman Muhtar Kent puts it- ‘Sustainable business thrives only amongst sustainable communities.’ We have developed a global framework for all our sustainability initiatives across the world and have an entire vertical dedicated to CSR and sustainability.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	In Nepal, we have designed various programs under this global sustainability framework of ‘Me We World’, with an emphasis on Water and Sanitation, Climate Protection and promoting Healthy Active Living.</p>
<p>
	We have recently launched two of our flagship CSR initiatives the Support My School Program and the 5BY20 Parivartan Training Program in Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We have launched the ‘Support My School’ Campaign in partnership with UN HABITAT, ENPHO, CEN and some municipal corporations. This is grassroots level campaign that aims to create awareness and address issues in schools which lead to absenteeism or children dropping out of school. We are focusing on improving water and sanitation facilities and developing the overall infrastructure of schools across Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The 5BY20 Parivartan Program is a women’s retailer training program, part of our global &nbsp;initiative that aims to economically empower 5 million women across our value chain by the year 2020. Through this program we are training Nepali women retailers on business skills, such as Shop, Stock, Customer and Financial Management. We launched this initiative with 30 women retailers on 8th March- International Women’s Day and we plan to conduct more trainings across Nepal this year.</p>
<p>
	One of our associates recently went to Antarctica as part of an international team with Sir Robert Swan- a renowned polar explorer and environmentalist. Swan visited Nepal last year to support our efforts towards water and environmental protection. We hope that through this international exposure our associates can create awareness and make a difference towards climate change.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola Nepal also has partnerships with UNHABITAT and the Government of Nepal for The Partnership for Safe Water Project to reduce the risk posed by untreated water. The Project provides improved access to drinking water by promoting Household Water Treatment (HWT) options in local communities and spreading awareness on ‘Safe drinking water’ in urban centres of Nepal.</p>
<p>
	We have also partnered with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for the Coca-Cola Cup, national grassroots football tournament since 2006. This initiative is a part of our global commitment to create a sporting culture in the country by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. This tournament involves 10, 000 boys and girls from over 500 schools across 6 regions of the country.</p>
<p>
	We also organize a number of initiatives to create awareness on World Water Day and World Environment Day,as well as conduct the Everest Marathon and International Olympic Day Run.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the ongoing financial or economic crisis in Nepal affected the soft drinks market? &nbsp;And how is Coke facing it?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Economic and political stability is important for the country and of course for businesses as well. As a business, we hope that there is ample predictability in policies and regulations. As a business entity, we expect governmentsto have a long term outlook and a world view to spur growth in any market that we operate in. We believe that Governments should work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective policies that spur economic growth. The Coca-Cola strategy for solving some of the world’s most pressing issues is what we call the ‘Golden Triangle’ -- the coming together of civil society, business and government to develop collaborative partnerships and create a model for growth. We have been constantly working towards such partnerships worldwide and we are seeing a positive difference in these communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are your views on the trends in the Nepali economy over the next one or two years, and impact for soft drinks business in general, and the Coca Cola group of drinks in particular?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned, creating stable and predictable policies and a business-friendly environment is something that all business entities look for to invest in countries in the long term. As businesses we hope that Governments will work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective regulationsto spur economic growth. As I mentioned, our philosophy is driving effective collaborations and partnerships between government, business and civil society.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to the beverage industry in Nepal, I think the packaged beverage consumption is on the rise and the non-alcoholic ready to drink (NARTD) category continues to evolve to varying consumer demands. Coca-Cola has a strong focus on innovation and we will continue to provide our consumers with beverage choices for all occasions and cater to the advancements of the Nepali beverage market.</p>',
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			'article_category_id' => '46',
			'title' => 'IFC Has Been A Pioneer In Promoting And Developing Local Capital Market',
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	 </p>
<p>
	<img alt="Jingdong Hua" height="245" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_jingdong_hua_ifc(1).jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="200" />The World Bank Group (WBG) says Nepal is a priority country for it. &nbsp;Internaional Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of WBG and through it the WBG is enhancing its engagement in Nepal by way of both Investment Services and Advisory Services. To facilitate private sector growth in Nepal, IFC works to promote private investment in infrastructure, tourism, financial markets, transportation, and trade finance. Through advisory services, IFC contributes to increasing access to finance for businesses, making it easier to do business, facilitating public-private dialogue for policy reforms, and promoting regional trades.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Recently, Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>The main objective of your mission is to sensitise the Nepali policymakers and opinion makers on the importance of developing local capital markets as the foundation for sustainable growth. What prompted the IFC to pursue this particular objective?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	&nbsp;IFC has been a pioneer in promoting and developing local capital market. As a matter of fact, in the last 10 years, IFC has provided over $10 billion in 60 different local currencies. The reason is very simple. We help private sector entrepreneur. In case of most of our private entrepreneurs, their business generates revenue in local currencies and generates many local friends. We want entrepreneurs to focus to grow their business instead of worrying about foreign exchange facilities. At a micro level that is the motivation. And at the macro level, the motivation is the foundation for the growth of the capital market. You need a vibrantly liquid capital market support from where the private entrepreneurs can efficiently finance their operation depending on the risk of the capital.</p>
<p>
	Over the past several years, our team in Nepal has been working tirelessly in terms of supporting the power sector in the country with hydropower being the most common sector. That truly is the bottom line. We need to unlock the country to political advantage of its economic potential and some of the hydropower projects do generate local currency revenue. We have been engaging with the government for several years in terms of starting the dialogue, presenting the rationale and explaining the mechanical process. We are happy that we are getting encouraging support from the government. We are waiting for a green signal from the government about regulatory approval. We are very optimistic that the government will be supporting us.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What can the media do to help in this matter?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Media plays an important role to sensitise the citizen on the experience of other emerging countries who have benefitted from open and vibrant capital market. It can also highlight the IFC project about how critically they are helping to resolve the infrastructural performance so as to unlock economic opportunity in different sectors.</p>
<p>
	<strong>IFC has been planning to issue local currency bond in Nepal. Could you please highlight the logic behind this?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Our projects require local currency financing. To issue these bonds in the Nepali market, there needs to be a regulatory approval from the government for which there is a process. And we are engaging with the government. We are hopeful that in the near future, we will be able to obtain that approval.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What impediments do you see in successful implementation of this idea?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We are very optimistic that it will be very successful. As a matter of fact, we have opened three other new markets elsewhere in the world during the last four months. For instance, we have issued local currency bond in The Dominican Republic and in Nigeria. In both cases, those were the first ever foreign bonds issued in local currency in the two countries. While in Russia, we issued the biggest bond by foreign issuer with a very innovative feature of linking coupon rate with inflation target index. We have a lot of experience working with the local pension fund, insurance company, local bank, and local investment community to showcase the benefit from different perspectives.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What do you have to say to the Nepali private sector that is focusing more on the problems of getting foreign capital than on local currency funds?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	For the market to be recognised by the foreign investors to attract more foreign direct investment, there has to be an environment that enables the private sector to survive. &nbsp;Stable regulatory framework too is required to support foreign investment.Also needed are some critical early success example which demonstrate that the market is viable and ready. There are many things to be developed in terms of capital market. As it needs regulatory framework, market infrastructure and capital market player, the government should regularly facilitate and support the process. It is a long term process and IFC is committed to help Nepal in every way.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The idea of utilising the local capital market for raising capital to invest in infrastructure projects is being floated for quite some time in Nepal but nothing concrete could be achieved so far. What was lacking in those ideas generated locally?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	IFC issues local currency denominated bonds. It is not just the domestic investor who can buy; foreign investor can also buy if they feel comfortable investing in Nepali rupees. The local currency bond can also attract foreign investors. It has to ensure safety in terms of settlement and investment in the market so that other players can invest on the basis of that.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you see the progress of IFC’s investments in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	I have visited Buddha Air and had a conversation with the owner directly and how critical our financing is. So it would be beneficial if we not only provide critical financing but also the advisory support on how to improve their management and safety.</p>',
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	<strong>By Madan Lamsal</strong></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="development riddle" src="/userfiles/images/1371635301.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 378px;" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this &ldquo;rich-mines, poor-minds&rdquo; country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.</p>
<p>
	But not anymore will we have these qualms since the riddle of this big WHY has now been solved. Nepal can now embark on a development track with rocket speed, absolutely different from the frog jump pattern proposed by former PM Dr Baburam Yami Bhattarai.</p>
<p>
	We had had such difficulty in developing the country mainly because the lost key of development lied elsewhere - somewhere outside the country. Thank God! This mystery has been resolved now after the appointment of Lokman Karki as the CIAA chief. Every Nepali by now understands that the key to our development lies in the hands of foreign countries, maybe our neighbours or the superpowers. Or, possibly, there could be many keys with many &lsquo;partners&rsquo; that we got to find out and bring them back.</p>
<p>
	It is this realisation that is pushing every Nepali regardless of age, gender, origin, religion or profession to foreign lands. Recently, Nepal&rsquo;s quintessential leader Comrade Prachanda visited both our northern and southern neighbours in quick succession, last month. He not only talked about Nepal&rsquo;s development, but also proposed a new vision of &lsquo;triangular model&rsquo; involving China, India and Nepal. His wisdom did highly impress the leaders of both sides, akin to his claims. The likelihood is that he might be hired as a consultant by the planners of these countries to generate such great angular visions which they could never think of so far. In the power corridors of New Delhi, he was even asked if his triangle could be made a quadrangle by adding a &lsquo;people&rsquo;s war dimension to it&rsquo; so that it could be copyrighted as the new Prachandapath model of development!</p>
<p>
	Not only Prachanda, but also his party rank and file believes that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development is indeed in the hands of foreigners. His deputy, Dr Bhattarai, in a recent trip to Australia made it clear that the people who live in Nepal are unable to develop it, so those who have left Nepal and become foreigners should develop it.</p>
<p>
	See the impact of foreign trips! These leaders who believed in putting schools on fire, bombing suspension bridges in remote hinterland, felling telephone and electricity polls and destroying public property have suddenly started talking about development. If you still don&rsquo;t believe that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development lies in foreign hands, consider the following examples as well.</p>
<p>
	Not only politicians, but also most civil servants are dying to grab any possible opportunity for a foreign trip. Because they realize that their years of experience in service has failed to teach them how to develop the country and, therefore, seek the compensation for it a foreign trip. &nbsp;Therefore, senior officers prefer to participate in foreign trainings, workshops or seminars where nominations are actually sought from junior positions. Simply, the more senior people who participate, the more cakes of development they would bring back.</p>
<p>
	Such love for Nepal&rsquo;s development is not limited to politicians and civil servants. You can simply say that anyone very keen to go abroad is a true lover of Nepal&rsquo;s development. Every Nepali student believes that s/he cannot develop this nation by studying here. That&rsquo;s why visa applications are filed as soon as the completion &nbsp;of +2 education. Those who fail to leave the country are even more patriotic. They do not miss even a single opportunity to protest against any anti-development move of the government. And they make sure that they destroy some amount of existing public property so that it could be replaced by a new one.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The members of the general public who are smart enough want to leave the country at any cost. They too realize the fact that no development is possible within the country. Manpower agencies, planners and development experts, all by now agree that the country will not develop from within, so we must bring everything from other countries. Everything means everything- a constitution, directives for the government dictating who should be appointed where and what model of development should be followed. With this, one can be pretty sure of the faster development we have missed thus far.</p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2013-06-06',
			'modified' => '2013-10-21',
			'keywords' => 'No laughing matter, new business age, Madan Lamsal, Development Riddle Solved',
			'description' => 'Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this “rich-mines, poor-minds” country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.',
			'sortorder' => '928',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1054',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;">We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit.</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos. I thought – “really?” Another sniggered, “what was the lady (the rape victim!!) doing so late at night”? (9.30 p.m.!!) They were declaring the victim guilty with such smugness that I felt sick. Who decides what modest dressing is? Does the fact of wearing western clothes give a right to molest? A female walking alone at 9.30 p.m., does that provide anybody a right to rape? Come on – must be joking!!! <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	There is a part of society that always blames women. They whisper, “She must have provoked him”, “She must have done something wrong.” The “guilty” verdict is delivered. Ever wonder why the victim’s face is blurred on TV? She has not done anything wrong except, may be, walking alone at night!! Why does she have to use a veil to cover her face? Probably because she does not have faith in being treated humanely. She knows that her friends, relatives and society in general will not let her move on and continue with her life. There will be whispers everywhere she goes.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Declaring a woman guilty after being&nbsp; assaulted is not a recent phenomenon. It happened even in Ramayana. Sita,wife of Lord Rama, was asked to prove herself by entering in fire. Even then Rama had to ostracize her. She pleaded with mother Earth to take her back. Despite of remorse expressed by all, she went back to her maternal home. There are multiple versions of the story but one basic issue is clear: Sita had to prove her innocence. Till then, she was guilty. In Mahabharata – “Anushashana Parva section CXXIII” – it is mentioned that when the husband is away the wife should not use ornaments, not have a proper bath (gets stinky!!) and not indulge in any adornment till the hubby is back. In a nutshell, the diktat is clear – look horrible and smell horrible. If she wears ornaments, etc., what will happen? She will look good, off course!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Then what? Men will be attracted to her! And her husband is away. Guilty – guilty – guilty!! Unless she proves her innocence by ensuring she does not look good. Awesome – is it not so? By the way,nobody asks the husband how he satiates himself while he is away!! From ancient times a son, as heir, is always of paramount importance. Lineage to progress, as if the male was the only involved in the progression process. We have seen enough daughters making their family proud and sons shaming them. Still, a son is a must to advance the ancestry. In Puja Mantra, we pray to provide us with sons. Even ladies pray fervently – “Putram Dehi.”&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">If a girl is born, it is the lady’s fault. If she cannot conceive, she has to be tested. If the wife is brave enough to suggest testing her husband, may God save the poor lady. Somebody told me recently (a male) that his wife is having difficulties to conceive, so a doctor was consulted. Some tests were suggested for her. I asked, “What about you?” Apparently the doctor said “We shall test the wife first.” Surprised? Guilty unless proven innocent, isn’t it? I did not ask the gender of the doctor though. It does not matter. Every day someone, somewhere, is getting insulted; be it a daughter, mother or wife. She is being ostracized and her dignity gets violated. Some tolerate silently, some like Sita go back to their parental home, some decide to end their lives and very few fight back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Even though we boast progress (but have we progressed really?), we can only proclaim that we are progressing when the victim removes her veil and looks into our eyes, holds her head high and seeks justice. We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit. Empowering women with more freedom and choices are crucial for a better future. There is incentive for all of us. It enhances development. Countries that have expanded opportunities to women have achieved moderate population growth, reduced child mortality and increased life expectancy. This, in turn, has improvedthe Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. HDI measures country’s performance beyond GDP. Women are the key factor for sustainable long term development with a triple-win strategy — better economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Empowering women and moving towards 360 degree development will not happen by merely commenting in social media or by candle light vigil alone. Each one of us must redefine our thought process. As Mahatma Gandhi said – “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	 </p>',
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			'description' => 'Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos.',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1055',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Socialism – The Great Equalizer Or Capitalism – The Great Divider?',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><span class="A29"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile?</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	So<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">me ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich! &nbsp;Typically, Socialism is defined as an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">A Professor had an experiment where all grades were to be averaged and everyone would receive same grade. So no topper – no loser either. It was enthusiastically accepted by all for obvious reasons. </span><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">After first test, grades were averaged, everyone got a B+. Students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were ecstatic. Before second test, students who studied little worked even less and who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. Average was a D. No one was happy. Next the average dropped to F.</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">Time goes by, instead of the scores, bickering, blame and name-calling increased. No one would study for the benefit of anyone else. Perfect Socialist class – is it not so? </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">I am not to judge whether Socialism is good or bad but trying to share a perspective of Human Mind. It always asks – “what’s in it for me?”</span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile? Some insights which we must ponder; </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><strong style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -14pt;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">1. One cannot elevate the poor into prosperity by taking the wealth out of the prospered!</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">2. When one receives anything without working for it, another one would have worked for it without receiving! </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">3. Nobody can give anybody anything for free that has not been taken first from somebody else for free! </span></span></strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">4. One cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);"><br />
	<br />
	5. There will always be a section of people who want to try less than others and get more than others in return. </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">On the other hand – will there not be a tendency in human psychology to be successful and forge ahead of others – by hook or by CROOK? When reward seems to be so great that it elevates one from one’s current social strata, will that person not look for short cut and easy way to achieve the goal? Is individuality not a common human trait? Is an urge of becoming individual is not the germination of Capitalism?&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">What is Capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production, with the creation of goods and services for profit. What is Profit? It is Value obtained less cost incurred. If a person has Capital and he wants to employ the service of a group of people to create something out of that capital to maximize it’s Value and thereby earn a profit, is there anything wrong? Can the group of people whose service is sought dictate the terms to the person whose Capital is employed? Can the group of people whose service is sought demand a share of the profit which the value addition to the Capital obtained? Seems so unfair. Is not it so? Yes, if one is a Capitalist and no if one belongs to the group of service providers.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">But what if in the whole exercise, the entity (person) takes undue advantage of any system or group of people? What is “Undue”? It is any non-acceptable social practice which takes advantage of current social condition of the service provider who works hard to finish a process which adds more value to the initial Capital. It is “Undue” if there is a conscious effort from the Capitalist to ensure that the Social strata of the service provider remains unchanged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); text-align: justify;">There are good societies where there is a conscious effort to improve the quality of life of people, and the general satisfaction and sense of fairness is high amongst the entire social strata. There are bad societies where 90% of the wealth is accumulated with 1% of people through means of unfair actions where most of the people live in misery and general feeling amongst the mass is a concoction of mistrust, frustration, deceit and bitterness.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa9" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); line-height: 115%;">Can any society be 100% Capitalist or 100% Socialist? It needs a right kind of balance. It is the member of the society who must determine the balance and rule of the game. As Martin Luther King Jr pointed out - “Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both.”</span></p>',
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			'description' => 'Some ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich!',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1050',
			'article_category_id' => '62',
			'title' => 'Foreign Direct Investment Must Increase In The Tourism Industry.',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>"Foreign direct investment must increase in the tourism industry."</strong></p>
<p>
	Prachanda Man Shrestha, Former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board suggesting the way to attain 7% economic growth.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“We have been talking of exporting electricity when we are facing severe power crisis.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman of Nimbus Group arguing that power must be produced first to meet the national demand before thinking to export it.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“The state and the private sector are not rivals.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Chhabi Raj Panta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and Urban Development acknowledging the role of the private sector in infrastructure development.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ashoke SJB Rana, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ashoke.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“Banks need financial instruments for investing in mega projects.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ashoke SJB Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank Limited pointing out the lack of financial instruments for banks to invest in large projects of national importance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ratnakar Adhikari, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ratnakar.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“There should be strict legislation that bans the lock ups and strikes in the special economic zone.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ratnakar Adhikari, Chief Executive Director of South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) suggesting to create a special economic zone and enforcing stricter labour laws in such zones to control the ongoing labour unrest.&nbsp;</span></p>',
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			'id' => '1068',
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			'title' => 'Management  Of Change',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sharu S Rangnekar</strong></p>
<p>
	<em><strong>Change is constantly with us from birth to grave. &nbsp;However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.</strong></em></p>
<p>
	<strong>Continuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Continuous change takes place continuously e.g. getting older by one day everyday. &nbsp;We do not pay much attention to this change and, by and large it manages itself. &nbsp;There is very little change day to day. &nbsp;Although over a period we look older or the hair becomes gray – or some of them fall out. &nbsp;Over a period, the change is significant but since it is at &nbsp;a slow rate, we get accustomed to it.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Discontinuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Discontinuous change makes a significant impact on our life immediately. &nbsp;The first discontinuous change we had was getting born. &nbsp;An embryo comfortable in the mother’s womb is thrown out one day in a totally different world and our first reaction to this change is protest (paaan). &nbsp;However, we do not remember this change. &nbsp;Perhaps the first discontinuous change we may remember is the first day at school. &nbsp;In my case, my grand-father carried me on his shoulder to the school and deposited me in the class. &nbsp;He admonished me, “Don’t come out of class; I am sitting in the verandah and if I see you coming out of the class, I shall break your leg.” &nbsp;So I sat inside the class crying. &nbsp;There were about 30 other children sitting around me also crying. &nbsp;When I am near a school on an opening day, I go to the preparatory class. &nbsp;Inside the class, there are 30 children crying; outside the class there are 30 mothers crying. &nbsp;It is their way to coping with the discontinuous change. &nbsp; From a familiar friendly atmosphere of the home, the child is pushed into an alien atmosphere of the school. &nbsp;Nobody is familiar to him. &nbsp;At least now most of the teacher are female and seem to be soft. &nbsp;In my times there were harsh looking male teachers with big mustaches. &nbsp;The cane was a part of their uniform and they banged the cane before sitting down – creating palpitation all over the class.</p>
<p>
	My mother had tried in her ways to prepare me for this discontinuous change. &nbsp;She asked me whether when I grow up I would like to go to office like my father sitting in a car. &nbsp;“Of course,” I said, “yes”. &nbsp;Then she said, “You have to go to school first.” &nbsp;I told her that I did not want to go to school. &nbsp;Then she told me the only alternative will be to wash utensils. &nbsp;At that age of five that was not a bad alternative but the tone in which my mother put it, it seemed like great disaster. &nbsp;I was made to feel that I was at cross roads – Go to school and eventually to office in a car like my father or wash utensils like the servant. &nbsp;Even then this did not convince me to go to school. &nbsp;Discontinuous changes can take a long time to be accepted.</p>
<p>
	Thereafter there are series of discontinuous changes: Getting a job and getting into relatively rigid office discipline; Getting married and getting into two-person democracy; Getting children with the tribulations involved.</p>
<p>
	In each case there was clearly a give and take. &nbsp;Some benefits and some hardship – &nbsp;and we have gone through numerous discontinuous changes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Tsunami Change</strong></p>
<p>
	The third kind of change is where everything around changes – like the havoc created by the tsunami wave. &nbsp;The benefits are hardly comprehended and the hardships are very clear. &nbsp;How does one get prepared for Tsunami change?</p>
<p>
	One way is to start with the dictum: “TINA” &nbsp;(There Is No Alternative). &nbsp;We are not happy with the situation but it is inevitable. &nbsp;The case in point is the female education. &nbsp;It started in 1850 with a great deal of opposition. &nbsp;The proponents of female education were attacked because the opponents said: &nbsp;“What have women to do in their life? - Cooking and bringing up children. &nbsp;That can be learnt in the house itself with apprenticeship to the mother. &nbsp;The girl can learn cooking under the supervision of mother and can also learn to bring up children – particularly in those days when mother had 8-10-12 children. &nbsp;The first 2-3 children were brought up by the mother, the rest were brought up by eldest sister who learnt skills as an apprentice. &nbsp;What is the point in the women learning Kalidas and Shakespeare?”</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the process of attrition played its role to make the female education accepted. &nbsp; Initially, it was stressed that widows should have education so that they can have the ability to sustain themselves economically. &nbsp;Mostly the widows attended these schools so they were known as “Bodkyanchi Shala” (School for the shaven-headed) – as the heads of the widows were shaved in those days.</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the benefit of the female education became evident and today even if a girl has graduated and is sitting at home doing nothing particularly, the neighbour advises that she should join a computer class.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	However, even today there are opposition groups - even in a city like Bombay. &nbsp;The two girls of a community were threatened because they were persuing their education which the opponents felt was against the religion and would spoil the girls for their traditional role of good housewives.</p>
<p>
	This opposition is reducing and the female education is getting accepted – although it has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;I worked in pharmaceutical industry where we believed that if a medicine has effect it has side effects also. If it has no side effects it has no effect also. So every change has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;The female education is a very strong medicine. &nbsp;It is effective to make the women contribute more significantly to the economic development but the side effect is its impact on domestic peace. &nbsp;So here it is a Tsunami change which took over 100 years to get accepted. &nbsp;In case of many changes that much time is not available – as in the case of natural Tsunami disaster. &nbsp;There the people are forced to accept unpleasant alternatives to carry on in life.</p>
<p>
	Another example of tsunami change is the role of horse drawn “Tongas” in transportation. &nbsp;Fifty years ago every railway station had Tongas which provided transportation to the travelers between station and their residences. &nbsp;Then came the tsunami change replacing Tongas with autorickshas and buses and Tongas have vanished altogether with the horses and the Tongawalas. &nbsp;Many of the tongawalas literally starved to death with their horses as they could not master the new technology of driving autorickshas and buses. &nbsp;However, this change took place over 25 years and did not create a strong backlash. &nbsp;I remember only one movie where DilipKumar as a tongadriver took a bet to beat a bus to stop the bus-route. &nbsp;In the movie, by driving through shortcuts, he could beat the bus. &nbsp;But in real life the tongas lost forever.</p>
<p>
	There are two other Tsunami changes which are making waves. &nbsp;One is in Singur and Nandigram where the agricultural land is being given for industrial development. &nbsp;There have been bloody battles. &nbsp;However, the logic of this tsunami change is obvious. &nbsp;The technological reforms in agriculture have made it possible for less and less land to provide food grains for more and more people so the land has to be released for industrial production. &nbsp;The land-owner who is traditionally attached to the land is refusing to give it up. &nbsp;Similar situation happened in Russia when the land had to be taken away from the farmers to form communes and it resulted in hundreds of thousands of farmers getting killed by the Russian army. &nbsp;However, in the long term it resulted in loss of production and Russia had to import food-grains to support its people. &nbsp;The present situation is very much different because it follows and not precedes agricultural productivity. &nbsp;If the farmer insists on pursuing agriculture he is bound to get caught in consequences. &nbsp;It is often said in America “agriculture is a passport to poverty” and that has become the sign of development.</p>
<p>
	Another tsunami change on the horizon is the abolition of traditional retailers in favour of large scale operators. &nbsp;The traditional retailers are opposed and started throwing stones at Ranchi. &nbsp;But here also the requirement of tsunami change is clear. &nbsp;The present way of operation of the traditional vegetable vendors, fruit vendors, grocer etc., is highly inefficient in terms of cost, convenience and time. &nbsp;The turnover of typical vegetable vendor is so low that his margin has to be very high to make him survive. &nbsp;The whole chain of middlemen are involved which makes the operation very costly. &nbsp;When the farmer gets hardly Rs. 3/- for one kilo of onions the consumers have to pay Rs.15/- per kilo. &nbsp;The large retailers buying directly from the farmers and selling directly to the consumers are going to make the operation much more cost effective. &nbsp;Furthermore, modern technology can be used to make the product available to consumer more conveniently and in the form he can use very easily. &nbsp;A traditional vegetable vendor can hardly protect the product from dirt and dust and that is the death-knell for the traditional vendor.</p>
<p>
	However, these large changes involving millions of people thrown out of their traditional jobs in a matter of few years and their inability to learn new technology of retailing is going to create a great deal of havoc.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Acceptance of Change</strong></p>
<p>
	In such situations the society and the government can control the process to give the time for acceptance of change. &nbsp;Acceptance of changes comes in three phases:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
	<li>
		Knowledge</li>
	<li>
		Belief&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Behaviour</li>
</ol>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">For the change to be accepted a sustained campaign has to be conducted to make people realize the advantages of the change. &nbsp;This is obviously a long term process and the society may not have the time for this change.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>TINA Factor&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity:</p>
<p>
	I was sitting with a friend of mine who was an amateur fisherman near a stream of water. &nbsp;The stream was moving fairly fast and most of the fish were swimming with the current. &nbsp;However, I found about 10% of the fish were swimming against the current. &nbsp;I asked my friend, “Why they are swimming against the current?” &nbsp;He said, “This is breeding season for this fish and the females are going against the stream to lay eggs in their chosen territory.</p>
<p>
	The stream proceeded for another 10 meters and jumped into a waterfall. &nbsp;Some of the fish who went down with the waterfall were trying to swim up the waterfall. &nbsp;But they were not successful. &nbsp;Looking at that my friend remarked, “You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity.” &nbsp;There are some tsunami changes. &nbsp;People try to resist these changes. &nbsp;But they can not succeed because you can swim against the current – but not against the gravity.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Management of Change" height="375" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/management_gyan_june2013_change_ahead_pottery_making.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="250" /></p>
<p>
	In 1951 when I started my career there were about 3 thousand railway stations in Indian and outside each station there was a Tonga stand. &nbsp;These 3 thousand stands plus others in the towns covered nearly about 1 lakh tongas.</p>
<p>
	The tsunami change started with autorikshas and buses taking away the passengers. &nbsp;The tongas made efforts to resist the change. &nbsp;In the film Naya Daur, the hero acted by Dilip Kumar races with the bus with his tonga and defeats it. &nbsp;That was a reel life. &nbsp;In real life the tonga could not stand the competition. &nbsp;The tongas were burnt as kindlewood, the horses died and so did the tongawalas. &nbsp;They could not fight against gravity.</p>
<p>
	The similar contest is going on in Singur &amp; Nandigram by agriculturist and In Ranchi and other towns by Small Scale Retailers against Reliance. &nbsp;This again is a competition where they are going against the gravity and cannot win.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The alternative is to create the TINA factor i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;After the First World War, Turkey was in shambles and Kemal Ataturk took over the nation with the slogan “There is no alternative”. &nbsp;Overnight he abolished the ritualistic religion and the banned the veil as well as the Turkish cap which were seen as symbolic of ritualistic religion. &nbsp;The most significant change he made was in the script. &nbsp;The Turkish language which was written in Arabic script, he made it compulsory to use the Roman script. &nbsp;These changes were not universally welcomed but he had the traditional power of the army up his sleeves and so could ensure implementation of the changes almost in a single day with the slogan “TINA” i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The changes he made in this way kept on smoldering the rebellious feeling and in the end of last century the religious parties again made a come back trying to bring Turkey back to the religious mould. &nbsp;The army superseded the parliament and kept the reforms going.</p>
<p>
	The process thus goes through persuasion route i.e Knowledge, Belief and Behaviour to get accepted over a period with the opposition getting converted. &nbsp;Thus the changes introduced by the female education can get commented adversely but are unlikely to be thrown out by any democratic process. &nbsp;In fact, democracy also is a tsunami change which is based on the tenets of equality. &nbsp;The traditional societies were based on inequalities: a superior caste, a superior religion, a superior sex. &nbsp;These gave authority to rule over the others. &nbsp;However, democracy tries to establish equality. &nbsp;In fact all people are not equal but in the concept of democracy they have to be treated as equal and given a chance to become equal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	A case in this point is a rule made in New York that all public buildings must have ramps so that the physically disabled people will try to have the mobility similar to normal people. &nbsp;Somebody calculated the cost of providing ramps and suggested that it will be cheaper to keep disabled people home by giving them pension. &nbsp;The answer was the solution to disability is not charity but to create as much equality as it is possible.</p>
<p>
	Even the controversy over reservations can be seen in this light. &nbsp;Reservations cannot create equality. &nbsp;In fact they tend to emphasize inequality. &nbsp;However, by creating reservations more and more people are pushed towards equality.</p>
<p>
	Another case in this point has been the position of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or otherwise backward classes as against Muslims of India. &nbsp;At the time of independence, Muslims had 15% of all important positions in the government thanks to the special protection given by the British Raj. &nbsp;At that time scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs together were much less than 15%. &nbsp;Today after 60 years of independence the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs are nearly 30% while the Muslims have come down to 5%. &nbsp;So the reservation policy of British Raj created permanent inequality and when it was removed the Muslims suffered economically. &nbsp;The situation is somewhat similar to Negroes in America. &nbsp;Negroes are also 15% of American population but in three areas they are much more than 15% - In Olympic gold medals they have the majority. &nbsp;In art particularly music they are over 25% and in crime they are over 60%. &nbsp;These three areas do not require any support from the society to score. &nbsp;Individual abilities can sustain.</p>
<p>
	Similar is the position of Muslims in India. &nbsp;They are in the same 3 areas where they are more than 15% - Sports, Films and Crime. So to create equality there has to be sustained efforts to support the weaker to be equal. &nbsp;This is obviously the tsunami change and will be resisted at every step - but to retain democracy it will be essential to move towards this end.</p>
<p>
	In this process the persuasion of knowledge, belief and behaviour have to be used to make the tsunami change ultimately accepted in the society. &nbsp;This is essentially what is meant by management of change. '</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">(The writer is a popular consultant and author of management classics: “In the Wonderland of Indian Managers” and “In the World of Corporate Managers”.)</span></p>',
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			'description' => 'Change is constantly with us from birth to grave.  However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.',
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			'id' => '1067',
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			'title' => 'Moroccan Promise',
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	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sushila Budhathoki</strong></p>
<p>
	With the main trade partners mostly in Europe, Morocco is spreading its business all over the world as the late king of Morocco, Hassan II once said, “Morocco is like a tree, which has its roots in Africa and its branches in Europe.” As a trader, exporter of manufactured and agricultural products and a tourism destination, Morocco has turned out to be an emerging economy of North Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco, a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, shares common interest in the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), a regional grouping of five North African countries namely Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. According to Maghreb Markets, a magazine by Afro Asian Business Chronicle, the country is opting for greater economic integration into the world economy and contributing to the consolidation of the multilateral trading system. For this, it has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness, aiming at strengthening the liberalization of foreign trade since the early 1990s. France has been the main import and export partner of Moroccan trade (22.5%) followed by other partners Spain (16.9%), India (6.1%), Italy (4.5%) and United States (1.3%). &nbsp;Morocco has free trade agreements to a market of 55 countries that represent more than one billion consumers and 60% of world GDP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco has strong and stable macroeconomic performances. Agriculture, phosphates and tourism are the major resources of the Moroccan economy followed by industry, mining and sales of fish and seafood. The Moroccan agriculture sector which contributes 19% of the GDP also employs more than 4 million rural inhabitants creating approximately 100,000 jobs in the agro- industry sector. The country is the largest recipient of foreign investment in North Africa and is looking for expansion in ties to include more joint ventures from all around the world. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it received USD 18 billion FDI between 2000 and 2009 mainly in fertilizer and minerals. The industry, solar energy, wind energy, agriculture, fishing industry, retail and information communication and technology are the major sectors open for investment in Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Nepal- Morocco Friendship</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been very little progress in promoting economy, trade, culture and fewer efforts in enhancing people to people relations between Morocco and Nepal despite setting up diplomatic ties in 1975. The recent visit by Larbi Reffouh, Moroccan Ambassador to Nepal (who resides in New Delhi) to present the letter of credential to the President of Nepal on first May is expected to enhance friendship ties with Nepal. Larbi is also the Ambassador to the Bhutan, and according to him, his posting in India is a choice posting. According to Moroccan Consulate office in Nepal, Larbi, during his visit proposed for short-term as well as long-term trainings to the government officials without any financial obligations to the government of Nepal and allocation of scholarship quota for at least 15 graduate level technical educations in the field of Engineering, Medicines etc. Furthermore, he also officially requested the Chairman of Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nepal to visit the Kingdom of Morocco at their convenient times. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Facts and figures about Morocco" height="418" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_facts_and_figures.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="371" />Similarly, a high level Nepali business delegation is planning to visit Morocco to explore the possibilities of trade and business between these two countries. After the return of Nepali business delegation from Morocco, Moroccan business delegation is planned to be in Nepal for the same purpose. A socio-cultural delegation is also planning to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to boost cultural relations and people to people relations between Nepal and the Kingdom of Morocco. The ambassador also expressed Morocco’s interest to supply fertilizers to Nepal. The Kingdom is the second largest producer and the largest exporter of fertilizers in the world.</p>
<p>
	Both Nepal and Morocco are member of UN and partners of non-aligned campaign. Santosh Kumar Tiberawala was appointed as consul of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal on November 27, 2000. &nbsp;Basant K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of Chaudhary Group was appointed as consul on Norvember 26, 2007 and was promoted to Consul General in May, 2013. The Nepali Embassy in Cairo oversees the diplomatic relations of Nepal with Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal’s trade with Morocco has been limited as investors from both of the countries have less interaction in high level. The data from Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) shows decrease in the trade between the two countries. According to the data provided by TEPC, only 161 pieces of works of art, collector’s pieces and antiques worth Rs 257,690 were exported to Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013. The earlier export included products like dying extracts, dyes, pigments and other coloring matter, paints and varnishes, inks and carpets and other textile floor coverings among few others. Similarly, Nepal mainly imported fertilizers and rubber from Morocco before 2012. There is no import from Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nepal-Morocco Trade" height="198" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_nepal_morocco_trade.jpg" width="580" /></p>
<p>
