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Nov 30, -0001 0 16 minutes 29 seconds to read

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Fear Of Futures Contracts

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Nov 30, -0001 1 25 minutes 55 seconds to read

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The Magic Of Poverty Cards

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Sectoral September 2012

Nov 30, -0001 0 23 minutes 8 seconds to read

…

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No Laughing Matter

The Sweet Rewards of Power

By Madan Lamsal

. . .
read more »

NEPSE

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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">During this promotion that started on September 1, passengers could book their travel from any of the airline’s 48 destinations to Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in Iran and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Economy class and 30 per cent on Falcon Gold fares, according to the airlines’ press statement.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The special fares were available on bookings made between 1 and 14 September, and for travel between 20 September and 15 October 2012. All travel must be completed by 15 October 2012.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Karim Makhlouf said, “We are pleased to be able to offer customers this special promotion. For a limited time, passengers wishing to travel to Iran and Iraq and enjoy Gulf Air’s award-winning on-board service can do so at a reduced cost.” Flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Basra in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran began progressively from 20 September.</span></p>
<p>
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<p>
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
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42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/edihad.gif" vspace="10" /><br />
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<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt">T</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">o celebrate the fifth anniversary in Nepal, UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways offered anniversary fares to a number of destinations from Kathmandu. “The various destinations include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Manchester, Milan and Geneva, and the offer stood for the period from 1 to 30 September in terms of ticket sales and 10 to 24 October in terms of outbound travel,” said an official press statement from the company.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Hogan, visited Boeing’s Everett production facility on September 12, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more Boeing 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan was leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, reads the company’s press statement. In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Together, Etihad Airways (41) and airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines, Hogan said, “It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. Last December, Etihad Airways announced it was taking its total order book for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to 41, the first of which arrives in the last quarter of 2014. The order, valued at US$ 9.3 billion, will make Etihad Airways the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The UAE flag carrier has options and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways on September 2 confirmed its equity stake in Virgin Australia Holdings which has now reached 10 per cent. According to the company’s official statement, this represents 221 million shares which have been bought in the open market over recent months.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Six weeks earlier to the latest development, Etihad Airways received Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to increase its holding from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Hogan said, “We are very pleased to have reached this threshold. “We support the management strategy of Virgin Australia and will continue to work closely with them on ways to improve our business,” he added.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan reiterated that Etihad Airways wasn’t interested in becoming a majority shareholder or taking control of Virgin Australia. “Our small equity stake reflects the strong working relationship of both airlines and again demonstrates our enduring commitment to the Australian market,” he said. Hogan is confident that the equity stake would lead to more revenue generating opportunities.</span></p>
<p>
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<p>
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<p>
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Dragonair Launches Flights to Zhengzhou</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><img alt="" border="1" height="53" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/dragon.gif" vspace="10" width="227" /><br />
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<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt">D</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">ragonair on August 31 announced that it will launch a new scheduled service to Zhengzhou from 8 January 2013, offering more travel choices and greater convenience for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The new daily service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Zhengzhou will be the ninth destination to be launched or resumed by the airline in less than 10 months, reads the press statement issued by the airlines.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province. The city has seen rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing and high-technology sectors, in recent years, attracting both domestic and international investment. World-famous tourist attractions such as the Shaolin Temple in Henan also help to make Zhengzhou a popular destination.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">“We see great potential in the Zhengzhou market for both business and leisure travel, and the new service will significantly boost ties between Hong Kong and Henan Province,” said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer. “Dragonair’s network in Mainland China will increase to 21 cities with the launch of the Zhengzhou service, reinforcing our commitment to the core Mainland China market and at the same time boosting Hong Kong’s role as a major international aviation hub.”</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Since April, Dragonair either resumed or launched scheduled services to Xi’an, Guilin, Jeju, Taichung, Clark (in the Philippines) and Chiang Mai. It will relaunch flights to Haikou on 28 October and start a new Kolkata service on 2 November. With the addition of Zhengzhou next January, Dragonair’s network will number 42 destinations.</span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We want to do a Long Term Business in Nepal’</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="360" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Jagannath-Patanaik.gif" vspace="10" width="242" /></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Raj Mehta </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the CMD of Little Italy Restaurant and Bar, an Indian restaurant chain well known for authentic Italian cuisine. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Little Italy has recently opened its second international outlet in Kathmandu after its first one in Dubai. The restaurant has more than two dozen outlets within India. Mehta was recently in Nepal for the opening of the restaurant. In an interview with New Business Age, he shared his ideas on marketing and food business in Nepal. Excerpts:</span><br />
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the prospects that Little Italy sees in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Nepal is a growing economy and a lot of tourists visit Nepal. Besides, Nepalis travel to a lot of places and so, people do know about different kind of food. The culture for eating out is also very good. There is a lot of potential for food as it is a never-dying business. Globally, food can be categorised into four major categories – Indian, Chinese, Italian and French. Indian as well as Chinese foods have good presence in Nepal while Italian food too is there but not as a proper fine dining option. That is the reason we chose Nepal and are very happy to be here. Kathmandu can sustain two more Italian dining outlets. Pokhara, being a major tourist destination, can also sustain an outlet. It is just a matter of time. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Little Italy is a new brand name for Nepal. How do you plan to market your brand along with Italian food? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">First, launching the brand will increase the visibility of a particular brand in the market. We are covering the brand name through newspapers and e-marketing is being taken care of by our marketing team. The food business has a lot to do with word-of-mouth. We are certain on it because we are confident about the food. Once the food is tried and tasted, the word-of-mouth spreads like fire. There are marketing strategies in place but we believe most in the word-of-mouth publicity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the brand value of Little Italy at present? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand was started in 1989 from Pune as a family run business. When an outlet was established in Mumbai in 1995, we got a big exposure. After that, we understood that there are a lot of prospects throughout India. As the world was getting narrower because of globalisation, we started franchising. That was one of the best ways to grow. This is a fine dining restaurant, so, we need a local partner to look after its day-to-day affairs. We have presence in most of the two-tier and three-tier cities in India. We started our first international outlet last year in Dubai which is doing very well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the specialities of your restaurant? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We always wanted to be a fine dine restaurant for unique experience. We prepare food in an authentic Italian way - as the Italians prepare it. We like to keep the menu authentic as we don’t believe in getting things tailored. Everything is fresh here and we never compromise on quality. </span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Usually, the branded and chain restaurants in Nepal are priced comparatively high. How have you priced your menu? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Our target customers are local people, Indians residing in Nepal who know about us during their travels to India and other tourists. For tourists, Italian food is a kind of staple food. Relatively, this brand is a value for money. We maintain our standards that can be compared to a five-star restaurant but we believe that the price has to be value for money. We want to do a long term business rather than a short term business in Nepal. This will be a destination for good food and value for money. <br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the level of competition you feel here?</span>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Fortunately, there is no competition. The market is a virgin territory for us. There are hardly any players in this particular Italian fine dining segment. There are few places for continental and multi-cuisine delicacies but something like fine dining is missing. There are a few players in Kathmandu market who are scattered here and there but those having a full-fledged setup are unfortunately missing. So, we don’t see any competition at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">KFC and Pizza Hut recently faced a serious labour problem. How would you tackle the situation if similar situation arise in this restaurant too? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">I would say things have to be seen positively. We should be able to take care of all the scenarios which are unfortunately common here in Nepal. It was kind of similar throughout the world years before. We must try to understand the situation. If both management and staff are well taken care of, such kind of scenario will not come up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Consumers are Shifting Towards High Quality Products’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Rajendra-Desai.gif" vspace="10" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Rajendra Desai </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the General Manager for Business Development at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">He has recently been appointed to the post of Country Head for Nepal and will be looking after the operations here. Having a work experience of three-and-a-half decades, Desai has worked at Asian Paints for 26 years in various capacities. He has been associated with Nerolac for the last seven years. Kansai Nerolac is a Japan-India Joint venture company. After the acquisition of Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd, the company has transformed into Japan-India-Nepal tripartite joint venture. In an interview with New Business Age, Desai shared details about the acquisition and the moves ahead. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints has acquired 68 per cent stakes in Nepal Shalimar Paints. What are the reasons behind this move? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, India entered the joint venture with Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd (NSPL), one of the leading paints manufacturers in Nepal and acquired 68 per cent stake in the Nepali paints manufacturer. The investment made by Kansai Nerolac towards this acquisition is about Rs 125.8 million. With this acquisition, Nerolac expects to consolidate 10 per cent market share for Kansai Nerolac in Nepal. Owing to Nepal’s progressive economy, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd has shown significant business interest in the country. Further, the company would be giving a loan of Rs 120 million to fund the working capital requirement of NSPL. Considered in the top five bracket of Nepal, Nepal Shalimar commands a market share of 8 per cent in Nepal. It had a turnover of Rs 205.7 million in 2010/11 and approximately Rs 250 million in 2011/12. The company’s consolidated profit would improve and in turn increase EPS which will also benefit KNPL shareholders. KNPL is utilising the manufacturing set up of Nepal Shalimar and manufacturing the entire Nerolac range of products that are currently exported to Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">After the acquisition, Nerolac envisages to capture more than 15 per cent market share. How do you plan to achieve that? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are here to make Nepal almost self-reliant with the production of paints that match international standards in quality. Rapid urbanisation, construction boom in the past and growing awareness among customers has triggered the demand of paints, giving a leg up to the mostly joint ventures and subsidiary of Indian multinational companies. We believe that urbanisation not only in Kathmandu but also creation of new urban centres across the country with the flow of remittance in rural and semi-urban areas has been an encouraging factor to expand the paints market. We will be focusing to cash in on the emerging market. </span> <span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have observed in recent times that the market is growing for paints despite slowed demand in the construction sector as consumers have become more aware and are shifting towards high quality products. Population growth and infrastructure development will have advantage to increase in demand of the paints. Due to growing demand, we aim to deliver international quality and healthy home paints at the right price which will be the unique selling point of our brand to achieve higher market share. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the market prospects you see in Nepal? </span></strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We are proud to say that our water-based products are heavy metal free such as lead, mercury, chrome etc and all the products are almost zero VOC-(Volatile Organic Compound). We offer a wide range of decorative paints for exterior and interior walls as well as for wooden and metal products. Some of our products for exterior walls are Nerolac Excel Total, Excel Antipeel and Suraksha Advance in premium, middle and economy range respectively. Likewise, our products for interior walls are Nerolac Ecoclean, Impression 24 Carat Luxury of premium class, Lotus Touch Premium Emulsion for mid-range, Beauty Emulsion and Little Master for economy range. We have also offered Beauty Acrylic Distemper for our customers. </span></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Our end consumers, paints dealers and painting contractors are loyal to Nerolac brand and have huge confidence in it. We have always served our customer needs in the best way possible. Likewise, we constantly make sure that the health of our customers is not affected while using our products. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">You are also planning to use the production capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. What will be the range of products that will be produced within Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are augmenting the existing capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. We have added some new paints grinding machines for better quality and higher production capacity. We will be using same technology of manufacturing as we do in Japan and India. So, there will not be any variation in the quality of products produced here. We will be producing a full range of products in Nepal that we currently manufacture in India such as water-based emulsion for both Interiors and exteriors along with solvent-based primers and top coats with ancillaries. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the products that you plan to launch soon in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">A complete range of Nerolac paints is being launched in Nepal as we were already doing business via our range of products by importing in the past. Now, we will be manufacturing the same in Nepal at our Birgunj plant. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand Nerolac is endorsed by popular celebrities like Shahrukh Khan. How do such endorsements add value to the brand that also influences the Nepali market?<br />
	<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Shahrukh Khan is a leading celebrity of Bollywood and has a huge fan base not only in India but across the globe including Nepal. The brand endorsement has given boost to our sales figures in India and the same is expected in Nepal as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Nepal is a Strategically Important Country to Focus Upon’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Jagannath Patanaik </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Director-Channel Sales (South Asia) of Kaspersky Lab India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security vendors worldwide. Over 300 million people worldwide are protected by Kaspersky Lab products and technologies. Its corporate client base exceeds 200,000 companies located around the globe, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses all the way up to large governmental and commercial organizations. The Lab has more than 120 global partner and technology OEM agreements with companies and today, it’s the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. In an interview with New Business Age, Patanaik talked about Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 and market prospects for Kaspersky products in Nepal. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Can you please tell us the purpose of your current visit to Nepal? <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have just launched the new edition of Kaspersky internet security and Kaspersky mobile security anti-virus here in Nepal. Essential to any level of PC security is superior anti-virus protection that does not slow down your system. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 has been loaded with the latest technologies that work behind-the-scenes while delivering real-time, cloud-enabled protection from the latest threats, and proactive protection from unknown dangers. It is the essential protection for your computer and mobile these days. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Tell us about some latest features of the new edition of Kaspersky 2013. </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 is packed with the latest Kaspersky Lab technologies from our team of world-class security experts and engineers. It works surreptitiously with intelligent scanning and small, frequent updates, while delivering real-time protection. It goes beyond simply scanning for vulnerabilities and now includes analysis and control over the actions of programs and applications with vulnerabilities, so they cannot cause any harm. With a single mouse click, File Advisor uses cloud-based technologies to check the safety of any file you would like to access. In addition, our URL Advisor adds color-coded tags to all web links to advise you of the danger level of the link and subsequent pages. The users can fully enjoy the PC and Internet without being dragged down by security software. Small, smart updates and intelligent scanning operate behind the scenes while delivering maximum PC performance. </span> <br />
	<br />
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is your assessment of the Nepali market for Kaspersky? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><strong> </strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">There is lack of purchase habit regarding software in South Asian market and Nepal is no different. Although being a piracy-oriented country, we need to motivate people to develop a habit to purchase software. However, we have been able to penetrate the market and make people understand the benefits of our product. Nepali market is indeed a challenging market for us. Nevertheless, we are able to make some enrollment. Today, we are talking about reducing the piracy in order to create a virus free Nepal slowly. We have begun to set up Kaspersky anti-virus in every government institution of Nepal for six months for the virus free Nepal campaign. Thus, we are highly positive about the Nepali market in the days ahead as well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The Nepali market needs to grow. We are trying to educate people regarding the anti-virus security here. Nepal is one of the strategically important countries to focus upon. We are planning to provide security software services to 100,000 computers in Nepal so as to increase the awareness regarding genuine internet security. </span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	Who are the targeted customers for Kaspersky?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Anybody who owns a computer is our target customer. Major targeted customers are the individual consumers and then we are also targeting the government institutions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What do you consider to be the USP of Kaspersky amongst the targeted clientele here in Nepal?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">As we know that online transactions </span><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">are increasing each day, we have unique features in our new edition of Kaspersky 2013 known as “safe money”. Safe Money protects data during online financial transactions. Apart from it, the new Automatic Exploit Prevention ensures that vulnerabilities will not compromise your PC. Similarly, there is an improved version of Virtual Keyboard and Anti- Phishing protection guard against identity theft. A new Secure Keyboard mode protects personal data entered via physical keyboard. Anti-Spam and Anti-Banner protection block unwanted content. The new improved Advanced Parental Control keeps your children safe and responsible online. Hassle-free protection ensures maximum PC performance. All this makes Kaspersky irresistible for computer users all around the globe including Nepal.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Can you tell us about the innovative business solutions regarding the product?</span> <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">In the consumer section, we have internet security anti-virus while in enterprises segment, we have Kaspersky security for virtualization. As people have started to use virtual machines, we are trying to use security solutions for cloud. Kaspersky workspace security (KOSS-1) deals with the protection for workstation and Centralized Administration Kit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Kaspersky Business Space Security (KOSS-2) protects data, file Server, workstations etc. Similarly, Kaspersky Enterprise Space Security (KOSS-3) is for protecting e-mail Server, data, and file server. Kit Kaspersky Total Security (KOSS-4) protects internet gateway, email Server, data/file Server.</span><br />
	<br />
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Do you currently have any competition for your product in Nepal? If yes, how do you plan to keep ahead of the competition?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Currently, we are leading the business. I think that continuous improvisation in the product has created a tough competition to our competitors. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What are your business plans for Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">We operate through business channel partners and do not directly go to the market. We go through distributors and channel partners and do a lot of marketing in order to increase awareness and visibility. We are targeting piracy in order to increase our business. We are in the middle of a long tour to educate people regarding the benefits of the software even in Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">How do you compare Nepali market with other markets for your product?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Nepali market is a unique one and we are the number one in this market. In India, we are in the second position. However, we are leading in most South Asian markets. The product is making us proud. We are increasing people’s awareness regarding Kaspersky being a reasonably priced product. With this product, the Nepali consumers can experience a sense of security while using the computer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Our Main Strategy is to Customize Basic Products According to Nepali Customers’ Demand’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" height="284" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Milind-Pandharipande.gif" vspace="10" width="178" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Milind Pandharipande </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
color:#211D1E">is the CEO at ITS (Information and Telecom Systems) in India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">While pursuing his Masters in Computer Science in USA, he also worked as a research scientist for Horizon telecommunications USA. After some years, he returned to India and established his own company. His company had an effective operation from June 2006 and it began to roll out the products from 2010 onwards. Although it’s a fairly young company, he is confident about his business. He was in Kathmandu last month for launching his cash and check deposit machine. In an interview with New Business Age, Pandharipande talks about the importance of deposit machines in Nepali financial sector. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal this time? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The primary purpose of my visit to Nepal is to promote ITS’s self service Kiosk products, the ones which have been successfully deployed in India already. These products have been especially designed to work in conditions like extreme climate and power shortages which is common in countries like Nepal and India. Our products have been designed for the banking sector, the utility sector and are primarily focused on self service. If you are familiar with ATM machine where the customer can directly withdraw cash, our products can help customers not only withdraw the cash but also deposit the cash or check in his or his friend’s account. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the features of your products?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">These products have multiple features, where a customer can perform cash deposit, check deposit, account-to-account money transfer, balance inquiry etc. For instance, I can enter my account number and then decide whether to make cash deposit or check deposit. If I make cash deposit, the machine will instruct me to put all my notes in a cash tray and it will accept it one note at a time. Once, all the notes are accepted, it will provide me a transaction receipt and my account will be credited for that amount. These products are fitted with high performance security system which has made them robust. A type of mechanism has been built into it including a back-up UPS. Also, if the machine is stolen, it will automatically inform the law enforcement agencies. Every tampering with machines, either physical or software is recorded and transmitted to the enforcement agencies. This way the machine becomes a formidable piece of hardware.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Who are your target group of customers? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are basically promoting these products for Nepal’s banking and financial sector. And obviously, the major customers are the banks, finance companies and utility companies, for instance, mobile operators. There are also clients from electricity companies and other companies who are into financial transactions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How are you promoting your business in Nepal?</span>&nbsp; <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are talking to the news media basically the ones who can promote our products. We are seeking promotion of these products from our local partner World Distribution Nepal (WDN). It is difficult for someone coming from India to spread their business covering the entire country of Nepal. For quick penetration, we need other local partners here who can introduce the products in the market. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are your plans to attract more number of people using your services? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have tried to make our products customer friendly and are also offering more features on it. The only way that we can grow our business is by local customization. We cannot just bring the products from India and sell in Nepal. We ask consumers how they want to customize them. Like, if I offer coffee to you, I would not prepare coffee against your interests. I would ask how much milk and sugar you want which makes you very comfortable to drink that coffee rather than me telling you to drink coffee of my choice. Our main strategy is to bring the basic products that have been developed in India and then customize it according to the demand of the customers in Nepal, for instance, language customization. Customers from Nepal might be interacting or having certain bank transaction differently than what we have customized for Indian customers. That is why we consider local customization a key to our success.<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How can Nepali Industries benefit from your products?</span></strong><br />
	<br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">It is not just Nepali industries, it is important for overall businesses in Nepal. For instance, if I ask my customers to come between nine in the morning and five in the evening and suggest that I can sell the products only during this time, the customers may not feel comfortable to shop. Instead of that, if you take your shop to where the customers are, you will be able to flourish your business. Likewise, with these machines, customers can get service anytime, anywhere. We are bringing these products to our neighborhood and it could be operated 24hrs/7days. This will absolutely raise the number of customers and the bank’s revenue will increase. Many a time, customers do not pay utility bills not because they do not want to pay but because they do not have the avenues to pay. When the bank is closed after five, customers look forward to the next day. With these products, they will be able to deposit their cash after 10 pm also without having to go to the branch office. It is like an ATM machine where you can withdraw your cash rather than having to wait for the bank. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How do you observe the market demand for your products? </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">We will follow the same strategies what ATMs in Nepal have already been following. Every year, we have been doubling the features that are getting deployed. There has been a high demand for our products in Nepal. Nearly four banks have shown interests in our products who are likely to start using our products soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We must adopt ‘tunnel technology’ for construction of roads in Nepal’ </span></span><br />
	<br />
	<img alt="hyidayesh" border="1" height="300" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Hridayesh-Tripathi.jpg" vspace="10" width="247" /></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, explaining that tunnels make roads shorter and secure and constructing tunnels will give respite from problems related to long winding roads. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A23"><span myriad="" style="font-size:25.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The entrepreneurs do not have a hand in determining vegetable prices’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Khom Prasad Ghimire, Chairman of Federation of Fruit &amp; Vegetable Entrepreneurs Nepal, clarifying that prices are affected as per demand and supply mechanism where low production leads to high prices and high production coupled with easy availability help stabilise prices.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Oman Air will actively pursue opportunities to expand its current operations in Nepal’<br />
	<br />
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">John Rodrigues, the Country Manager of Oman Air for Nepal, saying that the Muscat-based national airline of Oman has not finalized any immediate plans for expansion in Nepal, however, it is looking at opportunities to do so in the future.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The government cannot force us to make laminated sacks mandatory for packing cement’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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115%;font-family:">‘About 30 per cent of Nepal’s population is capable of buying insurance policies’<br />
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	<img alt="binod aryal" border="1" height="243" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Binod-Aryal,.jpg" vspace="10" width="200" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Binod Aryal, Executive Director of Insurance Board (IB) of Nepal, observing that the insurance companies have only reached about 6-7 per cent population because of their unwillingness to go to the remote areas as they earn profits in the cities.</span></span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F"><img alt="feedback" border="1" height="395" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /><br />
	<br />
	Chilime Hydropower: Dreaming Large<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="chilime hydropower" border="1" height="168" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feeback2.jpg" vspace="10" width="224" /><br />
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<p class="Pa17" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector. The SWOT analysis shows a long list of threats and more that we can add on. Looking at revenue collection and net profit it has generated, it defiantly lacks of investment in terms of growth. In my opinion, if licensing and flexibility from government are to be provided more easily, it can grow and thrive as PLC. It has improved its CSR as a PLC and locals are definitely getting far more benefit than they should get. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Prakash, <a href="mailto:sthprakash@gmail.com">sthprakash@gmail.com</a></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Remittance Matters </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The September 2012issue of New Business Age portrayed that Nepal is the 6th largest country in collecting remittance in its volume of GDP. This is the only reason that the economy is sustaining in Nepal. Although the figure seems to be very attractive, it is not a reliable source of economy, simply because it is temporary. The construction work will not last forever and one day the remittance economy will fall down. Apart from that, the fund collected from remittance is used in unproductive sector. Due to this, there is a high possibility of social problems and economic problems relating to inflation occurring in the country. So the government should make a special provision to effectively mobilize the funds in productive sector so that the country will become self sufficient. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Aryal, Apex College, New Baneshwor</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Almighty Remittance! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The massive flow of remittance in a developing nation like Nepal certainly makes good news. The cover story in the September 2012 issue of New Business Age was worth reading. It is a fact that hard earned money by Nepali workers residing abroad provides many Nepali families with two square meal and roof over their heads. The story reveals that the national economy largely depends on remittance money. As reported in the story, the positive point of the story is that despite the political unrest, the average household income of the Nepalis has increased by more than four-fold over the span of five years. The colossal flow of money certainly boosts the national economy but on the other hand, it makes our entire economy dependent on the migrant workers’ money. Thanks for highlighting such pertinent and ever relevant issue of Nepal. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Bikash Nepal, Biratnagar</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Kudos to EBL </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">I’m pleased to know that Everest Bank Limited (EBL) has established a special branch ‘Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha’. The commercial bank’s initiative to lend some hand to the agricultural sector is definitely praiseworthy. Our farming sector lacks modern tools and on the other hand, we are not doing enough to obtain scientific methods. So, I hope such an initiative of EBL will facilitate the farmers and boost the agro business. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Rauniyar, Lalitpur</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">The Importance of Ink Pens </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The story on Pilot pen in the ‘Corporate Focus’ column was a delight. At a time when the world has been dominated by gadgets and gizmos, the importance of an ink pen has been well documented in the story. There were oblivious facts for ‘pen users’ like us, for example, Pilot Pens being a trademark name has a sole authorized distributor in Kathmandu. The leading Japanese pen brand has made its own niche in the world of ink pens. When young, I used to be fond of pilot pens while watching my banker father use them to complete his assignments. It was quiet distressing to know that the absence of legal mechanism has made it easy for counterfeit products to co-exist with such a valued brand. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Geeta Dhakal, Naxal, Kathmandu</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Inspiring Story <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="feedback" border="1" height="450" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback3.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Business entrepreneur Min Bahadur Gurung’s journey from a grocery store owner to the ever growing chain of Bhatbhateni Departmental Stores is an inspiring one for all. Gurung’s stature as an entrepreneur and his business is growing and he owes it to hard work and dedication. I liked his down-to-earth attitude and his belief that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Being a student of +2 level, I certainly heed his words and further believe that for our generation, his hard work will be ever inspirational. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Amit Yadav, Bhaktapur</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Mail your feedback to P O Box 14197, Kathmandu or Email to editor@newbusinessage.com</span></p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector.',
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Sajag Karki</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Luxury Brands</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In this world of commercialization, luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="brand luxury" border="1" height="287" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">T</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">he concept of luxury has been around in various forms since the beginning of civilization. People were fond of novelty items reflecting their obsession for vanity. Items such as perfume, jewelry, premium watches, and fine whisky were considered luxury. Such products or services are not considered essential and are associated with affluence. The case is no less different today as people are still lured towards new and unusual things that give them a sense of vanity. The only notable difference is that the novelty items in the past were generic whereas today they are branded. It’s a want rather than a need and luxury brands have been successful in catering to this niche audience. Brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Ritz Carlton etc are almost synonymous with luxury.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="286" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand1.jpg" vspace="10" width="395" /></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Upon understanding the basic product types in marketing, there are three product levels: core, basic and augmented. The core product is the basic benefit that it provides. The actual product involves the features, design, brand name etc. The augmented product gives customers something extra such as luxury which customers indulge in as vanity. An example could be high quality leather seats and dashboard for the Mercedes. Such luxury products need special purchase efforts like ordering in advance or special instructions for additional features. It also has high price and fewer purchase locations which makes possessing such products an act of self esteem. Lamborghini and Rolex are targeted at deep pocketed clients who wish to purchase expensive goods and relate to them as having better quality and signifying luxury. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand3" border="1" height="294" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand3.jpg" vspace="10" width="402" /><br />
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>Branding of luxury goods have some basic principles which are: equating luxury with life experiences, implied level of unparallel customer service, attention to detail and loyalty benefits. Rolls Royce, for example, has created a cult status of a super luxury automobile brand as they themselves choose their clientele based on one’s status in the society. It is not one of those cars that you can walk in to the showroom and buy. In India, only a handful of high profile personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have been chosen worthy to own a Rolls Royce. Hence, it is not just a matter of money but also a prestige awarded by the company for reaching an unprecedented level that meets the high standards set by the company. In a survey conducted by Forbes, some of the most desired luxury clothing brands are Gucci, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani among others.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand14" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand2.jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">However a term coined “mass luxury” has already begun to keep pace with luxury brands diversifying their products to meet the desires of middle class as well. BMW and Mercedes can be termed as mass luxury as anyone with money can buy it. Similarly, top hotels and airlines also have started mass luxury in order to sustain in the market. Five-star hotels with special discounted packages and airlines adding services in the economy class are all signs of mass luxury.</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">In this world of commercialization, there is a saying “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” so luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else. For those looking for all these, luxury brands could be a solution to all their desires.</span> <br />
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	<br />
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><img alt="" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/featured_nolaughing.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></p>
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Madan Lamsal</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Fear of Futures Contracts</span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><br />
	Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/no-laughing-matter.jpg" vspace="10" width="334" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">I</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">f anything Nepal is scared of most at present is the futures contract of the commodities – every sector seems to be terror stricken by this fright. Dr Baburam’s government is shaken and equally confused in guiding another Baburam, who now heads regulatory authority SEBON, to take a further step on this trade. SEBON is frightened apparently, so that it is deliberately delaying to introduce the regulation. Financial sector is fearful in reading our media portrayal that the commodity exchanges are allegedly facilitating massive capital flights. Investors are not ready to invest, and exchanges themselves, about a dozen of them, fear bankruptcy and government wrath – two blows at once. So much so, the writers of a report, which is the root cause of this entire fuss, are even more terribly frightened to find how their very first experience of learning to write a serious report is faced with a hard rock.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">In fact, there is no surprise element in this. Nepalis are culturally averse to the very concept of contracts of any type. Take some examples, we recently sent out the contractor of Melamchi project. Our national flag carrier is at the verge of collapse for failing to strike a contract to purchase an aircraft. People even at the grassroots are determined to stop any development project that has potentials to be contracted. Trade unions resisted the introduction of the employment contract in manufacturing and services sectors. Therefore, much of the hue and cry over the commodities futures markets comes from our inherent disgust to contracts than anything serious like growing risk in investment, i.e. losing money, or even the capital flight.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">True that some feel that trading in the futures markets is like gambling in casinos. But still, Nepalis have not stopped going into casinos even knowing that it is absolutely illegal and there is well over 95% chance of losing money. But futures are not casinos; they are just ‘like’ them, as monkey is like man.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">This also implicitly means that other investments are not like casinos but they are like bank deposits with 200 percent guarantees of annual interest. This would also mean that thousands of investors in the Nepali stocks are in merry-making mood, thousands of industrialists and businessmen are making enjoying an impressive rate of return on their investment now. And, in a nutshell, Nepali economy except for the commodities futures market is stainless and trouble free. Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The flight of the capital, of course, there has been. Look at the rate of exchange for Rs100 Indian currency against Rs 168 in the ‘open’ black market. Despite the revered central bank’s repeated assurances that they have big pile of foreign currency reserves, no bank is able to give you more than 200 dollars in cash notes against your travel documents’ entitlement of 2,500 USD. This proves that every convertible currency available is flying away. But, all this has happened when the transactions in these futures exchanges got virtually halted. So, such flight must have taken place through tunnels and trenches dug during the jungle warfare by the brothers and sisters of Mao, Lenin and Che Guevara, who incidentally are now in government. And they only know for sure where exactly these holes, tunnels and trenches exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Again, coming back to the culture, the commodity exchanges should take into consideration that we Nepali firmly believe in -- the on-the-spot delivery of things. When a political party or a trade union asks for ‘donation’, it must be given then and there, otherwise your life may be delivered to God on-the-spot. If you buy or sell house or land or car, you must give or take physical cash – no cheques, no drafts. Even the government official concerned wants to be witness to such delivery. No one believes that he or she is owner of, say, a kilo of gold bought online, if the person cannot materially touch it. May be, these futures exchanges also have to physically deliver something in exchange of a regulation that they are demanding it for so long.</span></p>
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			'title' => 'Beauty, Brains And Balance',
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</xml><![endif]-->	<strong><span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Surokshya Manandhar</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="personality" border="1" height="417" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_1.jpg" vspace="10" width="345" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Beauty, Brains and Balance</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="persoanlity" border="1" height="524" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_2.jpg" vspace="10" width="373" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-bidi">G</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#221E1F">eorge Bernard Shaw once said “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not.” Similar has been the attitude of this ambitious businesswoman Seema Golchha throughout. Carving out a niche for herself, she has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business. She confessed that her father-in-law was the one to motivate her to join the business. Ever since she took a bold step toward business, there has been no looking back. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">&nbsp;Exploring the lesser known, and rather personal side to Golchha, she reveals to you, her journey from a young, liberal and warm hearted Indian girl to being the daughter-in-law of one of the most reputed business house in Nepal and finally to establishing herself a successful entrepreneur.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“I always had a smile on my face, she said, recalling her childhood days. Brought up in Lucknow and Dehradun, Golchha had a happy childhood. She completed her schooling from Dehradun and pursued her higher studies in Delhi University. She was always a vivacious and an independent girl. For her, the inspiration to lead an independent life always came from her working mother. Unlike ordinary women thirty years ago, she lived independently in a flat and worked for advertising agencies. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="424" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_3.jpg" vspace="10" width="366" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">However, things changed completely for her when she got married to Shekhar Golchha who belonged to a completely different cultural background. “I was leading a very modern and liberal lifestyle before marriage and hence getting married to a conservative family brought a huge cross-cultural transition in my life,” expressed Golchha. Although it took her some time, she eventually adapted to and adjusted with the new environment that she was placed in back then.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Golchha, who has perfectly balanced her personal and professional life, believes that time management is the key to balance in life. Wife of a businessman and a mother of two, she is also a perfectionist. Although it is not possible to score 10 / 10, she, as a mother, a wife, and an entrepreneur, is doing justice to every role with sheer conviction. . Enjoying every moment of the day, she still tries to work out details in whatever she engages. “We should always give our cent percent in whatever we do,” she said. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Entering business was intentional for her, as she always had an interest in it. “I am happy being involved in business as it recharges and completes my life in a way,” she said when asked about her professional life. She started her business with a women’s showroom in Durbar Marg. Since then there has been no looking back for her. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="367" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_4.jpg" vspace="10" width="312" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“Success is important, but it is not everything,” said Golchha. She believes that every step taken towards achieving your goal counts. It doesn’t matter if one succeeds or not, it is important that one should work hard to meet own expectations and goals. When she first joined the family business, a showroom like Samsung Plaza was an innovative idea. It was very rare in Nepal to find such a range of electronics under one roof. Today, 10 years later, she is expanding the exclusive outlet of Samsung electrical appliances across the country. Despite many obstructions like load shedding and strikes, she is also looking to further expand her business by launching two more Samsung Plazas, a Timex Watch outlet and a Bajaj Appliances outlet. She strongly believes that if you have faith in yourself, nothing can stop you and hence she is </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">moving ever onward. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She has always held the view that women should be empowered. Hence, most of her employees are young, motivated girls. In her line of business, it is important to understand customers’ temperament because at the end of the day, customers’ satisfaction is what matters most. So, when she is recruiting her employees, academic qualification is not all that she looks for, she also observes their personality. When asked about her management strategy, she shared that it is important to provide employees with space for innovation in order to improve and upgrade the company’s status. It is also important to provide enough opportunity for communication between management and staff. She also makes sure to set an example of dedication, in order to motivate her employees. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She is surely dedicated to her work but a trekking enthusiast, Golchha doesn’t forget to take a break every now and then. For her, friends and family are an integral part of her life and she lets her hair down while having fun with them. She believes that socializing is an important aspect of both personal and professional life. She is also an avid book reader. With her life moving back and forth between so many roles of a woman, she still manages to maintain equilibrium in her life. With an amazing life graph and career ladder, she is beauty with not only brains but also balance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22229">PERSONAL SIDE <br />
	<br />
	</span>Hobby: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Reading. She is a voracious reader. She always carries a book and is currently reading “Immortals of Meluha” by Amish. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Pets: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves dogs and cats. She has three dogs and would love to own a cat. But she complains that her husband is not fond of cats. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Friends: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Integral part of life. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Brands: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Brand conscious. However, if one can carry her/himself well without brands, it is perfectly alright. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Success: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Important but not everything. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Planning a holiday: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves travelling. Has already planned a holiday for Dashain. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Cosmetics: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Clinique. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Leisure time: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Listening to music, reading books, spending quality time with family. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Favorite travel destination: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Europe. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Sporty Indulgence: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Swimming, Trekking. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Socializing or not: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Yes, a big socialite! </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A55"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Life: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Each day a new motivation to live with happiness and self-contentedness.</span></span></p>
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			'description' => 'Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.',
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			'id' => '721',
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			'title' => 'Justin Sargent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><strong><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">‘Social Research has a Huge Scope in this Part of the World’</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span><img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="403" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="277" /><br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Justin Sargent </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">Managing Director-India </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Nielsen</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK &amp; Ireland. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">He is currently based in Mumbai, India and focuses on the strategy of listening to the consumers to get more consumers' insight. The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications. It is planning to continue growing its business by applying its strategies of driving more consumers' insights and generating a more complete understanding of consumers. In an interview with New Business Age, Langer talked about importance of Nielsen numbers and major plans for its Nepal operations among a host of other issues. Excerpts:<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="419" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_12.jpg" vspace="10" width="287" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A58"><br />
	</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Please give us an overview of Nielsen’s business in this region that includes Nepal and India. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Nielsen’s South Asia operation covers countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It’s quite a sizeable region for Nielsen in this developing part of the world. Like multinationals, we view countries like India, Nepal and other parts of South Asia as areas of priority where our clients are investing to find out their consumers’ size. Nielsen has been in India since 1960s and in Nepal since early 1990s. We are increasingly focusing on these two countries as our clients are seeking growth here.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen in Nepal has a full range of services. It is mainly known for measurement services. Most of our clients are particularly from the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and hence they demand to understand how they are performing, in comparison to their competitors. We also do a lot of work with NGOs and help them understand factors that can help them promote and influence the country’s growth. We work for AED, PSI and some other USAID-funded projects in Nepal in addition to a host of multinational companies like Coca- Cola, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter &amp; Gamble to name a few.&nbsp; </span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A huge part of our business is dedicated to these two services. Our business is growing well in Nepal and the clients seem increasingly interested in this market. It seems to be the right time for us to consider how to elevate to the next level and how to potentially bring in further expansion. Maybe, we could bring some new analogical products that have worked well elsewhere, in other developing markets.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Social research has a huge scope in this part of the world. In India, we also work in sectors including government organizations and the NGOs, for example, UNICEF. We also work with projects on big, important sectors like health and education. FMCG is an area that Nielsen tends to put in a lot of time and energy into. Nielsen is a global company so we are constantly looking for the climax in different countries, and Nepal is now in its climax. It has many centers of attraction and the GDP growth of the country is four per cent which is still pretty attractive compared to a lot of western economies.</span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">We developed the social research practice that works right across South Asia. We have experts that tend to work across the different countries. For example, we utilize the microfinance expertise from Bangladesh in other countries. We have a team on the ground here in Nepal that lives by the company’s principles. However, we are bringing in more expertise to the Nepali marketplace to see what we can do in the social research sphere as a whole. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="491" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interviw_13.jpg" vspace="10" width="306" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please provide us some insight on the topline retail and consumer trends from the perspective of the Indian market?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">India has a huge population and big traditional trade. We have seen a lot of growth in that country, especially in the rural areas. Though modern trade is still small – only six per cent – compared to traditional trade, we have started observing changes in trends. It’s growing fast and more consumers are looking for convenience and choice. We have started to notice a lot of trading for more branded products. We notice a lot of use of technology including social media and smart phones. Consumers have grown a lot savvier and their expectations are increasing. This might be helpful in changing people’s perspectives, packaging perspectives and value perspectives. One thing which is very consistent in India is the value. We do service right around the world and India always comes top in terms of value consciousness. A lot of consumers increasingly shop around for promotion to make sure they can remain value conscious and still satisfy their increasing aspirations. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Our clients’ business and even the Nielsen’s business both saw this high trend basically three to four years ago. GDP growth is a little lower this year, which is forecasted now at six percent. However, global manufactures and local Indian multinational companies alike, are pretty positive about the future.</span><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Yours is a privately held company active in approximately 100 countries, with its headquarters in New York, USA. How big an advantage is this when you deal with global clients?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">When a global client is working with us, they may know Nielsen already. We assure the country manager of a global client locally that we will share our best practices with them and suggest that the service is worth exploiting. Our local teams are mostly in the field, visiting local clients to relate to them and understand their perspectives. Nielsen’s methodologies are globally consistent; however, we do tend to tailor them in order to meet specific needs of the marketplace. For example, when we spoke to our clients in Nepal, they expressed that they wanted us to represent certain regions and towns in more detail than we might have for others. We don’t have this service in other countries but developed it to match their demand of covering some of the towns in greater detail. We believe that the best global practice methodologies should be open for local customization. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Listening to a client’s need is a critical process and an important element of our strategy because clients know best where they are going and with what strategy. They can naturally express their needs. Therefore, listening is a critical part of our job while delighting clients is our aspiration. However, different clients have different needs so we need to balance between occasions and between realities. We have to bring the realities from a commercial firm with the right product to the market. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you explain the importance of Nielsen numbers?</span> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen numbers tell our clients what their market share is, how fast the market is growing, and where they are in the competition. We are proud of being an independent company. We focus on using the Nielsen’s number to guide the expertise’s planning. We invest a lot of time in quality management, ensuring that we have got the right field management practices and the right amulets to interpret those numbers because we know how much our clients rely on the Nielsen’s number. Before I joined Nielsen, I used to work at Procter &amp; Gamble as a category marketing analyst many years ago in the UK. Every week a Nielsen’s number used to come around and that is when I first realized how much weight these numbers carry. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The way in which people used the number were for making investment decisions, judging their performances in the market or looking after factors like distribution, product prices and level of competition. We tend to advise companies a lot in terms of what the distribution strategies should be and the likely pricing strategy they should adopt. Nielsen’s number is the bed rock for a lot of the decisions being made in the marketplace. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the major plans for Nielsen Nepal?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The main purpose of my visit to Nepal is spending time with the management team and deciding on the next steps to be taken for the development of business in this country. Nepali clients’ expectations are increasing, so we are looking into the areas where potential improvements can be made. One area that we are considering is whether or not to expand coverage of measurement products into rural areas. We have not decided whether it is the right measure to take. We are also looking at a particular social research base to elaborate more expertise and bring in some more technical capabilities into Nepal in order to improve the level of understanding. We are also looking forward to introduce other services that we also have in other countries, for example, analytics. This could be an advantage for Nepal because they know how to go to the next level, to expand the distribution and to improve their competitive businesses. We have a number of analytics with capabilities in consideration. We are looking forward to listening to our clients’ view point. We would certainly like to build more presence in Nepal because our clients are demanding it. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="430" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/intreview_2012.jpg" vspace="10" width="231" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">You joined Nielsen way back in 1993 and have held senior positions across the globe since. How do you assess this association over the period of almost two decades now?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From a personal perspective, Nielsen has provided me with lots of opportunities. When I joined Nielsen, I didn’t think that I would still be here 20 years later. Fortunately for me, I was given increasingly challenging assignments throughout which has allowed me to travel across different continents like Europe, Australia and Asia. Currently, I am working in India. Working in different countries engaging with different people, thinking about and understanding the clients’ needs and facing business challenges, has been very stimulating indeed. Nielsen has come across a lot of transformation in 20 years’ time including its ownership.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen focuses on shifting developments and as I mentioned before, moving people around is a big part of our strategy. Moving people to the developing market is good for learning about what works for a developing market. We can then reverse, innovate and take the best of practices to the developing market. But it also means you can look elsewhere, may be in the US or Europe, that could be a relevant market like India or Nepal. Nielsen’s strategies on talent developments and moving people around the world are incredibly one of the great things that it wants to share with other companies. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please elaborate on why is transferring talents so important?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The general principal of moving people around is either for different jobs within a country or across different countries. It provides people with different experiences, perspectives and learning opportunities that eventually lead to career building. It is equally important from a company’s perspective as transferring people is also about transferring ideas, embracing innovations and sharing the best skills within and beyond boundaries. A big part of Nielsen’s strategy is to be a company exporting talent around the globe. We are fortunately one of the beneficiaries of that as we get to carry out a number of different assignments in different countries.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you highlight the integral components of a transparent communications culture?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">This is something that I have always strongly believed in. You have to be very candid, honest and open to both your peers and clients. When you communicate very frankly, you recognize people better. It is a fundamental philosophy of mine to lead a very honest communication because it is the only way to build trust and loyalty in general. It’s about celebrating and recognizing people. The transparent communication culture is not limited among the colleagues, rather it also extends to our clients by being very open with them. </span></span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are your recommendations to organizations for building a ‘client first’ mindset?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">‘Client First’ mindset is all about thoughtfulness. Instead of offering Nielsen’s products immediately, I first inquire about what my clients need and how we can satisfy them better. Once you build a ‘client first’ mindset it will eventually benefit your business strategies because then you are developing your products and services according to the clients’ needs. It improves your client’s service because your clients can relate to and make use of them. Besides, at the end of the day, it ensures that our services are up to the mark. ’Client First’ mindset is something that I have passionately believed in during my entire career. Even if we talk beyond Nielsen, the same philosophy rules the most successful companies. From a marketing stand point, it is necessary to listen to the customers. Since there are new technologies emerging, we should utilize them to listen to the customers’ voice. For example, the social network and blogs could be powerful tools. Even the CEOs of many companies have started going out on the streets to understand customers’ needs.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Things are rapidly changing in countries like India and Nepal. If you are constantly in touch with people, you could know more about them particularly the way in which people adopt technology. You have to constantly engage with customers to understand what is important for your brand and how could you keep it desirable for them. Understanding technology and customers to flourish your brand is something that can certainly be achieved by building a ‘client first’ mindset.<br />
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			'description' => 'Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK & Ireland.',
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A1"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Corporate Focus</span></span></strong></span></p>
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	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A30">The Last Resort </span></span></strong></p>
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	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">A Perfect Adventure Destination</span></span></span></strong></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="corpoate focus" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">T</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">he Last Resort is not only an ultimate destination for Nepali daredevils but also for adventure seekers trekking across the world in a quest for thrills. The resort, lying peacefully 100 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu has become the ultimate destination for those seeking thrills of a bungee jump and various other adventure possibilities the resort offers. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since its establishment 14 years ago, thousands of adventure lovers have flocked to the resort to calm their adrenaline pumps. The resort was established by David H Alladice and Bishnu H Neupane in 1998 October. The resort primarily established with an aim to promote adventure activities with Bungy Nepal has now expanded to numerous activities like Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking and Rafting. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	The Last Resort in Sindhupalchowk district, a three-and-a-half hour’s drive from Kathmandu is not a haven for adventure seekers only. The resort is also a perfect getaway for relaxation and experiencing serene nature, away from the bustling city crowds and stressful weekdays. To address non-daredevils, the resort offers various packages like “relax at the resort for one night” at the price tag of Rs 3,500. Similarly, “relax and massage package” of one night costs Rs 5,000 per person. The resort has 25 tents that can accommodate 64 persons at once that ensure quiet and peaceful stay in an exotic setting. Services like massage, sauna and plunge pool in a peaceful environment help the relaxation of body and mind. Surrounding area also hosts numerous possibilities for hiking and brief strolling to enjoy the picturesque hills and roaring river deep into the gorge. <br />
	<br />
	So, The Last Resort is absolutely not for adventurous souls only. The resort located across the Bhotekoshi River linked with a suspension bridge from the Araniko Highway receives tourists and visitors round the year. Prakash Pradhan, Resort Manager and Bungy Master says being located near to the Tibetan border, tourists visiting the surrounding hills for hiking, biking and other activities also visit the resort to quench their thirst for ultimate adventure. The resort on top of a green river gorge is 10 kilometres from Tatopani, Tibetan border and 12 kilometres from Barhabise of Sindhupalchowk. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort does not need a special season to welcome its guests. The resort is visited round the year by Nepali and foreign visitors. However, it welcomes higher number of foreign tourists during the peak tourist season - September to November. Thakur Rimal, Assistant Resort Manager, says, “March to May and September to November is the season while rest of the year is off-season. Even in the off-season, the resort does reasonably well due to its many activities.” <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="last resort" border="1" height="217" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus1.jpg" vspace="10" width="483" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal at The Last Resort is ranked second on Asia’s five highest bungee jumps by CNNGo. It is also listed as one of the best bungee jumps around the world by numerous media. It is the second highest jump in Asia. Probably it is the most spectacular jump on the planet. Jumping off a 160 metre high bridge into the gorge of Bhotekoshi River is definitely one of the most thrilling acts to try. It is as exciting and fun as scary as it looks. After taking a leap from the 160 metre high bridge, the sense of intense thrill takes over the fear and leaves the jumper longing for never ending free fall instead of what Bungy Nepal offers – 3.5 seconds. As bungee instructors at the resort say, the jump is definitely, “Walking like a penguin and flying like a bird.” </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">To try the bungee jump, one must be at least 40 kg to 110 kg and 18 years and older or have consent from parents in case of a minor. The bungee begins between 11 to 11:30 am and continues usually till 4 pm. The sales office at Thamel takes 40 bookings at most but rest can be availed on-site bookings at the resort. A bus of the resort leaves Thamel at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	</span></span><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyon Swing </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><br />
	<br />
	Canyon Swing is definitely not a kid’s swing. The Canyon Swing at The Last Resort is the world’s highest giant and ultimate swing – jumping off a 160 metres high bridge, experiencing free fall of 100 metre for seven seconds before the twin lines swing you at 150 km per hour. The company claims it is the highest in the world. The weight limit for swing is 120 kg. The swing day trip to the resort costs Rs 4,000 per person while the swing only costs Rs 3,200. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes is a fun filled activity at The Last Resort that can be enjoyed with family and friends. The thrilling and fun filled activity releases stress and boosts the team work. This adventure sports has various mini activities like ladders, wobbly bridges, walk ways, cargo nets, abseils and zip lines. Hillary Steps, Nepali Taxi and Bagmati River Crossing are few of the obstacles that will make anyone’s adrenaline pump. High Ropes comes with a price tag of Rs 3,500 for a day trip, Relax and High Ropes (1 night/1day) at Rs 5,800 and High ropes only at Rs 3,000. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Hidden Canyons <br />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyoning at The Last Resort is not only about exploring hidden places in the Himalayas but also finding out the adventurer within oneself. The resort offers a variety of canyons from exploratory walks to some of Nepal’s most extreme environments, says the company. The guides of the resort will lead you to abseiling, jumping and sliding down steep canyon walls and waterfalls to deep pools below. It is just another adventurous way to release the tension and get adrenaline high in the blood. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort is spread over an area of around 18 ropanis. The land was bought from a local Guthi and around half the land is acquired by the resort from local villagers around the resort. Situated right next to a village, the resort has given back to the locality in various ways. The suspension bridge that holds the platform for bungee jumping and swing was built by the resort. The bridge not only offers the option to jump off it but also the convenient way for locals to connect to the highway. According to Pradhan, before the bridge was built by the resort, locals had to walk three hours to cross the Bhotekoshi River and reach the other side via a bridge closest to the village.<br />
	<br />
	&nbsp;Similarly, out of 68 employees, 48 are working at the resort and around 90 percent of them are locals, says Pradhan. He adds, “As part of our CSR initiatives, we help the local communities in the two VDCs of Marming and Listi Kot. We contribute Rs 400,000 each per year to the two VDCs for education, health and village development.” According to the resort, a fixed amount of every activity is spent on development of the local infrastructure and to support local projects.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHERE: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Panlang-5, Sindhupalchowk district, on the Araniko highway, across the Bhotekoshi River from Marming-8, Sindhupalchowk </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A16">HOW TO REACH: <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">100 kms from Kathmandu (approximately 3 </span><span color:="" style="font-family: ">½ </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">hrs drive), 14 kms from the Tibetan border. One can go by private transport, however, the resort also has its own tourist bus leaving at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHEN TO GO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Tourist Season (September- November &amp; March-May) <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHAT TO DO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Jump, Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Relax </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WEATHER: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similar to Kathmandu all season </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">MISCELLANEOUS: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A Bungy Jump/Canyon Swing costs Rs 3,200 per person per activity. The resort provides a package of Rs 4,000 per person for to-and-fro transportation, one activity and lunch. There is also a provision for overnight stay at the resort. For more details/reservations, contact The Last Resort, Sales Office, Thamel, Kathmandu: Tel 00977-1- 4700525/4701247, Email info@ thelastresort.com.np or visit its website www.thelastresort.com.np</span></span></p>',
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A14"><span style="font-family: ">By Gaurav Aryal</span></span></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A15">Labour Dilemma </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">An Analysis of Labour Issues Facing Nepal</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="labor cover story" border="1" height="495" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover2.jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa25">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours. </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Political instability, labour problems and power supply are said to be the major causes of poor investment climate in Nepal. According to a survey report of 2009 conducted by enterprisesurveys.org, political instability is the major constraint for doing business followed by power shortage and labour problems respectively.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;<img alt="political " border="1" height="270" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="257" /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">A</span><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">ccording to Bishnu Rimal, President of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), there are 353,000 individual members of GEFONT and altogether 29 affiliates. Similarly, there are 800,000 members in All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) which has 42 different professional organisations as affiliates., There are around 286 trade unions registered at the Department of Labour (DoL) that are affiliated to 10 trade union federations. A total of 86 new unions have been added after the People’s Movement II, six years ago, when there were 200 unions in the fiscal year 2005/06. According to Manish Agrawal, Vice Chairman of Employers Council at FNCCI, there are 10 authorised trade unions (including GEFONT and ANTUF) at national level in Nepal and they are all affiliated to different political parties. These unions themselves are divided into different categories according to the nature of industry. There are separate unions on tourism, hospitality, service industries, banks and financial institutions and manufacturing sector rather than having branches of a unified labour union that represents overall workers from the entire business sector. <br />
	<br />
	According to World Bank data, labour unrest is one of the contributing factors for adverse investment climate. According to the Global Competitive Index 2012/13 prepared by the World Economic Forum, inadequately educated workforce is one of the major hurdles for doing business in Nepal. The same report ranks Nepal at 125th position on labour market efficiency out of 144 countries. Likewise, poor work ethic in national labour force was placed at 8th most problematic factors for doing business in Nepal.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In addition, restrictive labour regulations was placed in the 5th position under the same category. A report by Nepal Business Initiative (NBI) with support of South Asia Enterprise Development Facility presented to the Prime Minister in the last week of September, labour problem ranks as one of the major challenges faced by the Nepali economy. Similarly, the Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 lists various aspects related to the labour market of Nepal and their efficiency and their world ranking.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">(See table).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><img alt="table coverstory" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/table(1).jpg" vspace="10" />&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In nutshell, if the ongoing problem of power shortage is resolved today, labour problem will come up as the biggest hurdle to beat, for making the overall investment environment favourable for new investors and existing corporate houses. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Wrong Message to Investors </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The never ending labour problems have given unintended messages to the local as well as foreign investors who are willing to venture into Nepal. Recent dispute in KFC and Pizza Hut has definitely given a wrong message to interested foreign investors. Similarly, Shikhar Shoes was closed after workers manhandled the Managing Director of the company and padlocked its factory at Goldhunga. It seems that labour unrest, one of the major roadblocks to higher investment, will continue unabated in the future too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">An investor usually looks to invest where there is favourable business environment. Experts believe that the labour issues have created a hostile environment to investments. Labour trouble experienced in Nepali units of multinational giants like Surya Nepal, Unilever, GMR and Asian Paints have turned off prospective investments to Nepal. A handful of such representative cases are enough to scare away either domestic or foreign investors. Khila Nath Dahal, Former Co-president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Independent (NTUC-I) and former President of Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union (DECONT) denied, “It is a false assumption that labours are the cause to repel the investment. Labours, investors themselves and the government policy. have roles in r creating threat to investors venturing new business in Nepal. Lack of infrastructural development like roadways, electricity and drinking water has also affected investment.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal claims that industrial strikes are in a decreasing trend. He said, “After 2008, the number of industrial strikes has been decreasing. Trade unions have contributed to only six per cent of the total work stoppages last year as around 28 per cent cases of such work stoppages were due to bandhas called by employers and the rest was contributed by political parties and other organisations.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Still, leading corporate houses like Chaudhary Group, Golchha Organisation, Dugar Group, among others say that due to unfavourable environment for the manufacturing sector, they have identified service sector as safer areas for investment. Service sector, except from tourism and hospitality, sees very few cases of labour strikes and union problems. These corporate houses have been minimising their foothold on manufacturing sector and moved onto the service sector like hospitality, education, banking and finance, healthcare among others. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Over Politicisation of Workers </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Naturally, the private sector companies look to make profits. When the workers are involved in union activities, more than working for the company, it adversely affects the productivity. So, a voice for ‘No Work No Pay’ was raised by the entrepreneurs but it has not been implemented till date as trade unions have strongly opposed this proposal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal said that as per the international norms, the identity of a labour is associated with the industry. “On the contrary, the identity of the worker in Nepal is associated with the trade union to which they belong,” he clarified. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to frequent strikes and even physical assault upon the employers and managers has led to closure of factories and companies. Foreign investors have shut down their industrial units and reduced their presence in the country. Agrawal said that Colgate-Palmolive is one such example. “Nepal is losing many investors because of labour problems. Recently, Surya Garment was also shut down due to labour problems,”. he said. However, Dahal says, “If the demands of employees are fulfilled they would not choose violent way to fulfil their demands. If one side does not provide basic rights of employees as stated in the Labour Law, then the other side would definitely not follow law and order also. This consequently results into imbalance between the employers and the employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In many cases, once an issue is resolved at a point of time and place, even more severe ones are raised at the next point of time and place. Numerous industries have closed down and, looking at the recent examples of KFC and Pizza Hut, it cannot be ruled out that similar situation won’t arise in other companies too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unruly unions are protected by the political parties who don’t tire talking about importance of bringing foreign investments. Different unions that belong to different political parties come up with different demands, mostly as dictated by the respective political party. Thus, there is conflict of interest and opinions among the unions themselves. They are primarily guided by party philosophy rather than working for creating a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Agrawal said, “The major problem of the trade unions in Nepal currently is that they are focused on following political ideologies of associated political parties rather than fulfilling the interests of workers.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Agni Prasad Thapaliya, Judge at the Labour Court, one union does not allow formation of second union in the company. “In most cases, employees are not allowed to work without taking membership of a trade union and paying a levy to the union and inter-union rivalry has also become problematic. The same person is found involved in numerous unions,” he said. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strange Demands </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In a series of recent events, workers have come up with weird and strange demands. Labour unions at Hotel Greenwich Village, a three star hotel in Lalitpur, recently came up with a demand that their members be felicitated with a gold medal weighing one kilogram. Labour unions affiliated to the Maoists (the party that is leading the present coalition government) and CPN-UML party are pressing the hotel management submitting a 22 point demand paper.. According to the demand paper, employees who have been working for more than 20 years in the hotel should be presented gold medals each weighing more than a kg. Prabin Acharya, Deputy Managing Director at the hotel said, “It is natural to demands an increase in remuneration and compensation but a demand like this was unheard of earlier.” The hotel has resumed its operation.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similarly, workers at Thai Airways Nepal office have presented an ultimatum with various absurd demands like paying their income taxes by the airline. Such activities have become a threat to the need of the day – increase investment that will have forward linkages to employment and overall national economic growth. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Legalities of Strikes </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Although Nepal too has a legal procedure to a strike, there are very few cases of complying with these procedures before a strike is held. Thapaliya said that most of the strikes are organised without following the legal procedure. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, the trade union leaders deny this charge. Rimal says that the legal procedure of strikes is not violated. “Labour laws are not violated in recent years. However, if employers and employees both are found defying the law, they should be brought under the book.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Shalikram Jamakattel, President of ANTUF says, “Strikes which are not in accordance with the law make workers’ case weak. Therefore, they go for the strikes according to the law unless there is a compulsion.’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Thapaliya, the due process requires prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then it is taken to the labour office, where both parties – the workers and the management - sit for dialogues. “If the dialogues do not resolve the issue, the workers should give a 30 days ultimatum. If the management does not resolve the issue even by the end of such 30 days, the workers can go for strike,” he adds. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective Bargaining </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining in Nepal is commonly focused on demanding additional facilities, mostly wages and other fringe benefits that often includes strange demands like that in the cases of Thai Airways and Greenwich Hotel. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is quite natural to adopt unique bargaining standpoints by the workers according to different types of companies. However, at times, workers are alleged to have come up with insatiable demands that can be hardly fulfilled by the employers. Thapaliya said that workers are often overambitious and their demands revolve around the political ideologies to which the union is affiliated, rather than relating to the overall benefits for workers. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal explains this differently. “I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is correct. We conduct collective bargaining at the central level for minimum standards like wage determination and finalise it there. Collective bargaining for maximum standards is done at the enterprise level and we think such standards should be different in different enterprises. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more from them whereas we demand less from companies that have less income and profits.” Jamakattel complains that collective bargaining is not conducted as promised in the policies. “Labours in industrial sector do collective bargaining every two years but it has not been managed systematically. Unless new labour law is made, these problems cannot be managed.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal on the other hand complains that there has not been effective collective bargaining as it is affected by the overruling political ideologies of trade unions they are affiliated to. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employment Security </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Trade union leaders also complain that many employers do not provide appointment letters. Dahal says, “The law guarantees a system of providing appointment letter to employees as soon as they join a company. But there are many employees who have not received their appointment letters. Thapaliya too has the same comment to make. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour law also states that an employee who has completed 240 working days should automatically become a permanent employee. However, there is a system of provisional period as well. If the employer finds the performance of an employee unsatisfactory, the employer has the right to terminate the service of such employee at any time during the probation period. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A minimum wage is fixed at Rs 6,200 per month. But many employees arereceiving less than this, complains Dahal. Therefore, he claims, more than fifty per cent of the labour strikes have been aimed to implement such provisions of the labour laws. Labour law also requires that the salary should be revised every two years. Also, this provision is neglected by employers, adds Dahal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Out of nearly half a million youths that enter the Nepali employment market every year, around 305,000 are going abroad for jobs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 11.7 million people in the workforce and only 1.8 million of them are in the formal sector jobs within the country while about 3.5 million are employed abroad. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Act Amendment </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both employers’ organisations and trade unions have been demanding amendment in the Labour Act. Both believe that to maintain cordial industrial relations, the Act urgently needs amendments.. Still, the leaders of these trade unions claim that half of the existing disputes could be resolved with the existing laws if executed properly. However, Rimal) is hopeful that the proposed amendment to the Act will address the issues of daily-wage workers and those working in the informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">And it has been around 10 years since the government begun planning to amend the labour laws. Both employer’s organisations and trade unions want the law amended. However, their respective demands are different and some of them even conflicting. Employers are demanding the inclusion of provisions like ‘No Work No Pay’ and ‘Hire and Fire’ while trade unions are demanding setting minimum wage also for informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">But there are other issues as well to be incorporated in the labour law. Thapaliya says, one such provision needed is for a tripartite commission to resolve issues that could not be addressed through collective bargaining. He suggested that the informal sector too should have rules and regulations that address issues of manual labours like minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Merger of Unions </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Another labour sector issue being intensely discussed these days is the merger of trade unions. During a recent function organised by GEFONT, Sharan KC, Regional Coordinator for South Asia at Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) said that Nepali trade unions should merge with each other so that they become stronger and influential. He also shared examples of merger of unions in the international arena. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employers too are positive about this proposal. Agrawal believes, “The presence of more than two trade unions within an enterprise has been creating a very difficult working atmosphere. It divides the workers into different ideologies.” He added, “There should be only one trade union for one enterprise.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">FNCCI is planning to form an Industrial Relations Forum involving all the presidents of major Trade Unions, industrialists and President of FNCCI. He informed, “It will be a platform to discuss the emerging issues of labour and industrial relationships. The forum will work towards safeguarding the rights of both employers and employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">State’s Role </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both the employers and employees are found unanimous on the state’s role for resolving the problems in industrial relations. As the government has a major responsibility to protect the investments in the country, it becomes the state’s responsibility to protect investors, when needed, from unlawful activities carried out by trade unions as well. Agrawal cites an example of Maruti Suzuki in India where the state came forward to provide such protection. During the recent labour strike there, the management team was beaten up by the labourers, and the Indian police deployed 500 rapid action forces. “This shows the level of concern the government has shown towards the investors. This action showed that Indian government will not tolerate repetition of such activities.. If Indian government can do it, the Nepali government too can do it,” he says. He said, “Sense of insecurity is the major problem that the investors are facing now due to the inability of the government to take actions when trade unions behave illegally.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Upper Karnali Project</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="upper karnali" border="1" height="85" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/upperkarnali.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Energy Limited, GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) and Italian-Thai Development Project Company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Nepal, for development of 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydro electric Project. The project was set to develop under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. The plant was targeted to be commissioned by the end of 2016. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The attack on Indian infrastructure and energy major GMR’s power project in western Nepal by Maoists delayed the 900 MW hydropower project to meet its 2016 completion date. The nearly $469 million project’s environmental impact assessment was on the verge of completion when the attack occurred. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Upper Karnali Hydropower Project’s camp site in Dailekh district was burnt down. The act of arson and vandalism destroyed all the three pre-fabricated buildings in Dailekh, including the GMR site office with its computers and documents. The fear of further attacks and the pulling out of all personnel was said to have caused the delay to go up further, causing an escalation in costs as well. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Soon after the attack, the second in two months, GMR’s director G Subba Rao and Harvinder Manocha, GMR Energy’s associate vice-president as well as country director for Nepal, held talks with Nepal’s erstwhile Energy Minister Gokarna Bista and all lawmakers from the three districts spanned by the project - Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet, GMR’s projects in Nepal, including the 600 MW Upper Marsyangdi, have been regularly threatened by the Maoists with their top leaders demanding that their licenses be scrapped. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal warned the government in a press statement that such attacks would demolish investors’ confidence in Nepal. Facing an 18-20 hour daily power cut during the dry winter and summer seasons, Nepal has been banking on the Upper Karnali project to ease the power crisis within the next five years. GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Surya Nepal Textile</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="surya nepal" border="1" height="91" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/suryanepal.jpg" vspace="10" width="160" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Established in 2004 with an investment of approximately Rs 700 million, Surya Nepal Private Limited’s garment manufacturing unit - Surya Textile Industry - had been providing jobs to 608 workers directly, while the number of workers indirectly related to textile industry was more than 1,000. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Remunerations demanded by workers for the eight days strike that took place in mid-April 2011 and the management’s refusal to provide any remuneration, under the “no work no pay” provision, in the long run turned out to be the main reason for the permanent closure of Surya Textile. Workers didn’t agree with the “no work no pay” pact arguing that they were present inside the industry’s premises during the strike but could not work, because the industry itself was closed. This way, arguments and counter arguments continued and it deepened the conflict between management and labourers. On June 14, the situation worsened when factory workers, under backing from major trade unions, locked up 42 officials of the management without food and water supply for more than 24 hours. Finally, police had to rescue the captivated officials forcefully, because the major trade unions wanted their demand to be fulfilled immediately, or else they were not ready to release the officials. During the rescue clash, 8 labourers and 12 policemen were injured. After the officials were rescued, the management announced an indefinite closure of the industry effective from June 15 itself. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since June 15 to August 17, the industry remained closed during which labourers and even the trade unions demonstrated to re-open the industry but the management continuously refused to re-open citing unfriendly industrial climate and security problems. Finally, an agreement was reached among representatives of Morang Industry Organisation, Trade Unions and Surya Nepal to shut down the industry permanently paying Rs 29,800 as lay-off benefits to each worker and also according to agreement, the laid-off workers will be given priority as per the workers’ efficiency and capacity if the company comes up with new venture or resume its factory again. The security problems, militant trade unionism and their irrational demands, according to the management, forced the company to permanently close the textile industry. Irrespective of many other cases where monthly wage is the main cause of rift between management and labourers, Surya Textile was an exception. Sanjiv Keshava, Surya Nepal’s Managing Director, claimed themselves as good paymaster and explained that they paid almost double the amount stated in the minimum wage.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">KFC and Pizza Hut</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="kfc and pizza hut" border="1" height="82" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/KFC.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Outlets of international fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell resumed operation on September 17, 2012 after a three point agreement between the workers and the management. KFC, the biggest fast food chain in Nepal, had remained closed for over a month. On August 14, 2012 Devyani International, a subsidiary of Varun Beverages which operates outlets of KFC and Pizza Hut in Nepal had written a letter to authorities with announcement of immediate closure of all the four KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants running in the capital. “In order to disrupt our operations, some staff have physically attacked and threatened to kill the senior managers,” the letter read. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The settlement of dispute took nearly a month’s time because the management was seeking action against those law breakers who threatened to kill the managers. Moreover, it was demanding a commitment from the workers on not repeating such violent behaviour again. The management of the company decided to reopen the outlets after taking action against 22 staff who manhandled a senior manager of the company. Yogendra Kumal, Joint Coordinator of All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary); Tika Subedi, Vice President of ANHWU-R; Nawaraj Bhatta, President of ANHRWU-R´s Devyani International Nepal unit and Vishnu Reddy, Country Manager of Devyani International, signed the pact. As per the agreement, the trade union will make all the staff obey rules and regulations of the company and will not object if the management takes action on those violating the company´s rules. Likewise, the management agreed to respect the trade union rights. On August 29, the workers registered ANHRWU (All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union-Revolutionary). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The fast food chain had been talk of the town since there was a dispute over the formation of a trade union. According to the sources, the management and its employees started crossing swords with each other in August after cadres of the Mohan Baidya led CPN-Maoist goaded the staff into forming the party’s trade union. The five outlets used to record average daily turnover of Rs 800,000. According to the senior managerial staff at KFC Durbarmarg, the company suffered a loss of around Rs 30 million including loss of perishable goods.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Activities of Trade Unions and Employers are Guided by Traditional Mentality’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="agni parajuli" border="1" height="292" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/agni.jpg" vspace="10" width="253" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">AGNI PRASAD THAPALIYA<br />
	Judge <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Labour Court</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "> <br />
	</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you view the current labour situation as a judge of Labour Court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour court gives its verdict on a legal basis on the disputes whatsoever comes to the court. The labour statutes have envisioned secured employment, secured employees and guarantee of social security. Looking at these, it seems that our law is labour oriented to some extent because it has made provision of secured work for workers. But in practice, workers are forced to work for a company for a long time without an appointment letter. In many cases, they don’t even have attendance files and they are not even given identity cards. To file a case in the court, one must be able to produce evidences. There must be some evidences like employment letter, identity card, payslip or attendance registers. In some case, none of these are existent. There are cases where people are put to work like bonded labours. Companies must formally employ its workers with proper documentation that clearly mentions post, type of work, job description and remuneration, according to the legal provision. There are cases where employers have not followed these rules. Based on available documents and evidences, we have made verdicts in the favour of employees. In some cases, we have not been able to reinstate the workers. Similarly, to employ foreigners in Nepal, having a work permit from the Department of Labour is a must when the company has to hire foreigners. But a research I have conducted shows that around 20 per cent employees are working without permit in the bordering areas. Similarly, around 48 per cent employees are put to work sans contract papers. There is also disparity on salary of males and females. There are also cases of sexual harassments at work. In the absence of provision to address sexual harassment in our labour law, decision made by the management of a company has been endorsed also by the court and in some cases; international law is also put into practice. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the annual number of cases that are filed in the labour court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Most of the cases reinstated in labour court are about unlawful dismissal of employees. In many cases, the misconduct is not established while in some cases there are shortcomings in the job done by the workers. There are situations when the workers have to be reinstated if misconduct is not proved or employees are not allowed an opportunity of clarification. There were 103 verdicts made last year through the labour court and 84 cases were appealed against the actions of proprietors or against decisions of Labour Offices. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It seems that labour unions are guided by political ideologies rather than for the benefits of workers. How do you view this?</span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;Politics has also made inroads into civil service and police while it was common in the private sector. But, this is sad. It is said that a manager accuses member of another trade union with the help of one union. Such practices do not benefit the private sector. Activities of trade unions and employers show that they are guided by a traditional mentality though the overall national political and economic situation has changed with time. Employers have not got rid of their bossy nature. Although the law mentions a proper procedure to hire employees, the regulation is not properly followed. But employers or proprietors have not followed the legal procedures, so, there is the problem. Similarly, workers too are overambitious. Due to political reason, and over ambition of workers, without understanding the financial condition of the industries and even the economy, workers always want to be benefitted and enjoy attractive facilities. World history shows extreme cases of exploitation of labour and industrialists too suffered a lot but we don’t have such a situation. Our situation is definitely better. Our law addresses almost every issue of the formal sector. Both the parties have their own standpoint, so, the private sector and investment is in dire straits. This has increased the chances of capital flight. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the process of collective bargaining? How much have Nepali trade unions complied with the legal provision? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining does not come under jurisdiction of the court. Agreements made based on collective bargaining are implemented equivalent to law. Though agreements made are implemented, in most of the cases the major problem is, agreements cannot be made. To resolve such issues, a dispute resolution body needs to be formed. As we are under the tripartite model recognised by the ILO, the personal disputes are resolved by the court while collective disputes are not solved through negotiation between employees and proprietor in the presence of Labour Office. After that, a mediator may be appointed through the consent of both parties who can settle dispute through mediation. In case the mediator fails to settle the issue, employees can file ultimatum to go on a strike. On the other hand, employers can lockup his/her business in case s/he has been unsatisfied by the complaint of employees. So, our labour law does not address effective mechanism for resolving collective issue. It is a lacuna in our law. In the absence of an authentic body to settle collective issues, the private sector is not moving ahead as it should have. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the legalities of industrial strikes? Do you see those legalities followed by unions as well as companies? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The process of strike has not been followed at all. A negligible number of strikes are organised following the legal procedure. Most of them are organised all of a sudden. The process involves prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then the issue is taken to the labour office where they can sit for dialogues. Even if the dialogues do not resolve the issue, a mediator can be appointed by the consent of both parties. In case, the mediator fails to settle issues or there is no understanding on appointing a mediator, labourers can go for strike but again a 30 days ultimatum should be given. When the management body does not listen to the demand within the ultimatum, strikes can then be organised. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is said that judiciary has been making pro-labour decisions. What is your take on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour issues are not criminal cases. An Indian pioneer on labour law, Gulzarilal Nanda said that if the labour cases are treated on the basis of whoever produces more evidences, you are not trying to give justice to the labourers. Likewise, if a convict gets the benefit of doubt and the judge maintains silence or acts like an umpire to see which party will produce more evidences, then the justice is denied. So, a labour court judge must find out the facts and evidences. The employer always looks to employ workers at minimum facilities and make higher profit. So, the labour law procedure is quite different in nature. In the labour court, a judge must be active enough to guarantee justice. Investors feel that they must have absolute power over employees to protect their investments. In cases against employers that do not fulfil the legal procedure, justice is given in favour of labourers rather than of the employers. In numerous cases it is found that workers are alleged of wrongdoings when actually they have not committed mistakes. Even if they have committed misconduct; they are not given a chance for clarification. In such cases, decisions made by managers are reverted by the court. Therefore, when employees win the case, the industrialists say that verdicts are being labour oriented but it is not true. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A voice for amendment of labour law is being raised. Do you think the amendment is really needed? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Compared to the law of other countries, one thing that needs to be incorporated into the labour law is – making a provision of a tripartite committee or commission to sort out issues that are not resolved through the collective bargaining procedure. The law must mention a certain mechanism to resolve the collective disputes. In least developed countries like Nepal, there is presence of a strong informal sector. A huge number of employed people in these sectors are in the form of manual labours like agricultural workers and household workers. The workers are still working like bonded labours. Therefore the informal sector too should have certain rules and regulations. So, there should be a regulation that addresses their minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. As we have moved into a democratic system and become the part of the network of the UN, we have to timely and properly address these issues and control inhuman activities too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is alleged that feeling of insecurity prevails in the labour court. To what extent is it true? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In my tenure of three years, I have not felt any kind of insecurity as of now. Apart from minor arguments from labourers, there is no interference and threat seen till this day. But as the overall judiciary is said to be insecure at the national level being the part of the overall broad framework of the judiciary, labour court is also insecure from that perspective. As an individual entity, there are no such issues in the labour court.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Trade Unions Contributed only Six Per cent of the Total Strikes’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="bishnu" border="1" height="398" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bishnu.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">BISHNU RIMAL <br />
	President <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">GEFONT</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How many members are there in your union and how do you manage them? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">There are more than 353,000 individual members in our union and 29 affiliates altogether. The affiliates recruit members on their own under our co-ordination and connect them with us but we do not subscribe direct membership. We have committees at the local and district levels. And at the entrepreneur level, they choose one male and female candidate each as our representatives. The committee of the registered union becomes our member in a national level. The affiliates are action oriented while the role of GEFONT is that of coordination. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Why are industrial strikes so recurrent in Nepal? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strikes were frequent between 2006 and 2008 but after 2008, the frequency of industrial strikes has gone down. If you follow the website www.nepalbanda.com, you will find that trade unions have contributed only six percent of the total bandhas in the last year while around 28 percent bandhas were called by employers and the rest was contributed by parties and other organizations. If you are confusing political strikes with trade unions’ strikes, it is a mistake. If counted, there are hardly three companies where unions called strikes namely Surya Nepal, Pizza Hut and Unilever up to now. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Do you think the trade unions in Nepal are following the right approach in collective bargaining? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since we do not call it collective bargaining across the board, I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is proper. We conduct bargaining at the central level committee for minimum standards like wage determination and finalize it there. Collective bargaining is for maximum standards and we do it according to the type of company in question. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more whereas we demand less from the less earning companies. Before getting into bargaining process, it is essential to find whether the company is in profit or not. There was a huge bargaining at local level when the Khimti Project was firing 89 workers. According to the law, it had to pay two per cent of the total earnings to the workers and the labors’ demand approach was correct. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to the violent strikes and vandalism, private sector employers in Nepal fear to hire Nepali workers. How do you view this? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Violent strikes are rare as far as I know. The strike against Surya Nepal is the only example that I can give for vandalism in the private sector. Apart from that, strikes are usually seen at the government service and public sector. Recently, there was a strike at Unilever in Hetauda for a week and the problem was solved immediately after the negotiations. If we go through case-by-case, we may find some cases that nurtured vandalism but in general, employees are not feared to hire Nepali workers. Moreover, I have heard that employees in Nepal are longing to hire Nepali workers but they are not finding any mainly because of the scarcity of the workers in Nepal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the problems that the workers are facing in Nepali industries? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Firstly, at the policy level, the main problem that we are facing is the ineffectiveness of the rule of law. Even the industrialists are not providing minimum wages to the workers while the minimum wage is Rs 6,200 only. Unless there is a labor inspection system, we cannot find out whether the rule of law has been followed or not. Our law says that after 240 days of working, a worker is permanent at the company but there are many outsourced labors working for years and the jobs are mostly informal. Secondly, the problem of meager pay has been on the rise. High productivity of the workers can be seen only if they are paid adequately. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides, there is no social security in the companies. In any developed country, workers get pension after 20 years of service in a company but this social protection is rare in Nepali companies. More than Rs 200 million has been collected since the government has put one per cent tax on the companies for the social security of the workers. Accident insurance and medical insurance should be implemented but there are no schemes yet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The employers here fear that if the workers are made permanent, there will be less productivity. They believe that the workers are more productive when they work in fear. If there were no problems in permanent and temporary jobs, there wouldn’t be strikes in most of the industries. Workers are often agitated because there is low salary, no job guarantee and no social protection. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Experts are saying that over unionization of labors has affected industries badly. What are your views on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Conflict results from the sour relationship between management and workers, not from unionization. It is true that there are more unions in in service sector companies while some companies that provide informal job opportunities do not have unions at all. Unions are not the problems in companies because they solve most problems of the employers. A union solves the problems of each and every worker in the company and in most organizations, union leaders maintain labor relations with the management. The number of the unions is not a problem for an employee or the employer as long as authenticity of the union or the members of the bargaining team selected by the workers themselves is maintained. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Intra-party/intra-union problems and power struggle are common among Nepali trade unions. You as the President of GEFONT may have realized that as well. What do you think could be the solution? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Historically, there has always been a relation between Nepali political parties and trade unions. But it should be noted that Nepali trade unions are formed according to the law. Whether there is one or more than 20 unions in an organization, the employees should acknowledge that there should be a national election for an authentic union. For example, if there are four unions in an organization, the bargaining panel will be formed according to the votes in the election regardless of who the ruler of the union is. It’s only then that the multiplicity of the unions can be managed easily. Problems occur from the employers’ side too because their behavior changes according to the relationship with the union. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">As the trade unions in Nepal are affiliated to one or the other political party, they seem busy in politics than in promoting workers’ interests. How can this be resolved? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unions alone are not affiliated to political parties, employers too are affiliated and involved with the parties. In a multi-party system, affiliation to political parties is common and ideologically, it is correct too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From the perspective of the laborers, we are purely representing the laborers inside the companies. We are not indulging in any politics, however, our people are affiliated with different political parties. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labor disputes and shutdown of the industries are perceived as a threat to the investors venturing into new businesses in Nepal. How is your union going about it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Had you gone through the document called ‘Doing Business’, you would find that the labor disputes are in the sixth number among other problems. Companies making high investments in Sunsari- Biratnagar corridor are demanding more labors. The report by World Bank has also put labor problems in seventh among others whereas the number one problem is government’s legal hassles and number two is the problem of taxation. No investor has withdrawn his investment because of the unions or the workers. Recently, we organized the third Labor and Employment Conference in Kathmandu where we jointly made a 15-points declaration regarding the welfare of the workers. We We shared that we do not have anything against the employers; rather, we had a common view that we lacked a proper government bureaucracy. Unions are often dragged between the ineffective government and the political parties which is not right. Investors say labour law is not good in Nepal but they have never blamed workers or the unions for being unfriendly towards investments. <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the country has about 11.7 million workforce and only 1.8 million are in the formal sector and around 3.5 million are in foreign jobs. Rest of them are either unemployed or in informal sector. What do you think should be done to attract more investments that help in reducing labor',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours.',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
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			'article_category_id' => '52',
			'title' => 'Made-in-Nepal Concept',
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			'content' => '<p>
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						<span heaveneticacond9="" style="font-size:56.0pt;
  font-family:">A</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>four-day ‘Made in Nepal Products and Service Expo-2012’ that concluded on 9th September in Kathmandu created hype of a sort with its tagline: afno bhanya afnai ho (our own, means our own). Two weeks later, Nepali elite class was seen scrambling to buy jackets made of allo (stinging nettle plant with scientific name Girardinia diversifolia) fibre in the Small and Cottage Industries Products’ Exhibition. Everyone, from prime minster to the commoner who visited these fairs, and the media alike, portrayed these as the moments proud to be. Indeed they were, but rather more emotionally.</p>
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	These expos and exhibitions designed to showcase and promote Nepali products and services no doubt are welcome endeavors. For that matter, any business initiative at a time when almost all economic and manufacturing activities in Nepal are dented by the prolonged political crisis is praiseworthy. But, the kind of twist these expos brought in to trade ‘afno’ emotions than goods and services warrants a serious debate on the very concept of ‘made in Nepal’ and its indispensability for the national economy.</p>
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	Let’s think beyond debatable issues of whether everything showcased in these exhibitions was truly a Nepali product. In the present globalised and highly interconnected world, can any economy of the size of Nepal operate and manage her ‘own’ economy and, is it at all necessary to be so? Or, shouldn’t we now think of making Nepal a ‘profitable economy’ than being falsely proud with hollow emotional swipe?</p>
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	Unquestionably, Nepal needs to produce and sell products and services that have comparative and competitive advantages, mainly those that are profitable both in domestic and international markets. First, the very concept of self-producing everything we need must be abandoned. Second, generating pride by renaming or changing the label to ‘made in Nepal’ of the goods produced by others is surely not an ethical practice and not going to help even our psychological bliss of industrialism, let alone economy.</p>
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	<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>We saw a swadeshi, self-reliant economic paradigm in the economies like India for almost half a century that got reverted to open market only at the beginning of 1990s. But, swadeshi policy could hardly help the market of its own of such a large size, apparently capable of creating economies of scale in any given sector. Even in our case, the guided economy of the panchayat era tried to produce everything through the state-owned entities -- from cigarettes to sugar and, run transport services to groceries outlets. Clearly, the prime objectives in those both cases were to create an economy of ‘national pride’ not a profitable economy based on cost-benefit analysis. Now we have the results in front of us – in the form of an absolutely tattered economy and also pathetic fate of these state-owned establishments, as an outcome of these costly prides.</p>
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	The official figures of the last fiscal year 2068/69 show that Nepal’s export import ratio stands at almost 1:6 and, unofficially, it is estimated to be well above 1:8. This indeed is indicative of the fact that Nepal only has two options to bridge this gap – either to increase the export or, produce the goods that can replace the massive import in substantial scale, or, instead of producing everything, focus on prioritizing the products with better domestic or international markets with higher rate of returns. As China has now shown, it is always preferable to import what turns out to be cheaper to import than producing ourselves and produce only that which brings in better rate of returns. Therefore, instead of being ‘proud’ for producing everything, the nation as one economy should think about pragmatic plans to make it more ‘profitable’. Then only ‘made in Nepal’ actually can contribute in making Nepal economically better off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:24px;"><span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="line-height: 115%;">‘Tunnel Project Is A Litmus Test For The Private Sector’<br />
	<br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="font-size:43.5pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="kushkmarjoshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview(8).jpg" vspace="10" width="303" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">Kush Kumar Joshi <br />
	Chairman <br />
	Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Ltd</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa19">
	<span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt">Kush Kumar Joshi is the Chairman of Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Limited (NPBCL) that is to develop the Kathmandu-Kulekhani- Hetauda Tunnel (KKHT) Highway that would substantially reduce the Kathmandu-Hetauda driving distance. <br />
	<br />
	NPBCL will be constructing the 50-kilometre long four-lane highway that will have approximately two 5.5 kilometre long tunnels for oncoming and going traffic between Kathmandu and Hetauda. The company will construct and operate the tunnel road in public-private-people partnership (4P) modality under the Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructure 2006 act. A leading industrialist of Nepal, Joshi is also the Immediate Past President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and the Chairman of Liberty Energy, Himalayan Bamboo Pvt Ltd and Managing Director of Nepal Ekarat Engineering Co Pvt Ltd. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In an interview with Gaurav Aryal of New Business Age, Joshi talked about the tunnel project as well as the country</span></span><span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">’</span></span><span class="A67"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">s overall investment environment. Excerpts:</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_333.jpg" vspace="10" width="250" /><br />
	<br />