	Moroccans are not among the regular tourist groups who come to Nepal for celebrating their vacation. According to Department of Immigration, Nepal, &nbsp;hardly 171 tourists were from Morocco who visited Nepal in 2012. On the other hand, Morocco, with 70 new tourist destinations, is becoming a growing tourism destination in the world. According to Maghreb Markets, around 9.3 million tourists visited Morocco in 2010.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>‘There is an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties’</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="H. E. Mr. Larbi Reffouh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India and Nepal" height="400" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_ambassador_larbi_reffouh.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="250" />How do you see the significance of your visit to Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The purpose of this visit is to present my credentials to His Excellency Dr Ram Baran Yadav, the President of the Republic of Nepal, as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal, with a residence in New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	This visit also was a good opportunity to hold several meetings with the Prime Minister, some members of the Government and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to discuss a gamut of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. All the contacts and interactions I have had during my visit are very positive and promising about the future of relations between Morocco and Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the possibilities for economic and trade cooperation between Nepal and Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	The diplomatic relations between Morocco and Nepal were established in 1975. Both countries have always enjoyed cordial, friendly and excellent political relations. This could be reflected by our work together and our coordinated efforts and positions on several international issues, either within or outside the United Nations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Our bilateral trade record remains below our common ambitions and expectations. There is for sure an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties. In this regard, both governments are currently considering the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which will be a cornerstone for the creation of a global legal framework to conceive and promote different “win-win” partnerships and projects in order to take our relationship to the next level, especially in the economic field.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please tell us the major sectors for cooperation between the two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	I believe we should target and focus on some key economic sectors. For instance, we have developed in Morocco a modern, competitive and export-oriented agriculture. Since we do really have an internationally recognized expertise and know how in this field, we are ready to share this experience with our Nepali friends, particularly in terms of modern irrigation techniques and human resource development.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to tourism, we have realized significant achievements over the last few years as Morocco has succeeded in positioning itself one of the world’s fast-growing tourism destinations, attracting over 12 million tourists a year. This achievement can be simply attributed to an ambitious strategy, dubbed “Vision 2020”, through developing state-of-the-art tourism-related infrastructure, including building new hotels and resorts, as well as investing in training human capital. Thus, we can look at the existing potential for initiating specific cooperation in this sector.</p>
<p>
	Another sector that could be central for our future cooperation is higher education. Just to give you an idea, Morocco provide annually more than 1600 scholarships in favor of foreign students. Today, we have over 7000 students from over 48 countries to study in our universities and higher institutes. So, we will seriously consider the possibility of providing scholarships for Nepalese students to pursue their studies in Moroccan universities. I personally believe that if we succeed on this particular front, it will inevitably contribute to further promotion of people-to-people contacts.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What should Nepali government do to attract investment from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	I would like to emphasize that Moroccan investors are present overseas, primarily in Africa in areas such as banking, telecoms, housing and infrastructure. I can assure you that this economic presence is expanding and deepening thanks to the various opportunities existing in African countries and indeed to the capital and expertise offered by Moroccan companies. Since investors are guided by profit and better business environment, the Moroccan private sector is open and ready to explore other horizons and seek new opportunities, even here in Nepal. But this is the main responsibility of your government and business community, by engaging in some promotional and marketing activities, in order to attract Moroccan investments to Nepal, probably by looking at the possibility of establishing “joint-ventures” in specific sectors, like agriculture and tourism.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Agriculture is one of the important contributors in Moroccan economy. How can Nepal get benefit from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	Morocco is ready to share its expertise with Nepal in the field of agriculture and irrigation. Morocco initiated in 2008 a revolutionary program by investing, with the involvement of the private sector, in the modernization and development of our agriculture, and in promoting its international competitiveness. The adoption of this policy stems from the fact that agriculture is the major employer of our workforce, especially in rural areas, and it is one of main contributors to our GDP. We are now starting to reap the fruits of this ambitious strategy, either in terms of increasing output and improving global competitiveness. Having said that, we are ready to share the expertise we have developed so far in this sector with Nepal. We can offer training programs in favor of Nepali students in specific areas, such as irrigation techniques, agribusiness and veterinary.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please describe us the prospect of export-import business between two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	We do export so many things, from agricultural products to industrial items and very recently we have started exporting cars to the regional markets. In fact, we are one of the leading exporters of phosphate in the world. And nobody can ignore the importance of this commodity as an essential component for agricultural development and food security. As an example, we are a major exporter of phosphate and fertilizers to your immediate neighbour. I think it’s time to see if we can do the same with Nepal, to participate concretely with your country in its efforts for the development of your agricultural sector and achieving your food security.</p>',
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			'id' => '1066',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'BRAINDIGIT: The Center For Technology Innovation',
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			'content' => '<p>
	The latest ICT Electronic Branding Expo held at Brikutimandap Exhibition hall held 87 stalls of 70 companies in 17 much decorated pavilions. Companies took part under a single roof introducing their products to get the valuable customer. A showcase namely ‘ramailomela.com was built online to preview the products available on the exhibition. The visitors needed not to hustle in the crowd; saving time and also receiving details on the major brands and vendors as showcased on the exhibition. The online service was from Braindigit which claims to be the powerhouse of creativity and innovation. The workforce from the company came up with this innovative marketing platform. The customer gets lots of product options and price ranges to choose from, of a win-win situation, for the vendor and for the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO, Braindigit" height="272" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_ceo_nischal.jpg" style="float:right; margn:0 0 0 10px;" width="201" />Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal. Saying about the immense evolution; Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO of the organization says, “We felt that our knowledge was limited. We said to ourselves; let’s do something big, something better. Then we started working on software building. There was a demand of customized software in the international market and we had to work hard to get hold of the opportunity.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Braindigit presents itself as an expert primarily focused on providing IT solutions like Web Application Development, Joomla Extensions and Component Development. According to the company, there is a team of highly trained and expert programmers who can efficiently use web technological advancements such as Joomla, .Net, PHP, Java, Ajax, Magento, Android apps and many such components that challenge the capabilities of the work group. The primary Braindigit mission is to provide a qualitative product that combines performance with value pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with the customer.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">“Here we are all goal oriented personals. First we generate a project plan directed towards the needs of our clients. Then we define the roles in our departments. The time extension is designed, and then we follow the projected plan and make sure that the goal is met,” says company executive. The workforce of the company consists of more than 50 staff members, assigned to various departments from programming, development, quality control and marketing. Each department is dedicated towards their assigned role whereby creating an environment that results to be work friendly and mostly goal oriented.” &nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Braindigit Products" height="110" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_products.jpg" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="590" /></p>
<p>
	“We had to overcome many challenges to be able to reach this position. The greater challenge for us is to create an efficient workforce. We train our people to be the best. Regardless of the fact that there is immense competition in the market to hold the best people, we believe motivating employees towards common goal and providing them expansion opportunities. When we recruit, we look for passion in the employee,” says Nischal Man Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	The company is closely working with the government to reduce some issues regarding the development in IT sector. Pradhan adds, “IT companies seek more coordinated support in terms of strengthening data security, information leakage management, visa improvement and certain fiscal incentives. This can attract large investments in the country”. He mentions the power crisis as one impediment and adds, “We have reached this height coping with the problems, and if they are met we know we can do even better. This not only helps to improve the economy of the country but also helps in the development in the emerging IT sector in Nepal.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>SageFrame</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">One of the major accomplishments for the company brings up the name SageFrame. SageFrame is an open source web development framework developed on the top of ASP.NET 3.5. The best features as incorporated by the product are its easy user interface, site optimization and the page management system. It contains necessary tools needed to develop custom modules, applications templates and multipurpose websites.</span></p>
<p>
	After the success of SageFrame 1.0, SageFrame 2.0 was developed and introduced with more appealing features such as plug and play module, drag-drop widget and easy customization. The plug-n-play module concept offers enhanced dynamism to website, and holds provision for addition of new features. The drag and drop widget feature, and a highly configurable control panel, SageFrame provides more flexibility and ease to the website owners and developers.</p>
<p>
	SageFrame was nominated for 2012 Critic’s Choice Best Budget CMS Awards and the runner-up title in People’s Choice Award for the Best Budget CMS (Content Management System). The framework CMS Critic, an industry popular name for CMS reviews, hosts the awards for best CMS platforms around the world. The awards are given in different categories one being the Best Budget CMS where SageFrame proudly claimed a place. “The success of this product made the company realize the true potential of the developers in Nepal. SageFrame had a good start in the market. It has been downloaded by more than thirty thousand clients and the response is very positive”, says Pradhan. The website of Ncell Pvt. Ltd, was developed using this platform. Ncell is the first private mobile operator in the country with an extensive coverage throughout the nation and providing telecommunication services to millions&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">of people.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sageframe, Braindigit" height="109" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_sageframe.jpg" width="535" /></strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">Core extraction of the Braindigit business model:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		The company is built upon the principle of fair dealing and ethical conduct of the employees.</li>
	<li>
		Highest standards of conduct and personal integrity should be maintained.</li>
	<li>
		Braindigit is dependent upon the client’s trust and continuously works on improving the quality of the products and support.</li>
	<li>
		Staff members have their responsibility towards clients benefit and should act the way that merited company’s outlook.</li>
	<li>
		Good judgment is encouraged to avoid business crisis. In a crisis situation, the matter is discussed with the immediate head of the department and, if necessary, with the directors, for advice and consultation.</li>
	<li>
		Compliance with the policy of business ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every employee &amp; associated members.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Disregarding or failing to comply with the standard of business ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including the possibility of possible termination of employment.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">Source: Braindigit</span></p>',
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			'keywords' => 'Braindigit, The center for technology innovation, Corporate Focus, June 3003, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal.',
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	(int) 3 => array(
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			'id' => '1065',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'Sunrise Bank: Eyeing To Secure Top Ten Positions Among Nepali Banks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer. According to a bank source, at present Sunrise Bank occupies the 12th position on Capital, 16th on deposits, 18th on total assets, 19th on total loans and 18th on net profit.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrise Bank" height="306" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_surendra_man_ceo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" width="201" />Background</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited officially started its operations in October 12, 2007 as the 22nd Commercial Bank of Nepal. The bank having the paid-up capital of Rs 2.015 Billion issued the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Rs 375 million. &nbsp;Headquartered in Gairidhara Kathmandu, at present, the Bank has the networks of 49 Branches and 57 ATM outlets. The bank has 215,000 deposits customers. Its 56 promoters own 70 per cent of share capital and the remaining 30 per cent is with the general public.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Products and Schemes</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been offering various products catering to all segments of consumers. The Bank has recently &nbsp; re-launched short term scheme: Sunrise Bishesh Muddati, which is provided only to individual customers. The interest rate of 7.50 per cent is provided to the fixed deposit of one year whereas 7.25 per cent of interest rate is provided to the deposit of 6 months. “The Bank aims to solicit the maximum deposit with the products that we have been offering,” says CEO Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Different deposit products offered&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">by the bank:&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Normal Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Super Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Exclusive Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Disable Account</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Suryodaya Remit Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Lakhapati Bachat</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Fixed Deposits&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Coverage</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been providing its services through 49 branches and 57 outlets with ATM services with presence all over the country from Ilam to Dadeldhura. “This enables customers to withdraw the fund by using Visa Domestic and International Debit Card from the nearest ATM outlet,” says CEO Pradhan.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Range of products&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	“We have offered customized services to our customers,” states Pradhan. “Due to diversified products, anyone can enjoy our banking facilities as per their choices.” Besides normal deposits, the Bank offers Current Deposit and also Call Account.</p>
<p>
	Internet Banking is to ‘deliver prompt banking service’ from anywhere and at anytime.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank has also initiated Mobile Banking Services whereby the customer can conduct banking transaction through their cell phones.</p>
<p>
	“We have remittance business through Suryodaya Remit from 12 countries and international correspondents and have more than 800 payout agents including our 49 branches,” claims CEO Pradhan. The Bank provides both incoming and outgoing remittance services by means of Demand Drafts, Swift Transfers, Telex Transfers, Fax Transfers, and Mail Transfers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Safe Deposit Locker: To safeguard the valuable goods and items, the Bank provides the facility of Sunrise Safe Deposit Locker. CEO Pradhan said, “The customers have multiple choices for the various sizes of locker with reasonable costs”.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank also provides services for foreign currency exchange as well. Other services that Sunrise Bank offers are import and export LC, bank guarantee, cash against document, document against cash and Telegraph Transfer.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">CSR Activities</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sunrise Bank Limited, Major Financial Indicators" height="1200" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_major_financial_indicators.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="298" /></strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Since the early days of incorporation, Sunrise Bank has been contributing to the society in various ways as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They mainly include Blood Donation, goods contribution to Bal Mandir every year and computers distribution to a community based School. “Besides that the Bank provides financial contribution time and again for noble cause like flood victims, health camps, education, sports and organizations working for deprived sectors, says CEO Pradhan.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Loan Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></u></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Ghar Karja:</strong> For individuals to construct or purchase homes. The loan can be both for short and long term.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Sajilo Karja: </strong>Flexible loan for social, personal or business purposes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Gold Loan:</strong> Against the mortgage of gold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Krishi Karja:</strong> For agricultural sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Term Loan: </strong>For acquiring fixed assets for a business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Demand Loan:</strong> For building up the stock and receivables to a desired level.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Loan:</strong> For small and medium businesses to meet the working capital as well as fixed assets financing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Overdraft Loan:</strong> To finance the daily working capital requirement and to support the stock build up of the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Hire Purchase:</strong> To finance the purchase of vehicles used for both consumer and commercial purposes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Import Loan:</strong> To finance domestic and international trade transactions through letter of credit. Financed in the form of trust receipt up to a certain percentage of the total L/C amount.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Short term pledge loan:</strong> Offered against the stock after verification of the same. The stock, however, is kept under lock and key of the Bank and the loan disbursed and settled in pro rata basis with the stock pledged and sold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Export Finance:</strong> To finance various export requirements such as pre-shipment loan and post-shipment loan, documents negotiation/documentary bill purchase etc.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">The Bank also provides various other loans like Deprived Sector Loans, Loan against Bank Guarantee, Loan against Government Bonds, Margin Lending, and Loan against Fixed Deposits of other Banks and Consortium Loans.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Under Service products the Bank has Suryodaya Remit, Visa Debit Card, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, Safe Deposit Locker and Trade Finance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Deposit Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong></u></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>Sunrise Normal Savings:</strong> For those customers who have the daily saving habit.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh:</strong> For children below the age of 16, operated under their parents’ guidance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata: For women.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings:</strong> Highest interest rate compared to other schemes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Disabled Account:</strong> This account focus in serving differently able customers.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Account: </strong>An interest bearing account targeted to proprietorship firms, partnership firms and private limited companies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata: </strong>Targeted to the general public seeking to invest in shares of Sunrise Bank Limited or any other banks licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata: </strong>For those who have been allotted Sunrise bank shares in the Initial Public Offering. Available also for those shareholders who purchase shares from secondary market and become shareholder of the bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Fixed Deposit:</strong> Offers high interest rates in quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis as per the choice of the customers.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="color:#f00;">SWOT</span> Analysis</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Strengths</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Founded by reputed entrepreneurs&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Best Human Resource personnel.</li>
	<li>
		49 Branches and 57 ATMs and 365 days of banking services.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Weaknesses</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Less focused on productive sector like agriculture, hydropower, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Opportunities</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Investment in Hydro power and agriculture. &nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Growing Banking market.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Increasing level of awareness.</li>
	<li>
		The Bank can capture a greater loan portfolio of the country because of SME Loan.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Threats</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Cooperatives, finance companies and development banks that are providing more interest on deposits.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		The frequently changing policy of the central bank.</li>
	<li>
		Unstable political situation&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Huge investment in Real Estate Sectors and lack of investment in secured sectors.</li>
</ul>',
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			'keywords' => 'Sunrise bank Limited, Corporate Focus, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer.',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1064',
			'article_category_id' => '42',
			'title' => 'Fear Of Oversupply',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Bikram Chitrakar</strong></p>
<p>
	(Review for 16 Apr to 16 May, 2013)</p>
<p>
	<strong><em>The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.</em></strong></p>
<p>
	The stock market drifted down to nearly six months low after the regulator Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) move to allow offloading of the promoter shares through brokers. General investors fear that this will cause an oversupply impacting their asset price. As a result, the benchmark Nepse index on May 16 plummeted below that of 3 December 2012.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Though the regulator tried to pacify the investors stating that offloading of the shares will not affect market, the move does not seem to convince the investors. SEBON said, its move was simply to minimize the lengthy process under the previous rule that required an offer document to be prepared and publishing it before promoters shares could be offloaded. &nbsp;The new rule does away with that and says such shares can be sold directly through brokers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There was another reason as well for the loss in the prices of the shares. During the review period, the price of bullions, particularly of the gold, has also gone down heavily attracting the investors away from the share market to the bullion market. The yellow metal lost nearly Rs 10,000 per tola (1 tola = 11.6638038 grammes). Nepali households buy gold for investment as well as for meeting some cultural necessities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Performance by Sector</p>
<p>
	Across the sectors, manufacturing and trading were the only two that gained. The ‘Others’ sector lost heavy (42.28 points or 6.60%) to rest at 640.32. Insurance sub-index plummeted 29.17 points to close at 859.99. Commercial banking sector trailed down 25.74 points or 5.19% to rest at 496.38. Similarly, hydropower sector descended 9.07 points to 1020.41. Hotels sector drifted 5.34 points along with 5.31 points fall in finance sector to 644.65 and 246.31 respectively. However manufacturing sector gained 26.32 points or 3.04% to rest at 866.55 while trading sector gained 2.93 points to 167.94. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sensitive index that measures the performance of 120 blue chip scrips skid 5.92 points or 4.72% to 125.55 while the float index calculated on the basis of real transaction went downhill 0.96 points or 2.69% to 35.75. Total turnover of Rs. 179,556,819 was recorded during the review period from 7,248,255 units of shares traded via 21,249 transactions.</p>
<p>
	The accompanying figure depicts the sector-wise distribution based on the total volume of trade. As usual, commercial banking sector dominated the total volume of trade by holding 73.38% share. Insurance sector accounted for 9.16% and hydropower sector 8.42% while the remaining sectors made up for the rest.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Technically, the Simple Moving Average (SMA) has been dominated by Nepse index in the long term as 200 days SMA hovers below the index line while in the short term the index has approached towards the previous resistance level of 500 and suggests it is in a neutral position waiting for clearance towards new direction.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;"><strong>(Chitrakar is a Stock Analyst with Jamb Technologies Pvt Ltd.)</strong></span></p>',
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			'description' => 'The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1063',
			'article_category_id' => '76',
			'title' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Pinaki Roy</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been a surge of extreme sports in the Himalayan Kingdom in recent years. Along with the developments in the tourism sector, the recreation industry has also benefitted by luring an increasing number of foreign tourists, urban youth and others for a number of exciting adventure sports.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal is largely seen as a popular trekking destination. “Above 40 per cent of all tourists coming into Nepal go for trekking which is an integral part of tourism in Nepal,” says Mani Raj Lamichhane, Manager for Tourism Product &amp; Resource Development at Nepal Tourism Board. He further adds that around 60-70 per cent of all foreign tourists opt for various extreme sports activities altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Domestic tourism is doing well currently and Nepalis are participating in rafting activities in an enthusiastic manner,” analyses Nani Kaji Thapa, President of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA). As for foreigners, 20 per cent of all tourists coming to tour Nepal go for rafting to various destinations in the country, he adds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Manish Byanjankar, Sales Executive of The Last Resort says, “Besides the foreign tourists, Nepalis too have started taking part actively in adventure sports, particularly during the off season.” Most Nepalis indulge in adventure sports during their holidays and free time.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ideal Season</strong></p>
<p>
	“Summer is an ideal time for adventure sports activities in Nepal,” informs Lamichhane. He adds, “Besides the usual foreign tourists who come to Nepal for adventure activities, the Nepali people are also participating in high numbers.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The time period from Falgun (February – March) to Jestha (May – June), just before monsoon, is the ideal time for people to go rafting, says Thapa. “Nepalis contribute 5-10 per cent of all tourists who take part in rafting activities,” he adds. Another ideal time for rafting starts right after the monsoon period, from September to November. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Target Group</strong></p>
<p>
	Adventure Sports has mostly been associated with young people in the age group of 20-25 years. However, there is a surge in people in the age group of 30-40 years taking to extreme sports in an enthusiastic manner. “The entire thinking of the mature populace has changed. They want to enjoy these activities and make up for the experiences they missed during their youth,” observes Byanjankar.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Marketing Adventure Products</strong></p>
<p>
	Lamichhane says that Nepal Tourism Board markets adventure activities abroad while holding exhibitions and seminars in different countries. “Extreme sports are popular with tourists around the world and we look to cash in on this while marketing Nepal as a tourist destination in foreign countries,” he explains.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	One of the most prominent providers of some of these activities is The Last Resort, located on top of a gorge in the mountainous region of Panglang close to the Tibetan border. “Besides individual tourists, we see a lot of corporate houses sending their employees these days, notably for team building exercises,” informs Byanjankar.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He adds, “The group activities that the corporate houses mostly seek are hiking, high ropes, canyoning and rafting.” These activities are popular for team building exercises because they require participation from all group members to accomplish tasks and thus inculcate team value in them.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“There has been a gradual rise in the participation of these sports as people now are starting to go out of the house more often and have fun,” an employee with Initiatives Outdoor states. She adds, “There is an increasing awareness regarding health which has led a lot of young people as well as working professionals to start challenging themselves for different adventure activities.”</p>
<p>
	“We send our top performing agents to adventure destinations once in a while. We do so to motivate them to do better in the future,” says an Insurance Executive. A lot of Nepali companies send employees for extreme sports packages to break the monotony that people feel at work.</p>
<p>
	Thapa says that most people prefer Trishuli River for rafting while Bhote Koshi River is the second most preferred destination for rafting. He also informs, “There is a total investment of Rs 2 billion in rafting activities and around 1,500 are employed with this sector.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Nepali youth and the working professionals are getting more adventurous than ever before. This aspect is holding the extreme sports sector in good stead, say adventure sports entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Adventure Sports Activities in Nepal</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">White-water Rafting&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	With many rivers in the country, there are suitable choices for all levels, from fun rapids to hardcore rides. Nepal is famous for its long trips, such as a 12-day journey into the wilderness along the remote Karnali River. There are day trips along the Trishuli River as well as a wild ride along the monster rapids of Sun Koshi that begins near the Tibetan border.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Paragliding&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Paragliding has carved a niche for itself in Nepal. There are a number of companies in Pokhara offering great views via a tandem paraglide flight. Silence is a sublime experience once up there over the Pokhara valley and in the midst of the mighty Annapurna range.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Zip Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	The world’s longest adventurous zip-flyer, located in Nepal, runs at a speed of 140 km per hour and two people can make a ride at once in two trolleys sitting side-by-side suspended by the cable in the middle. The journey in the zip-flyer starts from a height of 5032 ft in Sarangkot and ends at 3,000 ft in Hemja plain covering a distance of 1,860 meters in length.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Mountain Biking</strong></p>
<p>
	The rural tracks in Nepal seem to be tailor-made for mountain biking. Mountain-bikers can tailor their routes combining cultural sites with mountain views on a mix of single tracks and jeep trails. One needs to be a fairly experienced rider with good fitness levels as mountain-biking across Nepal will have a lot of uphill sections.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ultra-light Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	Ultra-light Flying is a new era of recreational aviation in Nepal. Since its launch, scores of people have discovered the magic of this simple, elemental, pure flight. One can feel the wind in the face, observe clear, unobstructed views and explore the stunning landscapes, surrounded by a backdrop of lofty mountain peaks.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Bungy Jumping</strong></p>
<p>
	This leap of faith has already become a growing and immensely popular adventure sport in Nepal’s tourism scenario. The Last Resort facilitates the bungy jump from high above the Bhote Koshi River from a 500 ft suspension bridge nestled between the mountains. Bungy Jumping has become extremely popular among the foreign tourists as well as the Nepali nationals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Canyoning</strong></p>
<p>
	This adventure sport involves abseiling, sliding, jumping and climbing down canyon walls alongside waterfalls to deep pools below. One gets to swim into narrow passages through powerful blasts of water and past wild rock formations. This unique combination of skills gives a person the freedom to explore some of the most ruggedly beautiful places.</p>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'description' => 'Be it bungy jumping, canyoning, rock climbing, trekking, mountain biking or flying an ultralight aircraft, adventure activities are no longer expected of foreign tourists alone. Nepalis are increasingly being drawn to extreme sports in the country in large numbers.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1062',
			'article_category_id' => '73',
			'title' => 'HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Dhungana/Ural Singh Misra</strong></p>
<p>
	When it comes to sustainable development, Nepal has a rather rocky track record, from highs such as the establishment of our national parks, to lows such as the pitiful state of our environment, politics and even our ever fluctuating economy. The role of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation has been a bit different. HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population. HELVETAS’ very first international affiliation was with Nepal, and for over sixty years the organization has been working to help the underprivileged population obtain sustainable sources of income as well as train youths to acquire technical skills, provide clean sources of water to the rural population and probably the most important in the present context of Nepal - promote governance and peace.</p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong>Education and Skills Development</strong></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development " height="292" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture_traning(1).jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="595" /><br />
	</strong></span></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working in the education and skills development sector in Nepal to reduce the number of unemployed or underemployed people in our nation. It has three major projects which focus on this particular area: ELAM - Informal Sector Enterprise Development and Employment Generation Program which was implemented to uplift the economic status of many families in central Terai so they could manage their own micro-businesses; Employment Fund which provides underprivileged youths with skills training to help them enter the job market and the Skill development and Employment for the Informal Sector program. &nbsp;HELVETAS has been constantly striving to help the rural informal economy by contributing to help maintain peace and good economic health of rural families.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Environment and Climate</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working towards land and water resource management, community forest preservation and practices for climate change adaptation. As it has many years of experience in these fields and implemented projects which further help conserve Nepal’s environment, HELVETAS has been going for long-term gains to Nepal. The ‘Community Practice in Schools for Learning Climate Change Adaptation’ has been initiated to teach students how to adapt to the ever changing environment and the “Effective Water Governance in the Asian Highlands’ project teaches locals to effectively manage their water supply.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Water and Infrastructure</strong></p>
<p>
	A lack of strong infrastructure has led to many problems in Nepal in the hilly region. It has hindered people’s access to clean water. In order to help relieve pressure on rural farmers in hilly regions the Local Infrastructure for Livelihood Improvement Program was introduced in 2004. &nbsp; This has helped improve food security in the hills and income of has farmers risen. The ‘Trail Bridge Support Unit’ of the Trail Bridge Sub-Sector Program has also helped people in rural areas tremendously. &nbsp;It has helped provide safe and reliable means of crossing rivers, giving people access to expanded markets and children access to better schools. The ‘Water Resource Management Program’ is being implemented with the purpose of increasing drinking water access for rural population and to simultaneously promote sanitation and hygiene.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Rural Economy</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture.jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	As we all know a majority of the population are based in rural areas, so it is vital that people in the rural economy have a stable economic condition. HELVETAS has been working with local government authorities to help increase agricultural productivity, improve technology and promote sustainable soil management. Coffee is traditionally seen as a “cash crop” by farmers mainly because it fetches good price in the market. “Coffee Promotion Program” takes advantage of this and focuses on farmers who are cash deprived and helps with maintaining a regular source of income for those farmers. In order to promote food security, increased income and production technology the ‘Sustainable Soil Management Program’ was introduced in 2001 and is set to end in 2014. Going hand–in-hand with this project is the ‘Riverbed Farming Project’ which helps locals with their livelihoods. &nbsp; Seeing a huge positive impact, the organization plans to continue this project for a few more years, provided that funding is adequate.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Governance and Peace</strong></p>
<p>
	Arguably the thing people of Nepal want most is peace. If there was ever a time for anyone of the international community to come and help our poor nation, it is now. The most important aspect of democracy is the rule of the people, and if that is lost, we would end up with a nation of power-hungry dictators. &nbsp; A majority of the people must be satisfied with what is happening. Currently only minorities are happy and satisfied. HELVETAS feels that a crucial block of democracy is the interrelationship between the people, the state and local government bodies. The organization works in Nepal to stop exclusion and inequalities amongst the people whether they are based on gender, race, caste or even religion. The government of Japan through its Japanese Social Development Fund has awarded a USD 1.9 million grant to the Partnership for Transparency Fund to support independent monitoring of development projects by the World Bank in Nepal. As over 1,000 people leave Nepal every day to be migrant workers mainly in the Middle East and South-East-Asia, it is vital that they remain safe, which is why the ‘Safer Migration Project’ was initiated with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). &nbsp;In 1997 HELVETAS initiated the ‘Linking Local Initiatives to New Know-How’ in the mid and far-western regions of Nepal to help deprived communities with issues that adversely affected their economic status. &nbsp;This was done by way of income generation through cash crop production, skill development and social empowerment. This project has now been renamed ‘Linking Smallholders with Local Institutions and Markets’.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong>‘HELVETAS has been driving for long-term gains to Nepal’</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is a politically and religiously independent association, supported by 96,551 members, patrons and 12 volunteer-based regional groups in Switzerland. &nbsp;It is active in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus. HELVETAS came to Nepal in 1956 and now cooperates with many technical and social organizations in all 75 districts across the country.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Shiva_Prasad_Aryal, HELVETAS_Swiss_Intercooperation" height="282" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_intercooperation_shiva_prasad_country_director.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you evaluate your organization’s role in maintaining the bilateral relationship between Nepal and Switzerland?</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is not a donor agency; it is more of an implementing agency. &nbsp;However, we have our ‘Own Fund’ which is created and donated by our members in Switzerland. &nbsp;Most of the funds to conduct our programmes in the many nations come from our major donors. At present, 50 percent of project funding to the Nepal programme comes from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), about 25 percent comes from DFID and other funding comes from European Union (EU) and The World Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the bleak global macro-economic situation affected the support being provided to Nepal by Swiss government?</strong></p>
<p>
	So far Switzerland seems to be lucky because there has not been any considerable impact in Swiss economy. Also the support that Swiss government provides to other nations is not so much affected. In the case of Nepal, the assistance by Swiss government is increasing annually and it is still trying hard to increase the assistance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Employment Fund has been one of the major projects of HELVETAS in Nepal since 2007. What are the achievements so far? How satisfied are you from this?</strong></p>
<p>
	In fact, we are quite satisfied with the success of Employment Fund. When I joined HELVETAS in 2009, I used to doubt people when they talked about the employment rate and also the income rate of the training programme graduates under this project. But, only when I visited the field was I convinced with the statistical report. At present, we have an average employment rate of 70 percent from among our training graduates with average monthly income of Rs 4,600. With this, all our donors and even the Nepali government have appreciated the success of the project. Moreover, World Bank has even acknowledged the Employment Fund approach in a number of its other projects as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How is the Employment Fund regulated? What are its working principles?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I have mentioned, Employment Fund is funded by three donors and we are responsible for the overall management, control and supervision according to the need of the Fund. &nbsp;Furthermore, the Team Leader of the project is a HELVETAS employee who looks after the day-to-day activities of the project and submits us periodical reports. Our project team also makes some periodical visits to the field and discusses with stakeholders on how things are moving. In order to sum up overall progress of the project, we hold steering committee meeting where we discuss the challenges and gains made throughout the period. We also conduct our internal audit and the final reports are submitted to our donors as well as to our headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the plans for the future?</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, we have no plan to launch a new project. &nbsp;We shall instead focus on implementation of our running projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	 </p>',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1061',
			'article_category_id' => '83',
			'title' => 'An Alternative Enterprise',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	“Within five years I will come out as the number one social entrepreneur and producer of natural products in Nepal,” says Govinda Ghimire, Chairman of Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL) expressing her determination. One of the winners of Surya Nepal Asha Awards 2012 and also a winner of Abraham Conservation Awards 2011 knows his route to the destination.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Govinda Ghimire, Chairman, Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="295" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_an_alternative_enterprise_chairman_govinda.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	Having worked in a community based enterprise with the ownership of local people, Ghimire believes that the way he is working now will take him where he wants to be. Ghimire through the AHPPL is working on producing natural products like organic coffee, organic spices, Marmelos Bael Juice, Aelovera Juice, Chuiri Butter and honey. He says that the production of these products is done by local people under the support and supervision of AHPPL. Branding, marketing, establishment of processing plant among others is done by the company while collection, processing and producing is mostly done by local people.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Investment Plans</strong></p>
<p>
	To establish AHPPL as the numero uno herbal company, Ghimire believes that higher income and capital base is required than that of today. But he does not feel he has made that required money yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Alternative Herbal is a small company by all means but it is not so small in terms of the trust it has built and the goodwill it has earned,” he says. Ghimire sees export potentials as the means to make the desired earnings which will be further invested in expansion of working area and product assortment.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire does not see investment as one of the bigger challenges. He is confident that any bank or financial institution will happily invest in his ventures and the donors too will cooperate with him in his initiatives. “The biggest asset that AHPPL today has is the expertise. I am not looking to sell it but to develop it as the property,” he explains.</p>
<p>
	Similarly, as an investment expansion plan, Ghimire is planning for plantation of herbs and other raw materials for production of natural products, where he is currently specialised on. He explains that the farming is not done by the company but by local farmers. “We will purchase their production giving them buy back guarantee so that they need not worry about getting the right value and market for their products,” he added.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="1142" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_products(1).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="325" />Expansion</strong></p>
<p>
	AHPPL initially produced herbal tea. Then it expanded its product range to organic coffee, spices and herbal soaps. Beginning this year, the company has also started exporting Chiuri butter. It has already exported this product worth Rs 5 million. Its production was 4000 kg last year and this year, according to Ghimire, production has doubled to 8000 kg.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The company’s one of the major products, Marmelos (brand of bael juice) is picking up within the domestic market. &nbsp;Currently, 100,000 bottles of this juice are sold within Kathmandu Valley annually. As the public liking for the product is increasing, the people in Siraha, Saptari and Bardiya have started bael plantation to produce juice. Currently, from two areas each, 50,000 litres of juice is produced annually. The initiative of the AHPPL has promoted one village one product (OVOP) in areas where the company is concentrated.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire and his company began working in Siraha, Saptari, Makwanpur and Chitwan districts. Now, the work has expanded to 16 districts with networks of value chain. According to Ghimire, institution is developed in local level that mechanises the production and supply side which further helps in having legal source of the products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There are entrepreneurs who complain about the lack of infrastructures for carrying out business initiatives. But, for Ghimire, the absence of road is not a problem. He says, “We work in that place where there is resource rather than looking for road access and infrastructures.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>Benefits to People&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire believes in working on fair trade values for profit making. He explains that if a product costs Rs 100, Rs 51 goes to the producer while Rs 49 is received by the market value chain and concerned stakeholders. In the process to produce 17 products, 2500 households from 16 districts are directly benefitted. Ghimire says that people directly get the money which they can use for their needs. He says that the company registers annual turnover of Rs 10 million.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire said that people who were involved in hunting of wild animals for their living now have stopped their old profession and involved in juice production. Similarly, in Siraha and Saptari bael trees were fell to fire brick kilns but after people knew about the importance of the fruits of that tree, they now have started plantation of bael that has not only protected environment but also helped in generating income for local community. This is one of the reasons he was awarded with the conservation awards.</p>
<p>
	The company had to struggle hard in maintaining consistency in quality of the products in the initial days. Similarly, branding was another challenge but Ghimire says it has been solved by now. Ghimire says that technical knowhow is given to local people while all the responsibilities of branding and marketing are taken by the company.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Future of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire claims that the AHPPL has been established as an example among various government and private agencies as a successful model of social enterprise. He says that the goodwill and image of the company is yet to be converted into cash. So, he is planning to cash his intangible resources. Similarly, he is soon planning to establish a processing plant with an investment of Rs 50 million.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong>Genesis of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<div>
	<img alt="Aloe Vera Juice" height="331" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_product_aloe_vera(1).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="120" />
	<div>
		Ghimire is a lawyer by education but he never practiced law in court. He believes that the education he has got about law has proved to be of great help to him throughout his business career. Having worked as an employee for around half a decade in an environmental organisation, Centre for Agro Ecology and Development, he served as a social worker concentrating in Chepang Village in Chitwan district. He was working for enhancing the livelihood through income generation programmes for local people. The duration of almost seven years as an employee exposed him to a sea of practical knowledge about the marketing nitty-gritty and natural products know-how. Meanwhile, he also established a cooperative with support from donor agencies like SNV and OXFAM.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having worked with and for the local community, he developed nerves for enterprise. He also closely witnessed the wrongdoings of the middlemen and was not satisfied with the way local people were not getting the right price of their productions. Working in the market linkages, he understood how things should be done.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having a fire of entrepreneurship along with the technical know-how, he went ahead to establish a company of his own: Alternative Herbal Pvt Ltd. To begin with, he had four like-minded partners along with the investment of the cooperative that he established in his initiative. Ghimire says that the initial investment was only Rs 500,000. Herbal tea was the first product the company produced and marketed.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		In the initial days, products such as herbal tea were exported to European market including Belgium. A Belgium based company was taking the responsibility to supply goods to the European market. Ghimire admits that the products were not well received there because of the quality. But he says things are now changing. Having spent a lot of time and resources in research and development, Ghimire says that his products are well received in both domestic and &nbsp;international market as the company has been able to improve the quality as well as diversity of product range.</div>
</div>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'title' => 'A Tenacious Trader',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Tiwari</strong></p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd always had thoughts of being a businessman since he was a child. Even though he was born in a family whose profession was agriculture, he had deviations towards business. &nbsp; His family background was no motivation for him to start a business, so for some time he thought of holding a job, as he had no other career aims. “Besides my career, my ambition was to become a national level player and I fulfilled that. I was a national athlete from Koshi zone,” says Chapagain. But despite his success in sports, he wasn’t interested in making it his career. In the back of his head, he always thought of owning a business. Fortunately, he was able to realize his childhood dream immediately after graduating.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain’s new ventures will be in the sector of tourism and agriculture, which are quite new for him. After 29 years of running a successful trading business, Chapagain now has plans of opening a resort in Dhulikhel. “While abroad on business delegations, I have always tried to sell something from Nepal. As Nepal has such immense potential in tourism, I thought of opening a resort. I will accomplish this within the next two or three years,” says Chapagain. He also has plans of starting his own farming business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	For the last two years, Chapagain’s major focus has been on opening own retail outlets for his products. “The outlets reduce the hassle of appointing wholesalers and retailer. The customers can buy the products at a cheaper price so I am focusing on such outlets,” informed Chapagain. Till date, he has opened retail outlets for his brands Suvari, Istikbal, Rodimood and Colin’s.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he believes in doing fair business, and wants to be long-run player. “After all these years in business, I have made a name for myself and my company. I have a reputation to maintain. So I always do fair business,” says he. According to him, having moral courage to face the society is very important for him, and making profit comes only after that. He believes he has contributed to the society through his fair business, and is happy about that. “As I am associated with numerous trade associations, I encourage all to play fair game. It always pays off in the end,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Early Life&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Born in Bhojpur, Dingla in 1957 to Thama Nath Chapagain and Pushpa Kumari Chapagain, Chapagain says he was mischievous and aggressive since his childhood. With eight siblings, he grew up in quite a big family. He spent most of childhood and school days in Biratnagar. According to Chapagain, he was very athletic and loved sports, and had a lot of friend. “I still miss those days when I used to play with my friends in a garden near my school. We climbed trees, swam in the pool and had a really good time,” said he. After moving to Kathmandu, he joined Min Bhawan Campus for higher education, and later graduated from Trichandra College. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Initiation</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain had started his business journey by opening Akhil Trading Concern as a private trading firm in the year 1984. To start with, he imported wrist watches and cosmetics from Switzerland. Sadly, his first attempt didn’t pay back well and he suffered loss in both the products. “At that time, many companies were importing watches through illegal channels. I imported the watches through legal channels by paying all the taxes, which may have increased their prices. So it didn’t go well,” recollects Chapagain. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After receiving his first blow, he thought of changing his approach, and focused on the products that would suit the need of the people here, and were quite inexpensive. After much thought, he imported dry fruits from Singapore, and it did a satisfactory business. This helped him to cover his earlier loss, and most importantly, gave him the courage. Filled with new hope, he imported refrigerators from China, and it too went well. “Later, I discontinued importing Chinese as the quality was inferior, and I started importing FMCG from European countries,” says Chapagain. Today, majority of his imports are from Europe.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd " src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar(1).jpg" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>Evolution of Business</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain was in Germany once, searching for some business opportunities. Walking on the streets, his eyes fell on a store with a brand named Fakir. He found out that it was a household appliance brand, and intuitively wanted to import and sell its products in Nepal. After his return to Nepal, he made correspondence asking the company for dealership. Back then, Akhil Trading Concern wasn’t a big name as it is today, so he had little hopes that his request would be accepted. “I had informed them about my actual status, and they knew that mine wasn’t a very big company. I wasn’t very hopeful for a favourable response,” says he.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The representatives of the company came to Nepal and had talks with him. They also met with people from other companies here, most of them at a higher position than his. Sometime later, the company offered him the exclusive dealership despite the size of his company. This dealership gave him his first big break. “Years later, I asked the company men why they selected me over other companies. They said that they were impressed with my honesty as I had told them about my status without any exaggeration,” says Chapagain. The dealership did a good business for him and he focused on more European products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Present Times</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, Chapagain imports more than a dozen big brands from Europe, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Some of these brands are Suvari, Rodimood, Colin’s, Istikbal and Khao Shong. Most if his imports are from Turkey, as he says Turkish products are of European standard, and are affordable as well. He says he imports only the best products with superior quality. According to him, his import Khao Shong is the number two coffee brand in Nepal and Arabella is number one in pasta. The products include FMCG, textiles, furniture, appliances and apparels among others. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Honestly speaking, I wanted to do business because I dint want to work for anyone, and wanted to be my own master. I preferred it over doing a job for some company,” says Chapagain. He started his business with an investment of 300,000 rupees, and imported one or two products. Today, he runs a successful trading business and has more than a dozen products in his list. According to him, the business is doing really good, and is growing year after year. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	On success, Chapagain shares that he is satisfied with what he has accomplished. “To keep a trading firm running in Nepal all these years is a success in itself as it’s a very risky business,” says he. He strongly disagrees with those who say trading is easier business than manufacturing. According to him, trading is in no sense an easy business, and has its own threats and challenges. “Traders have to face problems like grey market, counterfeit goods and other traders’ monopoly over brands. We also have a huge responsibility towards the customers,” says Chapagain. He has no plans of foraying into manufacturing, and is contented with what he is doing and what he has achieved. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Family</strong></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil's Family" height="392" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar_family.jpg" width="450" /></p>
<p>
	Chapagain married Gyanu Chapagain at the age of 29. Their fathers were old friends, and the marriage was fixed even before he was aware of it. They went to the same school and knew each other, but he never thought he would marry her. Very shy around girls, Chapagain vividly remembers the first time they met with the purpose. “I was quite a rebel, so I didn’t want to go with my father’s decisions. But when she reached marriageable age, we got together quite well and we both agreed to marry,” says he. &nbsp;Gyanu is a housewife and maintains all aspects of his personal life. According to Chapagain, she maintains the family bond and looks after all the family matters as he is too busy for them. The couple is blessed with two sons Arpit and Arjit. His elder son Arpit has recently joined the company as the Managing Director.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Personal Side</strong></p>
<p>
	Very health conscious and athletic, Chapagain exercises a lot. He jogs 5 kilometers every day, and has been doing it for the last 25 years. He is a frequent blood donor and has donated blood 26 times. Travelling and trekking are his hobbies, and is abroad for about five months a year. He has travelled Asia and Europe extensively. He spends most of his free time with his family and acquaintances in outings and get-togethers. Chapagain enjoys all sorts of foods, and is a social drinker. He enjoys good wine, and imports them too.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he is very conscious of his clothing, and wears brands like Pierre Cardin, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and of course, Suvari. “I like to groom myself, and use some cosmetic products as well. &nbsp;I always want to look presentable,” says Chapagain. He is passionate about gadgets, and owns iPhone 4S and a Sony Vaio. Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 are on his wish list. Chapagain currently drives Nissan Super Saloon.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Epilogue</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain believes that all the diplomatic missions and offices in foreign countries should promote Nepal. “All such offices should have a booth to inform about Nepal and our products as it helps in promotion and publicity of Nepal. The rest of the world needs to know about Nepal and what Nepal has to offer,” says he. He has personally promoted Nepal during his business delegations and visits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He believes that all should stop blaming the government for the problems, and take responsibility squarely on their shoulders. “There is too much negativity around us. Everyone from all walks of life should move ahead with a positive and constructive mindset,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<div>
	 </div>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'description' => 'Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd always had thoughts of being a businessman since he was a child. Even though he was born in a family whose profession was agriculture, he had deviations towards business.',
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			'title' => 'Coca-Cola Strives Be Relevant To New Generations',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name. Recently, Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit visited Nepal. New Business Age Editor-in-chief Madan Lamsal talked with him regarding business prospects of Coca-Cola in Nepali market during his visit.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Kindly talk about your career growth and your role in the Coca Cola business today.</strong></p>
<p>
	I have spent most of my working life with Coca-Cola, having been with the company for almost two decades now. I joined in 1994 and worked in a variety of roles mostly involving Operations and Commercial beverages. I had an eight year stint with Coca-Cola China where I worked on a variety of roles from Business Development to Shanghai Region Manager and also managed The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Partnership for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. I moved back to India in early 2011 as VP-Operations providing leadership support to the company owned bottling operations (CBO) and franchise bottling operations (FBO’s) in India. In October 2012, I took over the role of VP-South West Asia Operations and as the Head of our Juice business for the India and South West Asia Business Unit.</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola is a great company and a great brand to work for. I’ve had some extremely challenging yet fantastic experiences in my years with Coke. I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most engaged and inspiring people as a part of the Coca-Cola family and I hope I can continue to do so in the future as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Till a few years ago Coke in Nepal enjoyed close to 80 percent of market share. That is now reduced about 64 percent only, somewhat due to aggressive marketing from the competitor. What is being planned in order for Coke to regain the same past glory? Where have you reached in your expansion plan for Coca-Cola in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies and our products are available in more than 200 countries. In Nepal as well, our brands enjoy consumer preference and share of throat, as we like to call it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After 126 years in the beverage business, we are still innovating, evolving and striving to be relevant to new generations. &nbsp;We constantly strive to stay relevant to our consumers by focusing on their needs and consumption patterns and connecting with them through our products. For example, Trademark Coca-Cola has partnered with the All Nepal Football Association for the Coca-Cola Cup to connect with young footballers across Nepal and promote healthy active lifestyles. Brand Fanta has partnered with the Miss Nepal pageant to stay relevant to teenagers and add some ‘play’ in their lives. So we are constantly trying to find touch points that connect our brands with our consumers across the country.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We face aggressive competition in any country that we operate in, but this is good since it not only helps the category to grow, but also provides consumers with a choice of high quality beverages. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Providing consumers with choice and value continues to be the cornerstone of our business strategy.We are focused on offering a range of products in different packs at varying price points, which is in keeping with our OBPPC (occasion, brand, price, pack, and channel) architecture. To ensure this, we are investing in our distribution, innovation and marketing investments to continue to drive recruitment for the beverage category. Further improvement in the company’s route-to-market and organizational capabilities are also areas we need to focus on. We have solid plans for Nepal this year and if we can do the right things every day, business growth is a given.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Coca-Cola in Nepal does not have a wide range of products that the company’s consumers enjoy elsewhere. What are you doing in this regard? Is any products line expansion in the offing in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies in the world today. We are available in more than 200 countries across the world and have more than 3500 product offerings, including more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from.</p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day. We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes across channels. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides and we are constantly researching and evaluating need states to grow our business and expand our portfolio of products.</p>
<p>
	We have been researching and innovating and have a number of plans for Nepal this year in terms of our beverage choices and packaging varieties. You will have to watch out for those in the coming months!</p>
<p>
	<strong>What is the contribution of Coca-Cola’s pure juice and juice products to its total annual revenue collection from Nepal?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes including in RGB 250ml, Cans 330 ml, PET 500ml, 1.5 Liters and 2.25 Liters. Our current portfolio does not include juices and juice products. As I said before, we are focusing on our distribution, route-to-market and organizational capabilities to drive recruitment for the beverage category, grow our business and expand our portfolio of products, in line with consumer choice and preference.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coca-Cola’s fruit juice and juice products like the Minute-Maid and Simply Orange apparently do not have any significant market share in the Nepali market. What are the plans to promote these juice products of the company in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned earlier, we currently do not manufacture any juice in Nepal.We offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. Packaged beverage consumption is on the rise in Nepal and we are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide our consumers with a variety of still and sparkling beverages.We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times, to further grow the packaged ready to drink beverage business in the country. We will of course continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ tastes in the Nepalese market.</p>
<p>
	<strong>There is one controversy in Nepal. People say that the Coke they get to drink here in Nepal or this part of the world is not the same as what the people in the US or Europe get to drink. Is the perception right? If there is perceptive difference, why so and do you find reasons enough to alter this perception? How?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our beverages across the world provide consumers with the same great taste and quality. We strive toprovide the same high quality, safe and tasty products in all 200+ countries in which we operate. Our quality testing parameters and taste standards apply to all our manufacturing facilities worldwide. We aim to provide our consumers the same refreshing and flavourful beverages across the world.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coke is no doubt the most popular carbonated drinks in Nepal as well as in the South Asian region. But perhaps the same is not true for Coke’s juices. How far is Coca-Cola from realizing the optimum potential of its juice business in the South Asianregion?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Nepal’s beverage industry is growing. Consumers now have a lot of choice in terms of choosing what type of beverage they want, at what pack and what occasion.</p>
<p>
	That being said, the industry still has a lot of potential to grow. This is a country which has a relatively low per capita consumption levels for packaged beverages and we see steady and robust growth in both sparkling and still beverage categories in the future. The per capita consumption of our products is only 9.2. Contrast this to a global average of 92, 38 in China and 728 in Mexico. In Nepal our portfolio includes Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda. In India we have products like Thums Up and Limca and the Minute Maid Brand of juices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Minute Maid Pulpy Orange is the number one orange juice drink and Maaza, our mango juice drink has been the leader in the mango juice category for years now. In Sri Lanka as well, we have our Minute Maid range of juices, including Orange, Mango, Apple and Mixed Fruit flavours which are doing exceptionally well in that market. We are currently the market leaders in Sri Lanka. So we are seeing a rise in the consumption of juice and juice drinks in all our markets in this region. Our outlook towards juices and juice based beverages in this region is very positive. With disposable incomes rising, consumers are focusing on hygiene and quality of packaged beverages which will lead to growth in consumption of our juice drinks as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The company’s other beverages such asLimca, ThumsUp, Maaza etc.are quite popular in India but not that much in Nepal. Is the company going to adopt any new marketing strategy in order to promote these brands in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products and we have been investing behind our brands and brand positioning to drive recruitment for the sparkling beverage category. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides. We have some solid marketing plans for Nepal this year and we will continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ taste preferences in Nepal.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Is the company planning to promote its juice brands in a major way globally as it seems the consumers, of not only Coke but also other carbonated drinks as well, seem to gradually believe that soda is not very god for human health and hence are shifting to juices which are healthier alternatives? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	All over the world, consumers are telling us they care about their well-being, and we care too. &nbsp;We recognize the health of our business is interwoven with the well-being of our consumers, our employees and the communities in which we operate. &nbsp;That is why we offer consumers a wide range of choices in products, sizes and with and without calories. Bringing real choice to consumers everywhere, and educating them on the role their choices play in achieving sensible, balanced diets and active, healthy lifestyles, is part of our commitment to responsible marketing and consumer education around our products.</p>
<p>
	As I said before, we have more than 3500 product offerings, which include more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from. We have demonstrated that both the Sparkling and Still segments have tremendous upside. We want to be a total beverage company and keeping this in mind have launched several products in the recent past to ensure we are able to cater to the varying needs of the consumer. Juices and juice drinks play a key role in our portfolio and have been showing robust growth over the past few years. All our products, not just juice drinks, can be enjoyed as part of an active healthy lifestyle.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_neeraj_garg(2).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" />In recent years, Coke in Nepal is increasing its spend on CSR activities. What new activities are being planned?</strong></p>
<p>
	We operate in world which is constantly innovating and evolving to become more and more sustainable in the long term. Consumers across the world are conscious to companies that are investing in CSR and are seen doing something for the betterment of the community.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sustainability is a crucial component of The Coca-Cola Company’s global business strategy and Vision 2020 statement. We strongly believe that in order for us to do well, we need our communities to succeed and give us the social license to operate. As our Chairman Muhtar Kent puts it- ‘Sustainable business thrives only amongst sustainable communities.’ We have developed a global framework for all our sustainability initiatives across the world and have an entire vertical dedicated to CSR and sustainability.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	In Nepal, we have designed various programs under this global sustainability framework of ‘Me We World’, with an emphasis on Water and Sanitation, Climate Protection and promoting Healthy Active Living.</p>
<p>
	We have recently launched two of our flagship CSR initiatives the Support My School Program and the 5BY20 Parivartan Training Program in Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We have launched the ‘Support My School’ Campaign in partnership with UN HABITAT, ENPHO, CEN and some municipal corporations. This is grassroots level campaign that aims to create awareness and address issues in schools which lead to absenteeism or children dropping out of school. We are focusing on improving water and sanitation facilities and developing the overall infrastructure of schools across Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The 5BY20 Parivartan Program is a women’s retailer training program, part of our global &nbsp;initiative that aims to economically empower 5 million women across our value chain by the year 2020. Through this program we are training Nepali women retailers on business skills, such as Shop, Stock, Customer and Financial Management. We launched this initiative with 30 women retailers on 8th March- International Women’s Day and we plan to conduct more trainings across Nepal this year.</p>
<p>
	One of our associates recently went to Antarctica as part of an international team with Sir Robert Swan- a renowned polar explorer and environmentalist. Swan visited Nepal last year to support our efforts towards water and environmental protection. We hope that through this international exposure our associates can create awareness and make a difference towards climate change.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola Nepal also has partnerships with UNHABITAT and the Government of Nepal for The Partnership for Safe Water Project to reduce the risk posed by untreated water. The Project provides improved access to drinking water by promoting Household Water Treatment (HWT) options in local communities and spreading awareness on ‘Safe drinking water’ in urban centres of Nepal.</p>
<p>
	We have also partnered with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for the Coca-Cola Cup, national grassroots football tournament since 2006. This initiative is a part of our global commitment to create a sporting culture in the country by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. This tournament involves 10, 000 boys and girls from over 500 schools across 6 regions of the country.</p>
<p>
	We also organize a number of initiatives to create awareness on World Water Day and World Environment Day,as well as conduct the Everest Marathon and International Olympic Day Run.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the ongoing financial or economic crisis in Nepal affected the soft drinks market? &nbsp;And how is Coke facing it?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Economic and political stability is important for the country and of course for businesses as well. As a business, we hope that there is ample predictability in policies and regulations. As a business entity, we expect governmentsto have a long term outlook and a world view to spur growth in any market that we operate in. We believe that Governments should work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective policies that spur economic growth. The Coca-Cola strategy for solving some of the world’s most pressing issues is what we call the ‘Golden Triangle’ -- the coming together of civil society, business and government to develop collaborative partnerships and create a model for growth. We have been constantly working towards such partnerships worldwide and we are seeing a positive difference in these communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are your views on the trends in the Nepali economy over the next one or two years, and impact for soft drinks business in general, and the Coca Cola group of drinks in particular?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned, creating stable and predictable policies and a business-friendly environment is something that all business entities look for to invest in countries in the long term. As businesses we hope that Governments will work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective regulationsto spur economic growth. As I mentioned, our philosophy is driving effective collaborations and partnerships between government, business and civil society.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to the beverage industry in Nepal, I think the packaged beverage consumption is on the rise and the non-alcoholic ready to drink (NARTD) category continues to evolve to varying consumer demands. Coca-Cola has a strong focus on innovation and we will continue to provide our consumers with beverage choices for all occasions and cater to the advancements of the Nepali beverage market.</p>',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1058',
			'article_category_id' => '46',
			'title' => 'IFC Has Been A Pioneer In Promoting And Developing Local Capital Market',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<img alt="Jingdong Hua" height="245" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_jingdong_hua_ifc(1).jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="200" />The World Bank Group (WBG) says Nepal is a priority country for it. &nbsp;Internaional Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of WBG and through it the WBG is enhancing its engagement in Nepal by way of both Investment Services and Advisory Services. To facilitate private sector growth in Nepal, IFC works to promote private investment in infrastructure, tourism, financial markets, transportation, and trade finance. Through advisory services, IFC contributes to increasing access to finance for businesses, making it easier to do business, facilitating public-private dialogue for policy reforms, and promoting regional trades.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Recently, Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>The main objective of your mission is to sensitise the Nepali policymakers and opinion makers on the importance of developing local capital markets as the foundation for sustainable growth. What prompted the IFC to pursue this particular objective?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	&nbsp;IFC has been a pioneer in promoting and developing local capital market. As a matter of fact, in the last 10 years, IFC has provided over $10 billion in 60 different local currencies. The reason is very simple. We help private sector entrepreneur. In case of most of our private entrepreneurs, their business generates revenue in local currencies and generates many local friends. We want entrepreneurs to focus to grow their business instead of worrying about foreign exchange facilities. At a micro level that is the motivation. And at the macro level, the motivation is the foundation for the growth of the capital market. You need a vibrantly liquid capital market support from where the private entrepreneurs can efficiently finance their operation depending on the risk of the capital.</p>
<p>
	Over the past several years, our team in Nepal has been working tirelessly in terms of supporting the power sector in the country with hydropower being the most common sector. That truly is the bottom line. We need to unlock the country to political advantage of its economic potential and some of the hydropower projects do generate local currency revenue. We have been engaging with the government for several years in terms of starting the dialogue, presenting the rationale and explaining the mechanical process. We are happy that we are getting encouraging support from the government. We are waiting for a green signal from the government about regulatory approval. We are very optimistic that the government will be supporting us.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What can the media do to help in this matter?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Media plays an important role to sensitise the citizen on the experience of other emerging countries who have benefitted from open and vibrant capital market. It can also highlight the IFC project about how critically they are helping to resolve the infrastructural performance so as to unlock economic opportunity in different sectors.</p>
<p>
	<strong>IFC has been planning to issue local currency bond in Nepal. Could you please highlight the logic behind this?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Our projects require local currency financing. To issue these bonds in the Nepali market, there needs to be a regulatory approval from the government for which there is a process. And we are engaging with the government. We are hopeful that in the near future, we will be able to obtain that approval.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What impediments do you see in successful implementation of this idea?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We are very optimistic that it will be very successful. As a matter of fact, we have opened three other new markets elsewhere in the world during the last four months. For instance, we have issued local currency bond in The Dominican Republic and in Nigeria. In both cases, those were the first ever foreign bonds issued in local currency in the two countries. While in Russia, we issued the biggest bond by foreign issuer with a very innovative feature of linking coupon rate with inflation target index. We have a lot of experience working with the local pension fund, insurance company, local bank, and local investment community to showcase the benefit from different perspectives.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What do you have to say to the Nepali private sector that is focusing more on the problems of getting foreign capital than on local currency funds?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	For the market to be recognised by the foreign investors to attract more foreign direct investment, there has to be an environment that enables the private sector to survive. &nbsp;Stable regulatory framework too is required to support foreign investment.Also needed are some critical early success example which demonstrate that the market is viable and ready. There are many things to be developed in terms of capital market. As it needs regulatory framework, market infrastructure and capital market player, the government should regularly facilitate and support the process. It is a long term process and IFC is committed to help Nepal in every way.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The idea of utilising the local capital market for raising capital to invest in infrastructure projects is being floated for quite some time in Nepal but nothing concrete could be achieved so far. What was lacking in those ideas generated locally?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	IFC issues local currency denominated bonds. It is not just the domestic investor who can buy; foreign investor can also buy if they feel comfortable investing in Nepali rupees. The local currency bond can also attract foreign investors. It has to ensure safety in terms of settlement and investment in the market so that other players can invest on the basis of that.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you see the progress of IFC’s investments in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	I have visited Buddha Air and had a conversation with the owner directly and how critical our financing is. So it would be beneficial if we not only provide critical financing but also the advisory support on how to improve their management and safety.</p>',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1057',
			'article_category_id' => '48',
			'title' => 'Development Riddle Solved',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Madan Lamsal</strong></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="development riddle" src="/userfiles/images/1371635301.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 378px;" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this &ldquo;rich-mines, poor-minds&rdquo; country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.</p>
<p>
	But not anymore will we have these qualms since the riddle of this big WHY has now been solved. Nepal can now embark on a development track with rocket speed, absolutely different from the frog jump pattern proposed by former PM Dr Baburam Yami Bhattarai.</p>
<p>
	We had had such difficulty in developing the country mainly because the lost key of development lied elsewhere - somewhere outside the country. Thank God! This mystery has been resolved now after the appointment of Lokman Karki as the CIAA chief. Every Nepali by now understands that the key to our development lies in the hands of foreign countries, maybe our neighbours or the superpowers. Or, possibly, there could be many keys with many &lsquo;partners&rsquo; that we got to find out and bring them back.</p>
<p>
	It is this realisation that is pushing every Nepali regardless of age, gender, origin, religion or profession to foreign lands. Recently, Nepal&rsquo;s quintessential leader Comrade Prachanda visited both our northern and southern neighbours in quick succession, last month. He not only talked about Nepal&rsquo;s development, but also proposed a new vision of &lsquo;triangular model&rsquo; involving China, India and Nepal. His wisdom did highly impress the leaders of both sides, akin to his claims. The likelihood is that he might be hired as a consultant by the planners of these countries to generate such great angular visions which they could never think of so far. In the power corridors of New Delhi, he was even asked if his triangle could be made a quadrangle by adding a &lsquo;people&rsquo;s war dimension to it&rsquo; so that it could be copyrighted as the new Prachandapath model of development!</p>
<p>
	Not only Prachanda, but also his party rank and file believes that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development is indeed in the hands of foreigners. His deputy, Dr Bhattarai, in a recent trip to Australia made it clear that the people who live in Nepal are unable to develop it, so those who have left Nepal and become foreigners should develop it.</p>
<p>
	See the impact of foreign trips! These leaders who believed in putting schools on fire, bombing suspension bridges in remote hinterland, felling telephone and electricity polls and destroying public property have suddenly started talking about development. If you still don&rsquo;t believe that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development lies in foreign hands, consider the following examples as well.</p>
<p>
	Not only politicians, but also most civil servants are dying to grab any possible opportunity for a foreign trip. Because they realize that their years of experience in service has failed to teach them how to develop the country and, therefore, seek the compensation for it a foreign trip. &nbsp;Therefore, senior officers prefer to participate in foreign trainings, workshops or seminars where nominations are actually sought from junior positions. Simply, the more senior people who participate, the more cakes of development they would bring back.</p>
<p>
	Such love for Nepal&rsquo;s development is not limited to politicians and civil servants. You can simply say that anyone very keen to go abroad is a true lover of Nepal&rsquo;s development. Every Nepali student believes that s/he cannot develop this nation by studying here. That&rsquo;s why visa applications are filed as soon as the completion &nbsp;of +2 education. Those who fail to leave the country are even more patriotic. They do not miss even a single opportunity to protest against any anti-development move of the government. And they make sure that they destroy some amount of existing public property so that it could be replaced by a new one.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The members of the general public who are smart enough want to leave the country at any cost. They too realize the fact that no development is possible within the country. Manpower agencies, planners and development experts, all by now agree that the country will not develop from within, so we must bring everything from other countries. Everything means everything- a constitution, directives for the government dictating who should be appointed where and what model of development should be followed. With this, one can be pretty sure of the faster development we have missed thus far.</p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2013-06-06',
			'modified' => '2013-10-21',
			'keywords' => 'No laughing matter, new business age, Madan Lamsal, Development Riddle Solved',
			'description' => 'Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this “rich-mines, poor-minds” country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.',
			'sortorder' => '928',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1054',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;">We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit.</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos. I thought – “really?” Another sniggered, “what was the lady (the rape victim!!) doing so late at night”? (9.30 p.m.!!) They were declaring the victim guilty with such smugness that I felt sick. Who decides what modest dressing is? Does the fact of wearing western clothes give a right to molest? A female walking alone at 9.30 p.m., does that provide anybody a right to rape? Come on – must be joking!!! <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	There is a part of society that always blames women. They whisper, “She must have provoked him”, “She must have done something wrong.” The “guilty” verdict is delivered. Ever wonder why the victim’s face is blurred on TV? She has not done anything wrong except, may be, walking alone at night!! Why does she have to use a veil to cover her face? Probably because she does not have faith in being treated humanely. She knows that her friends, relatives and society in general will not let her move on and continue with her life. There will be whispers everywhere she goes.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Declaring a woman guilty after being&nbsp; assaulted is not a recent phenomenon. It happened even in Ramayana. Sita,wife of Lord Rama, was asked to prove herself by entering in fire. Even then Rama had to ostracize her. She pleaded with mother Earth to take her back. Despite of remorse expressed by all, she went back to her maternal home. There are multiple versions of the story but one basic issue is clear: Sita had to prove her innocence. Till then, she was guilty. In Mahabharata – “Anushashana Parva section CXXIII” – it is mentioned that when the husband is away the wife should not use ornaments, not have a proper bath (gets stinky!!) and not indulge in any adornment till the hubby is back. In a nutshell, the diktat is clear – look horrible and smell horrible. If she wears ornaments, etc., what will happen? She will look good, off course!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Then what? Men will be attracted to her! And her husband is away. Guilty – guilty – guilty!! Unless she proves her innocence by ensuring she does not look good. Awesome – is it not so? By the way,nobody asks the husband how he satiates himself while he is away!! From ancient times a son, as heir, is always of paramount importance. Lineage to progress, as if the male was the only involved in the progression process. We have seen enough daughters making their family proud and sons shaming them. Still, a son is a must to advance the ancestry. In Puja Mantra, we pray to provide us with sons. Even ladies pray fervently – “Putram Dehi.”&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">If a girl is born, it is the lady’s fault. If she cannot conceive, she has to be tested. If the wife is brave enough to suggest testing her husband, may God save the poor lady. Somebody told me recently (a male) that his wife is having difficulties to conceive, so a doctor was consulted. Some tests were suggested for her. I asked, “What about you?” Apparently the doctor said “We shall test the wife first.” Surprised? Guilty unless proven innocent, isn’t it? I did not ask the gender of the doctor though. It does not matter. Every day someone, somewhere, is getting insulted; be it a daughter, mother or wife. She is being ostracized and her dignity gets violated. Some tolerate silently, some like Sita go back to their parental home, some decide to end their lives and very few fight back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Even though we boast progress (but have we progressed really?), we can only proclaim that we are progressing when the victim removes her veil and looks into our eyes, holds her head high and seeks justice. We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit. Empowering women with more freedom and choices are crucial for a better future. There is incentive for all of us. It enhances development. Countries that have expanded opportunities to women have achieved moderate population growth, reduced child mortality and increased life expectancy. This, in turn, has improvedthe Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. HDI measures country’s performance beyond GDP. Women are the key factor for sustainable long term development with a triple-win strategy — better economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Empowering women and moving towards 360 degree development will not happen by merely commenting in social media or by candle light vigil alone. Each one of us must redefine our thought process. As Mahatma Gandhi said – “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	 </p>',
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			'description' => 'Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos.',
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			'id' => '1055',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Socialism – The Great Equalizer Or Capitalism – The Great Divider?',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><span class="A29"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile?</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	So<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">me ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich! &nbsp;Typically, Socialism is defined as an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">A Professor had an experiment where all grades were to be averaged and everyone would receive same grade. So no topper – no loser either. It was enthusiastically accepted by all for obvious reasons. </span><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">After first test, grades were averaged, everyone got a B+. Students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were ecstatic. Before second test, students who studied little worked even less and who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. Average was a D. No one was happy. Next the average dropped to F.</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">Time goes by, instead of the scores, bickering, blame and name-calling increased. No one would study for the benefit of anyone else. Perfect Socialist class – is it not so? </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">I am not to judge whether Socialism is good or bad but trying to share a perspective of Human Mind. It always asks – “what’s in it for me?”</span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile? Some insights which we must ponder; </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><strong style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -14pt;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">1. One cannot elevate the poor into prosperity by taking the wealth out of the prospered!</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">2. When one receives anything without working for it, another one would have worked for it without receiving! </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">3. Nobody can give anybody anything for free that has not been taken first from somebody else for free! </span></span></strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">4. One cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);"><br />
	<br />
	5. There will always be a section of people who want to try less than others and get more than others in return. </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">On the other hand – will there not be a tendency in human psychology to be successful and forge ahead of others – by hook or by CROOK? When reward seems to be so great that it elevates one from one’s current social strata, will that person not look for short cut and easy way to achieve the goal? Is individuality not a common human trait? Is an urge of becoming individual is not the germination of Capitalism?&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">What is Capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production, with the creation of goods and services for profit. What is Profit? It is Value obtained less cost incurred. If a person has Capital and he wants to employ the service of a group of people to create something out of that capital to maximize it’s Value and thereby earn a profit, is there anything wrong? Can the group of people whose service is sought dictate the terms to the person whose Capital is employed? Can the group of people whose service is sought demand a share of the profit which the value addition to the Capital obtained? Seems so unfair. Is not it so? Yes, if one is a Capitalist and no if one belongs to the group of service providers.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">But what if in the whole exercise, the entity (person) takes undue advantage of any system or group of people? What is “Undue”? It is any non-acceptable social practice which takes advantage of current social condition of the service provider who works hard to finish a process which adds more value to the initial Capital. It is “Undue” if there is a conscious effort from the Capitalist to ensure that the Social strata of the service provider remains unchanged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); text-align: justify;">There are good societies where there is a conscious effort to improve the quality of life of people, and the general satisfaction and sense of fairness is high amongst the entire social strata. There are bad societies where 90% of the wealth is accumulated with 1% of people through means of unfair actions where most of the people live in misery and general feeling amongst the mass is a concoction of mistrust, frustration, deceit and bitterness.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa9" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); line-height: 115%;">Can any society be 100% Capitalist or 100% Socialist? It needs a right kind of balance. It is the member of the society who must determine the balance and rule of the game. As Martin Luther King Jr pointed out - “Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both.”</span></p>',
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			'description' => 'Some ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich!',
			'sortorder' => '926',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1050',
			'article_category_id' => '62',
			'title' => 'Foreign Direct Investment Must Increase In The Tourism Industry.',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>"Foreign direct investment must increase in the tourism industry."</strong></p>
<p>
	Prachanda Man Shrestha, Former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board suggesting the way to attain 7% economic growth.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“We have been talking of exporting electricity when we are facing severe power crisis.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman of Nimbus Group arguing that power must be produced first to meet the national demand before thinking to export it.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“The state and the private sector are not rivals.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Chhabi Raj Panta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and Urban Development acknowledging the role of the private sector in infrastructure development.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ashoke SJB Rana, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ashoke.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“Banks need financial instruments for investing in mega projects.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ashoke SJB Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank Limited pointing out the lack of financial instruments for banks to invest in large projects of national importance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ratnakar Adhikari, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ratnakar.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“There should be strict legislation that bans the lock ups and strikes in the special economic zone.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ratnakar Adhikari, Chief Executive Director of South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) suggesting to create a special economic zone and enforcing stricter labour laws in such zones to control the ongoing labour unrest.&nbsp;</span></p>',
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			'created' => '2013-05-24',
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			'description' => 'Prachanda Man Shrestha, Former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board suggesting the way to attain 7% economic growth.',