	For the first time in Nepal, the private sector is developing a major road project. As the leader of this project, how do you plan to execute it? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is indeed the first time the government has entrusted a private company with such a big responsibility. It is an honour to share the weight of the government in enriching the lives of Nepali people. The concept of making shortest road from Hetauda to Kathmandu was conceptualised more than 50 years ago. Everyone knows this will be the shortest distance to link these two cities but due to socio-political reasons, the mechanism to construct the road was not finalised earlier. This time around, a new approach of 4P model - public, private and people participation - is taken to revive this initiative. People’s participation in a massive scale is the main strength of this approach. The local people presently have to take a longer route to travel to Kathmandu despite a possible shorter alternative there. This project would be a matter of dignity for every Nepali when it will be completed solely with Nepali resources, technology and management. That is a motivating factor for all of us. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the progress towards the financial closure of the project? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The government has granted us this project for 30 years as per the People, Private and Public Partnership (4P) Modality under Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructures 2006 act. The cost of the project is estimated around US$ 350 million and that money is going to be raised from amongst ourselves. Once we complete the feasibility study by November 2012, we will have the concession agreement with the government on technical and financial issues as well as the toll fee. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have set a timeline of three-and-a-half-years for the completion of the project. As many projects are failing to meet their deadlines, what is the basis of your optimism to meet your deadline? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The main possible hurdles in a project are fund collection, local disturbances and not getting a license. In our case, the government has already granted a license to us not only for DPR but also for execution of the project. The main strengths of this initiative are the local people. The local landowners are ready to contribute to this project by providing their land after a proper valuation. We are not buying the land; instead the value of the land will be treated as their equity investment in the project. Thus the main likely cause of local disturbance is not there. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The other main issue is fund collection. So far, we have received a warm response to our initiative and people are more than willing to invest in such a project that not only has high rate of return but also contributes in developing the infrastructure of the country. This will be the first time Nepali people will be involved in such kind of project. Our people have always been depending on financial support from donor countries, banks or the government. But, this project will make massive mobilisation of people – business community, local people, NRN community and the Nepali workers abroad - for generating funds. Another key component is the Nepali construction companies who will not only be the contractors but also major investors in this mega project. There is plenty of liquidity in the capital and money market but there are not enough good projects for investment. So, this good project will have no problem of funds. And we are hopeful to complete the project within the set deadline. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Disputes on land acquisition and paying compensation have proven major issues while developing such projects. What is the basis for your optimism that your arrangement will work this time? <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The modality we have come up with for this project is very unique. As I said earlier, we are not trying to buy land – it is more or less like a barter system and a participatory approach. Before deciding the alignment and making the survey, we had a lot of interactions with the locals and received a commitment from them regarding the project. The most important aspect is that they positively want to see this road built. The local community is ready to invest 75 per cent of the actual valuation of their land to the project and hold 25 per cent with themselves. This is a great step towards making a change. The locals have not just said that they want the road built but they have actually played a significant role in making this initiative a success. And if an existing house is needed to demolish for the road, we are committed to build another house for the owner. This, I think, is beauty or the strength of this entire project.</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar" border="1" height="264" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/inteview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="317" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	The KKHT highway is considered a project of national pride and a model to invite foreign investment in infrastructure development. How will this project be able to live up to this expectation? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have huge potentials in infrastructure. One can see the level of service we are providing to the people in energy, road, drinking water, medical facilities, the basic needs for the people where we need investment whether from domestic or the international investors. The deficit in infrastructure is such huge, domestic investment is simply not enough. But we need to build up the confidence level of investors by providing a guarantee through the policy, political commitment and, most importantly, from the domestic investment. If our project will thrive, it would be a benchmark for other investors to emulate. A successful project such as this will have foreign investors to get interested to work on other projects. This should be a milestone for all Nepalis. I hope that this will surely lure foreign investors to collaborate with local investors and develop the infrastructures in the country. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have said that the project will return the investment to its investors in six to eight years from the date of operation. Wouldn’t this proposition make the highway a costly road to travel for the general public? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is going to be a win-win situation for passengers as well as vehicle owners as they will be saving both fuel and time. If a truck or a passenger bus is today making a single round trip a day between Hetauda and Kathmandu, the completion of this road will enable them to make several round trips a day. Instead of four hours, the distance from Kathmandu to Hetauda will be covered in 45 minutes once this road comes into operation. Quite naturally, the frequency of travel will be more and transport entrepreneurs can earn more money besides, of course, saving on fuel. The toll fee will be very low and I am sure the users of this road will find it economical and not just save time but also money. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Do you think that investing in infrastructure will give enough yield to the private sector? What will be the model of investment in your company’s future projects? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">First of all, the license granted to us is a historical one. We always talk about the government not giving priority to the private sector and not giving investment opportunity or packages for infrastructure development. This is the first time the government has given a priority project to the private sector. Now, it is our turn to prove that we can do it. If we can do it ourselves, the trust on the private sector will be heightened. This is a litmus test for the private sector to prove that we can do it. For future projects, we may use foreign investment as well as equity based or debt and equity based modality. We will be trying to bring in equity participation for future projects as much as possible. Once this project is completed, NPBCL will become the largest company in Nepal valued at US$ 315 million. A sustainable mechanism and a proven track record will then be part of the company’s resume. We will be hoping for huge projects coming our way and perhaps we could look at large scale storage hydropower projects too. This is going to be the biggest company in Nepal enjoying massive public participation. The ownership will be divided among many people and benefits shared by all. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the other similar projects in the pipeline for NPBCL? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The other similar projects coming up include road extension plans from Hetauda to Narayanghat and Hetauda to Birgunj but that will be taken only after the current project completes a whole lap. The traffic from Kathmandu to Eastern and Western Nepal is huge. This project is now envisaged for westbound traffic and people from Far West will travel via this road. Once the proposed new road from Hetauda to Narayanghat is opened, the drive from Narayanghat to Kathmandu will take only one-and-a-half hours. All the traffic coming to Kathmandu via Mugling will be diverted to the newly built road.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">This project is to utilise Nepali resources only for its development. Is there a possibility of similar big projects with Nepali investment only?</span></strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times=""> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">Many other people are trying to emulate this particular project. For example, the NRN Association has a 100 million dollar fund and they are trying to develop 100 MW hydropower project on their own. Some other companies too are trying to build hydropower projects with Nepali investment only. There are two important bases for the development of a country, one is roads and the other is electricity. Therefore, our next project will focus on energy because there is a lack of storage-based project in hydropower currently. After the success of this project, we will work towards mega storage projects. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="387" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/kushkumar.jpg" vspace="10" width="208" /><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">What is your opinion on allowing investment abroad from Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">&nbsp;</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">We are observing Nepal Investment Year and trying to invite foreign investment to Nepal. Given this situation, what kind of message will the Nepali and foreign investors get if Nepali investment in other countries is made an option indeed? Having said so, even if we have an opportunity to invest in foreign countries, it must come with certain conditions. The criterion should be – one must be an expert in one’s own field, have good brand recognition at home and willing to expand. Expansion requires investment and in such case, one needs to have a chance to expand and to promote the products and technology in some other country. Ultimately, the benefit should come to one’s own country.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">For example, an airline must have its branch in other countries for marketing and promotions. In such a case, one has to invest in foreign countries. Similarly, if you have a good and well-known brand in Nepal and want to export but the cost of competition in other countries may make it not feasible to produce in Nepal and export. Then you should be allowed to produce your own brand in other countries. This will be similar to what multinational companies do. If you have your own brand image for product that is made in Nepal, it will benefit if you establish your factory abroad and promote your own product. But let’s focus on investing within Nepal first.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How do you judge the efficiency of the current FNCCI leadership? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">There are a lot of issues, which have scope to be tackled more efficiently by the FNCCI. It looks like they are focusing on the investment year but they must handle local issues first. Given the situation where the fate of the government hangs in the balance one needs to know how the policies are being driven and focus on pressing to bring the full annual budget of the government at the earliest. Similarly, the policies meant to attract foreign investment for the Nepal Investment Year must be established. Priorities on issues like areas of investment and backing up the investment are more important than to celebrate the investment year itself. The investment board has the law and bylaws to backup the investment package and the same will be applied for other investments also. There are a lot of things that FNCCI can do as an apex body of the business community. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Are business prospects for Nepal improving? What are the bottlenecks?<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Everybody knows about the prospects Nepal has. We talk about tourism, hydropower, infrastructure and others but the business community has to push the government to create a proper environment and identify the priority projects for investment. The ongoing political turmoil is not giving a good sign to the investors to come to Nepal and invest.</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">There are three issues – energy crisis, labour issues and unstable government policies. Energy is the prerequisite because without energy, nobody will come to invest here. Labour issues have also discouraged investors. These two things must be prioritised and cleared by the government and the investment board to encourage investment. We also need to have consistent policies. Changes in policies every time there is change in the government will not attract any investments in Nepal. We have been asking the government and the political parties to come up with a common minimum economic agenda. Establishing a common minimum economic agenda will give a positive signal to the investors. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">You have been demanding reforms in the public procurement system. Would you please explain it? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">The government has to prioritise domestic product. Any company’s first area of business is the local market. Once they have a good position in the local market, they can improve their quality, productivity and be assured about their growth. Having delivered their basic service, they can then think about exporting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">The government has to provide a level playing field for the domestic producers by buying their products, but at the same time it should be monitoring the price and quality as well. At this point of time the government has not been able to accomplish these objectives. The government always seeks cheap foreign products and does not care for the quality. Our argument is, local products do not need incentives instead they need to be promoted so that they can be competitive, qualitative and eventually become export oriented. The government has to give confidence to investors by prioritising the purchase of local products. That is why we are saying that the procurement act has to be revised by making it mandatory to buy local products.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
"><img alt="madanlamsal" border="1" height="161" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/madan.jpg" vspace="10" width="177" /><br />
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By:&nbsp; Madan Lamsal</span></span></p>
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	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	The Magic of Poverty Cards</p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#211D1E"><br />
	If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="no laughing matter" border="1" height="313" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/nolaughingmatter(2).jpg" vspace="10" width="341" /><br />
	<br />
	</span><span class="A13"><span new="" style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">P</span></span><span new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">overty is pervasive as pervasive are the communist ideologies, ideologues and leaders in Nepal. There could be many manifestations of the relations between the communism and the poverty. Since the communism is commonly interpreted as the dictatorship of proletariats, then all people first must be proletariat or belonging or possessing no material wealth; means absolute poor. Nepal is run by an ultra-left Maoist government, then, by definition every citizen of this country is a proletariat, or absolute poor.&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How would you establish that every Nepali is in indeed a proletariat or poor? For this purpose, the Red government has a very innovative idea of distributing ‘Poverty Cards’ to every Nepali. And, to make sure that every Nepali is entitled to this card, the government has a full-proof plan of first evenly distributing the poverty among the entire populace by every means possible and then start beginning to distribute these MAGIC cards to each citizenry.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Some may have seen recent industrial unrest, largely created by the trade unions affiliated to ruling, or if not, to this or that Left Party, as detrimental to national prosperity. But, in fact that is a well planned communist strategy of making every one poor as soon as possible so that the capitalist entrepreneurs of today, labourers and the men in the streets -- all alike can become eligible to get these ‘poverty cards.’<br />
	<br />
	The government has rightly assigned the donor funded Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to lead this drive to distribute the poverty card. The Fund is all set to start this mission in this very month of September itself. The choice of PAF for the task too is a very appropriate as it is the only institution in the country that has experience of distributing anything related to poverty, including the poverty itself say some.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Who are the poor? It is the commonplace knowledge that the citizen who does not possess any asset is the poor. Got some clue on why all the leaders of the ruling United Maoist party including its charismatic Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had reiterated that they would surrender all their property in the name of their party? They were in fact making themselves eligible to get this ‘poverty card.’ Not only that, right since the beginning of the guerrilla war, the party also greatly helped to make citizens properly qualified for the card by confiscating the land, houses and property or physically eliminating them who were not instantly becoming poor at the Maoist will.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">All these instances suggest that this ‘card distribution programmme’ is going to be a great success and an event of real national pride. Every citizen of this country is sure to get it. If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What does this card do? A simple answer is: it will be a magic card capable of providing everything for the one who holds it -- food, education, health services, employment, unemployment benefit, or you just name it. They can also function as the credit cards as well. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Then, who all will get this is anybody’s guess! But you can have some hint by the choice of the 25 districts put in the first priority, including Rukum, Rolpa, Gorkha, and Chitwan to distribute these cards. Why these districts? Rukum and Rolpa are where Maoists started the ambitious program of making every Nepali a proletariat and dispensation akin to proletariat dictatorship. Gorkha and Chitwan are the districts where the Maoist numero-uno Prachanda and PM Baburam hail from. Even before that, it goes without saying that all these leaders living in Kathmandu without ‘anything’ would be getting the privilege of this card. We are just waiting to see this card doing the MAGIC.<br />
	</span></p>',
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Born to Succeed</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="born to succeed" border="1" height="317" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality(5).jpg" vspace="10" width="182" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Min Bahadur Gurung started his business at a time when supermarket shopping was only meant for the elite. His journey from a grocery store owner to the Managing Director of Bhat-Bhateni chain of supermarkets is full of joy, sorrow, dedication and struggle.<br />
	</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">Y</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">oung Min Bahadur Gurung had strong faith in making history one day. His parents too had a dream that he will be a great personality of the country in due course of time. It was the major reason behind his parents’ decision to send him to a good school although his was a big 10-member family. Born after five sisters, he was raised as a pampered son in the family and provided with facilities that a son usually gets in the Nepali society. Two younger brothers were born after him. During his early schooling, Gurung was touched by the story about Madam Curie inventing bean size radium after melting 17 tons of stone. Megnath Lamsal, his teacher at high school, left a deep impression on him. The teacher’s lessons motivated him to do well in life and reach greatness one day. “I was very fond of Lamsal Sir and liked his classes much. I developed a strong belief in myself and was committed to work hard for success,” he recalls.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="388" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="500" /></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Born in Dube, a village in Khotang district, Gurung had schooling up to SLC at different schools nearby. Unlike other young boys of his time, he was very energetic and hardworking. He enjoyed his schooldays even though he had to walk two hours daily to go to the school. Despite being a good student, Gurung failed in the SLC exams. It came as a shock for all the teachers, students and his own family who considered him as a bright student. He didn’t take it as a setback though and tried his best to overcome the failure by studying harder. </span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Reflecting back on his SLC failure, Gurung says that it actually made him the person he is today. He elaborates, “Because I failed my SLC exams, I did not pursue science stream later. Had I cleared SLC in my first attempt with flying colors, I would have other ideas about my future course of life and ultimately miss this fantastic business opportunity that I have today. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22128">GURUNG’S TIPS FOR SUCCESS </span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt">Honesty : Be honest because the lack of it casts shadow on other qualities </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Hard Work : A great company needs great vision which, in turn, needs hard work </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Patience : It helps manage every success and failure </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Positive Thinking : Don’t start your business without it </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Continuity : Continue your business under any circumstances whatsoever</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="305" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_2(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="393" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung started helping his family in farming after his intermediate degree. In Bhadra 2031 BS, he started planting rice, harvesting maize and other jobs required by the farming demands. During this period, he fell terribly sick and survived the ordeal somehow. Gurung’s father decided that enough was enough. Until now, he always insisted to keep his dearest son close to him but following the incident, he advised him to go to Kathmandu and study further.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung had his first job as a record keeper who recorded attendance of daily wage laborers. He shares, “I was given Rs 400 by my father when I left for Kathmandu so I had to find a job anyhow to sustain.” He was soon hired in Nepal Bank Limited and was given a position in Nepalgunj. However, after two years, he managed to find a posting to Kathmandu and started pursuing a master’s degree shortly afterwards. He would attend college in the morning and work at the bank as his full time job.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">A permanent job at the bank encouraged him to settle down in life. He married Sabitri Gurung, a girl from his own village who was pursuing her intermediate degree in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, he also started selling goods which built the foundation of his retail business. Gurung later turned his part time retail business as a full time profession when he realized the potential that the business offered. He established Bhatbhateni Cold Store in 2041 and expanded his retail shop on the second floor of the store in due course of time.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As fate would have it, his store caught fire in 2047 BS and caused him a financial loss of around a million rupees. Gurung says the fire at Bhatbhateni was a turning point for him and he learnt a lesson the hard way to take his business more seriously. Three years later, he established Bhatbhateni Departmental Store. “I am a different type of person who believes in growing plants on rock. It is not possible to stop at a failure when you have a great vision,” he says.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Even today, despite all the success, Gurung consults his wife as before while making business strategies. He remembers the time when he had to invest the same gold in his business that he had gifted to his wife earlier. She joined his business within a few days of delivering their first child Kamana. “It was quite amazing that she could join the store within a short period after the delivery of our first child,” he reminisces. He rues the fact that he finds himself unable to give enough time to his family due to a busy schedule. It is hard to find him relaxing much but when he does so, he listening to music from stalwarts such as Narayan Gopal, Bachchu Kailash and Ani Choying Dolma.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Starting his grocery store with an investment of Rs 35,000 in a small single shutter, his business today is worth billions of rupees with five huge outlets in the Kathmandu valley and one in Pokhara. It was dream come true for him when the construction of his four huge supermarkets was completed last year. The construction of supermarkets in Kathmandu was overseen by his wife, son and daughter while he was busy taking care of the construction of the Pokhara outlet. As many as 50 people from his family circle are involved in the business, informs Gurung.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He says that support from the people and the facilities provided at the Bhatbhateni outlets have made it a successful supermarket chain. His stores registered overwhelming business during their respective openings. The Bhatbhateni outlet at Pokhara was opened not too long ago and the story there was no different either with thousands of people swarming the store for several days. “We had to cease either the upstairs or downstairs lifts every hour to manage the heavy crowd. There were people coming from Gorkha, Butwal and Lamjung as well,” he recounts.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung believes that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Bhatbhateni Supermarket employs 22,000 people currently and Gurung hopes that the group will have 50,000 employees in its ranks in 15 years time.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As part of its corporate social responsibility, the group helped construct an emergency ward having 72 beds at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with a spending of Rs 100 million. Gurung has named the ward after his parents whom he holds in very high esteem. He has also been providing yearly scholarships to two MBBS students, especially the ones who originate from remote villages. “We will all die one day so it is important that we set apart a certain percentage of our earnings for social causes,” he reasons. Gurung thinks it is rather unfortunate that not many people spare a thought for the less privileged.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He plans to spend his retired life as a social worker. “I still believe in doing jobs which others haven’t tried before and hope to work for the well being of the society,” he says. He recommends people to believe in themselves to make it successful in life and be a part of the history.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
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<p class="Default">
	<span class="A8"><span style="font-size:24.0pt"><img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/sectoral_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	‘Real Growth Opportunity Lies in Agriculture and Small Scale Industries’</span></span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<img alt="realgrow" border="1" height="236" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/P-K-Mohapatra.jpg" vspace="10" width="217" /></p>
<p class="Pa1">
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">P K Mohapatra </span></span><span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Chief Executive Officer at Everest Bank Limited (EBL). </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">With an aim to promote the agriculture sector, the EBL established a specialised branch called Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha at Rijbiraj, Saptari on August 17. In an interview with New Business Age, Mohapatra talked about reasons behind the newly opened branch and bank’s expansion plans in the agriculture sector. Excerpts:<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why did you come up with a dedicated branch for agricultural services? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The branch will not only concentrate on agricultural services, however, the thrust will be on agriculture and agro based industries. The country’s main focus area should now be agriculture because the new industries are not taking off due to many reasons. Around 66 per cent of the total population depends on agriculture and this sector’s contribution in the GDP is about 39 per cent. Therefore, if some priority is given to agriculture, it will be a contribution to the national economy too. <br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	<br />
	Why did you choose this particular location Rajbiraj among so many other places? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We found Rajbiraj suitable because the land is irrigated, people have money to spend on land and the area receives good amount of remittance. When we were planning to start this branch, we looked for different localities where agriculture is of prime focus including Chitwan where we already had a presence. We did not have a presence in Rajbiraj though which is an area with high growth potential. As a banker, we will also be interested to mobilise deposits as Rajbiraj has a high potential for deposit growth. So, that is a service for dual purpose – mobilising deposit and at the same time, helping the farmers by financing agriculture. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">How do you see the scope of formal lending to Nepal’s agriculture sector? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">It is one of the best virgin areas. So far, microfinance companies and Rural Development Bank have been doing agro based lending. All these sectors lend at a high rate of interest that makes the total investment and works literally non-viable. The moment commercial banks enter, we can lend at a much lower rate than present. This will encourage the farmers to borrow money from banks and go for high yielding crop varieties, improved seeds and better livestock. The entire economy will be supported by low interest funding by the commercial banks. For example, in districts like Chitwan, Ilam and Jhapa, a lot of migrant workers have returned from abroad with experience and money. All they need is a little support from the banking system so that they can thrive here, invest and use the experience and money they have gained. At the same time, they can give employment to some other people also. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why are commercial banks hesitant to lend to this sector? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Banking in Nepal has been excessively based on urban areas. However, activities based in the urban areas are getting saturated. Therefore, the real growth opportunity lies in agriculture and small scale industries. Till now, the concentration was in cities and industrial towns like Birgunj, Biratnagar, Butwal and some other areas. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has made a mandatory provision to invest at least 10 per cent in agriculture and hydropower out of the total investments made by banks. It is a really appreciable measure adopted by the central bank. Agriculture and small scale industries are two sectors which are going to support the country in the long run. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">To what extent does Everest Bank wants to invest in the agriculture sector? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">The minimum investment will be what the NRB has already stipulated. Our small effort is to encourage the field people – branch managers and field staff – to look at agriculture from a totally different angle. Many think that agriculture lending is not a good lending. However, it is not true. If a thousand rupees is lent in the agriculture sector, it goes straight to the economy. As socially responsible corporate entities, all banks should target the rural people, particularly those involved in agriculture. We will be coming up with two to three branches having thrust on the agriculture sector within this fiscal year. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We are also preparing setting up a farmer training institute in Nepal. Being from Punjab National Bank, India, we have a huge experience in running farmer training institutes in India and so, we have proposed to begin with at least one institute and replicate that all over Nepal. We are trying to open the training institute that will provide trainings free-of-cost in collaboration with the private sector and IFC (International Finance Corporation) or IOM (International Organisation for Migration). <br />
	<br />
	Such institutes will have basic facilities like soil testing will a simple laboratory. We will also teach farmers to repair agriculture machineries so that they can save money and time. Besides, we will train returnee migrants through these institutes so that they can use their experience and money. It is a long term plan and we should be able to start the first training institute before the close of financial year 2069/70. <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Impact">Sectoral</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Sushila Budhathoki</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Demanding Business of Herbal Products</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35">&nbsp;<br />
	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing.jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:59.0pt">C</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">onsumption of herbal products in Nepal, according to an estimate, is registering an annual increment of 20 per cent. According to Pradip Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) at Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FNCCI), Nepali herbal products also account for three per cent of the total exports. He further says, “Nepali herbal products meet around 60 per cent of the domestic market demand. The remaining 40 per cent demand is still fulfilled by imports.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The yearly production of ‘Sancho’, a product of Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited (HPPCL), has reached five million units. Last year, the company produced around 3.4 million units of Sancho. According to Chandra Bahadur Shahi, General Manager of HPPCL, the company is now aggressively marketing the product in villages after having found a tremendous market in urban areas already. <br />
	<br />
	“Due to its popularity, we have been marketing Sancho and other herbal products through our distributors in each development region,” says Shahi. The company has estimated the total turnover of its herbal products at around Rs 100 million last year of which Sancho alone contributes around Rs 70 million. Sancho is a widely popular cure for cold, cough, rheumatism, stuffy nose, fatigue, body ache, muscular ache, headache, neuralgia, sprain and itching. It is marketed by the HPPCL since 2057 BS. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="demaing" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	<br />
	Nepal is basically exporting essential oils, Chyawanprash and Shilajit among other herbal products. According to the Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), oil worth Rs 82 million was exported to third countries in 2010-2011. Govind Adhikari, President of Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA), says the herbal industries can get optimum benefit by exporting finished herbal products rather than only exporting crude herbs. He adds, “We are exporting a huge amount of raw materials to India, which in turn, is earning from making the finished products. If we were able to export final products ourselves, we would have earned a tremendous market internationally.” He adds, “Since herbal products are unique, they usually do not face stiff competition.” <br />
	<br />
	The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. Today, the people around the world are inclined towards ‘back to nature’ and demanding natural products ranging from medicines and food items to cosmetics. Germany and France, among other countries, have been considered as major herbal markets in Europe and the popularity of herbal products has a great impact on its development. It is not surprising when many consider Nepal as a country with huge potentiality for herbal trade. <br />
	<br />
	Maharjan recommends exploring the need for investment in herbal industries due to the increasing demand of Nepali products internationally. He says, “There is a huge demand for herbal products internationally because people are lured towards products that are free from side effects. And our products have established a reputation of being natural and chemical-free products.” Nepali Industries are advertising their products through the internet as well and soliciting business online. Most of the Nepali herbal industries maintain websites and use them as a marketing tool for promoting their products. <br />
	<br />
	There are herbal products being sold everywhere and more people are inquiring about natural products such as cream, lip balm, oils and other cosmetics. According to Rina Gongaju, Production Manager at Wild Earth, the company has launched a basic range of products owing to local demand. She shares, “We are wealthy in herbs but it costs dearly to produce a final product because of the technical lapses in the collection and refinement of the herbs.” Wild Earth produces a range of handmade herbal goods such as soaps, massage oils, pillows, smudge sticks and aromatic amulets and sells them in over 30 countries. The company also caters its products to different Nepali hotels, resorts and spa centers. <br />
	<br />
	There are many brands for each range of products like Yak Milk Soaps and Mongolian Mare’s Milk Soap in Wild Wares category. There are other ranges of aromatic pillows namely Passion, Dream, Tranquility, Hangover, Calm, Balance, Soothe and Energy as well as pillows for each zodiac sign. Single products at Wild Earth are priced from Rs 55 to Rs 1,500 while for the herbal set, the prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 3,500.</span> </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Adhikari says that Nepali products only acquire Food Phyto Sanitary Certificate and Plant Phyto Sanitary Certificate while buyers in Western countries have increasingly been asking for GMP certificates for aryurvedic remedies, as these products were relatively vulnerable to contamination and unwanted substances. He adds, “Lack of certification is troubling us on exporting herbal products even though there are no complaints about our products.” There are some Nepali companies too who do not apply proper production measures in their production process. Hari Dhital, Administrator at Gorkha Ayurved Company Pvt Ltd, says, “Our products compete with other ‘me too’ products of low quality which have confused the consumers. It has also troubled us in marketing the products.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Industrialists say that the government provisions are discouraging newer industries, especially the small entrepreneurs. Although Herbs and NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Products) Policy 2004-05 has been endorsed, entrepreneurs are facing a lot of hurdles in its implementation. Adhikari shares his bitter experience in the promotion and development of herbal products in Nepal. “The latest policy has been prepared for the benefit of the industries, however, the government is turning a deaf ear to its implementation,” he complains. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">There is a list of 119 NTFPs that are in trade or have the potential to trade. These herbs are used to produce crude herbs, essential oils, extraction items and lokta/argeli papers. They are the raw materials for different ayurvedic products/para pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and vegetable oils too. Different parts like leaf stem extract, pod, root, rhizome, flower, fruit, seed, wood, tendril, bark etc of herbal and aromatic plants are used to produce these items. <br />
	<br />
	According to NEHHPA, there are around 40 companies involved in the production of finished herbal products and 2,000 traders and around 5,000 to 6,000 wild collectors, especially the farmers from different villages, involved in the herbal business. With around 7,000 types of herbs and a kind of bio-diversity rarely found in other corners of the world, Nepal seems the first priority for the investors venturing into herbal business. Maharjan says, “Since the market of herbal products is growing, many western countries are attracted towards production of herbal products. There are a few Nepali companies having joint ventures with foreign companies and are producing herbal products.”</span> </p>
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	The 350 hectares of land owned by HPPCL, if used properly, would also benefit herbal business in Nepal and encourage newer herbal industries for research and development. From a marketing perspective, traditional ayurvedic medicines enjoy good brand value in the west. However, with the demand of quality and harmless herbal products, ‘Trademark Herbal’ is not enough for the aggressive growth of Nepali herbal industries.<br />
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Gulf Air Resumes Flights to Iran and Iraq</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="gulf air" border="1" height="90" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/gulfair.gif" vspace="10" width="197" /><br />
	B</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">ahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air resumed its flights to Iraq and Iran from September 20. The Airlines also launched a special promotion with up to 30 per cent off on its return air fares to Iran and Iraq from all destinations across its network, to mark the three-week countdown to the resumption of its services.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">During this promotion that started on September 1, passengers could book their travel from any of the airline’s 48 destinations to Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in Iran and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Economy class and 30 per cent on Falcon Gold fares, according to the airlines’ press statement.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The special fares were available on bookings made between 1 and 14 September, and for travel between 20 September and 15 October 2012. All travel must be completed by 15 October 2012.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Karim Makhlouf said, “We are pleased to be able to offer customers this special promotion. For a limited time, passengers wishing to travel to Iran and Iraq and enjoy Gulf Air’s award-winning on-board service can do so at a reduced cost.” Flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Basra in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran began progressively from 20 September.</span></p>
<p>
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<p>
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Etihad Announces Anniversary Fares </span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/edihad.gif" vspace="10" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt">T</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">o celebrate the fifth anniversary in Nepal, UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways offered anniversary fares to a number of destinations from Kathmandu. “The various destinations include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Manchester, Milan and Geneva, and the offer stood for the period from 1 to 30 September in terms of ticket sales and 10 to 24 October in terms of outbound travel,” said an official press statement from the company.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Hogan, visited Boeing’s Everett production facility on September 12, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more Boeing 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	</span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan was leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, reads the company’s press statement. In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Together, Etihad Airways (41) and airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines, Hogan said, “It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. Last December, Etihad Airways announced it was taking its total order book for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to 41, the first of which arrives in the last quarter of 2014. The order, valued at US$ 9.3 billion, will make Etihad Airways the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The UAE flag carrier has options and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways on September 2 confirmed its equity stake in Virgin Australia Holdings which has now reached 10 per cent. According to the company’s official statement, this represents 221 million shares which have been bought in the open market over recent months.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Six weeks earlier to the latest development, Etihad Airways received Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to increase its holding from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Hogan said, “We are very pleased to have reached this threshold. “We support the management strategy of Virgin Australia and will continue to work closely with them on ways to improve our business,” he added.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan reiterated that Etihad Airways wasn’t interested in becoming a majority shareholder or taking control of Virgin Australia. “Our small equity stake reflects the strong working relationship of both airlines and again demonstrates our enduring commitment to the Australian market,” he said. Hogan is confident that the equity stake would lead to more revenue generating opportunities.</span></p>
<p>
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<p>
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<p>
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Dragonair Launches Flights to Zhengzhou</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><img alt="" border="1" height="53" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/dragon.gif" vspace="10" width="227" /><br />
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<p>
	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt">D</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">ragonair on August 31 announced that it will launch a new scheduled service to Zhengzhou from 8 January 2013, offering more travel choices and greater convenience for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The new daily service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Zhengzhou will be the ninth destination to be launched or resumed by the airline in less than 10 months, reads the press statement issued by the airlines.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province. The city has seen rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing and high-technology sectors, in recent years, attracting both domestic and international investment. World-famous tourist attractions such as the Shaolin Temple in Henan also help to make Zhengzhou a popular destination.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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<p>