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			'title' => 'Management  Of Change',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sharu S Rangnekar</strong></p>
<p>
	<em><strong>Change is constantly with us from birth to grave. &nbsp;However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.</strong></em></p>
<p>
	<strong>Continuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Continuous change takes place continuously e.g. getting older by one day everyday. &nbsp;We do not pay much attention to this change and, by and large it manages itself. &nbsp;There is very little change day to day. &nbsp;Although over a period we look older or the hair becomes gray – or some of them fall out. &nbsp;Over a period, the change is significant but since it is at &nbsp;a slow rate, we get accustomed to it.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Discontinuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Discontinuous change makes a significant impact on our life immediately. &nbsp;The first discontinuous change we had was getting born. &nbsp;An embryo comfortable in the mother’s womb is thrown out one day in a totally different world and our first reaction to this change is protest (paaan). &nbsp;However, we do not remember this change. &nbsp;Perhaps the first discontinuous change we may remember is the first day at school. &nbsp;In my case, my grand-father carried me on his shoulder to the school and deposited me in the class. &nbsp;He admonished me, “Don’t come out of class; I am sitting in the verandah and if I see you coming out of the class, I shall break your leg.” &nbsp;So I sat inside the class crying. &nbsp;There were about 30 other children sitting around me also crying. &nbsp;When I am near a school on an opening day, I go to the preparatory class. &nbsp;Inside the class, there are 30 children crying; outside the class there are 30 mothers crying. &nbsp;It is their way to coping with the discontinuous change. &nbsp; From a familiar friendly atmosphere of the home, the child is pushed into an alien atmosphere of the school. &nbsp;Nobody is familiar to him. &nbsp;At least now most of the teacher are female and seem to be soft. &nbsp;In my times there were harsh looking male teachers with big mustaches. &nbsp;The cane was a part of their uniform and they banged the cane before sitting down – creating palpitation all over the class.</p>
<p>
	My mother had tried in her ways to prepare me for this discontinuous change. &nbsp;She asked me whether when I grow up I would like to go to office like my father sitting in a car. &nbsp;“Of course,” I said, “yes”. &nbsp;Then she said, “You have to go to school first.” &nbsp;I told her that I did not want to go to school. &nbsp;Then she told me the only alternative will be to wash utensils. &nbsp;At that age of five that was not a bad alternative but the tone in which my mother put it, it seemed like great disaster. &nbsp;I was made to feel that I was at cross roads – Go to school and eventually to office in a car like my father or wash utensils like the servant. &nbsp;Even then this did not convince me to go to school. &nbsp;Discontinuous changes can take a long time to be accepted.</p>
<p>
	Thereafter there are series of discontinuous changes: Getting a job and getting into relatively rigid office discipline; Getting married and getting into two-person democracy; Getting children with the tribulations involved.</p>
<p>
	In each case there was clearly a give and take. &nbsp;Some benefits and some hardship – &nbsp;and we have gone through numerous discontinuous changes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Tsunami Change</strong></p>
<p>
	The third kind of change is where everything around changes – like the havoc created by the tsunami wave. &nbsp;The benefits are hardly comprehended and the hardships are very clear. &nbsp;How does one get prepared for Tsunami change?</p>
<p>
	One way is to start with the dictum: “TINA” &nbsp;(There Is No Alternative). &nbsp;We are not happy with the situation but it is inevitable. &nbsp;The case in point is the female education. &nbsp;It started in 1850 with a great deal of opposition. &nbsp;The proponents of female education were attacked because the opponents said: &nbsp;“What have women to do in their life? - Cooking and bringing up children. &nbsp;That can be learnt in the house itself with apprenticeship to the mother. &nbsp;The girl can learn cooking under the supervision of mother and can also learn to bring up children – particularly in those days when mother had 8-10-12 children. &nbsp;The first 2-3 children were brought up by the mother, the rest were brought up by eldest sister who learnt skills as an apprentice. &nbsp;What is the point in the women learning Kalidas and Shakespeare?”</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the process of attrition played its role to make the female education accepted. &nbsp; Initially, it was stressed that widows should have education so that they can have the ability to sustain themselves economically. &nbsp;Mostly the widows attended these schools so they were known as “Bodkyanchi Shala” (School for the shaven-headed) – as the heads of the widows were shaved in those days.</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the benefit of the female education became evident and today even if a girl has graduated and is sitting at home doing nothing particularly, the neighbour advises that she should join a computer class.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	However, even today there are opposition groups - even in a city like Bombay. &nbsp;The two girls of a community were threatened because they were persuing their education which the opponents felt was against the religion and would spoil the girls for their traditional role of good housewives.</p>
<p>
	This opposition is reducing and the female education is getting accepted – although it has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;I worked in pharmaceutical industry where we believed that if a medicine has effect it has side effects also. If it has no side effects it has no effect also. So every change has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;The female education is a very strong medicine. &nbsp;It is effective to make the women contribute more significantly to the economic development but the side effect is its impact on domestic peace. &nbsp;So here it is a Tsunami change which took over 100 years to get accepted. &nbsp;In case of many changes that much time is not available – as in the case of natural Tsunami disaster. &nbsp;There the people are forced to accept unpleasant alternatives to carry on in life.</p>
<p>
	Another example of tsunami change is the role of horse drawn “Tongas” in transportation. &nbsp;Fifty years ago every railway station had Tongas which provided transportation to the travelers between station and their residences. &nbsp;Then came the tsunami change replacing Tongas with autorickshas and buses and Tongas have vanished altogether with the horses and the Tongawalas. &nbsp;Many of the tongawalas literally starved to death with their horses as they could not master the new technology of driving autorickshas and buses. &nbsp;However, this change took place over 25 years and did not create a strong backlash. &nbsp;I remember only one movie where DilipKumar as a tongadriver took a bet to beat a bus to stop the bus-route. &nbsp;In the movie, by driving through shortcuts, he could beat the bus. &nbsp;But in real life the tongas lost forever.</p>
<p>
	There are two other Tsunami changes which are making waves. &nbsp;One is in Singur and Nandigram where the agricultural land is being given for industrial development. &nbsp;There have been bloody battles. &nbsp;However, the logic of this tsunami change is obvious. &nbsp;The technological reforms in agriculture have made it possible for less and less land to provide food grains for more and more people so the land has to be released for industrial production. &nbsp;The land-owner who is traditionally attached to the land is refusing to give it up. &nbsp;Similar situation happened in Russia when the land had to be taken away from the farmers to form communes and it resulted in hundreds of thousands of farmers getting killed by the Russian army. &nbsp;However, in the long term it resulted in loss of production and Russia had to import food-grains to support its people. &nbsp;The present situation is very much different because it follows and not precedes agricultural productivity. &nbsp;If the farmer insists on pursuing agriculture he is bound to get caught in consequences. &nbsp;It is often said in America “agriculture is a passport to poverty” and that has become the sign of development.</p>
<p>
	Another tsunami change on the horizon is the abolition of traditional retailers in favour of large scale operators. &nbsp;The traditional retailers are opposed and started throwing stones at Ranchi. &nbsp;But here also the requirement of tsunami change is clear. &nbsp;The present way of operation of the traditional vegetable vendors, fruit vendors, grocer etc., is highly inefficient in terms of cost, convenience and time. &nbsp;The turnover of typical vegetable vendor is so low that his margin has to be very high to make him survive. &nbsp;The whole chain of middlemen are involved which makes the operation very costly. &nbsp;When the farmer gets hardly Rs. 3/- for one kilo of onions the consumers have to pay Rs.15/- per kilo. &nbsp;The large retailers buying directly from the farmers and selling directly to the consumers are going to make the operation much more cost effective. &nbsp;Furthermore, modern technology can be used to make the product available to consumer more conveniently and in the form he can use very easily. &nbsp;A traditional vegetable vendor can hardly protect the product from dirt and dust and that is the death-knell for the traditional vendor.</p>
<p>
	However, these large changes involving millions of people thrown out of their traditional jobs in a matter of few years and their inability to learn new technology of retailing is going to create a great deal of havoc.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Acceptance of Change</strong></p>
<p>
	In such situations the society and the government can control the process to give the time for acceptance of change. &nbsp;Acceptance of changes comes in three phases:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
	<li>
		Knowledge</li>
	<li>
		Belief&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Behaviour</li>
</ol>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">For the change to be accepted a sustained campaign has to be conducted to make people realize the advantages of the change. &nbsp;This is obviously a long term process and the society may not have the time for this change.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>TINA Factor&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity:</p>
<p>
	I was sitting with a friend of mine who was an amateur fisherman near a stream of water. &nbsp;The stream was moving fairly fast and most of the fish were swimming with the current. &nbsp;However, I found about 10% of the fish were swimming against the current. &nbsp;I asked my friend, “Why they are swimming against the current?” &nbsp;He said, “This is breeding season for this fish and the females are going against the stream to lay eggs in their chosen territory.</p>
<p>
	The stream proceeded for another 10 meters and jumped into a waterfall. &nbsp;Some of the fish who went down with the waterfall were trying to swim up the waterfall. &nbsp;But they were not successful. &nbsp;Looking at that my friend remarked, “You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity.” &nbsp;There are some tsunami changes. &nbsp;People try to resist these changes. &nbsp;But they can not succeed because you can swim against the current – but not against the gravity.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Management of Change" height="375" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/management_gyan_june2013_change_ahead_pottery_making.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="250" /></p>
<p>
	In 1951 when I started my career there were about 3 thousand railway stations in Indian and outside each station there was a Tonga stand. &nbsp;These 3 thousand stands plus others in the towns covered nearly about 1 lakh tongas.</p>
<p>
	The tsunami change started with autorikshas and buses taking away the passengers. &nbsp;The tongas made efforts to resist the change. &nbsp;In the film Naya Daur, the hero acted by Dilip Kumar races with the bus with his tonga and defeats it. &nbsp;That was a reel life. &nbsp;In real life the tonga could not stand the competition. &nbsp;The tongas were burnt as kindlewood, the horses died and so did the tongawalas. &nbsp;They could not fight against gravity.</p>
<p>
	The similar contest is going on in Singur &amp; Nandigram by agriculturist and In Ranchi and other towns by Small Scale Retailers against Reliance. &nbsp;This again is a competition where they are going against the gravity and cannot win.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The alternative is to create the TINA factor i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;After the First World War, Turkey was in shambles and Kemal Ataturk took over the nation with the slogan “There is no alternative”. &nbsp;Overnight he abolished the ritualistic religion and the banned the veil as well as the Turkish cap which were seen as symbolic of ritualistic religion. &nbsp;The most significant change he made was in the script. &nbsp;The Turkish language which was written in Arabic script, he made it compulsory to use the Roman script. &nbsp;These changes were not universally welcomed but he had the traditional power of the army up his sleeves and so could ensure implementation of the changes almost in a single day with the slogan “TINA” i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The changes he made in this way kept on smoldering the rebellious feeling and in the end of last century the religious parties again made a come back trying to bring Turkey back to the religious mould. &nbsp;The army superseded the parliament and kept the reforms going.</p>
<p>
	The process thus goes through persuasion route i.e Knowledge, Belief and Behaviour to get accepted over a period with the opposition getting converted. &nbsp;Thus the changes introduced by the female education can get commented adversely but are unlikely to be thrown out by any democratic process. &nbsp;In fact, democracy also is a tsunami change which is based on the tenets of equality. &nbsp;The traditional societies were based on inequalities: a superior caste, a superior religion, a superior sex. &nbsp;These gave authority to rule over the others. &nbsp;However, democracy tries to establish equality. &nbsp;In fact all people are not equal but in the concept of democracy they have to be treated as equal and given a chance to become equal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	A case in this point is a rule made in New York that all public buildings must have ramps so that the physically disabled people will try to have the mobility similar to normal people. &nbsp;Somebody calculated the cost of providing ramps and suggested that it will be cheaper to keep disabled people home by giving them pension. &nbsp;The answer was the solution to disability is not charity but to create as much equality as it is possible.</p>
<p>
	Even the controversy over reservations can be seen in this light. &nbsp;Reservations cannot create equality. &nbsp;In fact they tend to emphasize inequality. &nbsp;However, by creating reservations more and more people are pushed towards equality.</p>
<p>
	Another case in this point has been the position of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or otherwise backward classes as against Muslims of India. &nbsp;At the time of independence, Muslims had 15% of all important positions in the government thanks to the special protection given by the British Raj. &nbsp;At that time scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs together were much less than 15%. &nbsp;Today after 60 years of independence the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs are nearly 30% while the Muslims have come down to 5%. &nbsp;So the reservation policy of British Raj created permanent inequality and when it was removed the Muslims suffered economically. &nbsp;The situation is somewhat similar to Negroes in America. &nbsp;Negroes are also 15% of American population but in three areas they are much more than 15% - In Olympic gold medals they have the majority. &nbsp;In art particularly music they are over 25% and in crime they are over 60%. &nbsp;These three areas do not require any support from the society to score. &nbsp;Individual abilities can sustain.</p>
<p>
	Similar is the position of Muslims in India. &nbsp;They are in the same 3 areas where they are more than 15% - Sports, Films and Crime. So to create equality there has to be sustained efforts to support the weaker to be equal. &nbsp;This is obviously the tsunami change and will be resisted at every step - but to retain democracy it will be essential to move towards this end.</p>
<p>
	In this process the persuasion of knowledge, belief and behaviour have to be used to make the tsunami change ultimately accepted in the society. &nbsp;This is essentially what is meant by management of change. '</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">(The writer is a popular consultant and author of management classics: “In the Wonderland of Indian Managers” and “In the World of Corporate Managers”.)</span></p>',
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			'description' => 'Change is constantly with us from birth to grave.  However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.',
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			'id' => '1067',
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			'title' => 'Moroccan Promise',
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			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sushila Budhathoki</strong></p>
<p>
	With the main trade partners mostly in Europe, Morocco is spreading its business all over the world as the late king of Morocco, Hassan II once said, “Morocco is like a tree, which has its roots in Africa and its branches in Europe.” As a trader, exporter of manufactured and agricultural products and a tourism destination, Morocco has turned out to be an emerging economy of North Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco, a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, shares common interest in the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), a regional grouping of five North African countries namely Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. According to Maghreb Markets, a magazine by Afro Asian Business Chronicle, the country is opting for greater economic integration into the world economy and contributing to the consolidation of the multilateral trading system. For this, it has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness, aiming at strengthening the liberalization of foreign trade since the early 1990s. France has been the main import and export partner of Moroccan trade (22.5%) followed by other partners Spain (16.9%), India (6.1%), Italy (4.5%) and United States (1.3%). &nbsp;Morocco has free trade agreements to a market of 55 countries that represent more than one billion consumers and 60% of world GDP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco has strong and stable macroeconomic performances. Agriculture, phosphates and tourism are the major resources of the Moroccan economy followed by industry, mining and sales of fish and seafood. The Moroccan agriculture sector which contributes 19% of the GDP also employs more than 4 million rural inhabitants creating approximately 100,000 jobs in the agro- industry sector. The country is the largest recipient of foreign investment in North Africa and is looking for expansion in ties to include more joint ventures from all around the world. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it received USD 18 billion FDI between 2000 and 2009 mainly in fertilizer and minerals. The industry, solar energy, wind energy, agriculture, fishing industry, retail and information communication and technology are the major sectors open for investment in Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Nepal- Morocco Friendship</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been very little progress in promoting economy, trade, culture and fewer efforts in enhancing people to people relations between Morocco and Nepal despite setting up diplomatic ties in 1975. The recent visit by Larbi Reffouh, Moroccan Ambassador to Nepal (who resides in New Delhi) to present the letter of credential to the President of Nepal on first May is expected to enhance friendship ties with Nepal. Larbi is also the Ambassador to the Bhutan, and according to him, his posting in India is a choice posting. According to Moroccan Consulate office in Nepal, Larbi, during his visit proposed for short-term as well as long-term trainings to the government officials without any financial obligations to the government of Nepal and allocation of scholarship quota for at least 15 graduate level technical educations in the field of Engineering, Medicines etc. Furthermore, he also officially requested the Chairman of Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nepal to visit the Kingdom of Morocco at their convenient times. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Facts and figures about Morocco" height="418" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_facts_and_figures.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="371" />Similarly, a high level Nepali business delegation is planning to visit Morocco to explore the possibilities of trade and business between these two countries. After the return of Nepali business delegation from Morocco, Moroccan business delegation is planned to be in Nepal for the same purpose. A socio-cultural delegation is also planning to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to boost cultural relations and people to people relations between Nepal and the Kingdom of Morocco. The ambassador also expressed Morocco’s interest to supply fertilizers to Nepal. The Kingdom is the second largest producer and the largest exporter of fertilizers in the world.</p>
<p>
	Both Nepal and Morocco are member of UN and partners of non-aligned campaign. Santosh Kumar Tiberawala was appointed as consul of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal on November 27, 2000. &nbsp;Basant K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of Chaudhary Group was appointed as consul on Norvember 26, 2007 and was promoted to Consul General in May, 2013. The Nepali Embassy in Cairo oversees the diplomatic relations of Nepal with Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal’s trade with Morocco has been limited as investors from both of the countries have less interaction in high level. The data from Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) shows decrease in the trade between the two countries. According to the data provided by TEPC, only 161 pieces of works of art, collector’s pieces and antiques worth Rs 257,690 were exported to Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013. The earlier export included products like dying extracts, dyes, pigments and other coloring matter, paints and varnishes, inks and carpets and other textile floor coverings among few others. Similarly, Nepal mainly imported fertilizers and rubber from Morocco before 2012. There is no import from Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nepal-Morocco Trade" height="198" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_nepal_morocco_trade.jpg" width="580" /></p>
<p>
	Moroccans are not among the regular tourist groups who come to Nepal for celebrating their vacation. According to Department of Immigration, Nepal, &nbsp;hardly 171 tourists were from Morocco who visited Nepal in 2012. On the other hand, Morocco, with 70 new tourist destinations, is becoming a growing tourism destination in the world. According to Maghreb Markets, around 9.3 million tourists visited Morocco in 2010.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>‘There is an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties’</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="H. E. Mr. Larbi Reffouh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India and Nepal" height="400" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_ambassador_larbi_reffouh.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="250" />How do you see the significance of your visit to Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The purpose of this visit is to present my credentials to His Excellency Dr Ram Baran Yadav, the President of the Republic of Nepal, as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal, with a residence in New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	This visit also was a good opportunity to hold several meetings with the Prime Minister, some members of the Government and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to discuss a gamut of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. All the contacts and interactions I have had during my visit are very positive and promising about the future of relations between Morocco and Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the possibilities for economic and trade cooperation between Nepal and Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	The diplomatic relations between Morocco and Nepal were established in 1975. Both countries have always enjoyed cordial, friendly and excellent political relations. This could be reflected by our work together and our coordinated efforts and positions on several international issues, either within or outside the United Nations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Our bilateral trade record remains below our common ambitions and expectations. There is for sure an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties. In this regard, both governments are currently considering the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which will be a cornerstone for the creation of a global legal framework to conceive and promote different “win-win” partnerships and projects in order to take our relationship to the next level, especially in the economic field.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please tell us the major sectors for cooperation between the two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	I believe we should target and focus on some key economic sectors. For instance, we have developed in Morocco a modern, competitive and export-oriented agriculture. Since we do really have an internationally recognized expertise and know how in this field, we are ready to share this experience with our Nepali friends, particularly in terms of modern irrigation techniques and human resource development.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to tourism, we have realized significant achievements over the last few years as Morocco has succeeded in positioning itself one of the world’s fast-growing tourism destinations, attracting over 12 million tourists a year. This achievement can be simply attributed to an ambitious strategy, dubbed “Vision 2020”, through developing state-of-the-art tourism-related infrastructure, including building new hotels and resorts, as well as investing in training human capital. Thus, we can look at the existing potential for initiating specific cooperation in this sector.</p>
<p>
	Another sector that could be central for our future cooperation is higher education. Just to give you an idea, Morocco provide annually more than 1600 scholarships in favor of foreign students. Today, we have over 7000 students from over 48 countries to study in our universities and higher institutes. So, we will seriously consider the possibility of providing scholarships for Nepalese students to pursue their studies in Moroccan universities. I personally believe that if we succeed on this particular front, it will inevitably contribute to further promotion of people-to-people contacts.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What should Nepali government do to attract investment from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	I would like to emphasize that Moroccan investors are present overseas, primarily in Africa in areas such as banking, telecoms, housing and infrastructure. I can assure you that this economic presence is expanding and deepening thanks to the various opportunities existing in African countries and indeed to the capital and expertise offered by Moroccan companies. Since investors are guided by profit and better business environment, the Moroccan private sector is open and ready to explore other horizons and seek new opportunities, even here in Nepal. But this is the main responsibility of your government and business community, by engaging in some promotional and marketing activities, in order to attract Moroccan investments to Nepal, probably by looking at the possibility of establishing “joint-ventures” in specific sectors, like agriculture and tourism.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Agriculture is one of the important contributors in Moroccan economy. How can Nepal get benefit from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	Morocco is ready to share its expertise with Nepal in the field of agriculture and irrigation. Morocco initiated in 2008 a revolutionary program by investing, with the involvement of the private sector, in the modernization and development of our agriculture, and in promoting its international competitiveness. The adoption of this policy stems from the fact that agriculture is the major employer of our workforce, especially in rural areas, and it is one of main contributors to our GDP. We are now starting to reap the fruits of this ambitious strategy, either in terms of increasing output and improving global competitiveness. Having said that, we are ready to share the expertise we have developed so far in this sector with Nepal. We can offer training programs in favor of Nepali students in specific areas, such as irrigation techniques, agribusiness and veterinary.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please describe us the prospect of export-import business between two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	We do export so many things, from agricultural products to industrial items and very recently we have started exporting cars to the regional markets. In fact, we are one of the leading exporters of phosphate in the world. And nobody can ignore the importance of this commodity as an essential component for agricultural development and food security. As an example, we are a major exporter of phosphate and fertilizers to your immediate neighbour. I think it’s time to see if we can do the same with Nepal, to participate concretely with your country in its efforts for the development of your agricultural sector and achieving your food security.</p>',
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			'id' => '1066',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'BRAINDIGIT: The Center For Technology Innovation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	The latest ICT Electronic Branding Expo held at Brikutimandap Exhibition hall held 87 stalls of 70 companies in 17 much decorated pavilions. Companies took part under a single roof introducing their products to get the valuable customer. A showcase namely ‘ramailomela.com was built online to preview the products available on the exhibition. The visitors needed not to hustle in the crowd; saving time and also receiving details on the major brands and vendors as showcased on the exhibition. The online service was from Braindigit which claims to be the powerhouse of creativity and innovation. The workforce from the company came up with this innovative marketing platform. The customer gets lots of product options and price ranges to choose from, of a win-win situation, for the vendor and for the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO, Braindigit" height="272" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_ceo_nischal.jpg" style="float:right; margn:0 0 0 10px;" width="201" />Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal. Saying about the immense evolution; Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO of the organization says, “We felt that our knowledge was limited. We said to ourselves; let’s do something big, something better. Then we started working on software building. There was a demand of customized software in the international market and we had to work hard to get hold of the opportunity.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Braindigit presents itself as an expert primarily focused on providing IT solutions like Web Application Development, Joomla Extensions and Component Development. According to the company, there is a team of highly trained and expert programmers who can efficiently use web technological advancements such as Joomla, .Net, PHP, Java, Ajax, Magento, Android apps and many such components that challenge the capabilities of the work group. The primary Braindigit mission is to provide a qualitative product that combines performance with value pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with the customer.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">“Here we are all goal oriented personals. First we generate a project plan directed towards the needs of our clients. Then we define the roles in our departments. The time extension is designed, and then we follow the projected plan and make sure that the goal is met,” says company executive. The workforce of the company consists of more than 50 staff members, assigned to various departments from programming, development, quality control and marketing. Each department is dedicated towards their assigned role whereby creating an environment that results to be work friendly and mostly goal oriented.” &nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Braindigit Products" height="110" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_products.jpg" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="590" /></p>
<p>
	“We had to overcome many challenges to be able to reach this position. The greater challenge for us is to create an efficient workforce. We train our people to be the best. Regardless of the fact that there is immense competition in the market to hold the best people, we believe motivating employees towards common goal and providing them expansion opportunities. When we recruit, we look for passion in the employee,” says Nischal Man Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	The company is closely working with the government to reduce some issues regarding the development in IT sector. Pradhan adds, “IT companies seek more coordinated support in terms of strengthening data security, information leakage management, visa improvement and certain fiscal incentives. This can attract large investments in the country”. He mentions the power crisis as one impediment and adds, “We have reached this height coping with the problems, and if they are met we know we can do even better. This not only helps to improve the economy of the country but also helps in the development in the emerging IT sector in Nepal.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>SageFrame</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">One of the major accomplishments for the company brings up the name SageFrame. SageFrame is an open source web development framework developed on the top of ASP.NET 3.5. The best features as incorporated by the product are its easy user interface, site optimization and the page management system. It contains necessary tools needed to develop custom modules, applications templates and multipurpose websites.</span></p>
<p>
	After the success of SageFrame 1.0, SageFrame 2.0 was developed and introduced with more appealing features such as plug and play module, drag-drop widget and easy customization. The plug-n-play module concept offers enhanced dynamism to website, and holds provision for addition of new features. The drag and drop widget feature, and a highly configurable control panel, SageFrame provides more flexibility and ease to the website owners and developers.</p>
<p>
	SageFrame was nominated for 2012 Critic’s Choice Best Budget CMS Awards and the runner-up title in People’s Choice Award for the Best Budget CMS (Content Management System). The framework CMS Critic, an industry popular name for CMS reviews, hosts the awards for best CMS platforms around the world. The awards are given in different categories one being the Best Budget CMS where SageFrame proudly claimed a place. “The success of this product made the company realize the true potential of the developers in Nepal. SageFrame had a good start in the market. It has been downloaded by more than thirty thousand clients and the response is very positive”, says Pradhan. The website of Ncell Pvt. Ltd, was developed using this platform. Ncell is the first private mobile operator in the country with an extensive coverage throughout the nation and providing telecommunication services to millions&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">of people.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sageframe, Braindigit" height="109" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_sageframe.jpg" width="535" /></strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">Core extraction of the Braindigit business model:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		The company is built upon the principle of fair dealing and ethical conduct of the employees.</li>
	<li>
		Highest standards of conduct and personal integrity should be maintained.</li>
	<li>
		Braindigit is dependent upon the client’s trust and continuously works on improving the quality of the products and support.</li>
	<li>
		Staff members have their responsibility towards clients benefit and should act the way that merited company’s outlook.</li>
	<li>
		Good judgment is encouraged to avoid business crisis. In a crisis situation, the matter is discussed with the immediate head of the department and, if necessary, with the directors, for advice and consultation.</li>
	<li>
		Compliance with the policy of business ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every employee &amp; associated members.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Disregarding or failing to comply with the standard of business ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including the possibility of possible termination of employment.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">Source: Braindigit</span></p>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
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			'keywords' => 'Braindigit, The center for technology innovation, Corporate Focus, June 3003, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal.',
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1065',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'Sunrise Bank: Eyeing To Secure Top Ten Positions Among Nepali Banks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer. According to a bank source, at present Sunrise Bank occupies the 12th position on Capital, 16th on deposits, 18th on total assets, 19th on total loans and 18th on net profit.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrise Bank" height="306" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_surendra_man_ceo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" width="201" />Background</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited officially started its operations in October 12, 2007 as the 22nd Commercial Bank of Nepal. The bank having the paid-up capital of Rs 2.015 Billion issued the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Rs 375 million. &nbsp;Headquartered in Gairidhara Kathmandu, at present, the Bank has the networks of 49 Branches and 57 ATM outlets. The bank has 215,000 deposits customers. Its 56 promoters own 70 per cent of share capital and the remaining 30 per cent is with the general public.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Products and Schemes</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been offering various products catering to all segments of consumers. The Bank has recently &nbsp; re-launched short term scheme: Sunrise Bishesh Muddati, which is provided only to individual customers. The interest rate of 7.50 per cent is provided to the fixed deposit of one year whereas 7.25 per cent of interest rate is provided to the deposit of 6 months. “The Bank aims to solicit the maximum deposit with the products that we have been offering,” says CEO Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Different deposit products offered&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">by the bank:&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Normal Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Super Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Exclusive Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Disable Account</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Suryodaya Remit Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Lakhapati Bachat</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Fixed Deposits&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Coverage</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been providing its services through 49 branches and 57 outlets with ATM services with presence all over the country from Ilam to Dadeldhura. “This enables customers to withdraw the fund by using Visa Domestic and International Debit Card from the nearest ATM outlet,” says CEO Pradhan.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Range of products&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	“We have offered customized services to our customers,” states Pradhan. “Due to diversified products, anyone can enjoy our banking facilities as per their choices.” Besides normal deposits, the Bank offers Current Deposit and also Call Account.</p>
<p>
	Internet Banking is to ‘deliver prompt banking service’ from anywhere and at anytime.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank has also initiated Mobile Banking Services whereby the customer can conduct banking transaction through their cell phones.</p>
<p>
	“We have remittance business through Suryodaya Remit from 12 countries and international correspondents and have more than 800 payout agents including our 49 branches,” claims CEO Pradhan. The Bank provides both incoming and outgoing remittance services by means of Demand Drafts, Swift Transfers, Telex Transfers, Fax Transfers, and Mail Transfers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Safe Deposit Locker: To safeguard the valuable goods and items, the Bank provides the facility of Sunrise Safe Deposit Locker. CEO Pradhan said, “The customers have multiple choices for the various sizes of locker with reasonable costs”.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank also provides services for foreign currency exchange as well. Other services that Sunrise Bank offers are import and export LC, bank guarantee, cash against document, document against cash and Telegraph Transfer.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">CSR Activities</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sunrise Bank Limited, Major Financial Indicators" height="1200" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_major_financial_indicators.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="298" /></strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Since the early days of incorporation, Sunrise Bank has been contributing to the society in various ways as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They mainly include Blood Donation, goods contribution to Bal Mandir every year and computers distribution to a community based School. “Besides that the Bank provides financial contribution time and again for noble cause like flood victims, health camps, education, sports and organizations working for deprived sectors, says CEO Pradhan.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Loan Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></u></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Ghar Karja:</strong> For individuals to construct or purchase homes. The loan can be both for short and long term.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Sajilo Karja: </strong>Flexible loan for social, personal or business purposes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Gold Loan:</strong> Against the mortgage of gold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Krishi Karja:</strong> For agricultural sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Term Loan: </strong>For acquiring fixed assets for a business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Demand Loan:</strong> For building up the stock and receivables to a desired level.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Loan:</strong> For small and medium businesses to meet the working capital as well as fixed assets financing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Overdraft Loan:</strong> To finance the daily working capital requirement and to support the stock build up of the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Hire Purchase:</strong> To finance the purchase of vehicles used for both consumer and commercial purposes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Import Loan:</strong> To finance domestic and international trade transactions through letter of credit. Financed in the form of trust receipt up to a certain percentage of the total L/C amount.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Short term pledge loan:</strong> Offered against the stock after verification of the same. The stock, however, is kept under lock and key of the Bank and the loan disbursed and settled in pro rata basis with the stock pledged and sold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Export Finance:</strong> To finance various export requirements such as pre-shipment loan and post-shipment loan, documents negotiation/documentary bill purchase etc.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">The Bank also provides various other loans like Deprived Sector Loans, Loan against Bank Guarantee, Loan against Government Bonds, Margin Lending, and Loan against Fixed Deposits of other Banks and Consortium Loans.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Under Service products the Bank has Suryodaya Remit, Visa Debit Card, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, Safe Deposit Locker and Trade Finance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Deposit Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong></u></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>Sunrise Normal Savings:</strong> For those customers who have the daily saving habit.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh:</strong> For children below the age of 16, operated under their parents’ guidance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata: For women.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings:</strong> Highest interest rate compared to other schemes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Disabled Account:</strong> This account focus in serving differently able customers.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Account: </strong>An interest bearing account targeted to proprietorship firms, partnership firms and private limited companies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata: </strong>Targeted to the general public seeking to invest in shares of Sunrise Bank Limited or any other banks licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata: </strong>For those who have been allotted Sunrise bank shares in the Initial Public Offering. Available also for those shareholders who purchase shares from secondary market and become shareholder of the bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Fixed Deposit:</strong> Offers high interest rates in quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis as per the choice of the customers.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="color:#f00;">SWOT</span> Analysis</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Strengths</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Founded by reputed entrepreneurs&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Best Human Resource personnel.</li>
	<li>
		49 Branches and 57 ATMs and 365 days of banking services.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Weaknesses</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Less focused on productive sector like agriculture, hydropower, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Opportunities</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Investment in Hydro power and agriculture. &nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Growing Banking market.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Increasing level of awareness.</li>
	<li>
		The Bank can capture a greater loan portfolio of the country because of SME Loan.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Threats</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Cooperatives, finance companies and development banks that are providing more interest on deposits.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		The frequently changing policy of the central bank.</li>
	<li>
		Unstable political situation&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Huge investment in Real Estate Sectors and lack of investment in secured sectors.</li>
</ul>',
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			'description' => 'Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer.',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1064',
			'article_category_id' => '42',
			'title' => 'Fear Of Oversupply',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Bikram Chitrakar</strong></p>
<p>
	(Review for 16 Apr to 16 May, 2013)</p>
<p>
	<strong><em>The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.</em></strong></p>
<p>
	The stock market drifted down to nearly six months low after the regulator Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) move to allow offloading of the promoter shares through brokers. General investors fear that this will cause an oversupply impacting their asset price. As a result, the benchmark Nepse index on May 16 plummeted below that of 3 December 2012.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Though the regulator tried to pacify the investors stating that offloading of the shares will not affect market, the move does not seem to convince the investors. SEBON said, its move was simply to minimize the lengthy process under the previous rule that required an offer document to be prepared and publishing it before promoters shares could be offloaded. &nbsp;The new rule does away with that and says such shares can be sold directly through brokers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There was another reason as well for the loss in the prices of the shares. During the review period, the price of bullions, particularly of the gold, has also gone down heavily attracting the investors away from the share market to the bullion market. The yellow metal lost nearly Rs 10,000 per tola (1 tola = 11.6638038 grammes). Nepali households buy gold for investment as well as for meeting some cultural necessities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Performance by Sector</p>
<p>
	Across the sectors, manufacturing and trading were the only two that gained. The ‘Others’ sector lost heavy (42.28 points or 6.60%) to rest at 640.32. Insurance sub-index plummeted 29.17 points to close at 859.99. Commercial banking sector trailed down 25.74 points or 5.19% to rest at 496.38. Similarly, hydropower sector descended 9.07 points to 1020.41. Hotels sector drifted 5.34 points along with 5.31 points fall in finance sector to 644.65 and 246.31 respectively. However manufacturing sector gained 26.32 points or 3.04% to rest at 866.55 while trading sector gained 2.93 points to 167.94. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sensitive index that measures the performance of 120 blue chip scrips skid 5.92 points or 4.72% to 125.55 while the float index calculated on the basis of real transaction went downhill 0.96 points or 2.69% to 35.75. Total turnover of Rs. 179,556,819 was recorded during the review period from 7,248,255 units of shares traded via 21,249 transactions.</p>
<p>
	The accompanying figure depicts the sector-wise distribution based on the total volume of trade. As usual, commercial banking sector dominated the total volume of trade by holding 73.38% share. Insurance sector accounted for 9.16% and hydropower sector 8.42% while the remaining sectors made up for the rest.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Technically, the Simple Moving Average (SMA) has been dominated by Nepse index in the long term as 200 days SMA hovers below the index line while in the short term the index has approached towards the previous resistance level of 500 and suggests it is in a neutral position waiting for clearance towards new direction.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;"><strong>(Chitrakar is a Stock Analyst with Jamb Technologies Pvt Ltd.)</strong></span></p>',
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			'description' => 'The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1063',
			'article_category_id' => '76',
			'title' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Pinaki Roy</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been a surge of extreme sports in the Himalayan Kingdom in recent years. Along with the developments in the tourism sector, the recreation industry has also benefitted by luring an increasing number of foreign tourists, urban youth and others for a number of exciting adventure sports.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal is largely seen as a popular trekking destination. “Above 40 per cent of all tourists coming into Nepal go for trekking which is an integral part of tourism in Nepal,” says Mani Raj Lamichhane, Manager for Tourism Product &amp; Resource Development at Nepal Tourism Board. He further adds that around 60-70 per cent of all foreign tourists opt for various extreme sports activities altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Domestic tourism is doing well currently and Nepalis are participating in rafting activities in an enthusiastic manner,” analyses Nani Kaji Thapa, President of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA). As for foreigners, 20 per cent of all tourists coming to tour Nepal go for rafting to various destinations in the country, he adds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Manish Byanjankar, Sales Executive of The Last Resort says, “Besides the foreign tourists, Nepalis too have started taking part actively in adventure sports, particularly during the off season.” Most Nepalis indulge in adventure sports during their holidays and free time.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ideal Season</strong></p>
<p>
	“Summer is an ideal time for adventure sports activities in Nepal,” informs Lamichhane. He adds, “Besides the usual foreign tourists who come to Nepal for adventure activities, the Nepali people are also participating in high numbers.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The time period from Falgun (February – March) to Jestha (May – June), just before monsoon, is the ideal time for people to go rafting, says Thapa. “Nepalis contribute 5-10 per cent of all tourists who take part in rafting activities,” he adds. Another ideal time for rafting starts right after the monsoon period, from September to November. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Target Group</strong></p>
<p>
	Adventure Sports has mostly been associated with young people in the age group of 20-25 years. However, there is a surge in people in the age group of 30-40 years taking to extreme sports in an enthusiastic manner. “The entire thinking of the mature populace has changed. They want to enjoy these activities and make up for the experiences they missed during their youth,” observes Byanjankar.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Marketing Adventure Products</strong></p>
<p>
	Lamichhane says that Nepal Tourism Board markets adventure activities abroad while holding exhibitions and seminars in different countries. “Extreme sports are popular with tourists around the world and we look to cash in on this while marketing Nepal as a tourist destination in foreign countries,” he explains.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	One of the most prominent providers of some of these activities is The Last Resort, located on top of a gorge in the mountainous region of Panglang close to the Tibetan border. “Besides individual tourists, we see a lot of corporate houses sending their employees these days, notably for team building exercises,” informs Byanjankar.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He adds, “The group activities that the corporate houses mostly seek are hiking, high ropes, canyoning and rafting.” These activities are popular for team building exercises because they require participation from all group members to accomplish tasks and thus inculcate team value in them.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“There has been a gradual rise in the participation of these sports as people now are starting to go out of the house more often and have fun,” an employee with Initiatives Outdoor states. She adds, “There is an increasing awareness regarding health which has led a lot of young people as well as working professionals to start challenging themselves for different adventure activities.”</p>
<p>
	“We send our top performing agents to adventure destinations once in a while. We do so to motivate them to do better in the future,” says an Insurance Executive. A lot of Nepali companies send employees for extreme sports packages to break the monotony that people feel at work.</p>
<p>
	Thapa says that most people prefer Trishuli River for rafting while Bhote Koshi River is the second most preferred destination for rafting. He also informs, “There is a total investment of Rs 2 billion in rafting activities and around 1,500 are employed with this sector.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Nepali youth and the working professionals are getting more adventurous than ever before. This aspect is holding the extreme sports sector in good stead, say adventure sports entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Adventure Sports Activities in Nepal</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">White-water Rafting&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	With many rivers in the country, there are suitable choices for all levels, from fun rapids to hardcore rides. Nepal is famous for its long trips, such as a 12-day journey into the wilderness along the remote Karnali River. There are day trips along the Trishuli River as well as a wild ride along the monster rapids of Sun Koshi that begins near the Tibetan border.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Paragliding&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Paragliding has carved a niche for itself in Nepal. There are a number of companies in Pokhara offering great views via a tandem paraglide flight. Silence is a sublime experience once up there over the Pokhara valley and in the midst of the mighty Annapurna range.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Zip Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	The world’s longest adventurous zip-flyer, located in Nepal, runs at a speed of 140 km per hour and two people can make a ride at once in two trolleys sitting side-by-side suspended by the cable in the middle. The journey in the zip-flyer starts from a height of 5032 ft in Sarangkot and ends at 3,000 ft in Hemja plain covering a distance of 1,860 meters in length.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Mountain Biking</strong></p>
<p>
	The rural tracks in Nepal seem to be tailor-made for mountain biking. Mountain-bikers can tailor their routes combining cultural sites with mountain views on a mix of single tracks and jeep trails. One needs to be a fairly experienced rider with good fitness levels as mountain-biking across Nepal will have a lot of uphill sections.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ultra-light Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	Ultra-light Flying is a new era of recreational aviation in Nepal. Since its launch, scores of people have discovered the magic of this simple, elemental, pure flight. One can feel the wind in the face, observe clear, unobstructed views and explore the stunning landscapes, surrounded by a backdrop of lofty mountain peaks.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Bungy Jumping</strong></p>
<p>
	This leap of faith has already become a growing and immensely popular adventure sport in Nepal’s tourism scenario. The Last Resort facilitates the bungy jump from high above the Bhote Koshi River from a 500 ft suspension bridge nestled between the mountains. Bungy Jumping has become extremely popular among the foreign tourists as well as the Nepali nationals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Canyoning</strong></p>
<p>
	This adventure sport involves abseiling, sliding, jumping and climbing down canyon walls alongside waterfalls to deep pools below. One gets to swim into narrow passages through powerful blasts of water and past wild rock formations. This unique combination of skills gives a person the freedom to explore some of the most ruggedly beautiful places.</p>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-06-07',
			'keywords' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone, Trends, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Be it bungy jumping, canyoning, rock climbing, trekking, mountain biking or flying an ultralight aircraft, adventure activities are no longer expected of foreign tourists alone. Nepalis are increasingly being drawn to extreme sports in the country in large numbers.',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1062',
			'article_category_id' => '73',
			'title' => 'HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Dhungana/Ural Singh Misra</strong></p>
<p>
	When it comes to sustainable development, Nepal has a rather rocky track record, from highs such as the establishment of our national parks, to lows such as the pitiful state of our environment, politics and even our ever fluctuating economy. The role of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation has been a bit different. HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population. HELVETAS’ very first international affiliation was with Nepal, and for over sixty years the organization has been working to help the underprivileged population obtain sustainable sources of income as well as train youths to acquire technical skills, provide clean sources of water to the rural population and probably the most important in the present context of Nepal - promote governance and peace.</p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong>Education and Skills Development</strong></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development " height="292" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture_traning(1).jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="595" /><br />
	</strong></span></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working in the education and skills development sector in Nepal to reduce the number of unemployed or underemployed people in our nation. It has three major projects which focus on this particular area: ELAM - Informal Sector Enterprise Development and Employment Generation Program which was implemented to uplift the economic status of many families in central Terai so they could manage their own micro-businesses; Employment Fund which provides underprivileged youths with skills training to help them enter the job market and the Skill development and Employment for the Informal Sector program. &nbsp;HELVETAS has been constantly striving to help the rural informal economy by contributing to help maintain peace and good economic health of rural families.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Environment and Climate</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working towards land and water resource management, community forest preservation and practices for climate change adaptation. As it has many years of experience in these fields and implemented projects which further help conserve Nepal’s environment, HELVETAS has been going for long-term gains to Nepal. The ‘Community Practice in Schools for Learning Climate Change Adaptation’ has been initiated to teach students how to adapt to the ever changing environment and the “Effective Water Governance in the Asian Highlands’ project teaches locals to effectively manage their water supply.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Water and Infrastructure</strong></p>
<p>
	A lack of strong infrastructure has led to many problems in Nepal in the hilly region. It has hindered people’s access to clean water. In order to help relieve pressure on rural farmers in hilly regions the Local Infrastructure for Livelihood Improvement Program was introduced in 2004. &nbsp; This has helped improve food security in the hills and income of has farmers risen. The ‘Trail Bridge Support Unit’ of the Trail Bridge Sub-Sector Program has also helped people in rural areas tremendously. &nbsp;It has helped provide safe and reliable means of crossing rivers, giving people access to expanded markets and children access to better schools. The ‘Water Resource Management Program’ is being implemented with the purpose of increasing drinking water access for rural population and to simultaneously promote sanitation and hygiene.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Rural Economy</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture.jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	As we all know a majority of the population are based in rural areas, so it is vital that people in the rural economy have a stable economic condition. HELVETAS has been working with local government authorities to help increase agricultural productivity, improve technology and promote sustainable soil management. Coffee is traditionally seen as a “cash crop” by farmers mainly because it fetches good price in the market. “Coffee Promotion Program” takes advantage of this and focuses on farmers who are cash deprived and helps with maintaining a regular source of income for those farmers. In order to promote food security, increased income and production technology the ‘Sustainable Soil Management Program’ was introduced in 2001 and is set to end in 2014. Going hand–in-hand with this project is the ‘Riverbed Farming Project’ which helps locals with their livelihoods. &nbsp; Seeing a huge positive impact, the organization plans to continue this project for a few more years, provided that funding is adequate.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Governance and Peace</strong></p>
<p>
	Arguably the thing people of Nepal want most is peace. If there was ever a time for anyone of the international community to come and help our poor nation, it is now. The most important aspect of democracy is the rule of the people, and if that is lost, we would end up with a nation of power-hungry dictators. &nbsp; A majority of the people must be satisfied with what is happening. Currently only minorities are happy and satisfied. HELVETAS feels that a crucial block of democracy is the interrelationship between the people, the state and local government bodies. The organization works in Nepal to stop exclusion and inequalities amongst the people whether they are based on gender, race, caste or even religion. The government of Japan through its Japanese Social Development Fund has awarded a USD 1.9 million grant to the Partnership for Transparency Fund to support independent monitoring of development projects by the World Bank in Nepal. As over 1,000 people leave Nepal every day to be migrant workers mainly in the Middle East and South-East-Asia, it is vital that they remain safe, which is why the ‘Safer Migration Project’ was initiated with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). &nbsp;In 1997 HELVETAS initiated the ‘Linking Local Initiatives to New Know-How’ in the mid and far-western regions of Nepal to help deprived communities with issues that adversely affected their economic status. &nbsp;This was done by way of income generation through cash crop production, skill development and social empowerment. This project has now been renamed ‘Linking Smallholders with Local Institutions and Markets’.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong>‘HELVETAS has been driving for long-term gains to Nepal’</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is a politically and religiously independent association, supported by 96,551 members, patrons and 12 volunteer-based regional groups in Switzerland. &nbsp;It is active in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus. HELVETAS came to Nepal in 1956 and now cooperates with many technical and social organizations in all 75 districts across the country.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Shiva_Prasad_Aryal, HELVETAS_Swiss_Intercooperation" height="282" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_intercooperation_shiva_prasad_country_director.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you evaluate your organization’s role in maintaining the bilateral relationship between Nepal and Switzerland?</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is not a donor agency; it is more of an implementing agency. &nbsp;However, we have our ‘Own Fund’ which is created and donated by our members in Switzerland. &nbsp;Most of the funds to conduct our programmes in the many nations come from our major donors. At present, 50 percent of project funding to the Nepal programme comes from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), about 25 percent comes from DFID and other funding comes from European Union (EU) and The World Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the bleak global macro-economic situation affected the support being provided to Nepal by Swiss government?</strong></p>
<p>
	So far Switzerland seems to be lucky because there has not been any considerable impact in Swiss economy. Also the support that Swiss government provides to other nations is not so much affected. In the case of Nepal, the assistance by Swiss government is increasing annually and it is still trying hard to increase the assistance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Employment Fund has been one of the major projects of HELVETAS in Nepal since 2007. What are the achievements so far? How satisfied are you from this?</strong></p>
<p>
	In fact, we are quite satisfied with the success of Employment Fund. When I joined HELVETAS in 2009, I used to doubt people when they talked about the employment rate and also the income rate of the training programme graduates under this project. But, only when I visited the field was I convinced with the statistical report. At present, we have an average employment rate of 70 percent from among our training graduates with average monthly income of Rs 4,600. With this, all our donors and even the Nepali government have appreciated the success of the project. Moreover, World Bank has even acknowledged the Employment Fund approach in a number of its other projects as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How is the Employment Fund regulated? What are its working principles?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I have mentioned, Employment Fund is funded by three donors and we are responsible for the overall management, control and supervision according to the need of the Fund. &nbsp;Furthermore, the Team Leader of the project is a HELVETAS employee who looks after the day-to-day activities of the project and submits us periodical reports. Our project team also makes some periodical visits to the field and discusses with stakeholders on how things are moving. In order to sum up overall progress of the project, we hold steering committee meeting where we discuss the challenges and gains made throughout the period. We also conduct our internal audit and the final reports are submitted to our donors as well as to our headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the plans for the future?</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, we have no plan to launch a new project. &nbsp;We shall instead focus on implementation of our running projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	 </p>',
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			'description' => 'HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1061',
			'article_category_id' => '83',
			'title' => 'An Alternative Enterprise',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	“Within five years I will come out as the number one social entrepreneur and producer of natural products in Nepal,” says Govinda Ghimire, Chairman of Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL) expressing her determination. One of the winners of Surya Nepal Asha Awards 2012 and also a winner of Abraham Conservation Awards 2011 knows his route to the destination.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Govinda Ghimire, Chairman, Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="295" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_an_alternative_enterprise_chairman_govinda.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	Having worked in a community based enterprise with the ownership of local people, Ghimire believes that the way he is working now will take him where he wants to be. Ghimire through the AHPPL is working on producing natural products like organic coffee, organic spices, Marmelos Bael Juice, Aelovera Juice, Chuiri Butter and honey. He says that the production of these products is done by local people under the support and supervision of AHPPL. Branding, marketing, establishment of processing plant among others is done by the company while collection, processing and producing is mostly done by local people.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Investment Plans</strong></p>
<p>
	To establish AHPPL as the numero uno herbal company, Ghimire believes that higher income and capital base is required than that of today. But he does not feel he has made that required money yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Alternative Herbal is a small company by all means but it is not so small in terms of the trust it has built and the goodwill it has earned,” he says. Ghimire sees export potentials as the means to make the desired earnings which will be further invested in expansion of working area and product assortment.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire does not see investment as one of the bigger challenges. He is confident that any bank or financial institution will happily invest in his ventures and the donors too will cooperate with him in his initiatives. “The biggest asset that AHPPL today has is the expertise. I am not looking to sell it but to develop it as the property,” he explains.</p>
<p>
	Similarly, as an investment expansion plan, Ghimire is planning for plantation of herbs and other raw materials for production of natural products, where he is currently specialised on. He explains that the farming is not done by the company but by local farmers. “We will purchase their production giving them buy back guarantee so that they need not worry about getting the right value and market for their products,” he added.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="1142" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_products(1).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="325" />Expansion</strong></p>
<p>
	AHPPL initially produced herbal tea. Then it expanded its product range to organic coffee, spices and herbal soaps. Beginning this year, the company has also started exporting Chiuri butter. It has already exported this product worth Rs 5 million. Its production was 4000 kg last year and this year, according to Ghimire, production has doubled to 8000 kg.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The company’s one of the major products, Marmelos (brand of bael juice) is picking up within the domestic market. &nbsp;Currently, 100,000 bottles of this juice are sold within Kathmandu Valley annually. As the public liking for the product is increasing, the people in Siraha, Saptari and Bardiya have started bael plantation to produce juice. Currently, from two areas each, 50,000 litres of juice is produced annually. The initiative of the AHPPL has promoted one village one product (OVOP) in areas where the company is concentrated.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire and his company began working in Siraha, Saptari, Makwanpur and Chitwan districts. Now, the work has expanded to 16 districts with networks of value chain. According to Ghimire, institution is developed in local level that mechanises the production and supply side which further helps in having legal source of the products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There are entrepreneurs who complain about the lack of infrastructures for carrying out business initiatives. But, for Ghimire, the absence of road is not a problem. He says, “We work in that place where there is resource rather than looking for road access and infrastructures.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>Benefits to People&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire believes in working on fair trade values for profit making. He explains that if a product costs Rs 100, Rs 51 goes to the producer while Rs 49 is received by the market value chain and concerned stakeholders. In the process to produce 17 products, 2500 households from 16 districts are directly benefitted. Ghimire says that people directly get the money which they can use for their needs. He says that the company registers annual turnover of Rs 10 million.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire said that people who were involved in hunting of wild animals for their living now have stopped their old profession and involved in juice production. Similarly, in Siraha and Saptari bael trees were fell to fire brick kilns but after people knew about the importance of the fruits of that tree, they now have started plantation of bael that has not only protected environment but also helped in generating income for local community. This is one of the reasons he was awarded with the conservation awards.</p>
<p>
	The company had to struggle hard in maintaining consistency in quality of the products in the initial days. Similarly, branding was another challenge but Ghimire says it has been solved by now. Ghimire says that technical knowhow is given to local people while all the responsibilities of branding and marketing are taken by the company.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Future of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire claims that the AHPPL has been established as an example among various government and private agencies as a successful model of social enterprise. He says that the goodwill and image of the company is yet to be converted into cash. So, he is planning to cash his intangible resources. Similarly, he is soon planning to establish a processing plant with an investment of Rs 50 million.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong>Genesis of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<div>
	<img alt="Aloe Vera Juice" height="331" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_product_aloe_vera(1).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="120" />
	<div>
		Ghimire is a lawyer by education but he never practiced law in court. He believes that the education he has got about law has proved to be of great help to him throughout his business career. Having worked as an employee for around half a decade in an environmental organisation, Centre for Agro Ecology and Development, he served as a social worker concentrating in Chepang Village in Chitwan district. He was working for enhancing the livelihood through income generation programmes for local people. The duration of almost seven years as an employee exposed him to a sea of practical knowledge about the marketing nitty-gritty and natural products know-how. Meanwhile, he also established a cooperative with support from donor agencies like SNV and OXFAM.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having worked with and for the local community, he developed nerves for enterprise. He also closely witnessed the wrongdoings of the middlemen and was not satisfied with the way local people were not getting the right price of their productions. Working in the market linkages, he understood how things should be done.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having a fire of entrepreneurship along with the technical know-how, he went ahead to establish a company of his own: Alternative Herbal Pvt Ltd. To begin with, he had four like-minded partners along with the investment of the cooperative that he established in his initiative. Ghimire says that the initial investment was only Rs 500,000. Herbal tea was the first product the company produced and marketed.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		In the initial days, products such as herbal tea were exported to European market including Belgium. A Belgium based company was taking the responsibility to supply goods to the European market. Ghimire admits that the products were not well received there because of the quality. But he says things are now changing. Having spent a lot of time and resources in research and development, Ghimire says that his products are well received in both domestic and &nbsp;international market as the company has been able to improve the quality as well as diversity of product range.</div>
</div>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'article_category_id' => '47',
			'title' => 'A Tenacious Trader',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Tiwari</strong></p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd always had thoughts of being a businessman since he was a child. Even though he was born in a family whose profession was agriculture, he had deviations towards business. &nbsp; His family background was no motivation for him to start a business, so for some time he thought of holding a job, as he had no other career aims. “Besides my career, my ambition was to become a national level player and I fulfilled that. I was a national athlete from Koshi zone,” says Chapagain. But despite his success in sports, he wasn’t interested in making it his career. In the back of his head, he always thought of owning a business. Fortunately, he was able to realize his childhood dream immediately after graduating.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain’s new ventures will be in the sector of tourism and agriculture, which are quite new for him. After 29 years of running a successful trading business, Chapagain now has plans of opening a resort in Dhulikhel. “While abroad on business delegations, I have always tried to sell something from Nepal. As Nepal has such immense potential in tourism, I thought of opening a resort. I will accomplish this within the next two or three years,” says Chapagain. He also has plans of starting his own farming business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	For the last two years, Chapagain’s major focus has been on opening own retail outlets for his products. “The outlets reduce the hassle of appointing wholesalers and retailer. The customers can buy the products at a cheaper price so I am focusing on such outlets,” informed Chapagain. Till date, he has opened retail outlets for his brands Suvari, Istikbal, Rodimood and Colin’s.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he believes in doing fair business, and wants to be long-run player. “After all these years in business, I have made a name for myself and my company. I have a reputation to maintain. So I always do fair business,” says he. According to him, having moral courage to face the society is very important for him, and making profit comes only after that. He believes he has contributed to the society through his fair business, and is happy about that. “As I am associated with numerous trade associations, I encourage all to play fair game. It always pays off in the end,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Early Life&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Born in Bhojpur, Dingla in 1957 to Thama Nath Chapagain and Pushpa Kumari Chapagain, Chapagain says he was mischievous and aggressive since his childhood. With eight siblings, he grew up in quite a big family. He spent most of childhood and school days in Biratnagar. According to Chapagain, he was very athletic and loved sports, and had a lot of friend. “I still miss those days when I used to play with my friends in a garden near my school. We climbed trees, swam in the pool and had a really good time,” said he. After moving to Kathmandu, he joined Min Bhawan Campus for higher education, and later graduated from Trichandra College. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Initiation</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain had started his business journey by opening Akhil Trading Concern as a private trading firm in the year 1984. To start with, he imported wrist watches and cosmetics from Switzerland. Sadly, his first attempt didn’t pay back well and he suffered loss in both the products. “At that time, many companies were importing watches through illegal channels. I imported the watches through legal channels by paying all the taxes, which may have increased their prices. So it didn’t go well,” recollects Chapagain. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After receiving his first blow, he thought of changing his approach, and focused on the products that would suit the need of the people here, and were quite inexpensive. After much thought, he imported dry fruits from Singapore, and it did a satisfactory business. This helped him to cover his earlier loss, and most importantly, gave him the courage. Filled with new hope, he imported refrigerators from China, and it too went well. “Later, I discontinued importing Chinese as the quality was inferior, and I started importing FMCG from European countries,” says Chapagain. Today, majority of his imports are from Europe.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd " src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar(1).jpg" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>Evolution of Business</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain was in Germany once, searching for some business opportunities. Walking on the streets, his eyes fell on a store with a brand named Fakir. He found out that it was a household appliance brand, and intuitively wanted to import and sell its products in Nepal. After his return to Nepal, he made correspondence asking the company for dealership. Back then, Akhil Trading Concern wasn’t a big name as it is today, so he had little hopes that his request would be accepted. “I had informed them about my actual status, and they knew that mine wasn’t a very big company. I wasn’t very hopeful for a favourable response,” says he.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The representatives of the company came to Nepal and had talks with him. They also met with people from other companies here, most of them at a higher position than his. Sometime later, the company offered him the exclusive dealership despite the size of his company. This dealership gave him his first big break. “Years later, I asked the company men why they selected me over other companies. They said that they were impressed with my honesty as I had told them about my status without any exaggeration,” says Chapagain. The dealership did a good business for him and he focused on more European products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Present Times</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, Chapagain imports more than a dozen big brands from Europe, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Some of these brands are Suvari, Rodimood, Colin’s, Istikbal and Khao Shong. Most if his imports are from Turkey, as he says Turkish products are of European standard, and are affordable as well. He says he imports only the best products with superior quality. According to him, his import Khao Shong is the number two coffee brand in Nepal and Arabella is number one in pasta. The products include FMCG, textiles, furniture, appliances and apparels among others. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Honestly speaking, I wanted to do business because I dint want to work for anyone, and wanted to be my own master. I preferred it over doing a job for some company,” says Chapagain. He started his business with an investment of 300,000 rupees, and imported one or two products. Today, he runs a successful trading business and has more than a dozen products in his list. According to him, the business is doing really good, and is growing year after year. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	On success, Chapagain shares that he is satisfied with what he has accomplished. “To keep a trading firm running in Nepal all these years is a success in itself as it’s a very risky business,” says he. He strongly disagrees with those who say trading is easier business than manufacturing. According to him, trading is in no sense an easy business, and has its own threats and challenges. “Traders have to face problems like grey market, counterfeit goods and other traders’ monopoly over brands. We also have a huge responsibility towards the customers,” says Chapagain. He has no plans of foraying into manufacturing, and is contented with what he is doing and what he has achieved. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Family</strong></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil's Family" height="392" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar_family.jpg" width="450" /></p>
<p>
	Chapagain married Gyanu Chapagain at the age of 29. Their fathers were old friends, and the marriage was fixed even before he was aware of it. They went to the same school and knew each other, but he never thought he would marry her. Very shy around girls, Chapagain vividly remembers the first time they met with the purpose. “I was quite a rebel, so I didn’t want to go with my father’s decisions. But when she reached marriageable age, we got together quite well and we both agreed to marry,” says he. &nbsp;Gyanu is a housewife and maintains all aspects of his personal life. According to Chapagain, she maintains the family bond and looks after all the family matters as he is too busy for them. The couple is blessed with two sons Arpit and Arjit. His elder son Arpit has recently joined the company as the Managing Director.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Personal Side</strong></p>
<p>
	Very health conscious and athletic, Chapagain exercises a lot. He jogs 5 kilometers every day, and has been doing it for the last 25 years. He is a frequent blood donor and has donated blood 26 times. Travelling and trekking are his hobbies, and is abroad for about five months a year. He has travelled Asia and Europe extensively. He spends most of his free time with his family and acquaintances in outings and get-togethers. Chapagain enjoys all sorts of foods, and is a social drinker. He enjoys good wine, and imports them too.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he is very conscious of his clothing, and wears brands like Pierre Cardin, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and of course, Suvari. “I like to groom myself, and use some cosmetic products as well. &nbsp;I always want to look presentable,” says Chapagain. He is passionate about gadgets, and owns iPhone 4S and a Sony Vaio. Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 are on his wish list. Chapagain currently drives Nissan Super Saloon.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Epilogue</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain believes that all the diplomatic missions and offices in foreign countries should promote Nepal. “All such offices should have a booth to inform about Nepal and our products as it helps in promotion and publicity of Nepal. The rest of the world needs to know about Nepal and what Nepal has to offer,” says he. He has personally promoted Nepal during his business delegations and visits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He believes that all should stop blaming the government for the problems, and take responsibility squarely on their shoulders. “There is too much negativity around us. Everyone from all walks of life should move ahead with a positive and constructive mindset,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<div>
	 </div>
<div>
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			'title' => 'Coca-Cola Strives Be Relevant To New Generations',
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	 </p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name. Recently, Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit visited Nepal. New Business Age Editor-in-chief Madan Lamsal talked with him regarding business prospects of Coca-Cola in Nepali market during his visit.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Kindly talk about your career growth and your role in the Coca Cola business today.</strong></p>
<p>
	I have spent most of my working life with Coca-Cola, having been with the company for almost two decades now. I joined in 1994 and worked in a variety of roles mostly involving Operations and Commercial beverages. I had an eight year stint with Coca-Cola China where I worked on a variety of roles from Business Development to Shanghai Region Manager and also managed The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Partnership for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. I moved back to India in early 2011 as VP-Operations providing leadership support to the company owned bottling operations (CBO) and franchise bottling operations (FBO’s) in India. In October 2012, I took over the role of VP-South West Asia Operations and as the Head of our Juice business for the India and South West Asia Business Unit.</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola is a great company and a great brand to work for. I’ve had some extremely challenging yet fantastic experiences in my years with Coke. I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most engaged and inspiring people as a part of the Coca-Cola family and I hope I can continue to do so in the future as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Till a few years ago Coke in Nepal enjoyed close to 80 percent of market share. That is now reduced about 64 percent only, somewhat due to aggressive marketing from the competitor. What is being planned in order for Coke to regain the same past glory? Where have you reached in your expansion plan for Coca-Cola in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies and our products are available in more than 200 countries. In Nepal as well, our brands enjoy consumer preference and share of throat, as we like to call it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After 126 years in the beverage business, we are still innovating, evolving and striving to be relevant to new generations. &nbsp;We constantly strive to stay relevant to our consumers by focusing on their needs and consumption patterns and connecting with them through our products. For example, Trademark Coca-Cola has partnered with the All Nepal Football Association for the Coca-Cola Cup to connect with young footballers across Nepal and promote healthy active lifestyles. Brand Fanta has partnered with the Miss Nepal pageant to stay relevant to teenagers and add some ‘play’ in their lives. So we are constantly trying to find touch points that connect our brands with our consumers across the country.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We face aggressive competition in any country that we operate in, but this is good since it not only helps the category to grow, but also provides consumers with a choice of high quality beverages. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Providing consumers with choice and value continues to be the cornerstone of our business strategy.We are focused on offering a range of products in different packs at varying price points, which is in keeping with our OBPPC (occasion, brand, price, pack, and channel) architecture. To ensure this, we are investing in our distribution, innovation and marketing investments to continue to drive recruitment for the beverage category. Further improvement in the company’s route-to-market and organizational capabilities are also areas we need to focus on. We have solid plans for Nepal this year and if we can do the right things every day, business growth is a given.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Coca-Cola in Nepal does not have a wide range of products that the company’s consumers enjoy elsewhere. What are you doing in this regard? Is any products line expansion in the offing in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies in the world today. We are available in more than 200 countries across the world and have more than 3500 product offerings, including more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from.</p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day. We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes across channels. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides and we are constantly researching and evaluating need states to grow our business and expand our portfolio of products.</p>
<p>
	We have been researching and innovating and have a number of plans for Nepal this year in terms of our beverage choices and packaging varieties. You will have to watch out for those in the coming months!</p>
<p>
	<strong>What is the contribution of Coca-Cola’s pure juice and juice products to its total annual revenue collection from Nepal?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes including in RGB 250ml, Cans 330 ml, PET 500ml, 1.5 Liters and 2.25 Liters. Our current portfolio does not include juices and juice products. As I said before, we are focusing on our distribution, route-to-market and organizational capabilities to drive recruitment for the beverage category, grow our business and expand our portfolio of products, in line with consumer choice and preference.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coca-Cola’s fruit juice and juice products like the Minute-Maid and Simply Orange apparently do not have any significant market share in the Nepali market. What are the plans to promote these juice products of the company in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned earlier, we currently do not manufacture any juice in Nepal.We offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. Packaged beverage consumption is on the rise in Nepal and we are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide our consumers with a variety of still and sparkling beverages.We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times, to further grow the packaged ready to drink beverage business in the country. We will of course continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ tastes in the Nepalese market.</p>
<p>
	<strong>There is one controversy in Nepal. People say that the Coke they get to drink here in Nepal or this part of the world is not the same as what the people in the US or Europe get to drink. Is the perception right? If there is perceptive difference, why so and do you find reasons enough to alter this perception? How?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our beverages across the world provide consumers with the same great taste and quality. We strive toprovide the same high quality, safe and tasty products in all 200+ countries in which we operate. Our quality testing parameters and taste standards apply to all our manufacturing facilities worldwide. We aim to provide our consumers the same refreshing and flavourful beverages across the world.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coke is no doubt the most popular carbonated drinks in Nepal as well as in the South Asian region. But perhaps the same is not true for Coke’s juices. How far is Coca-Cola from realizing the optimum potential of its juice business in the South Asianregion?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Nepal’s beverage industry is growing. Consumers now have a lot of choice in terms of choosing what type of beverage they want, at what pack and what occasion.</p>
<p>
	That being said, the industry still has a lot of potential to grow. This is a country which has a relatively low per capita consumption levels for packaged beverages and we see steady and robust growth in both sparkling and still beverage categories in the future. The per capita consumption of our products is only 9.2. Contrast this to a global average of 92, 38 in China and 728 in Mexico. In Nepal our portfolio includes Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda. In India we have products like Thums Up and Limca and the Minute Maid Brand of juices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Minute Maid Pulpy Orange is the number one orange juice drink and Maaza, our mango juice drink has been the leader in the mango juice category for years now. In Sri Lanka as well, we have our Minute Maid range of juices, including Orange, Mango, Apple and Mixed Fruit flavours which are doing exceptionally well in that market. We are currently the market leaders in Sri Lanka. So we are seeing a rise in the consumption of juice and juice drinks in all our markets in this region. Our outlook towards juices and juice based beverages in this region is very positive. With disposable incomes rising, consumers are focusing on hygiene and quality of packaged beverages which will lead to growth in consumption of our juice drinks as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The company’s other beverages such asLimca, ThumsUp, Maaza etc.are quite popular in India but not that much in Nepal. Is the company going to adopt any new marketing strategy in order to promote these brands in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products and we have been investing behind our brands and brand positioning to drive recruitment for the sparkling beverage category. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides. We have some solid marketing plans for Nepal this year and we will continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ taste preferences in Nepal.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Is the company planning to promote its juice brands in a major way globally as it seems the consumers, of not only Coke but also other carbonated drinks as well, seem to gradually believe that soda is not very god for human health and hence are shifting to juices which are healthier alternatives? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	All over the world, consumers are telling us they care about their well-being, and we care too. &nbsp;We recognize the health of our business is interwoven with the well-being of our consumers, our employees and the communities in which we operate. &nbsp;That is why we offer consumers a wide range of choices in products, sizes and with and without calories. Bringing real choice to consumers everywhere, and educating them on the role their choices play in achieving sensible, balanced diets and active, healthy lifestyles, is part of our commitment to responsible marketing and consumer education around our products.</p>
<p>
	As I said before, we have more than 3500 product offerings, which include more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from. We have demonstrated that both the Sparkling and Still segments have tremendous upside. We want to be a total beverage company and keeping this in mind have launched several products in the recent past to ensure we are able to cater to the varying needs of the consumer. Juices and juice drinks play a key role in our portfolio and have been showing robust growth over the past few years. All our products, not just juice drinks, can be enjoyed as part of an active healthy lifestyle.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_neeraj_garg(2).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" />In recent years, Coke in Nepal is increasing its spend on CSR activities. What new activities are being planned?</strong></p>
<p>
	We operate in world which is constantly innovating and evolving to become more and more sustainable in the long term. Consumers across the world are conscious to companies that are investing in CSR and are seen doing something for the betterment of the community.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sustainability is a crucial component of The Coca-Cola Company’s global business strategy and Vision 2020 statement. We strongly believe that in order for us to do well, we need our communities to succeed and give us the social license to operate. As our Chairman Muhtar Kent puts it- ‘Sustainable business thrives only amongst sustainable communities.’ We have developed a global framework for all our sustainability initiatives across the world and have an entire vertical dedicated to CSR and sustainability.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	In Nepal, we have designed various programs under this global sustainability framework of ‘Me We World’, with an emphasis on Water and Sanitation, Climate Protection and promoting Healthy Active Living.</p>
<p>
	We have recently launched two of our flagship CSR initiatives the Support My School Program and the 5BY20 Parivartan Training Program in Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We have launched the ‘Support My School’ Campaign in partnership with UN HABITAT, ENPHO, CEN and some municipal corporations. This is grassroots level campaign that aims to create awareness and address issues in schools which lead to absenteeism or children dropping out of school. We are focusing on improving water and sanitation facilities and developing the overall infrastructure of schools across Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The 5BY20 Parivartan Program is a women’s retailer training program, part of our global &nbsp;initiative that aims to economically empower 5 million women across our value chain by the year 2020. Through this program we are training Nepali women retailers on business skills, such as Shop, Stock, Customer and Financial Management. We launched this initiative with 30 women retailers on 8th March- International Women’s Day and we plan to conduct more trainings across Nepal this year.</p>
<p>
	One of our associates recently went to Antarctica as part of an international team with Sir Robert Swan- a renowned polar explorer and environmentalist. Swan visited Nepal last year to support our efforts towards water and environmental protection. We hope that through this international exposure our associates can create awareness and make a difference towards climate change.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola Nepal also has partnerships with UNHABITAT and the Government of Nepal for The Partnership for Safe Water Project to reduce the risk posed by untreated water. The Project provides improved access to drinking water by promoting Household Water Treatment (HWT) options in local communities and spreading awareness on ‘Safe drinking water’ in urban centres of Nepal.</p>
<p>
	We have also partnered with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for the Coca-Cola Cup, national grassroots football tournament since 2006. This initiative is a part of our global commitment to create a sporting culture in the country by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. This tournament involves 10, 000 boys and girls from over 500 schools across 6 regions of the country.</p>
<p>
	We also organize a number of initiatives to create awareness on World Water Day and World Environment Day,as well as conduct the Everest Marathon and International Olympic Day Run.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the ongoing financial or economic crisis in Nepal affected the soft drinks market? &nbsp;And how is Coke facing it?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Economic and political stability is important for the country and of course for businesses as well. As a business, we hope that there is ample predictability in policies and regulations. As a business entity, we expect governmentsto have a long term outlook and a world view to spur growth in any market that we operate in. We believe that Governments should work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective policies that spur economic growth. The Coca-Cola strategy for solving some of the world’s most pressing issues is what we call the ‘Golden Triangle’ -- the coming together of civil society, business and government to develop collaborative partnerships and create a model for growth. We have been constantly working towards such partnerships worldwide and we are seeing a positive difference in these communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are your views on the trends in the Nepali economy over the next one or two years, and impact for soft drinks business in general, and the Coca Cola group of drinks in particular?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned, creating stable and predictable policies and a business-friendly environment is something that all business entities look for to invest in countries in the long term. As businesses we hope that Governments will work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective regulationsto spur economic growth. As I mentioned, our philosophy is driving effective collaborations and partnerships between government, business and civil society.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to the beverage industry in Nepal, I think the packaged beverage consumption is on the rise and the non-alcoholic ready to drink (NARTD) category continues to evolve to varying consumer demands. Coca-Cola has a strong focus on innovation and we will continue to provide our consumers with beverage choices for all occasions and cater to the advancements of the Nepali beverage market.</p>',