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">“We see great potential in the Zhengzhou market for both business and leisure travel, and the new service will significantly boost ties between Hong Kong and Henan Province,” said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer. “Dragonair’s network in Mainland China will increase to 21 cities with the launch of the Zhengzhou service, reinforcing our commitment to the core Mainland China market and at the same time boosting Hong Kong’s role as a major international aviation hub.”</span> </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We want to do a Long Term Business in Nepal’</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="360" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Jagannath-Patanaik.gif" vspace="10" width="242" /></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Raj Mehta </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the CMD of Little Italy Restaurant and Bar, an Indian restaurant chain well known for authentic Italian cuisine. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Little Italy has recently opened its second international outlet in Kathmandu after its first one in Dubai. The restaurant has more than two dozen outlets within India. Mehta was recently in Nepal for the opening of the restaurant. In an interview with New Business Age, he shared his ideas on marketing and food business in Nepal. Excerpts:</span><br />
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the prospects that Little Italy sees in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Nepal is a growing economy and a lot of tourists visit Nepal. Besides, Nepalis travel to a lot of places and so, people do know about different kind of food. The culture for eating out is also very good. There is a lot of potential for food as it is a never-dying business. Globally, food can be categorised into four major categories – Indian, Chinese, Italian and French. Indian as well as Chinese foods have good presence in Nepal while Italian food too is there but not as a proper fine dining option. That is the reason we chose Nepal and are very happy to be here. Kathmandu can sustain two more Italian dining outlets. Pokhara, being a major tourist destination, can also sustain an outlet. It is just a matter of time. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Little Italy is a new brand name for Nepal. How do you plan to market your brand along with Italian food? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">First, launching the brand will increase the visibility of a particular brand in the market. We are covering the brand name through newspapers and e-marketing is being taken care of by our marketing team. The food business has a lot to do with word-of-mouth. We are certain on it because we are confident about the food. Once the food is tried and tasted, the word-of-mouth spreads like fire. There are marketing strategies in place but we believe most in the word-of-mouth publicity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the brand value of Little Italy at present? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand was started in 1989 from Pune as a family run business. When an outlet was established in Mumbai in 1995, we got a big exposure. After that, we understood that there are a lot of prospects throughout India. As the world was getting narrower because of globalisation, we started franchising. That was one of the best ways to grow. This is a fine dining restaurant, so, we need a local partner to look after its day-to-day affairs. We have presence in most of the two-tier and three-tier cities in India. We started our first international outlet last year in Dubai which is doing very well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the specialities of your restaurant? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We always wanted to be a fine dine restaurant for unique experience. We prepare food in an authentic Italian way - as the Italians prepare it. We like to keep the menu authentic as we don’t believe in getting things tailored. Everything is fresh here and we never compromise on quality. </span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Usually, the branded and chain restaurants in Nepal are priced comparatively high. How have you priced your menu? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Our target customers are local people, Indians residing in Nepal who know about us during their travels to India and other tourists. For tourists, Italian food is a kind of staple food. Relatively, this brand is a value for money. We maintain our standards that can be compared to a five-star restaurant but we believe that the price has to be value for money. We want to do a long term business rather than a short term business in Nepal. This will be a destination for good food and value for money. <br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the level of competition you feel here?</span>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Fortunately, there is no competition. The market is a virgin territory for us. There are hardly any players in this particular Italian fine dining segment. There are few places for continental and multi-cuisine delicacies but something like fine dining is missing. There are a few players in Kathmandu market who are scattered here and there but those having a full-fledged setup are unfortunately missing. So, we don’t see any competition at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">KFC and Pizza Hut recently faced a serious labour problem. How would you tackle the situation if similar situation arise in this restaurant too? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">I would say things have to be seen positively. We should be able to take care of all the scenarios which are unfortunately common here in Nepal. It was kind of similar throughout the world years before. We must try to understand the situation. If both management and staff are well taken care of, such kind of scenario will not come up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Consumers are Shifting Towards High Quality Products’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Rajendra-Desai.gif" vspace="10" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Rajendra Desai </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the General Manager for Business Development at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">He has recently been appointed to the post of Country Head for Nepal and will be looking after the operations here. Having a work experience of three-and-a-half decades, Desai has worked at Asian Paints for 26 years in various capacities. He has been associated with Nerolac for the last seven years. Kansai Nerolac is a Japan-India Joint venture company. After the acquisition of Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd, the company has transformed into Japan-India-Nepal tripartite joint venture. In an interview with New Business Age, Desai shared details about the acquisition and the moves ahead. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints has acquired 68 per cent stakes in Nepal Shalimar Paints. What are the reasons behind this move? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, India entered the joint venture with Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd (NSPL), one of the leading paints manufacturers in Nepal and acquired 68 per cent stake in the Nepali paints manufacturer. The investment made by Kansai Nerolac towards this acquisition is about Rs 125.8 million. With this acquisition, Nerolac expects to consolidate 10 per cent market share for Kansai Nerolac in Nepal. Owing to Nepal’s progressive economy, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd has shown significant business interest in the country. Further, the company would be giving a loan of Rs 120 million to fund the working capital requirement of NSPL. Considered in the top five bracket of Nepal, Nepal Shalimar commands a market share of 8 per cent in Nepal. It had a turnover of Rs 205.7 million in 2010/11 and approximately Rs 250 million in 2011/12. The company’s consolidated profit would improve and in turn increase EPS which will also benefit KNPL shareholders. KNPL is utilising the manufacturing set up of Nepal Shalimar and manufacturing the entire Nerolac range of products that are currently exported to Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">After the acquisition, Nerolac envisages to capture more than 15 per cent market share. How do you plan to achieve that? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are here to make Nepal almost self-reliant with the production of paints that match international standards in quality. Rapid urbanisation, construction boom in the past and growing awareness among customers has triggered the demand of paints, giving a leg up to the mostly joint ventures and subsidiary of Indian multinational companies. We believe that urbanisation not only in Kathmandu but also creation of new urban centres across the country with the flow of remittance in rural and semi-urban areas has been an encouraging factor to expand the paints market. We will be focusing to cash in on the emerging market. </span> <span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have observed in recent times that the market is growing for paints despite slowed demand in the construction sector as consumers have become more aware and are shifting towards high quality products. Population growth and infrastructure development will have advantage to increase in demand of the paints. Due to growing demand, we aim to deliver international quality and healthy home paints at the right price which will be the unique selling point of our brand to achieve higher market share. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the market prospects you see in Nepal? </span></strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We are proud to say that our water-based products are heavy metal free such as lead, mercury, chrome etc and all the products are almost zero VOC-(Volatile Organic Compound). We offer a wide range of decorative paints for exterior and interior walls as well as for wooden and metal products. Some of our products for exterior walls are Nerolac Excel Total, Excel Antipeel and Suraksha Advance in premium, middle and economy range respectively. Likewise, our products for interior walls are Nerolac Ecoclean, Impression 24 Carat Luxury of premium class, Lotus Touch Premium Emulsion for mid-range, Beauty Emulsion and Little Master for economy range. We have also offered Beauty Acrylic Distemper for our customers. </span></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Our end consumers, paints dealers and painting contractors are loyal to Nerolac brand and have huge confidence in it. We have always served our customer needs in the best way possible. Likewise, we constantly make sure that the health of our customers is not affected while using our products. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">You are also planning to use the production capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. What will be the range of products that will be produced within Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are augmenting the existing capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. We have added some new paints grinding machines for better quality and higher production capacity. We will be using same technology of manufacturing as we do in Japan and India. So, there will not be any variation in the quality of products produced here. We will be producing a full range of products in Nepal that we currently manufacture in India such as water-based emulsion for both Interiors and exteriors along with solvent-based primers and top coats with ancillaries. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the products that you plan to launch soon in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">A complete range of Nerolac paints is being launched in Nepal as we were already doing business via our range of products by importing in the past. Now, we will be manufacturing the same in Nepal at our Birgunj plant. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand Nerolac is endorsed by popular celebrities like Shahrukh Khan. How do such endorsements add value to the brand that also influences the Nepali market?<br />
	<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Shahrukh Khan is a leading celebrity of Bollywood and has a huge fan base not only in India but across the globe including Nepal. The brand endorsement has given boost to our sales figures in India and the same is expected in Nepal as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Nepal is a Strategically Important Country to Focus Upon’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Jagannath Patanaik </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Director-Channel Sales (South Asia) of Kaspersky Lab India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security vendors worldwide. Over 300 million people worldwide are protected by Kaspersky Lab products and technologies. Its corporate client base exceeds 200,000 companies located around the globe, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses all the way up to large governmental and commercial organizations. The Lab has more than 120 global partner and technology OEM agreements with companies and today, it’s the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. In an interview with New Business Age, Patanaik talked about Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 and market prospects for Kaspersky products in Nepal. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Can you please tell us the purpose of your current visit to Nepal? <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have just launched the new edition of Kaspersky internet security and Kaspersky mobile security anti-virus here in Nepal. Essential to any level of PC security is superior anti-virus protection that does not slow down your system. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 has been loaded with the latest technologies that work behind-the-scenes while delivering real-time, cloud-enabled protection from the latest threats, and proactive protection from unknown dangers. It is the essential protection for your computer and mobile these days. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Tell us about some latest features of the new edition of Kaspersky 2013. </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 is packed with the latest Kaspersky Lab technologies from our team of world-class security experts and engineers. It works surreptitiously with intelligent scanning and small, frequent updates, while delivering real-time protection. It goes beyond simply scanning for vulnerabilities and now includes analysis and control over the actions of programs and applications with vulnerabilities, so they cannot cause any harm. With a single mouse click, File Advisor uses cloud-based technologies to check the safety of any file you would like to access. In addition, our URL Advisor adds color-coded tags to all web links to advise you of the danger level of the link and subsequent pages. The users can fully enjoy the PC and Internet without being dragged down by security software. Small, smart updates and intelligent scanning operate behind the scenes while delivering maximum PC performance. </span> <br />
	<br />
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is your assessment of the Nepali market for Kaspersky? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><strong> </strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">There is lack of purchase habit regarding software in South Asian market and Nepal is no different. Although being a piracy-oriented country, we need to motivate people to develop a habit to purchase software. However, we have been able to penetrate the market and make people understand the benefits of our product. Nepali market is indeed a challenging market for us. Nevertheless, we are able to make some enrollment. Today, we are talking about reducing the piracy in order to create a virus free Nepal slowly. We have begun to set up Kaspersky anti-virus in every government institution of Nepal for six months for the virus free Nepal campaign. Thus, we are highly positive about the Nepali market in the days ahead as well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The Nepali market needs to grow. We are trying to educate people regarding the anti-virus security here. Nepal is one of the strategically important countries to focus upon. We are planning to provide security software services to 100,000 computers in Nepal so as to increase the awareness regarding genuine internet security. </span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	Who are the targeted customers for Kaspersky?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Anybody who owns a computer is our target customer. Major targeted customers are the individual consumers and then we are also targeting the government institutions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What do you consider to be the USP of Kaspersky amongst the targeted clientele here in Nepal?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">As we know that online transactions </span><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">are increasing each day, we have unique features in our new edition of Kaspersky 2013 known as “safe money”. Safe Money protects data during online financial transactions. Apart from it, the new Automatic Exploit Prevention ensures that vulnerabilities will not compromise your PC. Similarly, there is an improved version of Virtual Keyboard and Anti- Phishing protection guard against identity theft. A new Secure Keyboard mode protects personal data entered via physical keyboard. Anti-Spam and Anti-Banner protection block unwanted content. The new improved Advanced Parental Control keeps your children safe and responsible online. Hassle-free protection ensures maximum PC performance. All this makes Kaspersky irresistible for computer users all around the globe including Nepal.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Can you tell us about the innovative business solutions regarding the product?</span> <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">In the consumer section, we have internet security anti-virus while in enterprises segment, we have Kaspersky security for virtualization. As people have started to use virtual machines, we are trying to use security solutions for cloud. Kaspersky workspace security (KOSS-1) deals with the protection for workstation and Centralized Administration Kit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Kaspersky Business Space Security (KOSS-2) protects data, file Server, workstations etc. Similarly, Kaspersky Enterprise Space Security (KOSS-3) is for protecting e-mail Server, data, and file server. Kit Kaspersky Total Security (KOSS-4) protects internet gateway, email Server, data/file Server.</span><br />
	<br />
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Do you currently have any competition for your product in Nepal? If yes, how do you plan to keep ahead of the competition?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Currently, we are leading the business. I think that continuous improvisation in the product has created a tough competition to our competitors. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What are your business plans for Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">We operate through business channel partners and do not directly go to the market. We go through distributors and channel partners and do a lot of marketing in order to increase awareness and visibility. We are targeting piracy in order to increase our business. We are in the middle of a long tour to educate people regarding the benefits of the software even in Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">How do you compare Nepali market with other markets for your product?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Nepali market is a unique one and we are the number one in this market. In India, we are in the second position. However, we are leading in most South Asian markets. The product is making us proud. We are increasing people’s awareness regarding Kaspersky being a reasonably priced product. With this product, the Nepali consumers can experience a sense of security while using the computer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Our Main Strategy is to Customize Basic Products According to Nepali Customers’ Demand’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" height="284" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Milind-Pandharipande.gif" vspace="10" width="178" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Milind Pandharipande </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
color:#211D1E">is the CEO at ITS (Information and Telecom Systems) in India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">While pursuing his Masters in Computer Science in USA, he also worked as a research scientist for Horizon telecommunications USA. After some years, he returned to India and established his own company. His company had an effective operation from June 2006 and it began to roll out the products from 2010 onwards. Although it’s a fairly young company, he is confident about his business. He was in Kathmandu last month for launching his cash and check deposit machine. In an interview with New Business Age, Pandharipande talks about the importance of deposit machines in Nepali financial sector. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal this time? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The primary purpose of my visit to Nepal is to promote ITS’s self service Kiosk products, the ones which have been successfully deployed in India already. These products have been especially designed to work in conditions like extreme climate and power shortages which is common in countries like Nepal and India. Our products have been designed for the banking sector, the utility sector and are primarily focused on self service. If you are familiar with ATM machine where the customer can directly withdraw cash, our products can help customers not only withdraw the cash but also deposit the cash or check in his or his friend’s account. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the features of your products?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">These products have multiple features, where a customer can perform cash deposit, check deposit, account-to-account money transfer, balance inquiry etc. For instance, I can enter my account number and then decide whether to make cash deposit or check deposit. If I make cash deposit, the machine will instruct me to put all my notes in a cash tray and it will accept it one note at a time. Once, all the notes are accepted, it will provide me a transaction receipt and my account will be credited for that amount. These products are fitted with high performance security system which has made them robust. A type of mechanism has been built into it including a back-up UPS. Also, if the machine is stolen, it will automatically inform the law enforcement agencies. Every tampering with machines, either physical or software is recorded and transmitted to the enforcement agencies. This way the machine becomes a formidable piece of hardware.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Who are your target group of customers? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are basically promoting these products for Nepal’s banking and financial sector. And obviously, the major customers are the banks, finance companies and utility companies, for instance, mobile operators. There are also clients from electricity companies and other companies who are into financial transactions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How are you promoting your business in Nepal?</span>&nbsp; <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are talking to the news media basically the ones who can promote our products. We are seeking promotion of these products from our local partner World Distribution Nepal (WDN). It is difficult for someone coming from India to spread their business covering the entire country of Nepal. For quick penetration, we need other local partners here who can introduce the products in the market. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are your plans to attract more number of people using your services? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have tried to make our products customer friendly and are also offering more features on it. The only way that we can grow our business is by local customization. We cannot just bring the products from India and sell in Nepal. We ask consumers how they want to customize them. Like, if I offer coffee to you, I would not prepare coffee against your interests. I would ask how much milk and sugar you want which makes you very comfortable to drink that coffee rather than me telling you to drink coffee of my choice. Our main strategy is to bring the basic products that have been developed in India and then customize it according to the demand of the customers in Nepal, for instance, language customization. Customers from Nepal might be interacting or having certain bank transaction differently than what we have customized for Indian customers. That is why we consider local customization a key to our success.<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How can Nepali Industries benefit from your products?</span></strong><br />
	<br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">It is not just Nepali industries, it is important for overall businesses in Nepal. For instance, if I ask my customers to come between nine in the morning and five in the evening and suggest that I can sell the products only during this time, the customers may not feel comfortable to shop. Instead of that, if you take your shop to where the customers are, you will be able to flourish your business. Likewise, with these machines, customers can get service anytime, anywhere. We are bringing these products to our neighborhood and it could be operated 24hrs/7days. This will absolutely raise the number of customers and the bank’s revenue will increase. Many a time, customers do not pay utility bills not because they do not want to pay but because they do not have the avenues to pay. When the bank is closed after five, customers look forward to the next day. With these products, they will be able to deposit their cash after 10 pm also without having to go to the branch office. It is like an ATM machine where you can withdraw your cash rather than having to wait for the bank. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How do you observe the market demand for your products? </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">We will follow the same strategies what ATMs in Nepal have already been following. Every year, we have been doubling the features that are getting deployed. There has been a high demand for our products in Nepal. Nearly four banks have shown interests in our products who are likely to start using our products soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We must adopt ‘tunnel technology’ for construction of roads in Nepal’ </span></span><br />
	<br />
	<img alt="hyidayesh" border="1" height="300" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Hridayesh-Tripathi.jpg" vspace="10" width="247" /></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, explaining that tunnels make roads shorter and secure and constructing tunnels will give respite from problems related to long winding roads. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A23"><span myriad="" style="font-size:25.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The entrepreneurs do not have a hand in determining vegetable prices’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Khom Prasad Ghimire, Chairman of Federation of Fruit &amp; Vegetable Entrepreneurs Nepal, clarifying that prices are affected as per demand and supply mechanism where low production leads to high prices and high production coupled with easy availability help stabilise prices.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Oman Air will actively pursue opportunities to expand its current operations in Nepal’<br />
	<br />
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">John Rodrigues, the Country Manager of Oman Air for Nepal, saying that the Muscat-based national airline of Oman has not finalized any immediate plans for expansion in Nepal, however, it is looking at opportunities to do so in the future.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The government cannot force us to make laminated sacks mandatory for packing cement’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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115%;font-family:">‘About 30 per cent of Nepal’s population is capable of buying insurance policies’<br />
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	<img alt="binod aryal" border="1" height="243" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Binod-Aryal,.jpg" vspace="10" width="200" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Binod Aryal, Executive Director of Insurance Board (IB) of Nepal, observing that the insurance companies have only reached about 6-7 per cent population because of their unwillingness to go to the remote areas as they earn profits in the cities.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F"><img alt="feedback" border="1" height="395" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /><br />
	<br />
	Chilime Hydropower: Dreaming Large<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="chilime hydropower" border="1" height="168" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feeback2.jpg" vspace="10" width="224" /><br />
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<p class="Pa17" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector. The SWOT analysis shows a long list of threats and more that we can add on. Looking at revenue collection and net profit it has generated, it defiantly lacks of investment in terms of growth. In my opinion, if licensing and flexibility from government are to be provided more easily, it can grow and thrive as PLC. It has improved its CSR as a PLC and locals are definitely getting far more benefit than they should get. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Prakash, <a href="mailto:sthprakash@gmail.com">sthprakash@gmail.com</a></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Remittance Matters </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The September 2012issue of New Business Age portrayed that Nepal is the 6th largest country in collecting remittance in its volume of GDP. This is the only reason that the economy is sustaining in Nepal. Although the figure seems to be very attractive, it is not a reliable source of economy, simply because it is temporary. The construction work will not last forever and one day the remittance economy will fall down. Apart from that, the fund collected from remittance is used in unproductive sector. Due to this, there is a high possibility of social problems and economic problems relating to inflation occurring in the country. So the government should make a special provision to effectively mobilize the funds in productive sector so that the country will become self sufficient. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Aryal, Apex College, New Baneshwor</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Almighty Remittance! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The massive flow of remittance in a developing nation like Nepal certainly makes good news. The cover story in the September 2012 issue of New Business Age was worth reading. It is a fact that hard earned money by Nepali workers residing abroad provides many Nepali families with two square meal and roof over their heads. The story reveals that the national economy largely depends on remittance money. As reported in the story, the positive point of the story is that despite the political unrest, the average household income of the Nepalis has increased by more than four-fold over the span of five years. The colossal flow of money certainly boosts the national economy but on the other hand, it makes our entire economy dependent on the migrant workers’ money. Thanks for highlighting such pertinent and ever relevant issue of Nepal. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Bikash Nepal, Biratnagar</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Kudos to EBL </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">I’m pleased to know that Everest Bank Limited (EBL) has established a special branch ‘Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha’. The commercial bank’s initiative to lend some hand to the agricultural sector is definitely praiseworthy. Our farming sector lacks modern tools and on the other hand, we are not doing enough to obtain scientific methods. So, I hope such an initiative of EBL will facilitate the farmers and boost the agro business. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Rauniyar, Lalitpur</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">The Importance of Ink Pens </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The story on Pilot pen in the ‘Corporate Focus’ column was a delight. At a time when the world has been dominated by gadgets and gizmos, the importance of an ink pen has been well documented in the story. There were oblivious facts for ‘pen users’ like us, for example, Pilot Pens being a trademark name has a sole authorized distributor in Kathmandu. The leading Japanese pen brand has made its own niche in the world of ink pens. When young, I used to be fond of pilot pens while watching my banker father use them to complete his assignments. It was quiet distressing to know that the absence of legal mechanism has made it easy for counterfeit products to co-exist with such a valued brand. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Geeta Dhakal, Naxal, Kathmandu</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Inspiring Story <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="feedback" border="1" height="450" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback3.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Business entrepreneur Min Bahadur Gurung’s journey from a grocery store owner to the ever growing chain of Bhatbhateni Departmental Stores is an inspiring one for all. Gurung’s stature as an entrepreneur and his business is growing and he owes it to hard work and dedication. I liked his down-to-earth attitude and his belief that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Being a student of +2 level, I certainly heed his words and further believe that for our generation, his hard work will be ever inspirational. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
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	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Amit Yadav, Bhaktapur</span></b></p>
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	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Mail your feedback to P O Box 14197, Kathmandu or Email to editor@newbusinessage.com</span></p>',
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			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
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			'description' => 'It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector.',
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Sajag Karki</span></span></strong></p>
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Luxury Brands</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In this world of commercialization, luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="brand luxury" border="1" height="287" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">T</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">he concept of luxury has been around in various forms since the beginning of civilization. People were fond of novelty items reflecting their obsession for vanity. Items such as perfume, jewelry, premium watches, and fine whisky were considered luxury. Such products or services are not considered essential and are associated with affluence. The case is no less different today as people are still lured towards new and unusual things that give them a sense of vanity. The only notable difference is that the novelty items in the past were generic whereas today they are branded. It’s a want rather than a need and luxury brands have been successful in catering to this niche audience. Brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Ritz Carlton etc are almost synonymous with luxury.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="286" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand1.jpg" vspace="10" width="395" /></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Upon understanding the basic product types in marketing, there are three product levels: core, basic and augmented. The core product is the basic benefit that it provides. The actual product involves the features, design, brand name etc. The augmented product gives customers something extra such as luxury which customers indulge in as vanity. An example could be high quality leather seats and dashboard for the Mercedes. Such luxury products need special purchase efforts like ordering in advance or special instructions for additional features. It also has high price and fewer purchase locations which makes possessing such products an act of self esteem. Lamborghini and Rolex are targeted at deep pocketed clients who wish to purchase expensive goods and relate to them as having better quality and signifying luxury. <br />
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>Branding of luxury goods have some basic principles which are: equating luxury with life experiences, implied level of unparallel customer service, attention to detail and loyalty benefits. Rolls Royce, for example, has created a cult status of a super luxury automobile brand as they themselves choose their clientele based on one’s status in the society. It is not one of those cars that you can walk in to the showroom and buy. In India, only a handful of high profile personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have been chosen worthy to own a Rolls Royce. Hence, it is not just a matter of money but also a prestige awarded by the company for reaching an unprecedented level that meets the high standards set by the company. In a survey conducted by Forbes, some of the most desired luxury clothing brands are Gucci, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani among others.</span> <br />
	<br />
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<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">However a term coined “mass luxury” has already begun to keep pace with luxury brands diversifying their products to meet the desires of middle class as well. BMW and Mercedes can be termed as mass luxury as anyone with money can buy it. Similarly, top hotels and airlines also have started mass luxury in order to sustain in the market. Five-star hotels with special discounted packages and airlines adding services in the economy class are all signs of mass luxury.</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">In this world of commercialization, there is a saying “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” so luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else. For those looking for all these, luxury brands could be a solution to all their desires.</span> <br />
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Madan Lamsal</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/no-laughing-matter.jpg" vspace="10" width="334" /><br />
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<p class="Default">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">I</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">f anything Nepal is scared of most at present is the futures contract of the commodities – every sector seems to be terror stricken by this fright. Dr Baburam’s government is shaken and equally confused in guiding another Baburam, who now heads regulatory authority SEBON, to take a further step on this trade. SEBON is frightened apparently, so that it is deliberately delaying to introduce the regulation. Financial sector is fearful in reading our media portrayal that the commodity exchanges are allegedly facilitating massive capital flights. Investors are not ready to invest, and exchanges themselves, about a dozen of them, fear bankruptcy and government wrath – two blows at once. So much so, the writers of a report, which is the root cause of this entire fuss, are even more terribly frightened to find how their very first experience of learning to write a serious report is faced with a hard rock.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">In fact, there is no surprise element in this. Nepalis are culturally averse to the very concept of contracts of any type. Take some examples, we recently sent out the contractor of Melamchi project. Our national flag carrier is at the verge of collapse for failing to strike a contract to purchase an aircraft. People even at the grassroots are determined to stop any development project that has potentials to be contracted. Trade unions resisted the introduction of the employment contract in manufacturing and services sectors. Therefore, much of the hue and cry over the commodities futures markets comes from our inherent disgust to contracts than anything serious like growing risk in investment, i.e. losing money, or even the capital flight.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">True that some feel that trading in the futures markets is like gambling in casinos. But still, Nepalis have not stopped going into casinos even knowing that it is absolutely illegal and there is well over 95% chance of losing money. But futures are not casinos; they are just ‘like’ them, as monkey is like man.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">This also implicitly means that other investments are not like casinos but they are like bank deposits with 200 percent guarantees of annual interest. This would also mean that thousands of investors in the Nepali stocks are in merry-making mood, thousands of industrialists and businessmen are making enjoying an impressive rate of return on their investment now. And, in a nutshell, Nepali economy except for the commodities futures market is stainless and trouble free. Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The flight of the capital, of course, there has been. Look at the rate of exchange for Rs100 Indian currency against Rs 168 in the ‘open’ black market. Despite the revered central bank’s repeated assurances that they have big pile of foreign currency reserves, no bank is able to give you more than 200 dollars in cash notes against your travel documents’ entitlement of 2,500 USD. This proves that every convertible currency available is flying away. But, all this has happened when the transactions in these futures exchanges got virtually halted. So, such flight must have taken place through tunnels and trenches dug during the jungle warfare by the brothers and sisters of Mao, Lenin and Che Guevara, who incidentally are now in government. And they only know for sure where exactly these holes, tunnels and trenches exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Again, coming back to the culture, the commodity exchanges should take into consideration that we Nepali firmly believe in -- the on-the-spot delivery of things. When a political party or a trade union asks for ‘donation’, it must be given then and there, otherwise your life may be delivered to God on-the-spot. If you buy or sell house or land or car, you must give or take physical cash – no cheques, no drafts. Even the government official concerned wants to be witness to such delivery. No one believes that he or she is owner of, say, a kilo of gold bought online, if the person cannot materially touch it. May be, these futures exchanges also have to physically deliver something in exchange of a regulation that they are demanding it for so long.</span></p>
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			'title' => 'Beauty, Brains And Balance',
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</xml><![endif]-->	<strong><span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Surokshya Manandhar</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="personality" border="1" height="417" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_1.jpg" vspace="10" width="345" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Beauty, Brains and Balance</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="persoanlity" border="1" height="524" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_2.jpg" vspace="10" width="373" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-bidi">G</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#221E1F">eorge Bernard Shaw once said “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not.” Similar has been the attitude of this ambitious businesswoman Seema Golchha throughout. Carving out a niche for herself, she has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business. She confessed that her father-in-law was the one to motivate her to join the business. Ever since she took a bold step toward business, there has been no looking back. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">&nbsp;Exploring the lesser known, and rather personal side to Golchha, she reveals to you, her journey from a young, liberal and warm hearted Indian girl to being the daughter-in-law of one of the most reputed business house in Nepal and finally to establishing herself a successful entrepreneur.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“I always had a smile on my face, she said, recalling her childhood days. Brought up in Lucknow and Dehradun, Golchha had a happy childhood. She completed her schooling from Dehradun and pursued her higher studies in Delhi University. She was always a vivacious and an independent girl. For her, the inspiration to lead an independent life always came from her working mother. Unlike ordinary women thirty years ago, she lived independently in a flat and worked for advertising agencies. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="424" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_3.jpg" vspace="10" width="366" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">However, things changed completely for her when she got married to Shekhar Golchha who belonged to a completely different cultural background. “I was leading a very modern and liberal lifestyle before marriage and hence getting married to a conservative family brought a huge cross-cultural transition in my life,” expressed Golchha. Although it took her some time, she eventually adapted to and adjusted with the new environment that she was placed in back then.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Golchha, who has perfectly balanced her personal and professional life, believes that time management is the key to balance in life. Wife of a businessman and a mother of two, she is also a perfectionist. Although it is not possible to score 10 / 10, she, as a mother, a wife, and an entrepreneur, is doing justice to every role with sheer conviction. . Enjoying every moment of the day, she still tries to work out details in whatever she engages. “We should always give our cent percent in whatever we do,” she said. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Entering business was intentional for her, as she always had an interest in it. “I am happy being involved in business as it recharges and completes my life in a way,” she said when asked about her professional life. She started her business with a women’s showroom in Durbar Marg. Since then there has been no looking back for her. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="367" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_4.jpg" vspace="10" width="312" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“Success is important, but it is not everything,” said Golchha. She believes that every step taken towards achieving your goal counts. It doesn’t matter if one succeeds or not, it is important that one should work hard to meet own expectations and goals. When she first joined the family business, a showroom like Samsung Plaza was an innovative idea. It was very rare in Nepal to find such a range of electronics under one roof. Today, 10 years later, she is expanding the exclusive outlet of Samsung electrical appliances across the country. Despite many obstructions like load shedding and strikes, she is also looking to further expand her business by launching two more Samsung Plazas, a Timex Watch outlet and a Bajaj Appliances outlet. She strongly believes that if you have faith in yourself, nothing can stop you and hence she is </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">moving ever onward. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She has always held the view that women should be empowered. Hence, most of her employees are young, motivated girls. In her line of business, it is important to understand customers’ temperament because at the end of the day, customers’ satisfaction is what matters most. So, when she is recruiting her employees, academic qualification is not all that she looks for, she also observes their personality. When asked about her management strategy, she shared that it is important to provide employees with space for innovation in order to improve and upgrade the company’s status. It is also important to provide enough opportunity for communication between management and staff. She also makes sure to set an example of dedication, in order to motivate her employees. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She is surely dedicated to her work but a trekking enthusiast, Golchha doesn’t forget to take a break every now and then. For her, friends and family are an integral part of her life and she lets her hair down while having fun with them. She believes that socializing is an important aspect of both personal and professional life. She is also an avid book reader. With her life moving back and forth between so many roles of a woman, she still manages to maintain equilibrium in her life. With an amazing life graph and career ladder, she is beauty with not only brains but also balance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22229">PERSONAL SIDE <br />