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			'description' => 'Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1058',
			'article_category_id' => '46',
			'title' => 'IFC Has Been A Pioneer In Promoting And Developing Local Capital Market',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<img alt="Jingdong Hua" height="245" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_jingdong_hua_ifc(1).jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="200" />The World Bank Group (WBG) says Nepal is a priority country for it. &nbsp;Internaional Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of WBG and through it the WBG is enhancing its engagement in Nepal by way of both Investment Services and Advisory Services. To facilitate private sector growth in Nepal, IFC works to promote private investment in infrastructure, tourism, financial markets, transportation, and trade finance. Through advisory services, IFC contributes to increasing access to finance for businesses, making it easier to do business, facilitating public-private dialogue for policy reforms, and promoting regional trades.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Recently, Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>The main objective of your mission is to sensitise the Nepali policymakers and opinion makers on the importance of developing local capital markets as the foundation for sustainable growth. What prompted the IFC to pursue this particular objective?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	&nbsp;IFC has been a pioneer in promoting and developing local capital market. As a matter of fact, in the last 10 years, IFC has provided over $10 billion in 60 different local currencies. The reason is very simple. We help private sector entrepreneur. In case of most of our private entrepreneurs, their business generates revenue in local currencies and generates many local friends. We want entrepreneurs to focus to grow their business instead of worrying about foreign exchange facilities. At a micro level that is the motivation. And at the macro level, the motivation is the foundation for the growth of the capital market. You need a vibrantly liquid capital market support from where the private entrepreneurs can efficiently finance their operation depending on the risk of the capital.</p>
<p>
	Over the past several years, our team in Nepal has been working tirelessly in terms of supporting the power sector in the country with hydropower being the most common sector. That truly is the bottom line. We need to unlock the country to political advantage of its economic potential and some of the hydropower projects do generate local currency revenue. We have been engaging with the government for several years in terms of starting the dialogue, presenting the rationale and explaining the mechanical process. We are happy that we are getting encouraging support from the government. We are waiting for a green signal from the government about regulatory approval. We are very optimistic that the government will be supporting us.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What can the media do to help in this matter?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Media plays an important role to sensitise the citizen on the experience of other emerging countries who have benefitted from open and vibrant capital market. It can also highlight the IFC project about how critically they are helping to resolve the infrastructural performance so as to unlock economic opportunity in different sectors.</p>
<p>
	<strong>IFC has been planning to issue local currency bond in Nepal. Could you please highlight the logic behind this?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Our projects require local currency financing. To issue these bonds in the Nepali market, there needs to be a regulatory approval from the government for which there is a process. And we are engaging with the government. We are hopeful that in the near future, we will be able to obtain that approval.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What impediments do you see in successful implementation of this idea?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We are very optimistic that it will be very successful. As a matter of fact, we have opened three other new markets elsewhere in the world during the last four months. For instance, we have issued local currency bond in The Dominican Republic and in Nigeria. In both cases, those were the first ever foreign bonds issued in local currency in the two countries. While in Russia, we issued the biggest bond by foreign issuer with a very innovative feature of linking coupon rate with inflation target index. We have a lot of experience working with the local pension fund, insurance company, local bank, and local investment community to showcase the benefit from different perspectives.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What do you have to say to the Nepali private sector that is focusing more on the problems of getting foreign capital than on local currency funds?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	For the market to be recognised by the foreign investors to attract more foreign direct investment, there has to be an environment that enables the private sector to survive. &nbsp;Stable regulatory framework too is required to support foreign investment.Also needed are some critical early success example which demonstrate that the market is viable and ready. There are many things to be developed in terms of capital market. As it needs regulatory framework, market infrastructure and capital market player, the government should regularly facilitate and support the process. It is a long term process and IFC is committed to help Nepal in every way.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The idea of utilising the local capital market for raising capital to invest in infrastructure projects is being floated for quite some time in Nepal but nothing concrete could be achieved so far. What was lacking in those ideas generated locally?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	IFC issues local currency denominated bonds. It is not just the domestic investor who can buy; foreign investor can also buy if they feel comfortable investing in Nepali rupees. The local currency bond can also attract foreign investors. It has to ensure safety in terms of settlement and investment in the market so that other players can invest on the basis of that.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you see the progress of IFC’s investments in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	I have visited Buddha Air and had a conversation with the owner directly and how critical our financing is. So it would be beneficial if we not only provide critical financing but also the advisory support on how to improve their management and safety.</p>',
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			'description' => 'Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1057',
			'article_category_id' => '48',
			'title' => 'Development Riddle Solved',
			'sub_title' => '',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Madan Lamsal</strong></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="development riddle" src="/userfiles/images/1371635301.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 378px;" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this &ldquo;rich-mines, poor-minds&rdquo; country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.</p>
<p>
	But not anymore will we have these qualms since the riddle of this big WHY has now been solved. Nepal can now embark on a development track with rocket speed, absolutely different from the frog jump pattern proposed by former PM Dr Baburam Yami Bhattarai.</p>
<p>
	We had had such difficulty in developing the country mainly because the lost key of development lied elsewhere - somewhere outside the country. Thank God! This mystery has been resolved now after the appointment of Lokman Karki as the CIAA chief. Every Nepali by now understands that the key to our development lies in the hands of foreign countries, maybe our neighbours or the superpowers. Or, possibly, there could be many keys with many &lsquo;partners&rsquo; that we got to find out and bring them back.</p>
<p>
	It is this realisation that is pushing every Nepali regardless of age, gender, origin, religion or profession to foreign lands. Recently, Nepal&rsquo;s quintessential leader Comrade Prachanda visited both our northern and southern neighbours in quick succession, last month. He not only talked about Nepal&rsquo;s development, but also proposed a new vision of &lsquo;triangular model&rsquo; involving China, India and Nepal. His wisdom did highly impress the leaders of both sides, akin to his claims. The likelihood is that he might be hired as a consultant by the planners of these countries to generate such great angular visions which they could never think of so far. In the power corridors of New Delhi, he was even asked if his triangle could be made a quadrangle by adding a &lsquo;people&rsquo;s war dimension to it&rsquo; so that it could be copyrighted as the new Prachandapath model of development!</p>
<p>
	Not only Prachanda, but also his party rank and file believes that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development is indeed in the hands of foreigners. His deputy, Dr Bhattarai, in a recent trip to Australia made it clear that the people who live in Nepal are unable to develop it, so those who have left Nepal and become foreigners should develop it.</p>
<p>
	See the impact of foreign trips! These leaders who believed in putting schools on fire, bombing suspension bridges in remote hinterland, felling telephone and electricity polls and destroying public property have suddenly started talking about development. If you still don&rsquo;t believe that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development lies in foreign hands, consider the following examples as well.</p>
<p>
	Not only politicians, but also most civil servants are dying to grab any possible opportunity for a foreign trip. Because they realize that their years of experience in service has failed to teach them how to develop the country and, therefore, seek the compensation for it a foreign trip. &nbsp;Therefore, senior officers prefer to participate in foreign trainings, workshops or seminars where nominations are actually sought from junior positions. Simply, the more senior people who participate, the more cakes of development they would bring back.</p>
<p>
	Such love for Nepal&rsquo;s development is not limited to politicians and civil servants. You can simply say that anyone very keen to go abroad is a true lover of Nepal&rsquo;s development. Every Nepali student believes that s/he cannot develop this nation by studying here. That&rsquo;s why visa applications are filed as soon as the completion &nbsp;of +2 education. Those who fail to leave the country are even more patriotic. They do not miss even a single opportunity to protest against any anti-development move of the government. And they make sure that they destroy some amount of existing public property so that it could be replaced by a new one.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The members of the general public who are smart enough want to leave the country at any cost. They too realize the fact that no development is possible within the country. Manpower agencies, planners and development experts, all by now agree that the country will not develop from within, so we must bring everything from other countries. Everything means everything- a constitution, directives for the government dictating who should be appointed where and what model of development should be followed. With this, one can be pretty sure of the faster development we have missed thus far.</p>',
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			'keywords' => 'No laughing matter, new business age, Madan Lamsal, Development Riddle Solved',
			'description' => 'Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this “rich-mines, poor-minds” country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.',
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	(int) 12 => array(
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			'id' => '1054',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;">We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit.</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos. I thought – “really?” Another sniggered, “what was the lady (the rape victim!!) doing so late at night”? (9.30 p.m.!!) They were declaring the victim guilty with such smugness that I felt sick. Who decides what modest dressing is? Does the fact of wearing western clothes give a right to molest? A female walking alone at 9.30 p.m., does that provide anybody a right to rape? Come on – must be joking!!! <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	There is a part of society that always blames women. They whisper, “She must have provoked him”, “She must have done something wrong.” The “guilty” verdict is delivered. Ever wonder why the victim’s face is blurred on TV? She has not done anything wrong except, may be, walking alone at night!! Why does she have to use a veil to cover her face? Probably because she does not have faith in being treated humanely. She knows that her friends, relatives and society in general will not let her move on and continue with her life. There will be whispers everywhere she goes.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Declaring a woman guilty after being&nbsp; assaulted is not a recent phenomenon. It happened even in Ramayana. Sita,wife of Lord Rama, was asked to prove herself by entering in fire. Even then Rama had to ostracize her. She pleaded with mother Earth to take her back. Despite of remorse expressed by all, she went back to her maternal home. There are multiple versions of the story but one basic issue is clear: Sita had to prove her innocence. Till then, she was guilty. In Mahabharata – “Anushashana Parva section CXXIII” – it is mentioned that when the husband is away the wife should not use ornaments, not have a proper bath (gets stinky!!) and not indulge in any adornment till the hubby is back. In a nutshell, the diktat is clear – look horrible and smell horrible. If she wears ornaments, etc., what will happen? She will look good, off course!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Then what? Men will be attracted to her! And her husband is away. Guilty – guilty – guilty!! Unless she proves her innocence by ensuring she does not look good. Awesome – is it not so? By the way,nobody asks the husband how he satiates himself while he is away!! From ancient times a son, as heir, is always of paramount importance. Lineage to progress, as if the male was the only involved in the progression process. We have seen enough daughters making their family proud and sons shaming them. Still, a son is a must to advance the ancestry. In Puja Mantra, we pray to provide us with sons. Even ladies pray fervently – “Putram Dehi.”&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">If a girl is born, it is the lady’s fault. If she cannot conceive, she has to be tested. If the wife is brave enough to suggest testing her husband, may God save the poor lady. Somebody told me recently (a male) that his wife is having difficulties to conceive, so a doctor was consulted. Some tests were suggested for her. I asked, “What about you?” Apparently the doctor said “We shall test the wife first.” Surprised? Guilty unless proven innocent, isn’t it? I did not ask the gender of the doctor though. It does not matter. Every day someone, somewhere, is getting insulted; be it a daughter, mother or wife. She is being ostracized and her dignity gets violated. Some tolerate silently, some like Sita go back to their parental home, some decide to end their lives and very few fight back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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	Even though we boast progress (but have we progressed really?), we can only proclaim that we are progressing when the victim removes her veil and looks into our eyes, holds her head high and seeks justice. We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit. Empowering women with more freedom and choices are crucial for a better future. There is incentive for all of us. It enhances development. Countries that have expanded opportunities to women have achieved moderate population growth, reduced child mortality and increased life expectancy. This, in turn, has improvedthe Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. HDI measures country’s performance beyond GDP. Women are the key factor for sustainable long term development with a triple-win strategy — better economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Empowering women and moving towards 360 degree development will not happen by merely commenting in social media or by candle light vigil alone. Each one of us must redefine our thought process. As Mahatma Gandhi said – “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
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	 </p>',
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			'description' => 'Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos.',
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			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Socialism – The Great Equalizer Or Capitalism – The Great Divider?',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><span class="A29"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile?</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	So<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">me ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich! &nbsp;Typically, Socialism is defined as an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">A Professor had an experiment where all grades were to be averaged and everyone would receive same grade. So no topper – no loser either. It was enthusiastically accepted by all for obvious reasons. </span><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">After first test, grades were averaged, everyone got a B+. Students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were ecstatic. Before second test, students who studied little worked even less and who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. Average was a D. No one was happy. Next the average dropped to F.</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">Time goes by, instead of the scores, bickering, blame and name-calling increased. No one would study for the benefit of anyone else. Perfect Socialist class – is it not so? </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">I am not to judge whether Socialism is good or bad but trying to share a perspective of Human Mind. It always asks – “what’s in it for me?”</span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile? Some insights which we must ponder; </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><strong style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -14pt;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">1. One cannot elevate the poor into prosperity by taking the wealth out of the prospered!</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">2. When one receives anything without working for it, another one would have worked for it without receiving! </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">3. Nobody can give anybody anything for free that has not been taken first from somebody else for free! </span></span></strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">4. One cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);"><br />
	<br />
	5. There will always be a section of people who want to try less than others and get more than others in return. </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">On the other hand – will there not be a tendency in human psychology to be successful and forge ahead of others – by hook or by CROOK? When reward seems to be so great that it elevates one from one’s current social strata, will that person not look for short cut and easy way to achieve the goal? Is individuality not a common human trait? Is an urge of becoming individual is not the germination of Capitalism?&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">What is Capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production, with the creation of goods and services for profit. What is Profit? It is Value obtained less cost incurred. If a person has Capital and he wants to employ the service of a group of people to create something out of that capital to maximize it’s Value and thereby earn a profit, is there anything wrong? Can the group of people whose service is sought dictate the terms to the person whose Capital is employed? Can the group of people whose service is sought demand a share of the profit which the value addition to the Capital obtained? Seems so unfair. Is not it so? Yes, if one is a Capitalist and no if one belongs to the group of service providers.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">But what if in the whole exercise, the entity (person) takes undue advantage of any system or group of people? What is “Undue”? It is any non-acceptable social practice which takes advantage of current social condition of the service provider who works hard to finish a process which adds more value to the initial Capital. It is “Undue” if there is a conscious effort from the Capitalist to ensure that the Social strata of the service provider remains unchanged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); text-align: justify;">There are good societies where there is a conscious effort to improve the quality of life of people, and the general satisfaction and sense of fairness is high amongst the entire social strata. There are bad societies where 90% of the wealth is accumulated with 1% of people through means of unfair actions where most of the people live in misery and general feeling amongst the mass is a concoction of mistrust, frustration, deceit and bitterness.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa9" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); line-height: 115%;">Can any society be 100% Capitalist or 100% Socialist? It needs a right kind of balance. It is the member of the society who must determine the balance and rule of the game. As Martin Luther King Jr pointed out - “Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both.”</span></p>',
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			'id' => '1050',
			'article_category_id' => '62',
			'title' => 'Foreign Direct Investment Must Increase In The Tourism Industry.',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>"Foreign direct investment must increase in the tourism industry."</strong></p>
<p>
	Prachanda Man Shrestha, Former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board suggesting the way to attain 7% economic growth.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“We have been talking of exporting electricity when we are facing severe power crisis.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman of Nimbus Group arguing that power must be produced first to meet the national demand before thinking to export it.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“The state and the private sector are not rivals.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Chhabi Raj Panta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and Urban Development acknowledging the role of the private sector in infrastructure development.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ashoke SJB Rana, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ashoke.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“Banks need financial instruments for investing in mega projects.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ashoke SJB Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank Limited pointing out the lack of financial instruments for banks to invest in large projects of national importance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ratnakar Adhikari, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ratnakar.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“There should be strict legislation that bans the lock ups and strikes in the special economic zone.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ratnakar Adhikari, Chief Executive Director of South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) suggesting to create a special economic zone and enforcing stricter labour laws in such zones to control the ongoing labour unrest.&nbsp;</span></p>',
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			'title' => 'Management  Of Change',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sharu S Rangnekar</strong></p>
<p>
	<em><strong>Change is constantly with us from birth to grave. &nbsp;However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.</strong></em></p>
<p>
	<strong>Continuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Continuous change takes place continuously e.g. getting older by one day everyday. &nbsp;We do not pay much attention to this change and, by and large it manages itself. &nbsp;There is very little change day to day. &nbsp;Although over a period we look older or the hair becomes gray – or some of them fall out. &nbsp;Over a period, the change is significant but since it is at &nbsp;a slow rate, we get accustomed to it.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Discontinuous Change&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Discontinuous change makes a significant impact on our life immediately. &nbsp;The first discontinuous change we had was getting born. &nbsp;An embryo comfortable in the mother’s womb is thrown out one day in a totally different world and our first reaction to this change is protest (paaan). &nbsp;However, we do not remember this change. &nbsp;Perhaps the first discontinuous change we may remember is the first day at school. &nbsp;In my case, my grand-father carried me on his shoulder to the school and deposited me in the class. &nbsp;He admonished me, “Don’t come out of class; I am sitting in the verandah and if I see you coming out of the class, I shall break your leg.” &nbsp;So I sat inside the class crying. &nbsp;There were about 30 other children sitting around me also crying. &nbsp;When I am near a school on an opening day, I go to the preparatory class. &nbsp;Inside the class, there are 30 children crying; outside the class there are 30 mothers crying. &nbsp;It is their way to coping with the discontinuous change. &nbsp; From a familiar friendly atmosphere of the home, the child is pushed into an alien atmosphere of the school. &nbsp;Nobody is familiar to him. &nbsp;At least now most of the teacher are female and seem to be soft. &nbsp;In my times there were harsh looking male teachers with big mustaches. &nbsp;The cane was a part of their uniform and they banged the cane before sitting down – creating palpitation all over the class.</p>
<p>
	My mother had tried in her ways to prepare me for this discontinuous change. &nbsp;She asked me whether when I grow up I would like to go to office like my father sitting in a car. &nbsp;“Of course,” I said, “yes”. &nbsp;Then she said, “You have to go to school first.” &nbsp;I told her that I did not want to go to school. &nbsp;Then she told me the only alternative will be to wash utensils. &nbsp;At that age of five that was not a bad alternative but the tone in which my mother put it, it seemed like great disaster. &nbsp;I was made to feel that I was at cross roads – Go to school and eventually to office in a car like my father or wash utensils like the servant. &nbsp;Even then this did not convince me to go to school. &nbsp;Discontinuous changes can take a long time to be accepted.</p>
<p>
	Thereafter there are series of discontinuous changes: Getting a job and getting into relatively rigid office discipline; Getting married and getting into two-person democracy; Getting children with the tribulations involved.</p>
<p>
	In each case there was clearly a give and take. &nbsp;Some benefits and some hardship – &nbsp;and we have gone through numerous discontinuous changes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Tsunami Change</strong></p>
<p>
	The third kind of change is where everything around changes – like the havoc created by the tsunami wave. &nbsp;The benefits are hardly comprehended and the hardships are very clear. &nbsp;How does one get prepared for Tsunami change?</p>
<p>
	One way is to start with the dictum: “TINA” &nbsp;(There Is No Alternative). &nbsp;We are not happy with the situation but it is inevitable. &nbsp;The case in point is the female education. &nbsp;It started in 1850 with a great deal of opposition. &nbsp;The proponents of female education were attacked because the opponents said: &nbsp;“What have women to do in their life? - Cooking and bringing up children. &nbsp;That can be learnt in the house itself with apprenticeship to the mother. &nbsp;The girl can learn cooking under the supervision of mother and can also learn to bring up children – particularly in those days when mother had 8-10-12 children. &nbsp;The first 2-3 children were brought up by the mother, the rest were brought up by eldest sister who learnt skills as an apprentice. &nbsp;What is the point in the women learning Kalidas and Shakespeare?”</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the process of attrition played its role to make the female education accepted. &nbsp; Initially, it was stressed that widows should have education so that they can have the ability to sustain themselves economically. &nbsp;Mostly the widows attended these schools so they were known as “Bodkyanchi Shala” (School for the shaven-headed) – as the heads of the widows were shaved in those days.</p>
<p>
	Over a period, the benefit of the female education became evident and today even if a girl has graduated and is sitting at home doing nothing particularly, the neighbour advises that she should join a computer class.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	However, even today there are opposition groups - even in a city like Bombay. &nbsp;The two girls of a community were threatened because they were persuing their education which the opponents felt was against the religion and would spoil the girls for their traditional role of good housewives.</p>
<p>
	This opposition is reducing and the female education is getting accepted – although it has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;I worked in pharmaceutical industry where we believed that if a medicine has effect it has side effects also. If it has no side effects it has no effect also. So every change has its effects and side effects. &nbsp;The female education is a very strong medicine. &nbsp;It is effective to make the women contribute more significantly to the economic development but the side effect is its impact on domestic peace. &nbsp;So here it is a Tsunami change which took over 100 years to get accepted. &nbsp;In case of many changes that much time is not available – as in the case of natural Tsunami disaster. &nbsp;There the people are forced to accept unpleasant alternatives to carry on in life.</p>
<p>
	Another example of tsunami change is the role of horse drawn “Tongas” in transportation. &nbsp;Fifty years ago every railway station had Tongas which provided transportation to the travelers between station and their residences. &nbsp;Then came the tsunami change replacing Tongas with autorickshas and buses and Tongas have vanished altogether with the horses and the Tongawalas. &nbsp;Many of the tongawalas literally starved to death with their horses as they could not master the new technology of driving autorickshas and buses. &nbsp;However, this change took place over 25 years and did not create a strong backlash. &nbsp;I remember only one movie where DilipKumar as a tongadriver took a bet to beat a bus to stop the bus-route. &nbsp;In the movie, by driving through shortcuts, he could beat the bus. &nbsp;But in real life the tongas lost forever.</p>
<p>
	There are two other Tsunami changes which are making waves. &nbsp;One is in Singur and Nandigram where the agricultural land is being given for industrial development. &nbsp;There have been bloody battles. &nbsp;However, the logic of this tsunami change is obvious. &nbsp;The technological reforms in agriculture have made it possible for less and less land to provide food grains for more and more people so the land has to be released for industrial production. &nbsp;The land-owner who is traditionally attached to the land is refusing to give it up. &nbsp;Similar situation happened in Russia when the land had to be taken away from the farmers to form communes and it resulted in hundreds of thousands of farmers getting killed by the Russian army. &nbsp;However, in the long term it resulted in loss of production and Russia had to import food-grains to support its people. &nbsp;The present situation is very much different because it follows and not precedes agricultural productivity. &nbsp;If the farmer insists on pursuing agriculture he is bound to get caught in consequences. &nbsp;It is often said in America “agriculture is a passport to poverty” and that has become the sign of development.</p>
<p>
	Another tsunami change on the horizon is the abolition of traditional retailers in favour of large scale operators. &nbsp;The traditional retailers are opposed and started throwing stones at Ranchi. &nbsp;But here also the requirement of tsunami change is clear. &nbsp;The present way of operation of the traditional vegetable vendors, fruit vendors, grocer etc., is highly inefficient in terms of cost, convenience and time. &nbsp;The turnover of typical vegetable vendor is so low that his margin has to be very high to make him survive. &nbsp;The whole chain of middlemen are involved which makes the operation very costly. &nbsp;When the farmer gets hardly Rs. 3/- for one kilo of onions the consumers have to pay Rs.15/- per kilo. &nbsp;The large retailers buying directly from the farmers and selling directly to the consumers are going to make the operation much more cost effective. &nbsp;Furthermore, modern technology can be used to make the product available to consumer more conveniently and in the form he can use very easily. &nbsp;A traditional vegetable vendor can hardly protect the product from dirt and dust and that is the death-knell for the traditional vendor.</p>
<p>
	However, these large changes involving millions of people thrown out of their traditional jobs in a matter of few years and their inability to learn new technology of retailing is going to create a great deal of havoc.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Acceptance of Change</strong></p>
<p>
	In such situations the society and the government can control the process to give the time for acceptance of change. &nbsp;Acceptance of changes comes in three phases:&nbsp;</p>
<ol>
	<li>
		Knowledge</li>
	<li>
		Belief&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Behaviour</li>
</ol>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">For the change to be accepted a sustained campaign has to be conducted to make people realize the advantages of the change. &nbsp;This is obviously a long term process and the society may not have the time for this change.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>TINA Factor&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity:</p>
<p>
	I was sitting with a friend of mine who was an amateur fisherman near a stream of water. &nbsp;The stream was moving fairly fast and most of the fish were swimming with the current. &nbsp;However, I found about 10% of the fish were swimming against the current. &nbsp;I asked my friend, “Why they are swimming against the current?” &nbsp;He said, “This is breeding season for this fish and the females are going against the stream to lay eggs in their chosen territory.</p>
<p>
	The stream proceeded for another 10 meters and jumped into a waterfall. &nbsp;Some of the fish who went down with the waterfall were trying to swim up the waterfall. &nbsp;But they were not successful. &nbsp;Looking at that my friend remarked, “You can swim against the current but you can’t swim against gravity.” &nbsp;There are some tsunami changes. &nbsp;People try to resist these changes. &nbsp;But they can not succeed because you can swim against the current – but not against the gravity.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Management of Change" height="375" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/management_gyan_june2013_change_ahead_pottery_making.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="250" /></p>
<p>
	In 1951 when I started my career there were about 3 thousand railway stations in Indian and outside each station there was a Tonga stand. &nbsp;These 3 thousand stands plus others in the towns covered nearly about 1 lakh tongas.</p>
<p>
	The tsunami change started with autorikshas and buses taking away the passengers. &nbsp;The tongas made efforts to resist the change. &nbsp;In the film Naya Daur, the hero acted by Dilip Kumar races with the bus with his tonga and defeats it. &nbsp;That was a reel life. &nbsp;In real life the tonga could not stand the competition. &nbsp;The tongas were burnt as kindlewood, the horses died and so did the tongawalas. &nbsp;They could not fight against gravity.</p>
<p>
	The similar contest is going on in Singur &amp; Nandigram by agriculturist and In Ranchi and other towns by Small Scale Retailers against Reliance. &nbsp;This again is a competition where they are going against the gravity and cannot win.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The alternative is to create the TINA factor i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;After the First World War, Turkey was in shambles and Kemal Ataturk took over the nation with the slogan “There is no alternative”. &nbsp;Overnight he abolished the ritualistic religion and the banned the veil as well as the Turkish cap which were seen as symbolic of ritualistic religion. &nbsp;The most significant change he made was in the script. &nbsp;The Turkish language which was written in Arabic script, he made it compulsory to use the Roman script. &nbsp;These changes were not universally welcomed but he had the traditional power of the army up his sleeves and so could ensure implementation of the changes almost in a single day with the slogan “TINA” i.e There is no alternative. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The changes he made in this way kept on smoldering the rebellious feeling and in the end of last century the religious parties again made a come back trying to bring Turkey back to the religious mould. &nbsp;The army superseded the parliament and kept the reforms going.</p>
<p>
	The process thus goes through persuasion route i.e Knowledge, Belief and Behaviour to get accepted over a period with the opposition getting converted. &nbsp;Thus the changes introduced by the female education can get commented adversely but are unlikely to be thrown out by any democratic process. &nbsp;In fact, democracy also is a tsunami change which is based on the tenets of equality. &nbsp;The traditional societies were based on inequalities: a superior caste, a superior religion, a superior sex. &nbsp;These gave authority to rule over the others. &nbsp;However, democracy tries to establish equality. &nbsp;In fact all people are not equal but in the concept of democracy they have to be treated as equal and given a chance to become equal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	A case in this point is a rule made in New York that all public buildings must have ramps so that the physically disabled people will try to have the mobility similar to normal people. &nbsp;Somebody calculated the cost of providing ramps and suggested that it will be cheaper to keep disabled people home by giving them pension. &nbsp;The answer was the solution to disability is not charity but to create as much equality as it is possible.</p>
<p>
	Even the controversy over reservations can be seen in this light. &nbsp;Reservations cannot create equality. &nbsp;In fact they tend to emphasize inequality. &nbsp;However, by creating reservations more and more people are pushed towards equality.</p>
<p>
	Another case in this point has been the position of scheduled castes, scheduled tribes or otherwise backward classes as against Muslims of India. &nbsp;At the time of independence, Muslims had 15% of all important positions in the government thanks to the special protection given by the British Raj. &nbsp;At that time scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs together were much less than 15%. &nbsp;Today after 60 years of independence the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and OBCs are nearly 30% while the Muslims have come down to 5%. &nbsp;So the reservation policy of British Raj created permanent inequality and when it was removed the Muslims suffered economically. &nbsp;The situation is somewhat similar to Negroes in America. &nbsp;Negroes are also 15% of American population but in three areas they are much more than 15% - In Olympic gold medals they have the majority. &nbsp;In art particularly music they are over 25% and in crime they are over 60%. &nbsp;These three areas do not require any support from the society to score. &nbsp;Individual abilities can sustain.</p>
<p>
	Similar is the position of Muslims in India. &nbsp;They are in the same 3 areas where they are more than 15% - Sports, Films and Crime. So to create equality there has to be sustained efforts to support the weaker to be equal. &nbsp;This is obviously the tsunami change and will be resisted at every step - but to retain democracy it will be essential to move towards this end.</p>
<p>
	In this process the persuasion of knowledge, belief and behaviour have to be used to make the tsunami change ultimately accepted in the society. &nbsp;This is essentially what is meant by management of change. '</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">(The writer is a popular consultant and author of management classics: “In the Wonderland of Indian Managers” and “In the World of Corporate Managers”.)</span></p>',
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			'description' => 'Change is constantly with us from birth to grave.  However, the changes we experience fall into 3 broad categories: continuous change, discontinuous change, tsunami change.',
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			'id' => '1067',
			'article_category_id' => '79',
			'title' => 'Moroccan Promise',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sushila Budhathoki</strong></p>
<p>
	With the main trade partners mostly in Europe, Morocco is spreading its business all over the world as the late king of Morocco, Hassan II once said, “Morocco is like a tree, which has its roots in Africa and its branches in Europe.” As a trader, exporter of manufactured and agricultural products and a tourism destination, Morocco has turned out to be an emerging economy of North Africa.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco, a constitutional monarchy with an elected parliament, shares common interest in the AMU (Arab Maghreb Union), a regional grouping of five North African countries namely Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. According to Maghreb Markets, a magazine by Afro Asian Business Chronicle, the country is opting for greater economic integration into the world economy and contributing to the consolidation of the multilateral trading system. For this, it has adopted a policy of economic and financial openness, aiming at strengthening the liberalization of foreign trade since the early 1990s. France has been the main import and export partner of Moroccan trade (22.5%) followed by other partners Spain (16.9%), India (6.1%), Italy (4.5%) and United States (1.3%). &nbsp;Morocco has free trade agreements to a market of 55 countries that represent more than one billion consumers and 60% of world GDP. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Morocco has strong and stable macroeconomic performances. Agriculture, phosphates and tourism are the major resources of the Moroccan economy followed by industry, mining and sales of fish and seafood. The Moroccan agriculture sector which contributes 19% of the GDP also employs more than 4 million rural inhabitants creating approximately 100,000 jobs in the agro- industry sector. The country is the largest recipient of foreign investment in North Africa and is looking for expansion in ties to include more joint ventures from all around the world. According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it received USD 18 billion FDI between 2000 and 2009 mainly in fertilizer and minerals. The industry, solar energy, wind energy, agriculture, fishing industry, retail and information communication and technology are the major sectors open for investment in Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Nepal- Morocco Friendship</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been very little progress in promoting economy, trade, culture and fewer efforts in enhancing people to people relations between Morocco and Nepal despite setting up diplomatic ties in 1975. The recent visit by Larbi Reffouh, Moroccan Ambassador to Nepal (who resides in New Delhi) to present the letter of credential to the President of Nepal on first May is expected to enhance friendship ties with Nepal. Larbi is also the Ambassador to the Bhutan, and according to him, his posting in India is a choice posting. According to Moroccan Consulate office in Nepal, Larbi, during his visit proposed for short-term as well as long-term trainings to the government officials without any financial obligations to the government of Nepal and allocation of scholarship quota for at least 15 graduate level technical educations in the field of Engineering, Medicines etc. Furthermore, he also officially requested the Chairman of Council of Ministers and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Nepal to visit the Kingdom of Morocco at their convenient times. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Facts and figures about Morocco" height="418" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_facts_and_figures.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="371" />Similarly, a high level Nepali business delegation is planning to visit Morocco to explore the possibilities of trade and business between these two countries. After the return of Nepali business delegation from Morocco, Moroccan business delegation is planned to be in Nepal for the same purpose. A socio-cultural delegation is also planning to visit the Kingdom of Morocco to boost cultural relations and people to people relations between Nepal and the Kingdom of Morocco. The ambassador also expressed Morocco’s interest to supply fertilizers to Nepal. The Kingdom is the second largest producer and the largest exporter of fertilizers in the world.</p>
<p>
	Both Nepal and Morocco are member of UN and partners of non-aligned campaign. Santosh Kumar Tiberawala was appointed as consul of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal on November 27, 2000. &nbsp;Basant K. Chaudhary, Managing Director of Chaudhary Group was appointed as consul on Norvember 26, 2007 and was promoted to Consul General in May, 2013. The Nepali Embassy in Cairo oversees the diplomatic relations of Nepal with Morocco.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal’s trade with Morocco has been limited as investors from both of the countries have less interaction in high level. The data from Nepal Trade and Export Promotion Centre (TEPC) shows decrease in the trade between the two countries. According to the data provided by TEPC, only 161 pieces of works of art, collector’s pieces and antiques worth Rs 257,690 were exported to Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013. The earlier export included products like dying extracts, dyes, pigments and other coloring matter, paints and varnishes, inks and carpets and other textile floor coverings among few others. Similarly, Nepal mainly imported fertilizers and rubber from Morocco before 2012. There is no import from Morocco between January 2012 and January 2013.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nepal-Morocco Trade" height="198" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_nepal_morocco_trade.jpg" width="580" /></p>
<p>
	Moroccans are not among the regular tourist groups who come to Nepal for celebrating their vacation. According to Department of Immigration, Nepal, &nbsp;hardly 171 tourists were from Morocco who visited Nepal in 2012. On the other hand, Morocco, with 70 new tourist destinations, is becoming a growing tourism destination in the world. According to Maghreb Markets, around 9.3 million tourists visited Morocco in 2010.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>‘There is an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties’</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="H. E. Mr. Larbi Reffouh, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Morocco to India and Nepal" height="400" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bilateral_relations_june2013_moroccan_promise_ambassador_larbi_reffouh.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="250" />How do you see the significance of your visit to Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The purpose of this visit is to present my credentials to His Excellency Dr Ram Baran Yadav, the President of the Republic of Nepal, as Ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Kingdom of Morocco to Nepal, with a residence in New Delhi.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	This visit also was a good opportunity to hold several meetings with the Prime Minister, some members of the Government and senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in order to discuss a gamut of bilateral and international issues of mutual interest. All the contacts and interactions I have had during my visit are very positive and promising about the future of relations between Morocco and Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the possibilities for economic and trade cooperation between Nepal and Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	The diplomatic relations between Morocco and Nepal were established in 1975. Both countries have always enjoyed cordial, friendly and excellent political relations. This could be reflected by our work together and our coordinated efforts and positions on several international issues, either within or outside the United Nations.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Our bilateral trade record remains below our common ambitions and expectations. There is for sure an untapped potential to strengthen our economic and trade ties. In this regard, both governments are currently considering the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, which will be a cornerstone for the creation of a global legal framework to conceive and promote different “win-win” partnerships and projects in order to take our relationship to the next level, especially in the economic field.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please tell us the major sectors for cooperation between the two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	I believe we should target and focus on some key economic sectors. For instance, we have developed in Morocco a modern, competitive and export-oriented agriculture. Since we do really have an internationally recognized expertise and know how in this field, we are ready to share this experience with our Nepali friends, particularly in terms of modern irrigation techniques and human resource development.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to tourism, we have realized significant achievements over the last few years as Morocco has succeeded in positioning itself one of the world’s fast-growing tourism destinations, attracting over 12 million tourists a year. This achievement can be simply attributed to an ambitious strategy, dubbed “Vision 2020”, through developing state-of-the-art tourism-related infrastructure, including building new hotels and resorts, as well as investing in training human capital. Thus, we can look at the existing potential for initiating specific cooperation in this sector.</p>
<p>
	Another sector that could be central for our future cooperation is higher education. Just to give you an idea, Morocco provide annually more than 1600 scholarships in favor of foreign students. Today, we have over 7000 students from over 48 countries to study in our universities and higher institutes. So, we will seriously consider the possibility of providing scholarships for Nepalese students to pursue their studies in Moroccan universities. I personally believe that if we succeed on this particular front, it will inevitably contribute to further promotion of people-to-people contacts.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What should Nepali government do to attract investment from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	I would like to emphasize that Moroccan investors are present overseas, primarily in Africa in areas such as banking, telecoms, housing and infrastructure. I can assure you that this economic presence is expanding and deepening thanks to the various opportunities existing in African countries and indeed to the capital and expertise offered by Moroccan companies. Since investors are guided by profit and better business environment, the Moroccan private sector is open and ready to explore other horizons and seek new opportunities, even here in Nepal. But this is the main responsibility of your government and business community, by engaging in some promotional and marketing activities, in order to attract Moroccan investments to Nepal, probably by looking at the possibility of establishing “joint-ventures” in specific sectors, like agriculture and tourism.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Agriculture is one of the important contributors in Moroccan economy. How can Nepal get benefit from Morocco?</strong></p>
<p>
	Morocco is ready to share its expertise with Nepal in the field of agriculture and irrigation. Morocco initiated in 2008 a revolutionary program by investing, with the involvement of the private sector, in the modernization and development of our agriculture, and in promoting its international competitiveness. The adoption of this policy stems from the fact that agriculture is the major employer of our workforce, especially in rural areas, and it is one of main contributors to our GDP. We are now starting to reap the fruits of this ambitious strategy, either in terms of increasing output and improving global competitiveness. Having said that, we are ready to share the expertise we have developed so far in this sector with Nepal. We can offer training programs in favor of Nepali students in specific areas, such as irrigation techniques, agribusiness and veterinary.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Can you please describe us the prospect of export-import business between two countries?</strong></p>
<p>
	We do export so many things, from agricultural products to industrial items and very recently we have started exporting cars to the regional markets. In fact, we are one of the leading exporters of phosphate in the world. And nobody can ignore the importance of this commodity as an essential component for agricultural development and food security. As an example, we are a major exporter of phosphate and fertilizers to your immediate neighbour. I think it’s time to see if we can do the same with Nepal, to participate concretely with your country in its efforts for the development of your agricultural sector and achieving your food security.</p>',
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			'id' => '1066',
			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'BRAINDIGIT: The Center For Technology Innovation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	The latest ICT Electronic Branding Expo held at Brikutimandap Exhibition hall held 87 stalls of 70 companies in 17 much decorated pavilions. Companies took part under a single roof introducing their products to get the valuable customer. A showcase namely ‘ramailomela.com was built online to preview the products available on the exhibition. The visitors needed not to hustle in the crowd; saving time and also receiving details on the major brands and vendors as showcased on the exhibition. The online service was from Braindigit which claims to be the powerhouse of creativity and innovation. The workforce from the company came up with this innovative marketing platform. The customer gets lots of product options and price ranges to choose from, of a win-win situation, for the vendor and for the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO, Braindigit" height="272" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_ceo_nischal.jpg" style="float:right; margn:0 0 0 10px;" width="201" />Braindigit was established in the year 2008; it started as an outsourcing company, building websites and other applications for national and international clients. Today, with its innovative products it has established itself as a major IT company in Nepal. Saying about the immense evolution; Nischal Man Pradhan, CEO of the organization says, “We felt that our knowledge was limited. We said to ourselves; let’s do something big, something better. Then we started working on software building. There was a demand of customized software in the international market and we had to work hard to get hold of the opportunity.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Braindigit presents itself as an expert primarily focused on providing IT solutions like Web Application Development, Joomla Extensions and Component Development. According to the company, there is a team of highly trained and expert programmers who can efficiently use web technological advancements such as Joomla, .Net, PHP, Java, Ajax, Magento, Android apps and many such components that challenge the capabilities of the work group. The primary Braindigit mission is to provide a qualitative product that combines performance with value pricing, while establishing a successful relationship with the customer.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">“Here we are all goal oriented personals. First we generate a project plan directed towards the needs of our clients. Then we define the roles in our departments. The time extension is designed, and then we follow the projected plan and make sure that the goal is met,” says company executive. The workforce of the company consists of more than 50 staff members, assigned to various departments from programming, development, quality control and marketing. Each department is dedicated towards their assigned role whereby creating an environment that results to be work friendly and mostly goal oriented.” &nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Braindigit Products" height="110" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_products.jpg" style="margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="590" /></p>
<p>
	“We had to overcome many challenges to be able to reach this position. The greater challenge for us is to create an efficient workforce. We train our people to be the best. Regardless of the fact that there is immense competition in the market to hold the best people, we believe motivating employees towards common goal and providing them expansion opportunities. When we recruit, we look for passion in the employee,” says Nischal Man Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	The company is closely working with the government to reduce some issues regarding the development in IT sector. Pradhan adds, “IT companies seek more coordinated support in terms of strengthening data security, information leakage management, visa improvement and certain fiscal incentives. This can attract large investments in the country”. He mentions the power crisis as one impediment and adds, “We have reached this height coping with the problems, and if they are met we know we can do even better. This not only helps to improve the economy of the country but also helps in the development in the emerging IT sector in Nepal.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>SageFrame</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">One of the major accomplishments for the company brings up the name SageFrame. SageFrame is an open source web development framework developed on the top of ASP.NET 3.5. The best features as incorporated by the product are its easy user interface, site optimization and the page management system. It contains necessary tools needed to develop custom modules, applications templates and multipurpose websites.</span></p>
<p>
	After the success of SageFrame 1.0, SageFrame 2.0 was developed and introduced with more appealing features such as plug and play module, drag-drop widget and easy customization. The plug-n-play module concept offers enhanced dynamism to website, and holds provision for addition of new features. The drag and drop widget feature, and a highly configurable control panel, SageFrame provides more flexibility and ease to the website owners and developers.</p>
<p>
	SageFrame was nominated for 2012 Critic’s Choice Best Budget CMS Awards and the runner-up title in People’s Choice Award for the Best Budget CMS (Content Management System). The framework CMS Critic, an industry popular name for CMS reviews, hosts the awards for best CMS platforms around the world. The awards are given in different categories one being the Best Budget CMS where SageFrame proudly claimed a place. “The success of this product made the company realize the true potential of the developers in Nepal. SageFrame had a good start in the market. It has been downloaded by more than thirty thousand clients and the response is very positive”, says Pradhan. The website of Ncell Pvt. Ltd, was developed using this platform. Ncell is the first private mobile operator in the country with an extensive coverage throughout the nation and providing telecommunication services to millions&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">of people.</span></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sageframe, Braindigit" height="109" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_braindigit_sageframe.jpg" width="535" /></strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size: 12px;">Core extraction of the Braindigit business model:</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		The company is built upon the principle of fair dealing and ethical conduct of the employees.</li>
	<li>
		Highest standards of conduct and personal integrity should be maintained.</li>
	<li>
		Braindigit is dependent upon the client’s trust and continuously works on improving the quality of the products and support.</li>
	<li>
		Staff members have their responsibility towards clients benefit and should act the way that merited company’s outlook.</li>
	<li>
		Good judgment is encouraged to avoid business crisis. In a crisis situation, the matter is discussed with the immediate head of the department and, if necessary, with the directors, for advice and consultation.</li>
	<li>
		Compliance with the policy of business ethics and conduct is the responsibility of every employee &amp; associated members.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Disregarding or failing to comply with the standard of business ethics and conduct could lead to disciplinary action, up to and including the possibility of possible termination of employment.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;">Source: Braindigit</span></p>',
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			'article_category_id' => '39',
			'title' => 'Sunrise Bank: Eyeing To Secure Top Ten Positions Among Nepali Banks',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer. According to a bank source, at present Sunrise Bank occupies the 12th position on Capital, 16th on deposits, 18th on total assets, 19th on total loans and 18th on net profit.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer, Sunrise Bank" height="306" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_surendra_man_ceo.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;" width="201" />Background</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank Limited officially started its operations in October 12, 2007 as the 22nd Commercial Bank of Nepal. The bank having the paid-up capital of Rs 2.015 Billion issued the Initial Public Offering (IPO) of Rs 375 million. &nbsp;Headquartered in Gairidhara Kathmandu, at present, the Bank has the networks of 49 Branches and 57 ATM outlets. The bank has 215,000 deposits customers. Its 56 promoters own 70 per cent of share capital and the remaining 30 per cent is with the general public.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Products and Schemes</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been offering various products catering to all segments of consumers. The Bank has recently &nbsp; re-launched short term scheme: Sunrise Bishesh Muddati, which is provided only to individual customers. The interest rate of 7.50 per cent is provided to the fixed deposit of one year whereas 7.25 per cent of interest rate is provided to the deposit of 6 months. “The Bank aims to solicit the maximum deposit with the products that we have been offering,” says CEO Pradhan.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Different deposit products offered&nbsp;<span style="font-size: 12px;">by the bank:&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Normal Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Super Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Exclusive Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Disable Account</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Suryodaya Remit Bachat Khata</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Sunrise Lakhapati Bachat</strong></li>
	<li>
		<strong>Fixed Deposits&nbsp;</strong></li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Coverage</strong></p>
<p>
	Sunrise Bank has been providing its services through 49 branches and 57 outlets with ATM services with presence all over the country from Ilam to Dadeldhura. “This enables customers to withdraw the fund by using Visa Domestic and International Debit Card from the nearest ATM outlet,” says CEO Pradhan.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Range of products&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	“We have offered customized services to our customers,” states Pradhan. “Due to diversified products, anyone can enjoy our banking facilities as per their choices.” Besides normal deposits, the Bank offers Current Deposit and also Call Account.</p>
<p>
	Internet Banking is to ‘deliver prompt banking service’ from anywhere and at anytime.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank has also initiated Mobile Banking Services whereby the customer can conduct banking transaction through their cell phones.</p>
<p>
	“We have remittance business through Suryodaya Remit from 12 countries and international correspondents and have more than 800 payout agents including our 49 branches,” claims CEO Pradhan. The Bank provides both incoming and outgoing remittance services by means of Demand Drafts, Swift Transfers, Telex Transfers, Fax Transfers, and Mail Transfers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Safe Deposit Locker: To safeguard the valuable goods and items, the Bank provides the facility of Sunrise Safe Deposit Locker. CEO Pradhan said, “The customers have multiple choices for the various sizes of locker with reasonable costs”.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Bank also provides services for foreign currency exchange as well. Other services that Sunrise Bank offers are import and export LC, bank guarantee, cash against document, document against cash and Telegraph Transfer.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">CSR Activities</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Sunrise Bank Limited, Major Financial Indicators" height="1200" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate_focus_june2013_sunrise_bank_limited_major_financial_indicators.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="298" /></strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Since the early days of incorporation, Sunrise Bank has been contributing to the society in various ways as a part of its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). They mainly include Blood Donation, goods contribution to Bal Mandir every year and computers distribution to a community based School. “Besides that the Bank provides financial contribution time and again for noble cause like flood victims, health camps, education, sports and organizations working for deprived sectors, says CEO Pradhan.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Loan Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span></u></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Ghar Karja:</strong> For individuals to construct or purchase homes. The loan can be both for short and long term.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Sajilo Karja: </strong>Flexible loan for social, personal or business purposes.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Gold Loan:</strong> Against the mortgage of gold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Krishi Karja:</strong> For agricultural sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Term Loan: </strong>For acquiring fixed assets for a business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Demand Loan:</strong> For building up the stock and receivables to a desired level.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Loan:</strong> For small and medium businesses to meet the working capital as well as fixed assets financing.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Overdraft Loan:</strong> To finance the daily working capital requirement and to support the stock build up of the customer.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Hire Purchase:</strong> To finance the purchase of vehicles used for both consumer and commercial purposes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Import Loan:</strong> To finance domestic and international trade transactions through letter of credit. Financed in the form of trust receipt up to a certain percentage of the total L/C amount.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Short term pledge loan:</strong> Offered against the stock after verification of the same. The stock, however, is kept under lock and key of the Bank and the loan disbursed and settled in pro rata basis with the stock pledged and sold.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Export Finance:</strong> To finance various export requirements such as pre-shipment loan and post-shipment loan, documents negotiation/documentary bill purchase etc.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">The Bank also provides various other loans like Deprived Sector Loans, Loan against Bank Guarantee, Loan against Government Bonds, Margin Lending, and Loan against Fixed Deposits of other Banks and Consortium Loans.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;">Under Service products the Bank has Suryodaya Remit, Visa Debit Card, Internet Banking, Mobile Banking, Safe Deposit Locker and Trade Finance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<u><strong>Deposit Products of Sunrise Bank:</strong></u></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size: 12px;"><strong>Sunrise Normal Savings:</strong> For those customers who have the daily saving habit.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Bal Bachat Kosh:</strong> For children below the age of 16, operated under their parents’ guidance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sunrise Pink Bachat Khata: For women.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Fat Savings:</strong> Highest interest rate compared to other schemes.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Disabled Account:</strong> This account focus in serving differently able customers.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise SME Account: </strong>An interest bearing account targeted to proprietorship firms, partnership firms and private limited companies.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Lagani Khata: </strong>Targeted to the general public seeking to invest in shares of Sunrise Bank Limited or any other banks licensed by Nepal Rastra Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Sunrise Share Dhani Khata: </strong>For those who have been allotted Sunrise bank shares in the Initial Public Offering. Available also for those shareholders who purchase shares from secondary market and become shareholder of the bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Fixed Deposit:</strong> Offers high interest rates in quarterly, semi-annual and annual basis as per the choice of the customers.&nbsp;</p>
<hr />
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="color:#f00;">SWOT</span> Analysis</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Strengths</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Founded by reputed entrepreneurs&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Best Human Resource personnel.</li>
	<li>
		49 Branches and 57 ATMs and 365 days of banking services.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Weaknesses</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Less focused on productive sector like agriculture, hydropower, etc.</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Opportunities</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Investment in Hydro power and agriculture. &nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Growing Banking market.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Increasing level of awareness.</li>
	<li>
		The Bank can capture a greater loan portfolio of the country because of SME Loan.&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<p>
	<strong>Threats</strong></p>
<ul>
	<li>
		Cooperatives, finance companies and development banks that are providing more interest on deposits.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		The frequently changing policy of the central bank.</li>
	<li>
		Unstable political situation&nbsp;</li>
	<li>
		Huge investment in Real Estate Sectors and lack of investment in secured sectors.</li>
</ul>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-07-15',
			'keywords' => 'Sunrise bank Limited, Corporate Focus, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Sunrise Bank Limited is one among 32 commercial banks. The company has higher aspirations and wants to secure a spot within the top ten positions of banks in Nepal. “We want to secure our position in top ten among Nepali banks,” says Surendra Man Pradhan, Chief Executive Officer.',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1064',
			'article_category_id' => '42',
			'title' => 'Fear Of Oversupply',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Bikram Chitrakar</strong></p>
<p>
	(Review for 16 Apr to 16 May, 2013)</p>
<p>
	<strong><em>The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.</em></strong></p>
<p>
	The stock market drifted down to nearly six months low after the regulator Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON) move to allow offloading of the promoter shares through brokers. General investors fear that this will cause an oversupply impacting their asset price. As a result, the benchmark Nepse index on May 16 plummeted below that of 3 December 2012.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Though the regulator tried to pacify the investors stating that offloading of the shares will not affect market, the move does not seem to convince the investors. SEBON said, its move was simply to minimize the lengthy process under the previous rule that required an offer document to be prepared and publishing it before promoters shares could be offloaded. &nbsp;The new rule does away with that and says such shares can be sold directly through brokers. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There was another reason as well for the loss in the prices of the shares. During the review period, the price of bullions, particularly of the gold, has also gone down heavily attracting the investors away from the share market to the bullion market. The yellow metal lost nearly Rs 10,000 per tola (1 tola = 11.6638038 grammes). Nepali households buy gold for investment as well as for meeting some cultural necessities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Performance by Sector</p>
<p>
	Across the sectors, manufacturing and trading were the only two that gained. The ‘Others’ sector lost heavy (42.28 points or 6.60%) to rest at 640.32. Insurance sub-index plummeted 29.17 points to close at 859.99. Commercial banking sector trailed down 25.74 points or 5.19% to rest at 496.38. Similarly, hydropower sector descended 9.07 points to 1020.41. Hotels sector drifted 5.34 points along with 5.31 points fall in finance sector to 644.65 and 246.31 respectively. However manufacturing sector gained 26.32 points or 3.04% to rest at 866.55 while trading sector gained 2.93 points to 167.94. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sensitive index that measures the performance of 120 blue chip scrips skid 5.92 points or 4.72% to 125.55 while the float index calculated on the basis of real transaction went downhill 0.96 points or 2.69% to 35.75. Total turnover of Rs. 179,556,819 was recorded during the review period from 7,248,255 units of shares traded via 21,249 transactions.</p>
<p>
	The accompanying figure depicts the sector-wise distribution based on the total volume of trade. As usual, commercial banking sector dominated the total volume of trade by holding 73.38% share. Insurance sector accounted for 9.16% and hydropower sector 8.42% while the remaining sectors made up for the rest.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Technically, the Simple Moving Average (SMA) has been dominated by Nepse index in the long term as 200 days SMA hovers below the index line while in the short term the index has approached towards the previous resistance level of 500 and suggests it is in a neutral position waiting for clearance towards new direction.</p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10px;"><strong>(Chitrakar is a Stock Analyst with Jamb Technologies Pvt Ltd.)</strong></span></p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2013-06-07',
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			'keywords' => 'Stock taking, Bikram Chitrakar, New Business Age-',
			'description' => 'The Nepali share market came down to six months low on a fear of oversupply of ordinary shares after a move of Securities Board to allow offloading promoter shares. The benchmark Nepse index tumbled 20.70 points or 4.14% to settle at 499.99 while the sessions high was on 16 April with 520.69 and the low was on 6 May with 481.93.',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1063',
			'article_category_id' => '76',
			'title' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>By Pinaki Roy</strong></p>
<p>
	There has been a surge of extreme sports in the Himalayan Kingdom in recent years. Along with the developments in the tourism sector, the recreation industry has also benefitted by luring an increasing number of foreign tourists, urban youth and others for a number of exciting adventure sports.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Nepal is largely seen as a popular trekking destination. “Above 40 per cent of all tourists coming into Nepal go for trekking which is an integral part of tourism in Nepal,” says Mani Raj Lamichhane, Manager for Tourism Product &amp; Resource Development at Nepal Tourism Board. He further adds that around 60-70 per cent of all foreign tourists opt for various extreme sports activities altogether.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Domestic tourism is doing well currently and Nepalis are participating in rafting activities in an enthusiastic manner,” analyses Nani Kaji Thapa, President of Nepal Association of Rafting Agents (NARA). As for foreigners, 20 per cent of all tourists coming to tour Nepal go for rafting to various destinations in the country, he adds.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Manish Byanjankar, Sales Executive of The Last Resort says, “Besides the foreign tourists, Nepalis too have started taking part actively in adventure sports, particularly during the off season.” Most Nepalis indulge in adventure sports during their holidays and free time.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ideal Season</strong></p>
<p>
	“Summer is an ideal time for adventure sports activities in Nepal,” informs Lamichhane. He adds, “Besides the usual foreign tourists who come to Nepal for adventure activities, the Nepali people are also participating in high numbers.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The time period from Falgun (February – March) to Jestha (May – June), just before monsoon, is the ideal time for people to go rafting, says Thapa. “Nepalis contribute 5-10 per cent of all tourists who take part in rafting activities,” he adds. Another ideal time for rafting starts right after the monsoon period, from September to November. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Target Group</strong></p>
<p>
	Adventure Sports has mostly been associated with young people in the age group of 20-25 years. However, there is a surge in people in the age group of 30-40 years taking to extreme sports in an enthusiastic manner. “The entire thinking of the mature populace has changed. They want to enjoy these activities and make up for the experiences they missed during their youth,” observes Byanjankar.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Marketing Adventure Products</strong></p>
<p>
	Lamichhane says that Nepal Tourism Board markets adventure activities abroad while holding exhibitions and seminars in different countries. “Extreme sports are popular with tourists around the world and we look to cash in on this while marketing Nepal as a tourist destination in foreign countries,” he explains.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	One of the most prominent providers of some of these activities is The Last Resort, located on top of a gorge in the mountainous region of Panglang close to the Tibetan border. “Besides individual tourists, we see a lot of corporate houses sending their employees these days, notably for team building exercises,” informs Byanjankar.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He adds, “The group activities that the corporate houses mostly seek are hiking, high ropes, canyoning and rafting.” These activities are popular for team building exercises because they require participation from all group members to accomplish tasks and thus inculcate team value in them.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“There has been a gradual rise in the participation of these sports as people now are starting to go out of the house more often and have fun,” an employee with Initiatives Outdoor states. She adds, “There is an increasing awareness regarding health which has led a lot of young people as well as working professionals to start challenging themselves for different adventure activities.”</p>
<p>
	“We send our top performing agents to adventure destinations once in a while. We do so to motivate them to do better in the future,” says an Insurance Executive. A lot of Nepali companies send employees for extreme sports packages to break the monotony that people feel at work.</p>
<p>
	Thapa says that most people prefer Trishuli River for rafting while Bhote Koshi River is the second most preferred destination for rafting. He also informs, “There is a total investment of Rs 2 billion in rafting activities and around 1,500 are employed with this sector.”&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The Nepali youth and the working professionals are getting more adventurous than ever before. This aspect is holding the extreme sports sector in good stead, say adventure sports entrepreneurs.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<hr />
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Adventure Sports Activities in Nepal</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">White-water Rafting&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	With many rivers in the country, there are suitable choices for all levels, from fun rapids to hardcore rides. Nepal is famous for its long trips, such as a 12-day journey into the wilderness along the remote Karnali River. There are day trips along the Trishuli River as well as a wild ride along the monster rapids of Sun Koshi that begins near the Tibetan border.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Paragliding&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Paragliding has carved a niche for itself in Nepal. There are a number of companies in Pokhara offering great views via a tandem paraglide flight. Silence is a sublime experience once up there over the Pokhara valley and in the midst of the mighty Annapurna range.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Zip Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	The world’s longest adventurous zip-flyer, located in Nepal, runs at a speed of 140 km per hour and two people can make a ride at once in two trolleys sitting side-by-side suspended by the cable in the middle. The journey in the zip-flyer starts from a height of 5032 ft in Sarangkot and ends at 3,000 ft in Hemja plain covering a distance of 1,860 meters in length.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Mountain Biking</strong></p>
<p>
	The rural tracks in Nepal seem to be tailor-made for mountain biking. Mountain-bikers can tailor their routes combining cultural sites with mountain views on a mix of single tracks and jeep trails. One needs to be a fairly experienced rider with good fitness levels as mountain-biking across Nepal will have a lot of uphill sections.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Ultra-light Flying</strong></p>
<p>
	Ultra-light Flying is a new era of recreational aviation in Nepal. Since its launch, scores of people have discovered the magic of this simple, elemental, pure flight. One can feel the wind in the face, observe clear, unobstructed views and explore the stunning landscapes, surrounded by a backdrop of lofty mountain peaks.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Bungy Jumping</strong></p>
<p>
	This leap of faith has already become a growing and immensely popular adventure sport in Nepal’s tourism scenario. The Last Resort facilitates the bungy jump from high above the Bhote Koshi River from a 500 ft suspension bridge nestled between the mountains. Bungy Jumping has become extremely popular among the foreign tourists as well as the Nepali nationals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Canyoning</strong></p>
<p>
	This adventure sport involves abseiling, sliding, jumping and climbing down canyon walls alongside waterfalls to deep pools below. One gets to swim into narrow passages through powerful blasts of water and past wild rock formations. This unique combination of skills gives a person the freedom to explore some of the most ruggedly beautiful places.</p>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-06-07',
			'keywords' => 'Adventure Sports For Everyone, Trends, New Business Age',
			'description' => 'Be it bungy jumping, canyoning, rock climbing, trekking, mountain biking or flying an ultralight aircraft, adventure activities are no longer expected of foreign tourists alone. Nepalis are increasingly being drawn to extreme sports in the country in large numbers.',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1062',
			'article_category_id' => '73',
			'title' => 'HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Dhungana/Ural Singh Misra</strong></p>
<p>
	When it comes to sustainable development, Nepal has a rather rocky track record, from highs such as the establishment of our national parks, to lows such as the pitiful state of our environment, politics and even our ever fluctuating economy. The role of HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation has been a bit different. HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population. HELVETAS’ very first international affiliation was with Nepal, and for over sixty years the organization has been working to help the underprivileged population obtain sustainable sources of income as well as train youths to acquire technical skills, provide clean sources of water to the rural population and probably the most important in the present context of Nepal - promote governance and peace.</p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong>Education and Skills Development</strong></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="color:#000;"><strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development " height="292" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture_traning(1).jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="595" /><br />
	</strong></span></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working in the education and skills development sector in Nepal to reduce the number of unemployed or underemployed people in our nation. It has three major projects which focus on this particular area: ELAM - Informal Sector Enterprise Development and Employment Generation Program which was implemented to uplift the economic status of many families in central Terai so they could manage their own micro-businesses; Employment Fund which provides underprivileged youths with skills training to help them enter the job market and the Skill development and Employment for the Informal Sector program. &nbsp;HELVETAS has been constantly striving to help the rural informal economy by contributing to help maintain peace and good economic health of rural families.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Environment and Climate</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS has been working towards land and water resource management, community forest preservation and practices for climate change adaptation. As it has many years of experience in these fields and implemented projects which further help conserve Nepal’s environment, HELVETAS has been going for long-term gains to Nepal. The ‘Community Practice in Schools for Learning Climate Change Adaptation’ has been initiated to teach students how to adapt to the ever changing environment and the “Effective Water Governance in the Asian Highlands’ project teaches locals to effectively manage their water supply.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Water and Infrastructure</strong></p>
<p>
	A lack of strong infrastructure has led to many problems in Nepal in the hilly region. It has hindered people’s access to clean water. In order to help relieve pressure on rural farmers in hilly regions the Local Infrastructure for Livelihood Improvement Program was introduced in 2004. &nbsp; This has helped improve food security in the hills and income of has farmers risen. The ‘Trail Bridge Support Unit’ of the Trail Bridge Sub-Sector Program has also helped people in rural areas tremendously. &nbsp;It has helped provide safe and reliable means of crossing rivers, giving people access to expanded markets and children access to better schools. The ‘Water Resource Management Program’ is being implemented with the purpose of increasing drinking water access for rural population and to simultaneously promote sanitation and hygiene.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Rural Economy</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation: Envisioning Sustainable Development" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_agriculture.jpg" style="margin:0 10px 0 0;" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	As we all know a majority of the population are based in rural areas, so it is vital that people in the rural economy have a stable economic condition. HELVETAS has been working with local government authorities to help increase agricultural productivity, improve technology and promote sustainable soil management. Coffee is traditionally seen as a “cash crop” by farmers mainly because it fetches good price in the market. “Coffee Promotion Program” takes advantage of this and focuses on farmers who are cash deprived and helps with maintaining a regular source of income for those farmers. In order to promote food security, increased income and production technology the ‘Sustainable Soil Management Program’ was introduced in 2001 and is set to end in 2014. Going hand–in-hand with this project is the ‘Riverbed Farming Project’ which helps locals with their livelihoods. &nbsp; Seeing a huge positive impact, the organization plans to continue this project for a few more years, provided that funding is adequate.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Governance and Peace</strong></p>
<p>
	Arguably the thing people of Nepal want most is peace. If there was ever a time for anyone of the international community to come and help our poor nation, it is now. The most important aspect of democracy is the rule of the people, and if that is lost, we would end up with a nation of power-hungry dictators. &nbsp; A majority of the people must be satisfied with what is happening. Currently only minorities are happy and satisfied. HELVETAS feels that a crucial block of democracy is the interrelationship between the people, the state and local government bodies. The organization works in Nepal to stop exclusion and inequalities amongst the people whether they are based on gender, race, caste or even religion. The government of Japan through its Japanese Social Development Fund has awarded a USD 1.9 million grant to the Partnership for Transparency Fund to support independent monitoring of development projects by the World Bank in Nepal. As over 1,000 people leave Nepal every day to be migrant workers mainly in the Middle East and South-East-Asia, it is vital that they remain safe, which is why the ‘Safer Migration Project’ was initiated with funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). &nbsp;In 1997 HELVETAS initiated the ‘Linking Local Initiatives to New Know-How’ in the mid and far-western regions of Nepal to help deprived communities with issues that adversely affected their economic status. &nbsp;This was done by way of income generation through cash crop production, skill development and social empowerment. This project has now been renamed ‘Linking Smallholders with Local Institutions and Markets’.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">
	<strong>‘HELVETAS has been driving for long-term gains to Nepal’</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is a politically and religiously independent association, supported by 96,551 members, patrons and 12 volunteer-based regional groups in Switzerland. &nbsp;It is active in more than 30 countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe and Southern Caucasus. HELVETAS came to Nepal in 1956 and now cooperates with many technical and social organizations in all 75 districts across the country.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Shiva_Prasad_Aryal, HELVETAS_Swiss_Intercooperation" height="282" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/development_june2013_helvetas_swiss_intercooperation_shiva_prasad_country_director.jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you evaluate your organization’s role in maintaining the bilateral relationship between Nepal and Switzerland?</strong></p>
<p>
	HELVETAS is not a donor agency; it is more of an implementing agency. &nbsp;However, we have our ‘Own Fund’ which is created and donated by our members in Switzerland. &nbsp;Most of the funds to conduct our programmes in the many nations come from our major donors. At present, 50 percent of project funding to the Nepal programme comes from Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), about 25 percent comes from DFID and other funding comes from European Union (EU) and The World Bank.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the bleak global macro-economic situation affected the support being provided to Nepal by Swiss government?</strong></p>
<p>
	So far Switzerland seems to be lucky because there has not been any considerable impact in Swiss economy. Also the support that Swiss government provides to other nations is not so much affected. In the case of Nepal, the assistance by Swiss government is increasing annually and it is still trying hard to increase the assistance.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Employment Fund has been one of the major projects of HELVETAS in Nepal since 2007. What are the achievements so far? How satisfied are you from this?</strong></p>
<p>
	In fact, we are quite satisfied with the success of Employment Fund. When I joined HELVETAS in 2009, I used to doubt people when they talked about the employment rate and also the income rate of the training programme graduates under this project. But, only when I visited the field was I convinced with the statistical report. At present, we have an average employment rate of 70 percent from among our training graduates with average monthly income of Rs 4,600. With this, all our donors and even the Nepali government have appreciated the success of the project. Moreover, World Bank has even acknowledged the Employment Fund approach in a number of its other projects as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How is the Employment Fund regulated? What are its working principles?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I have mentioned, Employment Fund is funded by three donors and we are responsible for the overall management, control and supervision according to the need of the Fund. &nbsp;Furthermore, the Team Leader of the project is a HELVETAS employee who looks after the day-to-day activities of the project and submits us periodical reports. Our project team also makes some periodical visits to the field and discusses with stakeholders on how things are moving. In order to sum up overall progress of the project, we hold steering committee meeting where we discuss the challenges and gains made throughout the period. We also conduct our internal audit and the final reports are submitted to our donors as well as to our headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are the plans for the future?</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, we have no plan to launch a new project. &nbsp;We shall instead focus on implementation of our running projects.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	 </p>',
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			'created' => '2013-06-07',
			'modified' => '2013-07-15',
			'keywords' => 'HELVETAS, development partner, swiss, new business age',
			'description' => 'HELVETAS has been working in Nepal since 1956 to promote self reliant and sustainable development among the disadvantaged population.',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1061',
			'article_category_id' => '83',
			'title' => 'An Alternative Enterprise',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	“Within five years I will come out as the number one social entrepreneur and producer of natural products in Nepal,” says Govinda Ghimire, Chairman of Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL) expressing her determination. One of the winners of Surya Nepal Asha Awards 2012 and also a winner of Abraham Conservation Awards 2011 knows his route to the destination.</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Govinda Ghimire, Chairman, Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="295" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_an_alternative_enterprise_chairman_govinda.jpg" style="float: right; margin: 0px 0px 0px 10px;" width="200" /></p>
<p>
	Having worked in a community based enterprise with the ownership of local people, Ghimire believes that the way he is working now will take him where he wants to be. Ghimire through the AHPPL is working on producing natural products like organic coffee, organic spices, Marmelos Bael Juice, Aelovera Juice, Chuiri Butter and honey. He says that the production of these products is done by local people under the support and supervision of AHPPL. Branding, marketing, establishment of processing plant among others is done by the company while collection, processing and producing is mostly done by local people.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Investment Plans</strong></p>
<p>
	To establish AHPPL as the numero uno herbal company, Ghimire believes that higher income and capital base is required than that of today. But he does not feel he has made that required money yet.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Alternative Herbal is a small company by all means but it is not so small in terms of the trust it has built and the goodwill it has earned,” he says. Ghimire sees export potentials as the means to make the desired earnings which will be further invested in expansion of working area and product assortment.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire does not see investment as one of the bigger challenges. He is confident that any bank or financial institution will happily invest in his ventures and the donors too will cooperate with him in his initiatives. “The biggest asset that AHPPL today has is the expertise. I am not looking to sell it but to develop it as the property,” he explains.</p>
<p>
	Similarly, as an investment expansion plan, Ghimire is planning for plantation of herbs and other raw materials for production of natural products, where he is currently specialised on. He explains that the farming is not done by the company but by local farmers. “We will purchase their production giving them buy back guarantee so that they need not worry about getting the right value and market for their products,” he added.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Alternative Herbal Products Pvt Ltd (AHPPL)" height="1142" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_products(1).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" width="325" />Expansion</strong></p>
<p>
	AHPPL initially produced herbal tea. Then it expanded its product range to organic coffee, spices and herbal soaps. Beginning this year, the company has also started exporting Chiuri butter. It has already exported this product worth Rs 5 million. Its production was 4000 kg last year and this year, according to Ghimire, production has doubled to 8000 kg.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The company’s one of the major products, Marmelos (brand of bael juice) is picking up within the domestic market. &nbsp;Currently, 100,000 bottles of this juice are sold within Kathmandu Valley annually. As the public liking for the product is increasing, the people in Siraha, Saptari and Bardiya have started bael plantation to produce juice. Currently, from two areas each, 50,000 litres of juice is produced annually. The initiative of the AHPPL has promoted one village one product (OVOP) in areas where the company is concentrated.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire and his company began working in Siraha, Saptari, Makwanpur and Chitwan districts. Now, the work has expanded to 16 districts with networks of value chain. According to Ghimire, institution is developed in local level that mechanises the production and supply side which further helps in having legal source of the products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	There are entrepreneurs who complain about the lack of infrastructures for carrying out business initiatives. But, for Ghimire, the absence of road is not a problem. He says, “We work in that place where there is resource rather than looking for road access and infrastructures.”</p>
<p>
	<strong>Benefits to People&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire believes in working on fair trade values for profit making. He explains that if a product costs Rs 100, Rs 51 goes to the producer while Rs 49 is received by the market value chain and concerned stakeholders. In the process to produce 17 products, 2500 households from 16 districts are directly benefitted. Ghimire says that people directly get the money which they can use for their needs. He says that the company registers annual turnover of Rs 10 million.</p>
<p>
	Ghimire said that people who were involved in hunting of wild animals for their living now have stopped their old profession and involved in juice production. Similarly, in Siraha and Saptari bael trees were fell to fire brick kilns but after people knew about the importance of the fruits of that tree, they now have started plantation of bael that has not only protected environment but also helped in generating income for local community. This is one of the reasons he was awarded with the conservation awards.</p>
<p>
	The company had to struggle hard in maintaining consistency in quality of the products in the initial days. Similarly, branding was another challenge but Ghimire says it has been solved by now. Ghimire says that technical knowhow is given to local people while all the responsibilities of branding and marketing are taken by the company.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Future of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<p>
	Ghimire claims that the AHPPL has been established as an example among various government and private agencies as a successful model of social enterprise. He says that the goodwill and image of the company is yet to be converted into cash. So, he is planning to cash his intangible resources. Similarly, he is soon planning to establish a processing plant with an investment of Rs 50 million.</p>
<p>
	<strong><br />
	</strong></p>
<hr />
<p>
	<strong>Genesis of Alternative Herbal</strong></p>
<div>
	<img alt="Aloe Vera Juice" height="331" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/social_entrepreneurship_June2013_alternative_enterprise_product_aloe_vera(1).jpg" style="float: left; margin: 0px 10px 0px 0px;" width="120" />
	<div>
		Ghimire is a lawyer by education but he never practiced law in court. He believes that the education he has got about law has proved to be of great help to him throughout his business career. Having worked as an employee for around half a decade in an environmental organisation, Centre for Agro Ecology and Development, he served as a social worker concentrating in Chepang Village in Chitwan district. He was working for enhancing the livelihood through income generation programmes for local people. The duration of almost seven years as an employee exposed him to a sea of practical knowledge about the marketing nitty-gritty and natural products know-how. Meanwhile, he also established a cooperative with support from donor agencies like SNV and OXFAM.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having worked with and for the local community, he developed nerves for enterprise. He also closely witnessed the wrongdoings of the middlemen and was not satisfied with the way local people were not getting the right price of their productions. Working in the market linkages, he understood how things should be done.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		Having a fire of entrepreneurship along with the technical know-how, he went ahead to establish a company of his own: Alternative Herbal Pvt Ltd. To begin with, he had four like-minded partners along with the investment of the cooperative that he established in his initiative. Ghimire says that the initial investment was only Rs 500,000. Herbal tea was the first product the company produced and marketed.</div>
	<div>
		 </div>
	<div>
		In the initial days, products such as herbal tea were exported to European market including Belgium. A Belgium based company was taking the responsibility to supply goods to the European market. Ghimire admits that the products were not well received there because of the quality. But he says things are now changing. Having spent a lot of time and resources in research and development, Ghimire says that his products are well received in both domestic and &nbsp;international market as the company has been able to improve the quality as well as diversity of product range.</div>
</div>
<div>
	 </div>',
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			'id' => '1060',
			'article_category_id' => '47',