	<br />
	</span>Hobby: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Reading. She is a voracious reader. She always carries a book and is currently reading “Immortals of Meluha” by Amish. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Pets: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves dogs and cats. She has three dogs and would love to own a cat. But she complains that her husband is not fond of cats. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Friends: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Integral part of life. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Brands: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Brand conscious. However, if one can carry her/himself well without brands, it is perfectly alright. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Success: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Important but not everything. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Planning a holiday: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves travelling. Has already planned a holiday for Dashain. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Cosmetics: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Clinique. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Leisure time: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Listening to music, reading books, spending quality time with family. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Favorite travel destination: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Europe. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Sporty Indulgence: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Swimming, Trekking. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Socializing or not: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Yes, a big socialite! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Life: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Each day a new motivation to live with happiness and self-contentedness.</span></span></p>
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			'created' => '2012-10-30',
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			'description' => 'Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.',
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			'title' => 'Justin Sargent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><strong><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">‘Social Research has a Huge Scope in this Part of the World’</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span><img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="403" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="277" /><br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Justin Sargent </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">Managing Director-India </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Nielsen</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK &amp; Ireland. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">He is currently based in Mumbai, India and focuses on the strategy of listening to the consumers to get more consumers' insight. The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications. It is planning to continue growing its business by applying its strategies of driving more consumers' insights and generating a more complete understanding of consumers. In an interview with New Business Age, Langer talked about importance of Nielsen numbers and major plans for its Nepal operations among a host of other issues. Excerpts:<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="419" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_12.jpg" vspace="10" width="287" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A58"><br />
	</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Please give us an overview of Nielsen’s business in this region that includes Nepal and India. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Nielsen’s South Asia operation covers countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It’s quite a sizeable region for Nielsen in this developing part of the world. Like multinationals, we view countries like India, Nepal and other parts of South Asia as areas of priority where our clients are investing to find out their consumers’ size. Nielsen has been in India since 1960s and in Nepal since early 1990s. We are increasingly focusing on these two countries as our clients are seeking growth here.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen in Nepal has a full range of services. It is mainly known for measurement services. Most of our clients are particularly from the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and hence they demand to understand how they are performing, in comparison to their competitors. We also do a lot of work with NGOs and help them understand factors that can help them promote and influence the country’s growth. We work for AED, PSI and some other USAID-funded projects in Nepal in addition to a host of multinational companies like Coca- Cola, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter &amp; Gamble to name a few.&nbsp; </span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A huge part of our business is dedicated to these two services. Our business is growing well in Nepal and the clients seem increasingly interested in this market. It seems to be the right time for us to consider how to elevate to the next level and how to potentially bring in further expansion. Maybe, we could bring some new analogical products that have worked well elsewhere, in other developing markets.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Social research has a huge scope in this part of the world. In India, we also work in sectors including government organizations and the NGOs, for example, UNICEF. We also work with projects on big, important sectors like health and education. FMCG is an area that Nielsen tends to put in a lot of time and energy into. Nielsen is a global company so we are constantly looking for the climax in different countries, and Nepal is now in its climax. It has many centers of attraction and the GDP growth of the country is four per cent which is still pretty attractive compared to a lot of western economies.</span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">We developed the social research practice that works right across South Asia. We have experts that tend to work across the different countries. For example, we utilize the microfinance expertise from Bangladesh in other countries. We have a team on the ground here in Nepal that lives by the company’s principles. However, we are bringing in more expertise to the Nepali marketplace to see what we can do in the social research sphere as a whole. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="491" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interviw_13.jpg" vspace="10" width="306" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please provide us some insight on the topline retail and consumer trends from the perspective of the Indian market?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">India has a huge population and big traditional trade. We have seen a lot of growth in that country, especially in the rural areas. Though modern trade is still small – only six per cent – compared to traditional trade, we have started observing changes in trends. It’s growing fast and more consumers are looking for convenience and choice. We have started to notice a lot of trading for more branded products. We notice a lot of use of technology including social media and smart phones. Consumers have grown a lot savvier and their expectations are increasing. This might be helpful in changing people’s perspectives, packaging perspectives and value perspectives. One thing which is very consistent in India is the value. We do service right around the world and India always comes top in terms of value consciousness. A lot of consumers increasingly shop around for promotion to make sure they can remain value conscious and still satisfy their increasing aspirations. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Our clients’ business and even the Nielsen’s business both saw this high trend basically three to four years ago. GDP growth is a little lower this year, which is forecasted now at six percent. However, global manufactures and local Indian multinational companies alike, are pretty positive about the future.</span><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Yours is a privately held company active in approximately 100 countries, with its headquarters in New York, USA. How big an advantage is this when you deal with global clients?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">When a global client is working with us, they may know Nielsen already. We assure the country manager of a global client locally that we will share our best practices with them and suggest that the service is worth exploiting. Our local teams are mostly in the field, visiting local clients to relate to them and understand their perspectives. Nielsen’s methodologies are globally consistent; however, we do tend to tailor them in order to meet specific needs of the marketplace. For example, when we spoke to our clients in Nepal, they expressed that they wanted us to represent certain regions and towns in more detail than we might have for others. We don’t have this service in other countries but developed it to match their demand of covering some of the towns in greater detail. We believe that the best global practice methodologies should be open for local customization. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Listening to a client’s need is a critical process and an important element of our strategy because clients know best where they are going and with what strategy. They can naturally express their needs. Therefore, listening is a critical part of our job while delighting clients is our aspiration. However, different clients have different needs so we need to balance between occasions and between realities. We have to bring the realities from a commercial firm with the right product to the market. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you explain the importance of Nielsen numbers?</span> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen numbers tell our clients what their market share is, how fast the market is growing, and where they are in the competition. We are proud of being an independent company. We focus on using the Nielsen’s number to guide the expertise’s planning. We invest a lot of time in quality management, ensuring that we have got the right field management practices and the right amulets to interpret those numbers because we know how much our clients rely on the Nielsen’s number. Before I joined Nielsen, I used to work at Procter &amp; Gamble as a category marketing analyst many years ago in the UK. Every week a Nielsen’s number used to come around and that is when I first realized how much weight these numbers carry. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The way in which people used the number were for making investment decisions, judging their performances in the market or looking after factors like distribution, product prices and level of competition. We tend to advise companies a lot in terms of what the distribution strategies should be and the likely pricing strategy they should adopt. Nielsen’s number is the bed rock for a lot of the decisions being made in the marketplace. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the major plans for Nielsen Nepal?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The main purpose of my visit to Nepal is spending time with the management team and deciding on the next steps to be taken for the development of business in this country. Nepali clients’ expectations are increasing, so we are looking into the areas where potential improvements can be made. One area that we are considering is whether or not to expand coverage of measurement products into rural areas. We have not decided whether it is the right measure to take. We are also looking at a particular social research base to elaborate more expertise and bring in some more technical capabilities into Nepal in order to improve the level of understanding. We are also looking forward to introduce other services that we also have in other countries, for example, analytics. This could be an advantage for Nepal because they know how to go to the next level, to expand the distribution and to improve their competitive businesses. We have a number of analytics with capabilities in consideration. We are looking forward to listening to our clients’ view point. We would certainly like to build more presence in Nepal because our clients are demanding it. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="430" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/intreview_2012.jpg" vspace="10" width="231" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">You joined Nielsen way back in 1993 and have held senior positions across the globe since. How do you assess this association over the period of almost two decades now?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From a personal perspective, Nielsen has provided me with lots of opportunities. When I joined Nielsen, I didn’t think that I would still be here 20 years later. Fortunately for me, I was given increasingly challenging assignments throughout which has allowed me to travel across different continents like Europe, Australia and Asia. Currently, I am working in India. Working in different countries engaging with different people, thinking about and understanding the clients’ needs and facing business challenges, has been very stimulating indeed. Nielsen has come across a lot of transformation in 20 years’ time including its ownership.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen focuses on shifting developments and as I mentioned before, moving people around is a big part of our strategy. Moving people to the developing market is good for learning about what works for a developing market. We can then reverse, innovate and take the best of practices to the developing market. But it also means you can look elsewhere, may be in the US or Europe, that could be a relevant market like India or Nepal. Nielsen’s strategies on talent developments and moving people around the world are incredibly one of the great things that it wants to share with other companies. </span></span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please elaborate on why is transferring talents so important?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The general principal of moving people around is either for different jobs within a country or across different countries. It provides people with different experiences, perspectives and learning opportunities that eventually lead to career building. It is equally important from a company’s perspective as transferring people is also about transferring ideas, embracing innovations and sharing the best skills within and beyond boundaries. A big part of Nielsen’s strategy is to be a company exporting talent around the globe. We are fortunately one of the beneficiaries of that as we get to carry out a number of different assignments in different countries.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you highlight the integral components of a transparent communications culture?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">This is something that I have always strongly believed in. You have to be very candid, honest and open to both your peers and clients. When you communicate very frankly, you recognize people better. It is a fundamental philosophy of mine to lead a very honest communication because it is the only way to build trust and loyalty in general. It’s about celebrating and recognizing people. The transparent communication culture is not limited among the colleagues, rather it also extends to our clients by being very open with them. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are your recommendations to organizations for building a ‘client first’ mindset?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">‘Client First’ mindset is all about thoughtfulness. Instead of offering Nielsen’s products immediately, I first inquire about what my clients need and how we can satisfy them better. Once you build a ‘client first’ mindset it will eventually benefit your business strategies because then you are developing your products and services according to the clients’ needs. It improves your client’s service because your clients can relate to and make use of them. Besides, at the end of the day, it ensures that our services are up to the mark. ’Client First’ mindset is something that I have passionately believed in during my entire career. Even if we talk beyond Nielsen, the same philosophy rules the most successful companies. From a marketing stand point, it is necessary to listen to the customers. Since there are new technologies emerging, we should utilize them to listen to the customers’ voice. For example, the social network and blogs could be powerful tools. Even the CEOs of many companies have started going out on the streets to understand customers’ needs.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Things are rapidly changing in countries like India and Nepal. If you are constantly in touch with people, you could know more about them particularly the way in which people adopt technology. You have to constantly engage with customers to understand what is important for your brand and how could you keep it desirable for them. Understanding technology and customers to flourish your brand is something that can certainly be achieved by building a ‘client first’ mindset.<br />
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			'description' => 'Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK & Ireland.',
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A30">The Last Resort </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">A Perfect Adventure Destination</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="corpoate focus" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">T</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">he Last Resort is not only an ultimate destination for Nepali daredevils but also for adventure seekers trekking across the world in a quest for thrills. The resort, lying peacefully 100 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu has become the ultimate destination for those seeking thrills of a bungee jump and various other adventure possibilities the resort offers. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since its establishment 14 years ago, thousands of adventure lovers have flocked to the resort to calm their adrenaline pumps. The resort was established by David H Alladice and Bishnu H Neupane in 1998 October. The resort primarily established with an aim to promote adventure activities with Bungy Nepal has now expanded to numerous activities like Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking and Rafting. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	The Last Resort in Sindhupalchowk district, a three-and-a-half hour’s drive from Kathmandu is not a haven for adventure seekers only. The resort is also a perfect getaway for relaxation and experiencing serene nature, away from the bustling city crowds and stressful weekdays. To address non-daredevils, the resort offers various packages like “relax at the resort for one night” at the price tag of Rs 3,500. Similarly, “relax and massage package” of one night costs Rs 5,000 per person. The resort has 25 tents that can accommodate 64 persons at once that ensure quiet and peaceful stay in an exotic setting. Services like massage, sauna and plunge pool in a peaceful environment help the relaxation of body and mind. Surrounding area also hosts numerous possibilities for hiking and brief strolling to enjoy the picturesque hills and roaring river deep into the gorge. <br />
	<br />
	So, The Last Resort is absolutely not for adventurous souls only. The resort located across the Bhotekoshi River linked with a suspension bridge from the Araniko Highway receives tourists and visitors round the year. Prakash Pradhan, Resort Manager and Bungy Master says being located near to the Tibetan border, tourists visiting the surrounding hills for hiking, biking and other activities also visit the resort to quench their thirst for ultimate adventure. The resort on top of a green river gorge is 10 kilometres from Tatopani, Tibetan border and 12 kilometres from Barhabise of Sindhupalchowk. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort does not need a special season to welcome its guests. The resort is visited round the year by Nepali and foreign visitors. However, it welcomes higher number of foreign tourists during the peak tourist season - September to November. Thakur Rimal, Assistant Resort Manager, says, “March to May and September to November is the season while rest of the year is off-season. Even in the off-season, the resort does reasonably well due to its many activities.” <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="last resort" border="1" height="217" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus1.jpg" vspace="10" width="483" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal at The Last Resort is ranked second on Asia’s five highest bungee jumps by CNNGo. It is also listed as one of the best bungee jumps around the world by numerous media. It is the second highest jump in Asia. Probably it is the most spectacular jump on the planet. Jumping off a 160 metre high bridge into the gorge of Bhotekoshi River is definitely one of the most thrilling acts to try. It is as exciting and fun as scary as it looks. After taking a leap from the 160 metre high bridge, the sense of intense thrill takes over the fear and leaves the jumper longing for never ending free fall instead of what Bungy Nepal offers – 3.5 seconds. As bungee instructors at the resort say, the jump is definitely, “Walking like a penguin and flying like a bird.” </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">To try the bungee jump, one must be at least 40 kg to 110 kg and 18 years and older or have consent from parents in case of a minor. The bungee begins between 11 to 11:30 am and continues usually till 4 pm. The sales office at Thamel takes 40 bookings at most but rest can be availed on-site bookings at the resort. A bus of the resort leaves Thamel at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	</span></span><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyon Swing </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><br />
	<br />
	Canyon Swing is definitely not a kid’s swing. The Canyon Swing at The Last Resort is the world’s highest giant and ultimate swing – jumping off a 160 metres high bridge, experiencing free fall of 100 metre for seven seconds before the twin lines swing you at 150 km per hour. The company claims it is the highest in the world. The weight limit for swing is 120 kg. The swing day trip to the resort costs Rs 4,000 per person while the swing only costs Rs 3,200. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes is a fun filled activity at The Last Resort that can be enjoyed with family and friends. The thrilling and fun filled activity releases stress and boosts the team work. This adventure sports has various mini activities like ladders, wobbly bridges, walk ways, cargo nets, abseils and zip lines. Hillary Steps, Nepali Taxi and Bagmati River Crossing are few of the obstacles that will make anyone’s adrenaline pump. High Ropes comes with a price tag of Rs 3,500 for a day trip, Relax and High Ropes (1 night/1day) at Rs 5,800 and High ropes only at Rs 3,000. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Hidden Canyons <br />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyoning at The Last Resort is not only about exploring hidden places in the Himalayas but also finding out the adventurer within oneself. The resort offers a variety of canyons from exploratory walks to some of Nepal’s most extreme environments, says the company. The guides of the resort will lead you to abseiling, jumping and sliding down steep canyon walls and waterfalls to deep pools below. It is just another adventurous way to release the tension and get adrenaline high in the blood. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort is spread over an area of around 18 ropanis. The land was bought from a local Guthi and around half the land is acquired by the resort from local villagers around the resort. Situated right next to a village, the resort has given back to the locality in various ways. The suspension bridge that holds the platform for bungee jumping and swing was built by the resort. The bridge not only offers the option to jump off it but also the convenient way for locals to connect to the highway. According to Pradhan, before the bridge was built by the resort, locals had to walk three hours to cross the Bhotekoshi River and reach the other side via a bridge closest to the village.<br />
	<br />
	&nbsp;Similarly, out of 68 employees, 48 are working at the resort and around 90 percent of them are locals, says Pradhan. He adds, “As part of our CSR initiatives, we help the local communities in the two VDCs of Marming and Listi Kot. We contribute Rs 400,000 each per year to the two VDCs for education, health and village development.” According to the resort, a fixed amount of every activity is spent on development of the local infrastructure and to support local projects.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHERE: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Panlang-5, Sindhupalchowk district, on the Araniko highway, across the Bhotekoshi River from Marming-8, Sindhupalchowk </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A16">HOW TO REACH: <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">100 kms from Kathmandu (approximately 3 </span><span color:="" style="font-family: ">½ </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">hrs drive), 14 kms from the Tibetan border. One can go by private transport, however, the resort also has its own tourist bus leaving at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHEN TO GO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Tourist Season (September- November &amp; March-May) <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHAT TO DO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Jump, Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Relax </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WEATHER: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similar to Kathmandu all season </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">MISCELLANEOUS: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A Bungy Jump/Canyon Swing costs Rs 3,200 per person per activity. The resort provides a package of Rs 4,000 per person for to-and-fro transportation, one activity and lunch. There is also a provision for overnight stay at the resort. For more details/reservations, contact The Last Resort, Sales Office, Thamel, Kathmandu: Tel 00977-1- 4700525/4701247, Email info@ thelastresort.com.np or visit its website www.thelastresort.com.np</span></span></p>',
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A14"><span style="font-family: ">By Gaurav Aryal</span></span></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A15">Labour Dilemma </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">An Analysis of Labour Issues Facing Nepal</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="labor cover story" border="1" height="495" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover2.jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa25">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours. </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Political instability, labour problems and power supply are said to be the major causes of poor investment climate in Nepal. According to a survey report of 2009 conducted by enterprisesurveys.org, political instability is the major constraint for doing business followed by power shortage and labour problems respectively.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;<img alt="political " border="1" height="270" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="257" /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">A</span><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">ccording to Bishnu Rimal, President of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), there are 353,000 individual members of GEFONT and altogether 29 affiliates. Similarly, there are 800,000 members in All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) which has 42 different professional organisations as affiliates., There are around 286 trade unions registered at the Department of Labour (DoL) that are affiliated to 10 trade union federations. A total of 86 new unions have been added after the People’s Movement II, six years ago, when there were 200 unions in the fiscal year 2005/06. According to Manish Agrawal, Vice Chairman of Employers Council at FNCCI, there are 10 authorised trade unions (including GEFONT and ANTUF) at national level in Nepal and they are all affiliated to different political parties. These unions themselves are divided into different categories according to the nature of industry. There are separate unions on tourism, hospitality, service industries, banks and financial institutions and manufacturing sector rather than having branches of a unified labour union that represents overall workers from the entire business sector. <br />
	<br />
	According to World Bank data, labour unrest is one of the contributing factors for adverse investment climate. According to the Global Competitive Index 2012/13 prepared by the World Economic Forum, inadequately educated workforce is one of the major hurdles for doing business in Nepal. The same report ranks Nepal at 125th position on labour market efficiency out of 144 countries. Likewise, poor work ethic in national labour force was placed at 8th most problematic factors for doing business in Nepal.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In addition, restrictive labour regulations was placed in the 5th position under the same category. A report by Nepal Business Initiative (NBI) with support of South Asia Enterprise Development Facility presented to the Prime Minister in the last week of September, labour problem ranks as one of the major challenges faced by the Nepali economy. Similarly, the Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 lists various aspects related to the labour market of Nepal and their efficiency and their world ranking.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">(See table).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><img alt="table coverstory" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/table(1).jpg" vspace="10" />&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In nutshell, if the ongoing problem of power shortage is resolved today, labour problem will come up as the biggest hurdle to beat, for making the overall investment environment favourable for new investors and existing corporate houses. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Wrong Message to Investors </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The never ending labour problems have given unintended messages to the local as well as foreign investors who are willing to venture into Nepal. Recent dispute in KFC and Pizza Hut has definitely given a wrong message to interested foreign investors. Similarly, Shikhar Shoes was closed after workers manhandled the Managing Director of the company and padlocked its factory at Goldhunga. It seems that labour unrest, one of the major roadblocks to higher investment, will continue unabated in the future too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">An investor usually looks to invest where there is favourable business environment. Experts believe that the labour issues have created a hostile environment to investments. Labour trouble experienced in Nepali units of multinational giants like Surya Nepal, Unilever, GMR and Asian Paints have turned off prospective investments to Nepal. A handful of such representative cases are enough to scare away either domestic or foreign investors. Khila Nath Dahal, Former Co-president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Independent (NTUC-I) and former President of Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union (DECONT) denied, “It is a false assumption that labours are the cause to repel the investment. Labours, investors themselves and the government policy. have roles in r creating threat to investors venturing new business in Nepal. Lack of infrastructural development like roadways, electricity and drinking water has also affected investment.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal claims that industrial strikes are in a decreasing trend. He said, “After 2008, the number of industrial strikes has been decreasing. Trade unions have contributed to only six per cent of the total work stoppages last year as around 28 per cent cases of such work stoppages were due to bandhas called by employers and the rest was contributed by political parties and other organisations.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Still, leading corporate houses like Chaudhary Group, Golchha Organisation, Dugar Group, among others say that due to unfavourable environment for the manufacturing sector, they have identified service sector as safer areas for investment. Service sector, except from tourism and hospitality, sees very few cases of labour strikes and union problems. These corporate houses have been minimising their foothold on manufacturing sector and moved onto the service sector like hospitality, education, banking and finance, healthcare among others. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Over Politicisation of Workers </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Naturally, the private sector companies look to make profits. When the workers are involved in union activities, more than working for the company, it adversely affects the productivity. So, a voice for ‘No Work No Pay’ was raised by the entrepreneurs but it has not been implemented till date as trade unions have strongly opposed this proposal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal said that as per the international norms, the identity of a labour is associated with the industry. “On the contrary, the identity of the worker in Nepal is associated with the trade union to which they belong,” he clarified. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to frequent strikes and even physical assault upon the employers and managers has led to closure of factories and companies. Foreign investors have shut down their industrial units and reduced their presence in the country. Agrawal said that Colgate-Palmolive is one such example. “Nepal is losing many investors because of labour problems. Recently, Surya Garment was also shut down due to labour problems,”. he said. However, Dahal says, “If the demands of employees are fulfilled they would not choose violent way to fulfil their demands. If one side does not provide basic rights of employees as stated in the Labour Law, then the other side would definitely not follow law and order also. This consequently results into imbalance between the employers and the employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In many cases, once an issue is resolved at a point of time and place, even more severe ones are raised at the next point of time and place. Numerous industries have closed down and, looking at the recent examples of KFC and Pizza Hut, it cannot be ruled out that similar situation won’t arise in other companies too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unruly unions are protected by the political parties who don’t tire talking about importance of bringing foreign investments. Different unions that belong to different political parties come up with different demands, mostly as dictated by the respective political party. Thus, there is conflict of interest and opinions among the unions themselves. They are primarily guided by party philosophy rather than working for creating a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Agrawal said, “The major problem of the trade unions in Nepal currently is that they are focused on following political ideologies of associated political parties rather than fulfilling the interests of workers.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Agni Prasad Thapaliya, Judge at the Labour Court, one union does not allow formation of second union in the company. “In most cases, employees are not allowed to work without taking membership of a trade union and paying a levy to the union and inter-union rivalry has also become problematic. The same person is found involved in numerous unions,” he said. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strange Demands </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In a series of recent events, workers have come up with weird and strange demands. Labour unions at Hotel Greenwich Village, a three star hotel in Lalitpur, recently came up with a demand that their members be felicitated with a gold medal weighing one kilogram. Labour unions affiliated to the Maoists (the party that is leading the present coalition government) and CPN-UML party are pressing the hotel management submitting a 22 point demand paper.. According to the demand paper, employees who have been working for more than 20 years in the hotel should be presented gold medals each weighing more than a kg. Prabin Acharya, Deputy Managing Director at the hotel said, “It is natural to demands an increase in remuneration and compensation but a demand like this was unheard of earlier.” The hotel has resumed its operation.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similarly, workers at Thai Airways Nepal office have presented an ultimatum with various absurd demands like paying their income taxes by the airline. Such activities have become a threat to the need of the day – increase investment that will have forward linkages to employment and overall national economic growth. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Legalities of Strikes </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Although Nepal too has a legal procedure to a strike, there are very few cases of complying with these procedures before a strike is held. Thapaliya said that most of the strikes are organised without following the legal procedure. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, the trade union leaders deny this charge. Rimal says that the legal procedure of strikes is not violated. “Labour laws are not violated in recent years. However, if employers and employees both are found defying the law, they should be brought under the book.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Shalikram Jamakattel, President of ANTUF says, “Strikes which are not in accordance with the law make workers’ case weak. Therefore, they go for the strikes according to the law unless there is a compulsion.’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Thapaliya, the due process requires prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then it is taken to the labour office, where both parties – the workers and the management - sit for dialogues. “If the dialogues do not resolve the issue, the workers should give a 30 days ultimatum. If the management does not resolve the issue even by the end of such 30 days, the workers can go for strike,” he adds. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective Bargaining </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining in Nepal is commonly focused on demanding additional facilities, mostly wages and other fringe benefits that often includes strange demands like that in the cases of Thai Airways and Greenwich Hotel. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is quite natural to adopt unique bargaining standpoints by the workers according to different types of companies. However, at times, workers are alleged to have come up with insatiable demands that can be hardly fulfilled by the employers. Thapaliya said that workers are often overambitious and their demands revolve around the political ideologies to which the union is affiliated, rather than relating to the overall benefits for workers. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal explains this differently. “I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is correct. We conduct collective bargaining at the central level for minimum standards like wage determination and finalise it there. Collective bargaining for maximum standards is done at the enterprise level and we think such standards should be different in different enterprises. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more from them whereas we demand less from companies that have less income and profits.” Jamakattel complains that collective bargaining is not conducted as promised in the policies. “Labours in industrial sector do collective bargaining every two years but it has not been managed systematically. Unless new labour law is made, these problems cannot be managed.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal on the other hand complains that there has not been effective collective bargaining as it is affected by the overruling political ideologies of trade unions they are affiliated to. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employment Security </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Trade union leaders also complain that many employers do not provide appointment letters. Dahal says, “The law guarantees a system of providing appointment letter to employees as soon as they join a company. But there are many employees who have not received their appointment letters. Thapaliya too has the same comment to make. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour law also states that an employee who has completed 240 working days should automatically become a permanent employee. However, there is a system of provisional period as well. If the employer finds the performance of an employee unsatisfactory, the employer has the right to terminate the service of such employee at any time during the probation period. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A minimum wage is fixed at Rs 6,200 per month. But many employees arereceiving less than this, complains Dahal. Therefore, he claims, more than fifty per cent of the labour strikes have been aimed to implement such provisions of the labour laws. Labour law also requires that the salary should be revised every two years. Also, this provision is neglected by employers, adds Dahal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Out of nearly half a million youths that enter the Nepali employment market every year, around 305,000 are going abroad for jobs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 11.7 million people in the workforce and only 1.8 million of them are in the formal sector jobs within the country while about 3.5 million are employed abroad. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Act Amendment </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both employers’ organisations and trade unions have been demanding amendment in the Labour Act. Both believe that to maintain cordial industrial relations, the Act urgently needs amendments.. Still, the leaders of these trade unions claim that half of the existing disputes could be resolved with the existing laws if executed properly. However, Rimal) is hopeful that the proposed amendment to the Act will address the issues of daily-wage workers and those working in the informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">And it has been around 10 years since the government begun planning to amend the labour laws. Both employer’s organisations and trade unions want the law amended. However, their respective demands are different and some of them even conflicting. Employers are demanding the inclusion of provisions like ‘No Work No Pay’ and ‘Hire and Fire’ while trade unions are demanding setting minimum wage also for informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">But there are other issues as well to be incorporated in the labour law. Thapaliya says, one such provision needed is for a tripartite commission to resolve issues that could not be addressed through collective bargaining. He suggested that the informal sector too should have rules and regulations that address issues of manual labours like minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Merger of Unions </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Another labour sector issue being intensely discussed these days is the merger of trade unions. During a recent function organised by GEFONT, Sharan KC, Regional Coordinator for South Asia at Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) said that Nepali trade unions should merge with each other so that they become stronger and influential. He also shared examples of merger of unions in the international arena. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employers too are positive about this proposal. Agrawal believes, “The presence of more than two trade unions within an enterprise has been creating a very difficult working atmosphere. It divides the workers into different ideologies.” He added, “There should be only one trade union for one enterprise.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">FNCCI is planning to form an Industrial Relations Forum involving all the presidents of major Trade Unions, industrialists and President of FNCCI. He informed, “It will be a platform to discuss the emerging issues of labour and industrial relationships. The forum will work towards safeguarding the rights of both employers and employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">State’s Role </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both the employers and employees are found unanimous on the state’s role for resolving the problems in industrial relations. As the government has a major responsibility to protect the investments in the country, it becomes the state’s responsibility to protect investors, when needed, from unlawful activities carried out by trade unions as well. Agrawal cites an example of Maruti Suzuki in India where the state came forward to provide such protection. During the recent labour strike there, the management team was beaten up by the labourers, and the Indian police deployed 500 rapid action forces. “This shows the level of concern the government has shown towards the investors. This action showed that Indian government will not tolerate repetition of such activities.. If Indian government can do it, the Nepali government too can do it,” he says. He said, “Sense of insecurity is the major problem that the investors are facing now due to the inability of the government to take actions when trade unions behave illegally.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Upper Karnali Project</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="upper karnali" border="1" height="85" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/upperkarnali.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Energy Limited, GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) and Italian-Thai Development Project Company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Nepal, for development of 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydro electric Project. The project was set to develop under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. The plant was targeted to be commissioned by the end of 2016. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The attack on Indian infrastructure and energy major GMR’s power project in western Nepal by Maoists delayed the 900 MW hydropower project to meet its 2016 completion date. The nearly $469 million project’s environmental impact assessment was on the verge of completion when the attack occurred. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Upper Karnali Hydropower Project’s camp site in Dailekh district was burnt down. The act of arson and vandalism destroyed all the three pre-fabricated buildings in Dailekh, including the GMR site office with its computers and documents. The fear of further attacks and the pulling out of all personnel was said to have caused the delay to go up further, causing an escalation in costs as well. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Soon after the attack, the second in two months, GMR’s director G Subba Rao and Harvinder Manocha, GMR Energy’s associate vice-president as well as country director for Nepal, held talks with Nepal’s erstwhile Energy Minister Gokarna Bista and all lawmakers from the three districts spanned by the project - Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet, GMR’s projects in Nepal, including the 600 MW Upper Marsyangdi, have been regularly threatened by the Maoists with their top leaders demanding that their licenses be scrapped. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal warned the government in a press statement that such attacks would demolish investors’ confidence in Nepal. Facing an 18-20 hour daily power cut during the dry winter and summer seasons, Nepal has been banking on the Upper Karnali project to ease the power crisis within the next five years. GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Surya Nepal Textile</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="surya nepal" border="1" height="91" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/suryanepal.jpg" vspace="10" width="160" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Established in 2004 with an investment of approximately Rs 700 million, Surya Nepal Private Limited’s garment manufacturing unit - Surya Textile Industry - had been providing jobs to 608 workers directly, while the number of workers indirectly related to textile industry was more than 1,000. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Remunerations demanded by workers for the eight days strike that took place in mid-April 2011 and the management’s refusal to provide any remuneration, under the “no work no pay” provision, in the long run turned out to be the main reason for the permanent closure of Surya Textile. Workers didn’t agree with the “no work no pay” pact arguing that they were present inside the industry’s premises during the strike but could not work, because the industry itself was closed. This way, arguments and counter arguments continued and it deepened the conflict between management and labourers. On June 14, the situation worsened when factory workers, under backing from major trade unions, locked up 42 officials of the management without food and water supply for more than 24 hours. Finally, police had to rescue the captivated officials forcefully, because the major trade unions wanted their demand to be fulfilled immediately, or else they were not ready to release the officials. During the rescue clash, 8 labourers and 12 policemen were injured. After the officials were rescued, the management announced an indefinite closure of the industry effective from June 15 itself. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since June 15 to August 17, the industry remained closed during which labourers and even the trade unions demonstrated to re-open the industry but the management continuously refused to re-open citing unfriendly industrial climate and security problems. Finally, an agreement was reached among representatives of Morang Industry Organisation, Trade Unions and Surya Nepal to shut down the industry permanently paying Rs 29,800 as lay-off benefits to each worker and also according to agreement, the laid-off workers will be given priority as per the workers’ efficiency and capacity if the company comes up with new venture or resume its factory again. The security problems, militant trade unionism and their irrational demands, according to the management, forced the company to permanently close the textile industry. Irrespective of many other cases where monthly wage is the main cause of rift between management and labourers, Surya Textile was an exception. Sanjiv Keshava, Surya Nepal’s Managing Director, claimed themselves as good paymaster and explained that they paid almost double the amount stated in the minimum wage.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">KFC and Pizza Hut</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="kfc and pizza hut" border="1" height="82" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/KFC.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Outlets of international fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell resumed operation on September 17, 2012 after a three point agreement between the workers and the management. KFC, the biggest fast food chain in Nepal, had remained closed for over a month. On August 14, 2012 Devyani International, a subsidiary of Varun Beverages which operates outlets of KFC and Pizza Hut in Nepal had written a letter to authorities with announcement of immediate closure of all the four KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants running in the capital. “In order to disrupt our operations, some staff have physically attacked and threatened to kill the senior managers,” the letter read. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The settlement of dispute took nearly a month’s time because the management was seeking action against those law breakers who threatened to kill the managers. Moreover, it was demanding a commitment from the workers on not repeating such violent behaviour again. The management of the company decided to reopen the outlets after taking action against 22 staff who manhandled a senior manager of the company. Yogendra Kumal, Joint Coordinator of All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary); Tika Subedi, Vice President of ANHWU-R; Nawaraj Bhatta, President of ANHRWU-R´s Devyani International Nepal unit and Vishnu Reddy, Country Manager of Devyani International, signed the pact. As per the agreement, the trade union will make all the staff obey rules and regulations of the company and will not object if the management takes action on those violating the company´s rules. Likewise, the management agreed to respect the trade union rights. On August 29, the workers registered ANHRWU (All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union-Revolutionary). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The fast food chain had been talk of the town since there was a dispute over the formation of a trade union. According to the sources, the management and its employees started crossing swords with each other in August after cadres of the Mohan Baidya led CPN-Maoist goaded the staff into forming the party’s trade union. The five outlets used to record average daily turnover of Rs 800,000. According to the senior managerial staff at KFC Durbarmarg, the company suffered a loss of around Rs 30 million including loss of perishable goods.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Activities of Trade Unions and Employers are Guided by Traditional Mentality’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="agni parajuli" border="1" height="292" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/agni.jpg" vspace="10" width="253" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">AGNI PRASAD THAPALIYA<br />
	Judge <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Labour Court</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "> <br />
	</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you view the current labour situation as a judge of Labour Court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour court gives its verdict on a legal basis on the disputes whatsoever comes to the court. The labour statutes have envisioned secured employment, secured employees and guarantee of social security. Looking at these, it seems that our law is labour oriented to some extent because it has made provision of secured work for workers. But in practice, workers are forced to work for a company for a long time without an appointment letter. In many cases, they don’t even have attendance files and they are not even given identity cards. To file a case in the court, one must be able to produce evidences. There must be some evidences like employment letter, identity card, payslip or attendance registers. In some case, none of these are existent. There are cases where people are put to work like bonded labours. Companies must formally employ its workers with proper documentation that clearly mentions post, type of work, job description and remuneration, according to the legal provision. There are cases where employers have not followed these rules. Based on available documents and evidences, we have made verdicts in the favour of employees. In some cases, we have not been able to reinstate the workers. Similarly, to employ foreigners in Nepal, having a work permit from the Department of Labour is a must when the company has to hire foreigners. But a research I have conducted shows that around 20 per cent employees are working without permit in the bordering areas. Similarly, around 48 per cent employees are put to work sans contract papers. There is also disparity on salary of males and females. There are also cases of sexual harassments at work. In the absence of provision to address sexual harassment in our labour law, decision made by the management of a company has been endorsed also by the court and in some cases; international law is also put into practice. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the annual number of cases that are filed in the labour court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Most of the cases reinstated in labour court are about unlawful dismissal of employees. In many cases, the misconduct is not established while in some cases there are shortcomings in the job done by the workers. There are situations when the workers have to be reinstated if misconduct is not proved or employees are not allowed an opportunity of clarification. There were 103 verdicts made last year through the labour court and 84 cases were appealed against the actions of proprietors or against decisions of Labour Offices. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It seems that labour unions are guided by political ideologies rather than for the benefits of workers. How do you view this?</span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;Politics has also made inroads into civil service and police while it was common in the private sector. But, this is sad. It is said that a manager accuses member of another trade union with the help of one union. Such practices do not benefit the private sector. Activities of trade unions and employers show that they are guided by a traditional mentality though the overall national political and economic situation has changed with time. Employers have not got rid of their bossy nature. Although the law mentions a proper procedure to hire employees, the regulation is not properly followed. But employers or proprietors have not followed the legal procedures, so, there is the problem. Similarly, workers too are overambitious. Due to political reason, and over ambition of workers, without understanding the financial condition of the industries and even the economy, workers always want to be benefitted and enjoy attractive facilities. World history shows extreme cases of exploitation of labour and industrialists too suffered a lot but we don’t have such a situation. Our situation is definitely better. Our law addresses almost every issue of the formal sector. Both the parties have their own standpoint, so, the private sector and investment is in dire straits. This has increased the chances of capital flight. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the process of collective bargaining? How much have Nepali trade unions complied with the legal provision? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining does not come under jurisdiction of the court. Agreements made based on collective bargaining are implemented equivalent to law. Though agreements made are implemented, in most of the cases the major problem is, agreements cannot be made. To resolve such issues, a dispute resolution body needs to be formed. As we are under the tripartite model recognised by the ILO, the personal disputes are resolved by the court while collective disputes are not solved through negotiation between employees and proprietor in the presence of Labour Office. After that, a mediator may be appointed through the consent of both parties who can settle dispute through mediation. In case the mediator fails to settle the issue, employees can file ultimatum to go on a strike. On the other hand, employers can lockup his/her business in case s/he has been unsatisfied by the complaint of employees. So, our labour law does not address effective mechanism for resolving collective issue. It is a lacuna in our law. In the absence of an authentic body to settle collective issues, the private sector is not moving ahead as it should have. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the legalities of industrial strikes? Do you see those legalities followed by unions as well as companies? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The process of strike has not been followed at all. A negligible number of strikes are organised following the legal procedure. Most of them are organised all of a sudden. The process involves prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then the issue is taken to the labour office where they can sit for dialogues. Even if the dialogues do not resolve the issue, a mediator can be appointed by the consent of both parties. In case, the mediator fails to settle issues or there is no understanding on appointing a mediator, labourers can go for strike but again a 30 days ultimatum should be given. When the management body does not listen to the demand within the ultimatum, strikes can then be organised. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is said that judiciary has been making pro-labour decisions. What is your take on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour issues are not criminal cases. An Indian pioneer on labour law, Gulzarilal Nanda said that if the labour cases are treated on the basis of whoever produces more evidences, you are not trying to give justice to the labourers. Likewise, if a convict gets the benefit of doubt and the judge maintains silence or acts like an umpire to see which party will produce more evidences, then the justice is denied. So, a labour court judge must find out the facts and evidences. The employer always looks to employ workers at minimum facilities and make higher profit. So, the labour law procedure is quite different in nature. In the labour court, a judge must be active enough to guarantee justice. Investors feel that they must have absolute power over employees to protect their investments. In cases against employers that do not fulfil the legal procedure, justice is given in favour of labourers rather than of the employers. In numerous cases it is found that workers are alleged of wrongdoings when actually they have not committed mistakes. Even if they have committed misconduct; they are not given a chance for clarification. In such cases, decisions made by managers are reverted by the court. Therefore, when employees win the case, the industrialists say that verdicts are being labour oriented but it is not true. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A voice for amendment of labour law is being raised. Do you think the amendment is really needed? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Compared to the law of other countries, one thing that needs to be incorporated into the labour law is – making a provision of a tripartite committee or commission to sort out issues that are not resolved through the collective bargaining procedure. The law must mention a certain mechanism to resolve the collective disputes. In least developed countries like Nepal, there is presence of a strong informal sector. A huge number of employed people in these sectors are in the form of manual labours like agricultural workers and household workers. The workers are still working like bonded labours. Therefore the informal sector too should have certain rules and regulations. So, there should be a regulation that addresses their minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. As we have moved into a democratic system and become the part of the network of the UN, we have to timely and properly address these issues and control inhuman activities too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is alleged that feeling of insecurity prevails in the labour court. To what extent is it true? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In my tenure of three years, I have not felt any kind of insecurity as of now. Apart from minor arguments from labourers, there is no interference and threat seen till this day. But as the overall judiciary is said to be insecure at the national level being the part of the overall broad framework of the judiciary, labour court is also insecure from that perspective. As an individual entity, there are no such issues in the labour court.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Trade Unions Contributed only Six Per cent of the Total Strikes’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="bishnu" border="1" height="398" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bishnu.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">BISHNU RIMAL <br />
	President <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">GEFONT</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How many members are there in your union and how do you manage them? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">There are more than 353,000 individual members in our union and 29 affiliates altogether. The affiliates recruit members on their own under our co-ordination and connect them with us but we do not subscribe direct membership. We have committees at the local and district levels. And at the entrepreneur level, they choose one male and female candidate each as our representatives. The committee of the registered union becomes our member in a national level. The affiliates are action oriented while the role of GEFONT is that of coordination. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Why are industrial strikes so recurrent in Nepal? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strikes were frequent between 2006 and 2008 but after 2008, the frequency of industrial strikes has gone down. If you follow the website www.nepalbanda.com, you will find that trade unions have contributed only six percent of the total bandhas in the last year while around 28 percent bandhas were called by employers and the rest was contributed by parties and other organizations. If you are confusing political strikes with trade unions’ strikes, it is a mistake. If counted, there are hardly three companies where unions called strikes namely Surya Nepal, Pizza Hut and Unilever up to now. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Do you think the trade unions in Nepal are following the right approach in collective bargaining? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since we do not call it collective bargaining across the board, I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is proper. We conduct bargaining at the central level committee for minimum standards like wage determination and finalize it there. Collective bargaining is for maximum standards and we do it according to the type of company in question. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more whereas we demand less from the less earning companies. Before getting into bargaining process, it is essential to find whether the company is in profit or not. There was a huge bargaining at local level when the Khimti Project was firing 89 workers. According to the law, it had to pay two per cent of the total earnings to the workers and the labors’ demand approach was correct. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to the violent strikes and vandalism, private sector employers in Nepal fear to hire Nepali workers. How do you view this? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Violent strikes are rare as far as I know. The strike against Surya Nepal is the only example that I can give for vandalism in the private sector. Apart from that, strikes are usually seen at the government service and public sector. Recently, there was a strike at Unilever in Hetauda for a week and the problem was solved immediately after the negotiations. If we go through case-by-case, we may find some cases that nurtured vandalism but in general, employees are not feared to hire Nepali workers. Moreover, I have heard that employees in Nepal are longing to hire Nepali workers but they are not finding any mainly because of the scarcity of the workers in Nepal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the problems that the workers are facing in Nepali industries? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Firstly, at the policy level, the main problem that we are facing is the ineffectiveness of the rule of law. Even the industrialists are not providing minimum wages to the workers while the minimum wage is Rs 6,200 only. Unless there is a labor inspection system, we cannot find out whether the rule of law has been followed or not. Our law says that after 240 days of working, a worker is permanent at the company but there are many outsourced labors working for years and the jobs are mostly informal. Secondly, the problem of meager pay has been on the rise. High productivity of the workers can be seen only if they are paid adequately. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides, there is no social security in the companies. In any developed country, workers get pension after 20 years of service in a company but this social protection is rare in Nepali companies. More than Rs 200 million has been collected since the government has put one per cent tax on the companies for the social security of the workers. Accident insurance and medical insurance should be implemented but there are no schemes yet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The employers here fear that if the workers are made permanent, there will be less productivity. They believe that the workers are more productive when they work in fear. If there were no problems in permanent and temporary jobs, there wouldn’t be strikes in most of the industries. Workers are often agitated because there is low salary, no job guarantee and no social protection. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Experts are saying that over unionization of labors has affected industries badly. What are your views on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Conflict results from the sour relationship between management and workers, not from unionization. It is true that there are more unions in in service sector companies while some companies that provide informal job opportunities do not have unions at all. Unions are not the problems in companies because they solve most problems of the employers. A union solves the problems of each and every worker in the company and in most organizations, union leaders maintain labor relations with the management. The number of the unions is not a problem for an employee or the employer as long as authenticity of the union or the members of the bargaining team selected by the workers themselves is maintained. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Intra-party/intra-union problems and power struggle are common among Nepali trade unions. You as the President of GEFONT may have realized that as well. What do you think could be the solution? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Historically, there has always been a relation between Nepali political parties and trade unions. But it should be noted that Nepali trade unions are formed according to the law. Whether there is one or more than 20 unions in an organization, the employees should acknowledge that there should be a national election for an authentic union. For example, if there are four unions in an organization, the bargaining panel will be formed according to the votes in the election regardless of who the ruler of the union is. It’s only then that the multiplicity of the unions can be managed easily. Problems occur from the employers’ side too because their behavior changes according to the relationship with the union. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">As the trade unions in Nepal are affiliated to one or the other political party, they seem busy in politics than in promoting workers’ interests. How can this be resolved? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unions alone are not affiliated to political parties, employers too are affiliated and involved with the parties. In a multi-party system, affiliation to political parties is common and ideologically, it is correct too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From the perspective of the laborers, we are purely representing the laborers inside the companies. We are not indulging in any politics, however, our people are affiliated with different political parties. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labor disputes and shutdown of the industries are perceived as a threat to the investors venturing into new businesses in Nepal. How is your union going about it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Had you gone through the document called ‘Doing Business’, you would find that the labor disputes are in the sixth number among other problems. Companies making high investments in Sunsari- Biratnagar corridor are demanding more labors. The report by World Bank has also put labor problems in seventh among others whereas the number one problem is government’s legal hassles and number two is the problem of taxation. No investor has withdrawn his investment because of the unions or the workers. Recently, we organized the third Labor and Employment Conference in Kathmandu where we jointly made a 15-points declaration regarding the welfare of the workers. We We shared that we do not have anything against the employers; rather, we had a common view that we lacked a proper government bureaucracy. Unions are often dragged between the ineffective government and the political parties which is not right. Investors say labour law is not good in Nepal but they have never blamed workers or the unions for being unfriendly towards investments. <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the country has about 11.7 million workforce and only 1.8 million are in the formal sector and around 3.5 million are in foreign jobs. Rest of them are either unemployed or in informal sector. What do you think should be done to attract more investments that help in reducing labor',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours.',
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	),
	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '717',
			'article_category_id' => '52',
			'title' => 'Made-in-Nepal Concept',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
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						<span heaveneticacond9="" style="font-size:56.0pt;
  font-family:">A</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>four-day ‘Made in Nepal Products and Service Expo-2012’ that concluded on 9th September in Kathmandu created hype of a sort with its tagline: afno bhanya afnai ho (our own, means our own). Two weeks later, Nepali elite class was seen scrambling to buy jackets made of allo (stinging nettle plant with scientific name Girardinia diversifolia) fibre in the Small and Cottage Industries Products’ Exhibition. Everyone, from prime minster to the commoner who visited these fairs, and the media alike, portrayed these as the moments proud to be. Indeed they were, but rather more emotionally.</p>
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	These expos and exhibitions designed to showcase and promote Nepali products and services no doubt are welcome endeavors. For that matter, any business initiative at a time when almost all economic and manufacturing activities in Nepal are dented by the prolonged political crisis is praiseworthy. But, the kind of twist these expos brought in to trade ‘afno’ emotions than goods and services warrants a serious debate on the very concept of ‘made in Nepal’ and its indispensability for the national economy.</p>
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	Let’s think beyond debatable issues of whether everything showcased in these exhibitions was truly a Nepali product. In the present globalised and highly interconnected world, can any economy of the size of Nepal operate and manage her ‘own’ economy and, is it at all necessary to be so? Or, shouldn’t we now think of making Nepal a ‘profitable economy’ than being falsely proud with hollow emotional swipe?</p>
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	Unquestionably, Nepal needs to produce and sell products and services that have comparative and competitive advantages, mainly those that are profitable both in domestic and international markets. First, the very concept of self-producing everything we need must be abandoned. Second, generating pride by renaming or changing the label to ‘made in Nepal’ of the goods produced by others is surely not an ethical practice and not going to help even our psychological bliss of industrialism, let alone economy.</p>
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	<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>We saw a swadeshi, self-reliant economic paradigm in the economies like India for almost half a century that got reverted to open market only at the beginning of 1990s. But, swadeshi policy could hardly help the market of its own of such a large size, apparently capable of creating economies of scale in any given sector. Even in our case, the guided economy of the panchayat era tried to produce everything through the state-owned entities -- from cigarettes to sugar and, run transport services to groceries outlets. Clearly, the prime objectives in those both cases were to create an economy of ‘national pride’ not a profitable economy based on cost-benefit analysis. Now we have the results in front of us – in the form of an absolutely tattered economy and also pathetic fate of these state-owned establishments, as an outcome of these costly prides.</p>
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	The official figures of the last fiscal year 2068/69 show that Nepal’s export import ratio stands at almost 1:6 and, unofficially, it is estimated to be well above 1:8. This indeed is indicative of the fact that Nepal only has two options to bridge this gap – either to increase the export or, produce the goods that can replace the massive import in substantial scale, or, instead of producing everything, focus on prioritizing the products with better domestic or international markets with higher rate of returns. As China has now shown, it is always preferable to import what turns out to be cheaper to import than producing ourselves and produce only that which brings in better rate of returns. Therefore, instead of being ‘proud’ for producing everything, the nation as one economy should think about pragmatic plans to make it more ‘profitable’. Then only ‘made in Nepal’ actually can contribute in making Nepal economically better off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:24px;"><span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="line-height: 115%;">‘Tunnel Project Is A Litmus Test For The Private Sector’<br />
	<br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="font-size:43.5pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="kushkmarjoshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview(8).jpg" vspace="10" width="303" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">Kush Kumar Joshi <br />
	Chairman <br />
	Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Ltd</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa19">
	<span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt">Kush Kumar Joshi is the Chairman of Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Limited (NPBCL) that is to develop the Kathmandu-Kulekhani- Hetauda Tunnel (KKHT) Highway that would substantially reduce the Kathmandu-Hetauda driving distance. <br />
	<br />
	NPBCL will be constructing the 50-kilometre long four-lane highway that will have approximately two 5.5 kilometre long tunnels for oncoming and going traffic between Kathmandu and Hetauda. The company will construct and operate the tunnel road in public-private-people partnership (4P) modality under the Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructure 2006 act. A leading industrialist of Nepal, Joshi is also the Immediate Past President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and the Chairman of Liberty Energy, Himalayan Bamboo Pvt Ltd and Managing Director of Nepal Ekarat Engineering Co Pvt Ltd. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In an interview with Gaurav Aryal of New Business Age, Joshi talked about the tunnel project as well as the country</span></span><span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">’</span></span><span class="A67"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">s overall investment environment. Excerpts:</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_333.jpg" vspace="10" width="250" /><br />
	<br />
	For the first time in Nepal, the private sector is developing a major road project. As the leader of this project, how do you plan to execute it? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is indeed the first time the government has entrusted a private company with such a big responsibility. It is an honour to share the weight of the government in enriching the lives of Nepali people. The concept of making shortest road from Hetauda to Kathmandu was conceptualised more than 50 years ago. Everyone knows this will be the shortest distance to link these two cities but due to socio-political reasons, the mechanism to construct the road was not finalised earlier. This time around, a new approach of 4P model - public, private and people participation - is taken to revive this initiative. People’s participation in a massive scale is the main strength of this approach. The local people presently have to take a longer route to travel to Kathmandu despite a possible shorter alternative there. This project would be a matter of dignity for every Nepali when it will be completed solely with Nepali resources, technology and management. That is a motivating factor for all of us. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the progress towards the financial closure of the project? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The government has granted us this project for 30 years as per the People, Private and Public Partnership (4P) Modality under Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructures 2006 act. The cost of the project is estimated around US$ 350 million and that money is going to be raised from amongst ourselves. Once we complete the feasibility study by November 2012, we will have the concession agreement with the government on technical and financial issues as well as the toll fee. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have set a timeline of three-and-a-half-years for the completion of the project. As many projects are failing to meet their deadlines, what is the basis of your optimism to meet your deadline? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The main possible hurdles in a project are fund collection, local disturbances and not getting a license. In our case, the government has already granted a license to us not only for DPR but also for execution of the project. The main strengths of this initiative are the local people. The local landowners are ready to contribute to this project by providing their land after a proper valuation. We are not buying the land; instead the value of the land will be treated as their equity investment in the project. Thus the main likely cause of local disturbance is not there. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The other main issue is fund collection. So far, we have received a warm response to our initiative and people are more than willing to invest in such a project that not only has high rate of return but also contributes in developing the infrastructure of the country. This will be the first time Nepali people will be involved in such kind of project. Our people have always been depending on financial support from donor countries, banks or the government. But, this project will make massive mobilisation of people – business community, local people, NRN community and the Nepali workers abroad - for generating funds. Another key component is the Nepali construction companies who will not only be the contractors but also major investors in this mega project. There is plenty of liquidity in the capital and money market but there are not enough good projects for investment. So, this good project will have no problem of funds. And we are hopeful to complete the project within the set deadline. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Disputes on land acquisition and paying compensation have proven major issues while developing such projects. What is the basis for your optimism that your arrangement will work this time? <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The modality we have come up with for this project is very unique. As I said earlier, we are not trying to buy land – it is more or less like a barter system and a participatory approach. Before deciding the alignment and making the survey, we had a lot of interactions with the locals and received a commitment from them regarding the project. The most important aspect is that they positively want to see this road built. The local community is ready to invest 75 per cent of the actual valuation of their land to the project and hold 25 per cent with themselves. This is a great step towards making a change. The locals have not just said that they want the road built but they have actually played a significant role in making this initiative a success. And if an existing house is needed to demolish for the road, we are committed to build another house for the owner. This, I think, is beauty or the strength of this entire project.</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar" border="1" height="264" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/inteview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="317" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	The KKHT highway is considered a project of national pride and a model to invite foreign investment in infrastructure development. How will this project be able to live up to this expectation? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have huge potentials in infrastructure. One can see the level of service we are providing to the people in energy, road, drinking water, medical facilities, the basic needs for the people where we need investment whether from domestic or the international investors. The deficit in infrastructure is such huge, domestic investment is simply not enough. But we need to build up the confidence level of investors by providing a guarantee through the policy, political commitment and, most importantly, from the domestic investment. If our project will thrive, it would be a benchmark for other investors to emulate. A successful project such as this will have foreign investors to get interested to work on other projects. This should be a milestone for all Nepalis. I hope that this will surely lure foreign investors to collaborate with local investors and develop the infrastructures in the country. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have said that the project will return the investment to its investors in six to eight years from the date of operation. Wouldn’t this proposition make the highway a costly road to travel for the general public? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is going to be a win-win situation for passengers as well as vehicle owners as they will be saving both fuel and time. If a truck or a passenger bus is today making a single round trip a day between Hetauda and Kathmandu, the completion of this road will enable them to make several round trips a day. Instead of four hours, the distance from Kathmandu to Hetauda will be covered in 45 minutes once this road comes into operation. Quite naturally, the frequency of travel will be more and transport entrepreneurs can earn more money besides, of course, saving on fuel. The toll fee will be very low and I am sure the users of this road will find it economical and not just save time but also money. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Do you think that investing in infrastructure will give enough yield to the private sector? What will be the model of investment in your company’s future projects? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">First of all, the license granted to us is a historical one. We always talk about the government not giving priority to the private sector and not giving investment opportunity or packages for infrastructure development. This is the first time the government has given a priority project to the private sector. Now, it is our turn to prove that we can do it. If we can do it ourselves, the trust on the private sector will be heightened. This is a litmus test for the private sector to prove that we can do it. For future projects, we may use foreign investment as well as equity based or debt and equity based modality. We will be trying to bring in equity participation for future projects as much as possible. Once this project is completed, NPBCL will become the largest company in Nepal valued at US$ 315 million. A sustainable mechanism and a proven track record will then be part of the company’s resume. We will be hoping for huge projects coming our way and perhaps we could look at large scale storage hydropower projects too. This is going to be the biggest company in Nepal enjoying massive public participation. The ownership will be divided among many people and benefits shared by all. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the other similar projects in the pipeline for NPBCL? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The other similar projects coming up include road extension plans from Hetauda to Narayanghat and Hetauda to Birgunj but that will be taken only after the current project completes a whole lap. The traffic from Kathmandu to Eastern and Western Nepal is huge. This project is now envisaged for westbound traffic and people from Far West will travel via this road. Once the proposed new road from Hetauda to Narayanghat is opened, the drive from Narayanghat to Kathmandu will take only one-and-a-half hours. All the traffic coming to Kathmandu via Mugling will be diverted to the newly built road.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">This project is to utilise Nepali resources only for its development. Is there a possibility of similar big projects with Nepali investment only?</span></strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times=""> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">Many other people are trying to emulate this particular project. For example, the NRN Association has a 100 million dollar fund and they are trying to develop 100 MW hydropower project on their own. Some other companies too are trying to build hydropower projects with Nepali investment only. There are two important bases for the development of a country, one is roads and the other is electricity. Therefore, our next project will focus on energy because there is a lack of storage-based project in hydropower currently. After the success of this project, we will work towards mega storage projects. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="387" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/kushkumar.jpg" vspace="10" width="208" /><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">What is your opinion on allowing investment abroad from Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">&nbsp;</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">We are observing Nepal Investment Year and trying to invite foreign investment to Nepal. Given this situation, what kind of message will the Nepali and foreign investors get if Nepali investment in other countries is made an option indeed? Having said so, even if we have an opportunity to invest in foreign countries, it must come with certain conditions. The criterion should be – one must be an expert in one’s own field, have good brand recognition at home and willing to expand. Expansion requires investment and in such case, one needs to have a chance to expand and to promote the products and technology in some other country. Ultimately, the benefit should come to one’s own country.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">For example, an airline must have its branch in other countries for marketing and promotions. In such a case, one has to invest in foreign countries. Similarly, if you have a good and well-known brand in Nepal and want to export but the cost of competition in other countries may make it not feasible to produce in Nepal and export. Then you should be allowed to produce your own brand in other countries. This will be similar to what multinational companies do. If you have your own brand image for product that is made in Nepal, it will benefit if you establish your factory abroad and promote your own product. But let’s focus on investing within Nepal first.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How do you judge the efficiency of the current FNCCI leadership? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">There are a lot of issues, which have scope to be tackled more efficiently by the FNCCI. It looks like they are focusing on the investment year but they must handle local issues first. Given the situation where the fate of the government hangs in the balance one needs to know how the policies are being driven and focus on pressing to bring the full annual budget of the government at the earliest. Similarly, the policies meant to attract foreign investment for the Nepal Investment Year must be established. Priorities on issues like areas of investment and backing up the investment are more important than to celebrate the investment year itself. The investment board has the law and bylaws to backup the investment package and the same will be applied for other investments also. There are a lot of things that FNCCI can do as an apex body of the business community. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Are business prospects for Nepal improving? What are the bottlenecks?<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Everybody knows about the prospects Nepal has. We talk about tourism, hydropower, infrastructure and others but the business community has to push the government to create a proper environment and identify the priority projects for investment. The ongoing political turmoil is not giving a good sign to the investors to come to Nepal and invest.</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">There are three issues – energy crisis, labour issues and unstable government policies. Energy is the prerequisite because without energy, nobody will come to invest here. Labour issues have also discouraged investors. These two things must be prioritised and cleared by the government and the investment board to encourage investment. We also need to have consistent policies. Changes in policies every time there is change in the government will not attract any investments in Nepal. We have been asking the government and the political parties to come up with a common minimum economic agenda. Establishing a common minimum economic agenda will give a positive signal to the investors. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">You have been demanding reforms in the public procurement system. Would you please explain it? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">The government has to prioritise domestic product. Any company’s first area of business is the local market. Once they have a good position in the local market, they can improve their quality, productivity and be assured about their growth. Having delivered their basic service, they can then think about exporting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">The government has to provide a level playing field for the domestic producers by buying their products, but at the same time it should be monitoring the price and quality as well. At this point of time the government has not been able to accomplish these objectives. The government always seeks cheap foreign products and does not care for the quality. Our argument is, local products do not need incentives instead they need to be promoted so that they can be competitive, qualitative and eventually become export oriented. The government has to give confidence to investors by prioritising the purchase of local products. That is why we are saying that the procurement act has to be revised by making it mandatory to buy local products.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