			'title' => 'A Tenacious Trader',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Sujan Tiwari</strong></p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd always had thoughts of being a businessman since he was a child. Even though he was born in a family whose profession was agriculture, he had deviations towards business. &nbsp; His family background was no motivation for him to start a business, so for some time he thought of holding a job, as he had no other career aims. “Besides my career, my ambition was to become a national level player and I fulfilled that. I was a national athlete from Koshi zone,” says Chapagain. But despite his success in sports, he wasn’t interested in making it his career. In the back of his head, he always thought of owning a business. Fortunately, he was able to realize his childhood dream immediately after graduating.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Akhil Kumar Chapagain’s new ventures will be in the sector of tourism and agriculture, which are quite new for him. After 29 years of running a successful trading business, Chapagain now has plans of opening a resort in Dhulikhel. “While abroad on business delegations, I have always tried to sell something from Nepal. As Nepal has such immense potential in tourism, I thought of opening a resort. I will accomplish this within the next two or three years,” says Chapagain. He also has plans of starting his own farming business.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	For the last two years, Chapagain’s major focus has been on opening own retail outlets for his products. “The outlets reduce the hassle of appointing wholesalers and retailer. The customers can buy the products at a cheaper price so I am focusing on such outlets,” informed Chapagain. Till date, he has opened retail outlets for his brands Suvari, Istikbal, Rodimood and Colin’s.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he believes in doing fair business, and wants to be long-run player. “After all these years in business, I have made a name for myself and my company. I have a reputation to maintain. So I always do fair business,” says he. According to him, having moral courage to face the society is very important for him, and making profit comes only after that. He believes he has contributed to the society through his fair business, and is happy about that. “As I am associated with numerous trade associations, I encourage all to play fair game. It always pays off in the end,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Early Life&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Born in Bhojpur, Dingla in 1957 to Thama Nath Chapagain and Pushpa Kumari Chapagain, Chapagain says he was mischievous and aggressive since his childhood. With eight siblings, he grew up in quite a big family. He spent most of childhood and school days in Biratnagar. According to Chapagain, he was very athletic and loved sports, and had a lot of friend. “I still miss those days when I used to play with my friends in a garden near my school. We climbed trees, swam in the pool and had a really good time,” said he. After moving to Kathmandu, he joined Min Bhawan Campus for higher education, and later graduated from Trichandra College. &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Initiation</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain had started his business journey by opening Akhil Trading Concern as a private trading firm in the year 1984. To start with, he imported wrist watches and cosmetics from Switzerland. Sadly, his first attempt didn’t pay back well and he suffered loss in both the products. “At that time, many companies were importing watches through illegal channels. I imported the watches through legal channels by paying all the taxes, which may have increased their prices. So it didn’t go well,” recollects Chapagain. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After receiving his first blow, he thought of changing his approach, and focused on the products that would suit the need of the people here, and were quite inexpensive. After much thought, he imported dry fruits from Singapore, and it did a satisfactory business. This helped him to cover his earlier loss, and most importantly, gave him the courage. Filled with new hope, he imported refrigerators from China, and it too went well. “Later, I discontinued importing Chinese as the quality was inferior, and I started importing FMCG from European countries,” says Chapagain. Today, majority of his imports are from Europe.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil Kumar Chapagain, Chairman of Akhil Trading Concern Pvt Ltd " src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar(1).jpg" /></p>
<p>
	<strong>Evolution of Business</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain was in Germany once, searching for some business opportunities. Walking on the streets, his eyes fell on a store with a brand named Fakir. He found out that it was a household appliance brand, and intuitively wanted to import and sell its products in Nepal. After his return to Nepal, he made correspondence asking the company for dealership. Back then, Akhil Trading Concern wasn’t a big name as it is today, so he had little hopes that his request would be accepted. “I had informed them about my actual status, and they knew that mine wasn’t a very big company. I wasn’t very hopeful for a favourable response,” says he.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The representatives of the company came to Nepal and had talks with him. They also met with people from other companies here, most of them at a higher position than his. Sometime later, the company offered him the exclusive dealership despite the size of his company. This dealership gave him his first big break. “Years later, I asked the company men why they selected me over other companies. They said that they were impressed with my honesty as I had told them about my status without any exaggeration,” says Chapagain. The dealership did a good business for him and he focused on more European products.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Present Times</strong></p>
<p>
	Currently, Chapagain imports more than a dozen big brands from Europe, Australia, Thailand and Hong Kong. Some of these brands are Suvari, Rodimood, Colin’s, Istikbal and Khao Shong. Most if his imports are from Turkey, as he says Turkish products are of European standard, and are affordable as well. He says he imports only the best products with superior quality. According to him, his import Khao Shong is the number two coffee brand in Nepal and Arabella is number one in pasta. The products include FMCG, textiles, furniture, appliances and apparels among others. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	“Honestly speaking, I wanted to do business because I dint want to work for anyone, and wanted to be my own master. I preferred it over doing a job for some company,” says Chapagain. He started his business with an investment of 300,000 rupees, and imported one or two products. Today, he runs a successful trading business and has more than a dozen products in his list. According to him, the business is doing really good, and is growing year after year. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	On success, Chapagain shares that he is satisfied with what he has accomplished. “To keep a trading firm running in Nepal all these years is a success in itself as it’s a very risky business,” says he. He strongly disagrees with those who say trading is easier business than manufacturing. According to him, trading is in no sense an easy business, and has its own threats and challenges. “Traders have to face problems like grey market, counterfeit goods and other traders’ monopoly over brands. We also have a huge responsibility towards the customers,” says Chapagain. He has no plans of foraying into manufacturing, and is contented with what he is doing and what he has achieved. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Family</strong></p>
<p>
	<img alt="Akhil's Family" height="392" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personlaity_June2013_tenacious_trader_akhil_kumar_family.jpg" width="450" /></p>
<p>
	Chapagain married Gyanu Chapagain at the age of 29. Their fathers were old friends, and the marriage was fixed even before he was aware of it. They went to the same school and knew each other, but he never thought he would marry her. Very shy around girls, Chapagain vividly remembers the first time they met with the purpose. “I was quite a rebel, so I didn’t want to go with my father’s decisions. But when she reached marriageable age, we got together quite well and we both agreed to marry,” says he. &nbsp;Gyanu is a housewife and maintains all aspects of his personal life. According to Chapagain, she maintains the family bond and looks after all the family matters as he is too busy for them. The couple is blessed with two sons Arpit and Arjit. His elder son Arpit has recently joined the company as the Managing Director.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Personal Side</strong></p>
<p>
	Very health conscious and athletic, Chapagain exercises a lot. He jogs 5 kilometers every day, and has been doing it for the last 25 years. He is a frequent blood donor and has donated blood 26 times. Travelling and trekking are his hobbies, and is abroad for about five months a year. He has travelled Asia and Europe extensively. He spends most of his free time with his family and acquaintances in outings and get-togethers. Chapagain enjoys all sorts of foods, and is a social drinker. He enjoys good wine, and imports them too.</p>
<p>
	Chapagain says he is very conscious of his clothing, and wears brands like Pierre Cardin, Louis Philippe, Van Heusen and of course, Suvari. “I like to groom myself, and use some cosmetic products as well. &nbsp;I always want to look presentable,” says Chapagain. He is passionate about gadgets, and owns iPhone 4S and a Sony Vaio. Samsung Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 are on his wish list. Chapagain currently drives Nissan Super Saloon.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Epilogue</strong></p>
<p>
	Chapagain believes that all the diplomatic missions and offices in foreign countries should promote Nepal. “All such offices should have a booth to inform about Nepal and our products as it helps in promotion and publicity of Nepal. The rest of the world needs to know about Nepal and what Nepal has to offer,” says he. He has personally promoted Nepal during his business delegations and visits.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	He believes that all should stop blaming the government for the problems, and take responsibility squarely on their shoulders. “There is too much negativity around us. Everyone from all walks of life should move ahead with a positive and constructive mindset,” says Chapagain.&nbsp;</p>
<div>
	 </div>
<div>
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			'title' => 'Coca-Cola Strives Be Relevant To New Generations',
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			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name. Recently, Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit visited Nepal. New Business Age Editor-in-chief Madan Lamsal talked with him regarding business prospects of Coca-Cola in Nepali market during his visit.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>Kindly talk about your career growth and your role in the Coca Cola business today.</strong></p>
<p>
	I have spent most of my working life with Coca-Cola, having been with the company for almost two decades now. I joined in 1994 and worked in a variety of roles mostly involving Operations and Commercial beverages. I had an eight year stint with Coca-Cola China where I worked on a variety of roles from Business Development to Shanghai Region Manager and also managed The Coca-Cola Company’s Global Partnership for the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. I moved back to India in early 2011 as VP-Operations providing leadership support to the company owned bottling operations (CBO) and franchise bottling operations (FBO’s) in India. In October 2012, I took over the role of VP-South West Asia Operations and as the Head of our Juice business for the India and South West Asia Business Unit.</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola is a great company and a great brand to work for. I’ve had some extremely challenging yet fantastic experiences in my years with Coke. I have had the pleasure of working with some of the most engaged and inspiring people as a part of the Coca-Cola family and I hope I can continue to do so in the future as well.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Till a few years ago Coke in Nepal enjoyed close to 80 percent of market share. That is now reduced about 64 percent only, somewhat due to aggressive marketing from the competitor. What is being planned in order for Coke to regain the same past glory? Where have you reached in your expansion plan for Coca-Cola in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies and our products are available in more than 200 countries. In Nepal as well, our brands enjoy consumer preference and share of throat, as we like to call it.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	After 126 years in the beverage business, we are still innovating, evolving and striving to be relevant to new generations. &nbsp;We constantly strive to stay relevant to our consumers by focusing on their needs and consumption patterns and connecting with them through our products. For example, Trademark Coca-Cola has partnered with the All Nepal Football Association for the Coca-Cola Cup to connect with young footballers across Nepal and promote healthy active lifestyles. Brand Fanta has partnered with the Miss Nepal pageant to stay relevant to teenagers and add some ‘play’ in their lives. So we are constantly trying to find touch points that connect our brands with our consumers across the country.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We face aggressive competition in any country that we operate in, but this is good since it not only helps the category to grow, but also provides consumers with a choice of high quality beverages. &nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Providing consumers with choice and value continues to be the cornerstone of our business strategy.We are focused on offering a range of products in different packs at varying price points, which is in keeping with our OBPPC (occasion, brand, price, pack, and channel) architecture. To ensure this, we are investing in our distribution, innovation and marketing investments to continue to drive recruitment for the beverage category. Further improvement in the company’s route-to-market and organizational capabilities are also areas we need to focus on. We have solid plans for Nepal this year and if we can do the right things every day, business growth is a given.</p>
<p>
	<strong style="font-size: 12px;">Coca-Cola in Nepal does not have a wide range of products that the company’s consumers enjoy elsewhere. What are you doing in this regard? Is any products line expansion in the offing in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	The Coca-Cola Company is one of the largest beverages companies in the world today. We are available in more than 200 countries across the world and have more than 3500 product offerings, including more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from.</p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day. We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes across channels. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides and we are constantly researching and evaluating need states to grow our business and expand our portfolio of products.</p>
<p>
	We have been researching and innovating and have a number of plans for Nepal this year in terms of our beverage choices and packaging varieties. You will have to watch out for those in the coming months!</p>
<p>
	<strong>What is the contribution of Coca-Cola’s pure juice and juice products to its total annual revenue collection from Nepal?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes including in RGB 250ml, Cans 330 ml, PET 500ml, 1.5 Liters and 2.25 Liters. Our current portfolio does not include juices and juice products. As I said before, we are focusing on our distribution, route-to-market and organizational capabilities to drive recruitment for the beverage category, grow our business and expand our portfolio of products, in line with consumer choice and preference.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coca-Cola’s fruit juice and juice products like the Minute-Maid and Simply Orange apparently do not have any significant market share in the Nepali market. What are the plans to promote these juice products of the company in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned earlier, we currently do not manufacture any juice in Nepal.We offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. Packaged beverage consumption is on the rise in Nepal and we are constantly evaluating opportunities to provide our consumers with a variety of still and sparkling beverages.We need to continue to do the right things each day and at all times, to further grow the packaged ready to drink beverage business in the country. We will of course continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ tastes in the Nepalese market.</p>
<p>
	<strong>There is one controversy in Nepal. People say that the Coke they get to drink here in Nepal or this part of the world is not the same as what the people in the US or Europe get to drink. Is the perception right? If there is perceptive difference, why so and do you find reasons enough to alter this perception? How?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our beverages across the world provide consumers with the same great taste and quality. We strive toprovide the same high quality, safe and tasty products in all 200+ countries in which we operate. Our quality testing parameters and taste standards apply to all our manufacturing facilities worldwide. We aim to provide our consumers the same refreshing and flavourful beverages across the world.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Coke is no doubt the most popular carbonated drinks in Nepal as well as in the South Asian region. But perhaps the same is not true for Coke’s juices. How far is Coca-Cola from realizing the optimum potential of its juice business in the South Asianregion?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Nepal’s beverage industry is growing. Consumers now have a lot of choice in terms of choosing what type of beverage they want, at what pack and what occasion.</p>
<p>
	That being said, the industry still has a lot of potential to grow. This is a country which has a relatively low per capita consumption levels for packaged beverages and we see steady and robust growth in both sparkling and still beverage categories in the future. The per capita consumption of our products is only 9.2. Contrast this to a global average of 92, 38 in China and 728 in Mexico. In Nepal our portfolio includes Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda. In India we have products like Thums Up and Limca and the Minute Maid Brand of juices.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Minute Maid Pulpy Orange is the number one orange juice drink and Maaza, our mango juice drink has been the leader in the mango juice category for years now. In Sri Lanka as well, we have our Minute Maid range of juices, including Orange, Mango, Apple and Mixed Fruit flavours which are doing exceptionally well in that market. We are currently the market leaders in Sri Lanka. So we are seeing a rise in the consumption of juice and juice drinks in all our markets in this region. Our outlook towards juices and juice based beverages in this region is very positive. With disposable incomes rising, consumers are focusing on hygiene and quality of packaged beverages which will lead to growth in consumption of our juice drinks as well.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The company’s other beverages such asLimca, ThumsUp, Maaza etc.are quite popular in India but not that much in Nepal. Is the company going to adopt any new marketing strategy in order to promote these brands in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	Our efforts in Nepal need to be directed at being the beverage of choice all day, every day.We want to provide our consumers across Nepal with a wide variety of products and we have been investing behind our brands and brand positioning to drive recruitment for the sparkling beverage category. We currently offer Trademark Coca-Cola, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite and Kinley Soda in Nepal in a variety of pack sizes. We are focused on leveraging the growth opportunity that a market like Nepal provides. We have some solid marketing plans for Nepal this year and we will continue to innovate and evolve our portfolio of products to cater to consumers’ taste preferences in Nepal.</p>
<p>
	<strong>Is the company planning to promote its juice brands in a major way globally as it seems the consumers, of not only Coke but also other carbonated drinks as well, seem to gradually believe that soda is not very god for human health and hence are shifting to juices which are healthier alternatives? &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	All over the world, consumers are telling us they care about their well-being, and we care too. &nbsp;We recognize the health of our business is interwoven with the well-being of our consumers, our employees and the communities in which we operate. &nbsp;That is why we offer consumers a wide range of choices in products, sizes and with and without calories. Bringing real choice to consumers everywhere, and educating them on the role their choices play in achieving sensible, balanced diets and active, healthy lifestyles, is part of our commitment to responsible marketing and consumer education around our products.</p>
<p>
	As I said before, we have more than 3500 product offerings, which include more than 800 low and no calorie products, for our consumers to choose from. We have demonstrated that both the Sparkling and Still segments have tremendous upside. We want to be a total beverage company and keeping this in mind have launched several products in the recent past to ensure we are able to cater to the varying needs of the consumer. Juices and juice drinks play a key role in our portfolio and have been showing robust growth over the past few years. All our products, not just juice drinks, can be enjoyed as part of an active healthy lifestyle.</p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_neeraj_garg(2).jpg" style="float:right; margin:0 0 0 10px;" />In recent years, Coke in Nepal is increasing its spend on CSR activities. What new activities are being planned?</strong></p>
<p>
	We operate in world which is constantly innovating and evolving to become more and more sustainable in the long term. Consumers across the world are conscious to companies that are investing in CSR and are seen doing something for the betterment of the community.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Sustainability is a crucial component of The Coca-Cola Company’s global business strategy and Vision 2020 statement. We strongly believe that in order for us to do well, we need our communities to succeed and give us the social license to operate. As our Chairman Muhtar Kent puts it- ‘Sustainable business thrives only amongst sustainable communities.’ We have developed a global framework for all our sustainability initiatives across the world and have an entire vertical dedicated to CSR and sustainability.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	In Nepal, we have designed various programs under this global sustainability framework of ‘Me We World’, with an emphasis on Water and Sanitation, Climate Protection and promoting Healthy Active Living.</p>
<p>
	We have recently launched two of our flagship CSR initiatives the Support My School Program and the 5BY20 Parivartan Training Program in Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	We have launched the ‘Support My School’ Campaign in partnership with UN HABITAT, ENPHO, CEN and some municipal corporations. This is grassroots level campaign that aims to create awareness and address issues in schools which lead to absenteeism or children dropping out of school. We are focusing on improving water and sanitation facilities and developing the overall infrastructure of schools across Nepal.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The 5BY20 Parivartan Program is a women’s retailer training program, part of our global &nbsp;initiative that aims to economically empower 5 million women across our value chain by the year 2020. Through this program we are training Nepali women retailers on business skills, such as Shop, Stock, Customer and Financial Management. We launched this initiative with 30 women retailers on 8th March- International Women’s Day and we plan to conduct more trainings across Nepal this year.</p>
<p>
	One of our associates recently went to Antarctica as part of an international team with Sir Robert Swan- a renowned polar explorer and environmentalist. Swan visited Nepal last year to support our efforts towards water and environmental protection. We hope that through this international exposure our associates can create awareness and make a difference towards climate change.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Coca-Cola Nepal also has partnerships with UNHABITAT and the Government of Nepal for The Partnership for Safe Water Project to reduce the risk posed by untreated water. The Project provides improved access to drinking water by promoting Household Water Treatment (HWT) options in local communities and spreading awareness on ‘Safe drinking water’ in urban centres of Nepal.</p>
<p>
	We have also partnered with the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) for the Coca-Cola Cup, national grassroots football tournament since 2006. This initiative is a part of our global commitment to create a sporting culture in the country by promoting a healthy and active lifestyle. This tournament involves 10, 000 boys and girls from over 500 schools across 6 regions of the country.</p>
<p>
	We also organize a number of initiatives to create awareness on World Water Day and World Environment Day,as well as conduct the Everest Marathon and International Olympic Day Run.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>How has the ongoing financial or economic crisis in Nepal affected the soft drinks market? &nbsp;And how is Coke facing it?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Economic and political stability is important for the country and of course for businesses as well. As a business, we hope that there is ample predictability in policies and regulations. As a business entity, we expect governmentsto have a long term outlook and a world view to spur growth in any market that we operate in. We believe that Governments should work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective policies that spur economic growth. The Coca-Cola strategy for solving some of the world’s most pressing issues is what we call the ‘Golden Triangle’ -- the coming together of civil society, business and government to develop collaborative partnerships and create a model for growth. We have been constantly working towards such partnerships worldwide and we are seeing a positive difference in these communities.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What are your views on the trends in the Nepali economy over the next one or two years, and impact for soft drinks business in general, and the Coca Cola group of drinks in particular?</strong></p>
<p>
	As I mentioned, creating stable and predictable policies and a business-friendly environment is something that all business entities look for to invest in countries in the long term. As businesses we hope that Governments will work collectively with industry and policy bodies to implement effective regulationsto spur economic growth. As I mentioned, our philosophy is driving effective collaborations and partnerships between government, business and civil society.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	With regards to the beverage industry in Nepal, I think the packaged beverage consumption is on the rise and the non-alcoholic ready to drink (NARTD) category continues to evolve to varying consumer demands. Coca-Cola has a strong focus on innovation and we will continue to provide our consumers with beverage choices for all occasions and cater to the advancements of the Nepali beverage market.</p>',
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			'keywords' => 'Neeraj Garg, vice president at Coca-cola India and South West Asia Business Unit, Interview, New Business Age, June 2013',
			'description' => 'Coca-Cola’s India unit and South West Asia business operations comprise key markets – India, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Maldives. Nepal is one of the key markets for Coca-Cola and the business unit’s role is critical to the company to maintain its market share and brand name.',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1058',
			'article_category_id' => '46',
			'title' => 'IFC Has Been A Pioneer In Promoting And Developing Local Capital Market',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<img alt="Jingdong Hua" height="245" src="http://www.newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_june2013_jingdong_hua_ifc(1).jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="200" />The World Bank Group (WBG) says Nepal is a priority country for it. &nbsp;Internaional Finance Corporation (IFC), is a member of WBG and through it the WBG is enhancing its engagement in Nepal by way of both Investment Services and Advisory Services. To facilitate private sector growth in Nepal, IFC works to promote private investment in infrastructure, tourism, financial markets, transportation, and trade finance. Through advisory services, IFC contributes to increasing access to finance for businesses, making it easier to do business, facilitating public-private dialogue for policy reforms, and promoting regional trades.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	Recently, Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>Excerpts:&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>The main objective of your mission is to sensitise the Nepali policymakers and opinion makers on the importance of developing local capital markets as the foundation for sustainable growth. What prompted the IFC to pursue this particular objective?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	&nbsp;IFC has been a pioneer in promoting and developing local capital market. As a matter of fact, in the last 10 years, IFC has provided over $10 billion in 60 different local currencies. The reason is very simple. We help private sector entrepreneur. In case of most of our private entrepreneurs, their business generates revenue in local currencies and generates many local friends. We want entrepreneurs to focus to grow their business instead of worrying about foreign exchange facilities. At a micro level that is the motivation. And at the macro level, the motivation is the foundation for the growth of the capital market. You need a vibrantly liquid capital market support from where the private entrepreneurs can efficiently finance their operation depending on the risk of the capital.</p>
<p>
	Over the past several years, our team in Nepal has been working tirelessly in terms of supporting the power sector in the country with hydropower being the most common sector. That truly is the bottom line. We need to unlock the country to political advantage of its economic potential and some of the hydropower projects do generate local currency revenue. We have been engaging with the government for several years in terms of starting the dialogue, presenting the rationale and explaining the mechanical process. We are happy that we are getting encouraging support from the government. We are waiting for a green signal from the government about regulatory approval. We are very optimistic that the government will be supporting us.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What can the media do to help in this matter?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Media plays an important role to sensitise the citizen on the experience of other emerging countries who have benefitted from open and vibrant capital market. It can also highlight the IFC project about how critically they are helping to resolve the infrastructural performance so as to unlock economic opportunity in different sectors.</p>
<p>
	<strong>IFC has been planning to issue local currency bond in Nepal. Could you please highlight the logic behind this?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	Our projects require local currency financing. To issue these bonds in the Nepali market, there needs to be a regulatory approval from the government for which there is a process. And we are engaging with the government. We are hopeful that in the near future, we will be able to obtain that approval.</p>
<p>
	<strong>What impediments do you see in successful implementation of this idea?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	We are very optimistic that it will be very successful. As a matter of fact, we have opened three other new markets elsewhere in the world during the last four months. For instance, we have issued local currency bond in The Dominican Republic and in Nigeria. In both cases, those were the first ever foreign bonds issued in local currency in the two countries. While in Russia, we issued the biggest bond by foreign issuer with a very innovative feature of linking coupon rate with inflation target index. We have a lot of experience working with the local pension fund, insurance company, local bank, and local investment community to showcase the benefit from different perspectives.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	<strong>What do you have to say to the Nepali private sector that is focusing more on the problems of getting foreign capital than on local currency funds?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	For the market to be recognised by the foreign investors to attract more foreign direct investment, there has to be an environment that enables the private sector to survive. &nbsp;Stable regulatory framework too is required to support foreign investment.Also needed are some critical early success example which demonstrate that the market is viable and ready. There are many things to be developed in terms of capital market. As it needs regulatory framework, market infrastructure and capital market player, the government should regularly facilitate and support the process. It is a long term process and IFC is committed to help Nepal in every way.</p>
<p>
	<strong>The idea of utilising the local capital market for raising capital to invest in infrastructure projects is being floated for quite some time in Nepal but nothing concrete could be achieved so far. What was lacking in those ideas generated locally?&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	IFC issues local currency denominated bonds. It is not just the domestic investor who can buy; foreign investor can also buy if they feel comfortable investing in Nepali rupees. The local currency bond can also attract foreign investors. It has to ensure safety in terms of settlement and investment in the market so that other players can invest on the basis of that.</p>
<p>
	<strong>How do you see the progress of IFC’s investments in Nepal?</strong></p>
<p>
	I have visited Buddha Air and had a conversation with the owner directly and how critical our financing is. So it would be beneficial if we not only provide critical financing but also the advisory support on how to improve their management and safety.</p>',
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			'description' => 'Jingdong Hua, Vice President, Treasury and Syndications of IFC had visited Nepal. He talked with Siromani Dhungana of New Business Age about role of IFC to strengthen Nepal’s Private sector.',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1057',
			'article_category_id' => '48',
			'title' => 'Development Riddle Solved',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>By Madan Lamsal</strong></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="development riddle" src="/userfiles/images/1371635301.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 378px;" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this &ldquo;rich-mines, poor-minds&rdquo; country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.</p>
<p>
	But not anymore will we have these qualms since the riddle of this big WHY has now been solved. Nepal can now embark on a development track with rocket speed, absolutely different from the frog jump pattern proposed by former PM Dr Baburam Yami Bhattarai.</p>
<p>
	We had had such difficulty in developing the country mainly because the lost key of development lied elsewhere - somewhere outside the country. Thank God! This mystery has been resolved now after the appointment of Lokman Karki as the CIAA chief. Every Nepali by now understands that the key to our development lies in the hands of foreign countries, maybe our neighbours or the superpowers. Or, possibly, there could be many keys with many &lsquo;partners&rsquo; that we got to find out and bring them back.</p>
<p>
	It is this realisation that is pushing every Nepali regardless of age, gender, origin, religion or profession to foreign lands. Recently, Nepal&rsquo;s quintessential leader Comrade Prachanda visited both our northern and southern neighbours in quick succession, last month. He not only talked about Nepal&rsquo;s development, but also proposed a new vision of &lsquo;triangular model&rsquo; involving China, India and Nepal. His wisdom did highly impress the leaders of both sides, akin to his claims. The likelihood is that he might be hired as a consultant by the planners of these countries to generate such great angular visions which they could never think of so far. In the power corridors of New Delhi, he was even asked if his triangle could be made a quadrangle by adding a &lsquo;people&rsquo;s war dimension to it&rsquo; so that it could be copyrighted as the new Prachandapath model of development!</p>
<p>
	Not only Prachanda, but also his party rank and file believes that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development is indeed in the hands of foreigners. His deputy, Dr Bhattarai, in a recent trip to Australia made it clear that the people who live in Nepal are unable to develop it, so those who have left Nepal and become foreigners should develop it.</p>
<p>
	See the impact of foreign trips! These leaders who believed in putting schools on fire, bombing suspension bridges in remote hinterland, felling telephone and electricity polls and destroying public property have suddenly started talking about development. If you still don&rsquo;t believe that the key to Nepal&rsquo;s development lies in foreign hands, consider the following examples as well.</p>
<p>
	Not only politicians, but also most civil servants are dying to grab any possible opportunity for a foreign trip. Because they realize that their years of experience in service has failed to teach them how to develop the country and, therefore, seek the compensation for it a foreign trip. &nbsp;Therefore, senior officers prefer to participate in foreign trainings, workshops or seminars where nominations are actually sought from junior positions. Simply, the more senior people who participate, the more cakes of development they would bring back.</p>
<p>
	Such love for Nepal&rsquo;s development is not limited to politicians and civil servants. You can simply say that anyone very keen to go abroad is a true lover of Nepal&rsquo;s development. Every Nepali student believes that s/he cannot develop this nation by studying here. That&rsquo;s why visa applications are filed as soon as the completion &nbsp;of +2 education. Those who fail to leave the country are even more patriotic. They do not miss even a single opportunity to protest against any anti-development move of the government. And they make sure that they destroy some amount of existing public property so that it could be replaced by a new one.&nbsp;</p>
<p>
	The members of the general public who are smart enough want to leave the country at any cost. They too realize the fact that no development is possible within the country. Manpower agencies, planners and development experts, all by now agree that the country will not develop from within, so we must bring everything from other countries. Everything means everything- a constitution, directives for the government dictating who should be appointed where and what model of development should be followed. With this, one can be pretty sure of the faster development we have missed thus far.</p>',
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			'keywords' => 'No laughing matter, new business age, Madan Lamsal, Development Riddle Solved',
			'description' => 'Everyone in Nepal is equally concerned about and committed to the development of this “rich-mines, poor-minds” country. But, what puzzles everyone is the fact that Nepal has, so far, truly lagged far behind in development despite so much effort and foreign aid.',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '1054',
			'article_category_id' => '78',
			'title' => 'Guilty Until Proven Innocent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;">We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit.</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos. I thought – “really?” Another sniggered, “what was the lady (the rape victim!!) doing so late at night”? (9.30 p.m.!!) They were declaring the victim guilty with such smugness that I felt sick. Who decides what modest dressing is? Does the fact of wearing western clothes give a right to molest? A female walking alone at 9.30 p.m., does that provide anybody a right to rape? Come on – must be joking!!! <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	There is a part of society that always blames women. They whisper, “She must have provoked him”, “She must have done something wrong.” The “guilty” verdict is delivered. Ever wonder why the victim’s face is blurred on TV? She has not done anything wrong except, may be, walking alone at night!! Why does she have to use a veil to cover her face? Probably because she does not have faith in being treated humanely. She knows that her friends, relatives and society in general will not let her move on and continue with her life. There will be whispers everywhere she goes.&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Declaring a woman guilty after being&nbsp; assaulted is not a recent phenomenon. It happened even in Ramayana. Sita,wife of Lord Rama, was asked to prove herself by entering in fire. Even then Rama had to ostracize her. She pleaded with mother Earth to take her back. Despite of remorse expressed by all, she went back to her maternal home. There are multiple versions of the story but one basic issue is clear: Sita had to prove her innocence. Till then, she was guilty. In Mahabharata – “Anushashana Parva section CXXIII” – it is mentioned that when the husband is away the wife should not use ornaments, not have a proper bath (gets stinky!!) and not indulge in any adornment till the hubby is back. In a nutshell, the diktat is clear – look horrible and smell horrible. If she wears ornaments, etc., what will happen? She will look good, off course!!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">Then what? Men will be attracted to her! And her husband is away. Guilty – guilty – guilty!! Unless she proves her innocence by ensuring she does not look good. Awesome – is it not so? By the way,nobody asks the husband how he satiates himself while he is away!! From ancient times a son, as heir, is always of paramount importance. Lineage to progress, as if the male was the only involved in the progression process. We have seen enough daughters making their family proud and sons shaming them. Still, a son is a must to advance the ancestry. In Puja Mantra, we pray to provide us with sons. Even ladies pray fervently – “Putram Dehi.”&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">If a girl is born, it is the lady’s fault. If she cannot conceive, she has to be tested. If the wife is brave enough to suggest testing her husband, may God save the poor lady. Somebody told me recently (a male) that his wife is having difficulties to conceive, so a doctor was consulted. Some tests were suggested for her. I asked, “What about you?” Apparently the doctor said “We shall test the wife first.” Surprised? Guilty unless proven innocent, isn’t it? I did not ask the gender of the doctor though. It does not matter. Every day someone, somewhere, is getting insulted; be it a daughter, mother or wife. She is being ostracized and her dignity gets violated. Some tolerate silently, some like Sita go back to their parental home, some decide to end their lives and very few fight back.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Even though we boast progress (but have we progressed really?), we can only proclaim that we are progressing when the victim removes her veil and looks into our eyes, holds her head high and seeks justice. We must provide more freedom and choices to our daughters – be it economic or social. And we should do it for our own benefit. Empowering women with more freedom and choices are crucial for a better future. There is incentive for all of us. It enhances development. Countries that have expanded opportunities to women have achieved moderate population growth, reduced child mortality and increased life expectancy. This, in turn, has improvedthe Human Development Index (HDI) of the country. HDI measures country’s performance beyond GDP. Women are the key factor for sustainable long term development with a triple-win strategy — better economic growth, social development, and environmental sustainability.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	Empowering women and moving towards 360 degree development will not happen by merely commenting in social media or by candle light vigil alone. Each one of us must redefine our thought process. As Mahatma Gandhi said – “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” &nbsp;&nbsp;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
normal;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">
	 </p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2013-06-04',
			'modified' => '2013-06-06',
			'keywords' => 'new business age buddha’s delight news & articles, buddha’s delight news & articles from new business age nepal, buddha’s delight headlines from nepal,  current and latest buddha’s delight news from nepal, economic news from nepal, nepali buddha’s delight economic news and events,  ongoing  buddha’s',
			'description' => 'Violence against women, an everyday event with cases splashed across media. This is a global phenomenon not specific to a particular country, cast, creed or community. I heard somebody commenting on a talk show that women should dress modestly, be accompanied after dark, and should not frequent discos.',
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			'title' => 'Socialism – The Great Equalizer Or Capitalism – The Great Divider?',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
	<strong><span class="A29"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile?</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	So<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">me ardent supporters of Socialism argue that it is a perfect tool for equal distribution of wealth. If it is properly implemented and followed, no one would be poor or reach. Everyone will be equally poor or equally rich! &nbsp;Typically, Socialism is defined as an economic system characterized by social ownership of the means of production and co-operative management of the economy.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">A Professor had an experiment where all grades were to be averaged and everyone would receive same grade. So no topper – no loser either. It was enthusiastically accepted by all for obvious reasons. </span><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">After first test, grades were averaged, everyone got a B+. Students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were ecstatic. Before second test, students who studied little worked even less and who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little. Average was a D. No one was happy. Next the average dropped to F.</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">Time goes by, instead of the scores, bickering, blame and name-calling increased. No one would study for the benefit of anyone else. Perfect Socialist class – is it not so? </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">I am not to judge whether Socialism is good or bad but trying to share a perspective of Human Mind. It always asks – “what’s in it for me?”</span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">When the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when one winner takes all the reward away, what’s the point for others in running that extra mile? Some insights which we must ponder; </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;">&nbsp;</span><strong style="text-align: justify; text-indent: -14pt;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">1. One cannot elevate the poor into prosperity by taking the wealth out of the prospered!</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">2. When one receives anything without working for it, another one would have worked for it without receiving! </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa27" style="margin-left:14.0pt;text-align:justify;text-indent:-14.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">3. Nobody can give anybody anything for free that has not been taken first from somebody else for free! </span></span></strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">4. One cannot multiply wealth by dividing it! </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);"><br />
	<br />
	5. There will always be a section of people who want to try less than others and get more than others in return. </span></span><span style="font-size:12px;"> </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">On the other hand – will there not be a tendency in human psychology to be successful and forge ahead of others – by hook or by CROOK? When reward seems to be so great that it elevates one from one’s current social strata, will that person not look for short cut and easy way to achieve the goal? Is individuality not a common human trait? Is an urge of becoming individual is not the germination of Capitalism?&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:12px;"><span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">What is Capitalism? Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production, with the creation of goods and services for profit. What is Profit? It is Value obtained less cost incurred. If a person has Capital and he wants to employ the service of a group of people to create something out of that capital to maximize it’s Value and thereby earn a profit, is there anything wrong? Can the group of people whose service is sought dictate the terms to the person whose Capital is employed? Can the group of people whose service is sought demand a share of the profit which the value addition to the Capital obtained? Seems so unfair. Is not it so? Yes, if one is a Capitalist and no if one belongs to the group of service providers.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30);">But what if in the whole exercise, the entity (person) takes undue advantage of any system or group of people? What is “Undue”? It is any non-acceptable social practice which takes advantage of current social condition of the service provider who works hard to finish a process which adds more value to the initial Capital. It is “Undue” if there is a conscious effort from the Capitalist to ensure that the Social strata of the service provider remains unchanged.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); text-align: justify;">There are good societies where there is a conscious effort to improve the quality of life of people, and the general satisfaction and sense of fairness is high amongst the entire social strata. There are bad societies where 90% of the wealth is accumulated with 1% of people through means of unfair actions where most of the people live in misery and general feeling amongst the mass is a concoction of mistrust, frustration, deceit and bitterness.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa9" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="color: rgb(33, 29, 30); line-height: 115%;">Can any society be 100% Capitalist or 100% Socialist? It needs a right kind of balance. It is the member of the society who must determine the balance and rule of the game. As Martin Luther King Jr pointed out - “Communism forgets that life is individual. Capitalism forgets that life is social, and the kingdom of brotherhood is found neither in the thesis of communism nor the antithesis of capitalism but in a higher synthesis. It is found in a higher synthesis that combines the truths of both.”</span></p>',
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			'title' => 'Foreign Direct Investment Must Increase In The Tourism Industry.',
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			'content' => '<p>
	<strong>"Foreign direct investment must increase in the tourism industry."</strong></p>
<p>
	Prachanda Man Shrestha, Former CEO of Nepal Tourism Board suggesting the way to attain 7% economic growth.</p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“We have been talking of exporting electricity when we are facing severe power crisis.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Jagdish Prasad Agrawal, Chairman of Nimbus Group arguing that power must be produced first to meet the national demand before thinking to export it.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong>“The state and the private sector are not rivals.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Chhabi Raj Panta, Minister for Physical Infrastructure, Transportation and Urban Development acknowledging the role of the private sector in infrastructure development.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ashoke SJB Rana, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ashoke.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“Banks need financial instruments for investing in mega projects.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ashoke SJB Rana, CEO of Himalayan Bank Limited pointing out the lack of financial instruments for banks to invest in large projects of national importance.</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><img alt="Ratnakar Adhikari, Voices May 2013" height="179" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/voices_may2013_ratnakar.jpg" style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;" width="150" /><br />
	</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong>“There should be strict legislation that bans the lock ups and strikes in the special economic zone.”</strong></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:11px;">Ratnakar Adhikari, Chief Executive Director of South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics and Environment (SAWTEE) suggesting to create a special economic zone and enforcing stricter labour laws in such zones to control the ongoing labour unrest.&nbsp;</span></p>',
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