"><img alt="madanlamsal" border="1" height="161" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/madan.jpg" vspace="10" width="177" /><br />
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By:&nbsp; Madan Lamsal</span></span></p>
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	The Magic of Poverty Cards</p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#211D1E"><br />
	If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="no laughing matter" border="1" height="313" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/nolaughingmatter(2).jpg" vspace="10" width="341" /><br />
	<br />
	</span><span class="A13"><span new="" style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">P</span></span><span new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">overty is pervasive as pervasive are the communist ideologies, ideologues and leaders in Nepal. There could be many manifestations of the relations between the communism and the poverty. Since the communism is commonly interpreted as the dictatorship of proletariats, then all people first must be proletariat or belonging or possessing no material wealth; means absolute poor. Nepal is run by an ultra-left Maoist government, then, by definition every citizen of this country is a proletariat, or absolute poor.&nbsp; <br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How would you establish that every Nepali is in indeed a proletariat or poor? For this purpose, the Red government has a very innovative idea of distributing ‘Poverty Cards’ to every Nepali. And, to make sure that every Nepali is entitled to this card, the government has a full-proof plan of first evenly distributing the poverty among the entire populace by every means possible and then start beginning to distribute these MAGIC cards to each citizenry.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Some may have seen recent industrial unrest, largely created by the trade unions affiliated to ruling, or if not, to this or that Left Party, as detrimental to national prosperity. But, in fact that is a well planned communist strategy of making every one poor as soon as possible so that the capitalist entrepreneurs of today, labourers and the men in the streets -- all alike can become eligible to get these ‘poverty cards.’<br />
	<br />
	The government has rightly assigned the donor funded Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to lead this drive to distribute the poverty card. The Fund is all set to start this mission in this very month of September itself. The choice of PAF for the task too is a very appropriate as it is the only institution in the country that has experience of distributing anything related to poverty, including the poverty itself say some.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Who are the poor? It is the commonplace knowledge that the citizen who does not possess any asset is the poor. Got some clue on why all the leaders of the ruling United Maoist party including its charismatic Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had reiterated that they would surrender all their property in the name of their party? They were in fact making themselves eligible to get this ‘poverty card.’ Not only that, right since the beginning of the guerrilla war, the party also greatly helped to make citizens properly qualified for the card by confiscating the land, houses and property or physically eliminating them who were not instantly becoming poor at the Maoist will.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">All these instances suggest that this ‘card distribution programmme’ is going to be a great success and an event of real national pride. Every citizen of this country is sure to get it. If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What does this card do? A simple answer is: it will be a magic card capable of providing everything for the one who holds it -- food, education, health services, employment, unemployment benefit, or you just name it. They can also function as the credit cards as well. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Then, who all will get this is anybody’s guess! But you can have some hint by the choice of the 25 districts put in the first priority, including Rukum, Rolpa, Gorkha, and Chitwan to distribute these cards. Why these districts? Rukum and Rolpa are where Maoists started the ambitious program of making every Nepali a proletariat and dispensation akin to proletariat dictatorship. Gorkha and Chitwan are the districts where the Maoist numero-uno Prachanda and PM Baburam hail from. Even before that, it goes without saying that all these leaders living in Kathmandu without ‘anything’ would be getting the privilege of this card. We are just waiting to see this card doing the MAGIC.<br />
	</span></p>',
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Born to Succeed</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="born to succeed" border="1" height="317" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality(5).jpg" vspace="10" width="182" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Min Bahadur Gurung started his business at a time when supermarket shopping was only meant for the elite. His journey from a grocery store owner to the Managing Director of Bhat-Bhateni chain of supermarkets is full of joy, sorrow, dedication and struggle.<br />
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	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">Y</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">oung Min Bahadur Gurung had strong faith in making history one day. His parents too had a dream that he will be a great personality of the country in due course of time. It was the major reason behind his parents’ decision to send him to a good school although his was a big 10-member family. Born after five sisters, he was raised as a pampered son in the family and provided with facilities that a son usually gets in the Nepali society. Two younger brothers were born after him. During his early schooling, Gurung was touched by the story about Madam Curie inventing bean size radium after melting 17 tons of stone. Megnath Lamsal, his teacher at high school, left a deep impression on him. The teacher’s lessons motivated him to do well in life and reach greatness one day. “I was very fond of Lamsal Sir and liked his classes much. I developed a strong belief in myself and was committed to work hard for success,” he recalls.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="388" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="500" /></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Born in Dube, a village in Khotang district, Gurung had schooling up to SLC at different schools nearby. Unlike other young boys of his time, he was very energetic and hardworking. He enjoyed his schooldays even though he had to walk two hours daily to go to the school. Despite being a good student, Gurung failed in the SLC exams. It came as a shock for all the teachers, students and his own family who considered him as a bright student. He didn’t take it as a setback though and tried his best to overcome the failure by studying harder. </span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Reflecting back on his SLC failure, Gurung says that it actually made him the person he is today. He elaborates, “Because I failed my SLC exams, I did not pursue science stream later. Had I cleared SLC in my first attempt with flying colors, I would have other ideas about my future course of life and ultimately miss this fantastic business opportunity that I have today. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22128">GURUNG’S TIPS FOR SUCCESS </span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt">Honesty : Be honest because the lack of it casts shadow on other qualities </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Hard Work : A great company needs great vision which, in turn, needs hard work </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Patience : It helps manage every success and failure </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Positive Thinking : Don’t start your business without it </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Continuity : Continue your business under any circumstances whatsoever</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="305" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_2(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="393" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung started helping his family in farming after his intermediate degree. In Bhadra 2031 BS, he started planting rice, harvesting maize and other jobs required by the farming demands. During this period, he fell terribly sick and survived the ordeal somehow. Gurung’s father decided that enough was enough. Until now, he always insisted to keep his dearest son close to him but following the incident, he advised him to go to Kathmandu and study further.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung had his first job as a record keeper who recorded attendance of daily wage laborers. He shares, “I was given Rs 400 by my father when I left for Kathmandu so I had to find a job anyhow to sustain.” He was soon hired in Nepal Bank Limited and was given a position in Nepalgunj. However, after two years, he managed to find a posting to Kathmandu and started pursuing a master’s degree shortly afterwards. He would attend college in the morning and work at the bank as his full time job.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">A permanent job at the bank encouraged him to settle down in life. He married Sabitri Gurung, a girl from his own village who was pursuing her intermediate degree in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, he also started selling goods which built the foundation of his retail business. Gurung later turned his part time retail business as a full time profession when he realized the potential that the business offered. He established Bhatbhateni Cold Store in 2041 and expanded his retail shop on the second floor of the store in due course of time.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As fate would have it, his store caught fire in 2047 BS and caused him a financial loss of around a million rupees. Gurung says the fire at Bhatbhateni was a turning point for him and he learnt a lesson the hard way to take his business more seriously. Three years later, he established Bhatbhateni Departmental Store. “I am a different type of person who believes in growing plants on rock. It is not possible to stop at a failure when you have a great vision,” he says.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Even today, despite all the success, Gurung consults his wife as before while making business strategies. He remembers the time when he had to invest the same gold in his business that he had gifted to his wife earlier. She joined his business within a few days of delivering their first child Kamana. “It was quite amazing that she could join the store within a short period after the delivery of our first child,” he reminisces. He rues the fact that he finds himself unable to give enough time to his family due to a busy schedule. It is hard to find him relaxing much but when he does so, he listening to music from stalwarts such as Narayan Gopal, Bachchu Kailash and Ani Choying Dolma.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Starting his grocery store with an investment of Rs 35,000 in a small single shutter, his business today is worth billions of rupees with five huge outlets in the Kathmandu valley and one in Pokhara. It was dream come true for him when the construction of his four huge supermarkets was completed last year. The construction of supermarkets in Kathmandu was overseen by his wife, son and daughter while he was busy taking care of the construction of the Pokhara outlet. As many as 50 people from his family circle are involved in the business, informs Gurung.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He says that support from the people and the facilities provided at the Bhatbhateni outlets have made it a successful supermarket chain. His stores registered overwhelming business during their respective openings. The Bhatbhateni outlet at Pokhara was opened not too long ago and the story there was no different either with thousands of people swarming the store for several days. “We had to cease either the upstairs or downstairs lifts every hour to manage the heavy crowd. There were people coming from Gorkha, Butwal and Lamjung as well,” he recounts.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung believes that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Bhatbhateni Supermarket employs 22,000 people currently and Gurung hopes that the group will have 50,000 employees in its ranks in 15 years time.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As part of its corporate social responsibility, the group helped construct an emergency ward having 72 beds at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with a spending of Rs 100 million. Gurung has named the ward after his parents whom he holds in very high esteem. He has also been providing yearly scholarships to two MBBS students, especially the ones who originate from remote villages. “We will all die one day so it is important that we set apart a certain percentage of our earnings for social causes,” he reasons. Gurung thinks it is rather unfortunate that not many people spare a thought for the less privileged.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He plans to spend his retired life as a social worker. “I still believe in doing jobs which others haven’t tried before and hope to work for the well being of the society,” he says. He recommends people to believe in themselves to make it successful in life and be a part of the history.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
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<p class="Default">
	<span class="A8"><span style="font-size:24.0pt"><img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/sectoral_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	‘Real Growth Opportunity Lies in Agriculture and Small Scale Industries’</span></span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<img alt="realgrow" border="1" height="236" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/P-K-Mohapatra.jpg" vspace="10" width="217" /></p>
<p class="Pa1">
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">P K Mohapatra </span></span><span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Chief Executive Officer at Everest Bank Limited (EBL). </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">With an aim to promote the agriculture sector, the EBL established a specialised branch called Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha at Rijbiraj, Saptari on August 17. In an interview with New Business Age, Mohapatra talked about reasons behind the newly opened branch and bank’s expansion plans in the agriculture sector. Excerpts:<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why did you come up with a dedicated branch for agricultural services? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The branch will not only concentrate on agricultural services, however, the thrust will be on agriculture and agro based industries. The country’s main focus area should now be agriculture because the new industries are not taking off due to many reasons. Around 66 per cent of the total population depends on agriculture and this sector’s contribution in the GDP is about 39 per cent. Therefore, if some priority is given to agriculture, it will be a contribution to the national economy too. <br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	<br />
	Why did you choose this particular location Rajbiraj among so many other places? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We found Rajbiraj suitable because the land is irrigated, people have money to spend on land and the area receives good amount of remittance. When we were planning to start this branch, we looked for different localities where agriculture is of prime focus including Chitwan where we already had a presence. We did not have a presence in Rajbiraj though which is an area with high growth potential. As a banker, we will also be interested to mobilise deposits as Rajbiraj has a high potential for deposit growth. So, that is a service for dual purpose – mobilising deposit and at the same time, helping the farmers by financing agriculture. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">How do you see the scope of formal lending to Nepal’s agriculture sector? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">It is one of the best virgin areas. So far, microfinance companies and Rural Development Bank have been doing agro based lending. All these sectors lend at a high rate of interest that makes the total investment and works literally non-viable. The moment commercial banks enter, we can lend at a much lower rate than present. This will encourage the farmers to borrow money from banks and go for high yielding crop varieties, improved seeds and better livestock. The entire economy will be supported by low interest funding by the commercial banks. For example, in districts like Chitwan, Ilam and Jhapa, a lot of migrant workers have returned from abroad with experience and money. All they need is a little support from the banking system so that they can thrive here, invest and use the experience and money they have gained. At the same time, they can give employment to some other people also. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why are commercial banks hesitant to lend to this sector? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Banking in Nepal has been excessively based on urban areas. However, activities based in the urban areas are getting saturated. Therefore, the real growth opportunity lies in agriculture and small scale industries. Till now, the concentration was in cities and industrial towns like Birgunj, Biratnagar, Butwal and some other areas. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has made a mandatory provision to invest at least 10 per cent in agriculture and hydropower out of the total investments made by banks. It is a really appreciable measure adopted by the central bank. Agriculture and small scale industries are two sectors which are going to support the country in the long run. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">To what extent does Everest Bank wants to invest in the agriculture sector? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">The minimum investment will be what the NRB has already stipulated. Our small effort is to encourage the field people – branch managers and field staff – to look at agriculture from a totally different angle. Many think that agriculture lending is not a good lending. However, it is not true. If a thousand rupees is lent in the agriculture sector, it goes straight to the economy. As socially responsible corporate entities, all banks should target the rural people, particularly those involved in agriculture. We will be coming up with two to three branches having thrust on the agriculture sector within this fiscal year. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We are also preparing setting up a farmer training institute in Nepal. Being from Punjab National Bank, India, we have a huge experience in running farmer training institutes in India and so, we have proposed to begin with at least one institute and replicate that all over Nepal. We are trying to open the training institute that will provide trainings free-of-cost in collaboration with the private sector and IFC (International Finance Corporation) or IOM (International Organisation for Migration). <br />
	<br />
	Such institutes will have basic facilities like soil testing will a simple laboratory. We will also teach farmers to repair agriculture machineries so that they can save money and time. Besides, we will train returnee migrants through these institutes so that they can use their experience and money. It is a long term plan and we should be able to start the first training institute before the close of financial year 2069/70. <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Impact">Sectoral</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Sushila Budhathoki</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Demanding Business of Herbal Products</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35">&nbsp;<br />
	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing.jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:59.0pt">C</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">onsumption of herbal products in Nepal, according to an estimate, is registering an annual increment of 20 per cent. According to Pradip Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) at Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FNCCI), Nepali herbal products also account for three per cent of the total exports. He further says, “Nepali herbal products meet around 60 per cent of the domestic market demand. The remaining 40 per cent demand is still fulfilled by imports.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The yearly production of ‘Sancho’, a product of Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited (HPPCL), has reached five million units. Last year, the company produced around 3.4 million units of Sancho. According to Chandra Bahadur Shahi, General Manager of HPPCL, the company is now aggressively marketing the product in villages after having found a tremendous market in urban areas already. <br />
	<br />
	“Due to its popularity, we have been marketing Sancho and other herbal products through our distributors in each development region,” says Shahi. The company has estimated the total turnover of its herbal products at around Rs 100 million last year of which Sancho alone contributes around Rs 70 million. Sancho is a widely popular cure for cold, cough, rheumatism, stuffy nose, fatigue, body ache, muscular ache, headache, neuralgia, sprain and itching. It is marketed by the HPPCL since 2057 BS. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="demaing" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	<br />
	Nepal is basically exporting essential oils, Chyawanprash and Shilajit among other herbal products. According to the Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), oil worth Rs 82 million was exported to third countries in 2010-2011. Govind Adhikari, President of Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA), says the herbal industries can get optimum benefit by exporting finished herbal products rather than only exporting crude herbs. He adds, “We are exporting a huge amount of raw materials to India, which in turn, is earning from making the finished products. If we were able to export final products ourselves, we would have earned a tremendous market internationally.” He adds, “Since herbal products are unique, they usually do not face stiff competition.” <br />
	<br />
	The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. Today, the people around the world are inclined towards ‘back to nature’ and demanding natural products ranging from medicines and food items to cosmetics. Germany and France, among other countries, have been considered as major herbal markets in Europe and the popularity of herbal products has a great impact on its development. It is not surprising when many consider Nepal as a country with huge potentiality for herbal trade. <br />
	<br />
	Maharjan recommends exploring the need for investment in herbal industries due to the increasing demand of Nepali products internationally. He says, “There is a huge demand for herbal products internationally because people are lured towards products that are free from side effects. And our products have established a reputation of being natural and chemical-free products.” Nepali Industries are advertising their products through the internet as well and soliciting business online. Most of the Nepali herbal industries maintain websites and use them as a marketing tool for promoting their products. <br />
	<br />
	There are herbal products being sold everywhere and more people are inquiring about natural products such as cream, lip balm, oils and other cosmetics. According to Rina Gongaju, Production Manager at Wild Earth, the company has launched a basic range of products owing to local demand. She shares, “We are wealthy in herbs but it costs dearly to produce a final product because of the technical lapses in the collection and refinement of the herbs.” Wild Earth produces a range of handmade herbal goods such as soaps, massage oils, pillows, smudge sticks and aromatic amulets and sells them in over 30 countries. The company also caters its products to different Nepali hotels, resorts and spa centers. <br />
	<br />
	There are many brands for each range of products like Yak Milk Soaps and Mongolian Mare’s Milk Soap in Wild Wares category. There are other ranges of aromatic pillows namely Passion, Dream, Tranquility, Hangover, Calm, Balance, Soothe and Energy as well as pillows for each zodiac sign. Single products at Wild Earth are priced from Rs 55 to Rs 1,500 while for the herbal set, the prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 3,500.</span> </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Adhikari says that Nepali products only acquire Food Phyto Sanitary Certificate and Plant Phyto Sanitary Certificate while buyers in Western countries have increasingly been asking for GMP certificates for aryurvedic remedies, as these products were relatively vulnerable to contamination and unwanted substances. He adds, “Lack of certification is troubling us on exporting herbal products even though there are no complaints about our products.” There are some Nepali companies too who do not apply proper production measures in their production process. Hari Dhital, Administrator at Gorkha Ayurved Company Pvt Ltd, says, “Our products compete with other ‘me too’ products of low quality which have confused the consumers. It has also troubled us in marketing the products.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Industrialists say that the government provisions are discouraging newer industries, especially the small entrepreneurs. Although Herbs and NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Products) Policy 2004-05 has been endorsed, entrepreneurs are facing a lot of hurdles in its implementation. Adhikari shares his bitter experience in the promotion and development of herbal products in Nepal. “The latest policy has been prepared for the benefit of the industries, however, the government is turning a deaf ear to its implementation,” he complains. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">There is a list of 119 NTFPs that are in trade or have the potential to trade. These herbs are used to produce crude herbs, essential oils, extraction items and lokta/argeli papers. They are the raw materials for different ayurvedic products/para pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and vegetable oils too. Different parts like leaf stem extract, pod, root, rhizome, flower, fruit, seed, wood, tendril, bark etc of herbal and aromatic plants are used to produce these items. <br />
	<br />
	According to NEHHPA, there are around 40 companies involved in the production of finished herbal products and 2,000 traders and around 5,000 to 6,000 wild collectors, especially the farmers from different villages, involved in the herbal business. With around 7,000 types of herbs and a kind of bio-diversity rarely found in other corners of the world, Nepal seems the first priority for the investors venturing into herbal business. Maharjan says, “Since the market of herbal products is growing, many western countries are attracted towards production of herbal products. There are a few Nepali companies having joint ventures with foreign companies and are producing herbal products.”</span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Having seen the potential for herbs and herbal products, many projects have started focusing on the production, processing and marketing of herbal products. AEC reports that High Mountain livelihood Improvement (HIMALI), Raising Income for small and Medium Farmers (RISME), High Value Agricultural Products (HVAP) and One Village One Product (OVOP) are some of the current programs that focus on cultivation, production and marketing of herbal products along with other agricultural products. <br />
	<br />
	The 350 hectares of land owned by HPPCL, if used properly, would also benefit herbal business in Nepal and encourage newer herbal industries for research and development. From a marketing perspective, traditional ayurvedic medicines enjoy good brand value in the west. However, with the demand of quality and harmless herbal products, ‘Trademark Herbal’ is not enough for the aggressive growth of Nepali herbal industries.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Gulf Air Resumes Flights to Iran and Iraq</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="gulf air" border="1" height="90" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/gulfair.gif" vspace="10" width="197" /><br />
	B</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">ahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air resumed its flights to Iraq and Iran from September 20. The Airlines also launched a special promotion with up to 30 per cent off on its return air fares to Iran and Iraq from all destinations across its network, to mark the three-week countdown to the resumption of its services.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">During this promotion that started on September 1, passengers could book their travel from any of the airline’s 48 destinations to Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in Iran and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Economy class and 30 per cent on Falcon Gold fares, according to the airlines’ press statement.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The special fares were available on bookings made between 1 and 14 September, and for travel between 20 September and 15 October 2012. All travel must be completed by 15 October 2012.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Karim Makhlouf said, “We are pleased to be able to offer customers this special promotion. For a limited time, passengers wishing to travel to Iran and Iraq and enjoy Gulf Air’s award-winning on-board service can do so at a reduced cost.” Flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Basra in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran began progressively from 20 September.</span></p>
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42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/edihad.gif" vspace="10" /><br />
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color:#211D1E">o celebrate the fifth anniversary in Nepal, UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways offered anniversary fares to a number of destinations from Kathmandu. “The various destinations include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Manchester, Milan and Geneva, and the offer stood for the period from 1 to 30 September in terms of ticket sales and 10 to 24 October in terms of outbound travel,” said an official press statement from the company.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Hogan, visited Boeing’s Everett production facility on September 12, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more Boeing 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan was leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, reads the company’s press statement. In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Together, Etihad Airways (41) and airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines, Hogan said, “It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. Last December, Etihad Airways announced it was taking its total order book for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to 41, the first of which arrives in the last quarter of 2014. The order, valued at US$ 9.3 billion, will make Etihad Airways the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The UAE flag carrier has options and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways on September 2 confirmed its equity stake in Virgin Australia Holdings which has now reached 10 per cent. According to the company’s official statement, this represents 221 million shares which have been bought in the open market over recent months.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Six weeks earlier to the latest development, Etihad Airways received Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to increase its holding from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Hogan said, “We are very pleased to have reached this threshold. “We support the management strategy of Virgin Australia and will continue to work closely with them on ways to improve our business,” he added.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan reiterated that Etihad Airways wasn’t interested in becoming a majority shareholder or taking control of Virgin Australia. “Our small equity stake reflects the strong working relationship of both airlines and again demonstrates our enduring commitment to the Australian market,” he said. Hogan is confident that the equity stake would lead to more revenue generating opportunities.</span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Dragonair Launches Flights to Zhengzhou</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
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42.5pt"><img alt="" border="1" height="53" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/dragon.gif" vspace="10" width="227" /><br />
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	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
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color:#211D1E">ragonair on August 31 announced that it will launch a new scheduled service to Zhengzhou from 8 January 2013, offering more travel choices and greater convenience for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The new daily service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Zhengzhou will be the ninth destination to be launched or resumed by the airline in less than 10 months, reads the press statement issued by the airlines.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province. The city has seen rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing and high-technology sectors, in recent years, attracting both domestic and international investment. World-famous tourist attractions such as the Shaolin Temple in Henan also help to make Zhengzhou a popular destination.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">“We see great potential in the Zhengzhou market for both business and leisure travel, and the new service will significantly boost ties between Hong Kong and Henan Province,” said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer. “Dragonair’s network in Mainland China will increase to 21 cities with the launch of the Zhengzhou service, reinforcing our commitment to the core Mainland China market and at the same time boosting Hong Kong’s role as a major international aviation hub.”</span> </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We want to do a Long Term Business in Nepal’</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="360" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Jagannath-Patanaik.gif" vspace="10" width="242" /></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Raj Mehta </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the CMD of Little Italy Restaurant and Bar, an Indian restaurant chain well known for authentic Italian cuisine. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Little Italy has recently opened its second international outlet in Kathmandu after its first one in Dubai. The restaurant has more than two dozen outlets within India. Mehta was recently in Nepal for the opening of the restaurant. In an interview with New Business Age, he shared his ideas on marketing and food business in Nepal. Excerpts:</span><br />
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the prospects that Little Italy sees in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Nepal is a growing economy and a lot of tourists visit Nepal. Besides, Nepalis travel to a lot of places and so, people do know about different kind of food. The culture for eating out is also very good. There is a lot of potential for food as it is a never-dying business. Globally, food can be categorised into four major categories – Indian, Chinese, Italian and French. Indian as well as Chinese foods have good presence in Nepal while Italian food too is there but not as a proper fine dining option. That is the reason we chose Nepal and are very happy to be here. Kathmandu can sustain two more Italian dining outlets. Pokhara, being a major tourist destination, can also sustain an outlet. It is just a matter of time. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Little Italy is a new brand name for Nepal. How do you plan to market your brand along with Italian food? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">First, launching the brand will increase the visibility of a particular brand in the market. We are covering the brand name through newspapers and e-marketing is being taken care of by our marketing team. The food business has a lot to do with word-of-mouth. We are certain on it because we are confident about the food. Once the food is tried and tasted, the word-of-mouth spreads like fire. There are marketing strategies in place but we believe most in the word-of-mouth publicity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the brand value of Little Italy at present? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand was started in 1989 from Pune as a family run business. When an outlet was established in Mumbai in 1995, we got a big exposure. After that, we understood that there are a lot of prospects throughout India. As the world was getting narrower because of globalisation, we started franchising. That was one of the best ways to grow. This is a fine dining restaurant, so, we need a local partner to look after its day-to-day affairs. We have presence in most of the two-tier and three-tier cities in India. We started our first international outlet last year in Dubai which is doing very well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the specialities of your restaurant? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We always wanted to be a fine dine restaurant for unique experience. We prepare food in an authentic Italian way - as the Italians prepare it. We like to keep the menu authentic as we don’t believe in getting things tailored. Everything is fresh here and we never compromise on quality. </span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Usually, the branded and chain restaurants in Nepal are priced comparatively high. How have you priced your menu? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Our target customers are local people, Indians residing in Nepal who know about us during their travels to India and other tourists. For tourists, Italian food is a kind of staple food. Relatively, this brand is a value for money. We maintain our standards that can be compared to a five-star restaurant but we believe that the price has to be value for money. We want to do a long term business rather than a short term business in Nepal. This will be a destination for good food and value for money. <br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the level of competition you feel here?</span>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Fortunately, there is no competition. The market is a virgin territory for us. There are hardly any players in this particular Italian fine dining segment. There are few places for continental and multi-cuisine delicacies but something like fine dining is missing. There are a few players in Kathmandu market who are scattered here and there but those having a full-fledged setup are unfortunately missing. So, we don’t see any competition at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">KFC and Pizza Hut recently faced a serious labour problem. How would you tackle the situation if similar situation arise in this restaurant too? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">I would say things have to be seen positively. We should be able to take care of all the scenarios which are unfortunately common here in Nepal. It was kind of similar throughout the world years before. We must try to understand the situation. If both management and staff are well taken care of, such kind of scenario will not come up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Consumers are Shifting Towards High Quality Products’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Rajendra-Desai.gif" vspace="10" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Rajendra Desai </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the General Manager for Business Development at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">He has recently been appointed to the post of Country Head for Nepal and will be looking after the operations here. Having a work experience of three-and-a-half decades, Desai has worked at Asian Paints for 26 years in various capacities. He has been associated with Nerolac for the last seven years. Kansai Nerolac is a Japan-India Joint venture company. After the acquisition of Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd, the company has transformed into Japan-India-Nepal tripartite joint venture. In an interview with New Business Age, Desai shared details about the acquisition and the moves ahead. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints has acquired 68 per cent stakes in Nepal Shalimar Paints. What are the reasons behind this move? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, India entered the joint venture with Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd (NSPL), one of the leading paints manufacturers in Nepal and acquired 68 per cent stake in the Nepali paints manufacturer. The investment made by Kansai Nerolac towards this acquisition is about Rs 125.8 million. With this acquisition, Nerolac expects to consolidate 10 per cent market share for Kansai Nerolac in Nepal. Owing to Nepal’s progressive economy, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd has shown significant business interest in the country. Further, the company would be giving a loan of Rs 120 million to fund the working capital requirement of NSPL. Considered in the top five bracket of Nepal, Nepal Shalimar commands a market share of 8 per cent in Nepal. It had a turnover of Rs 205.7 million in 2010/11 and approximately Rs 250 million in 2011/12. The company’s consolidated profit would improve and in turn increase EPS which will also benefit KNPL shareholders. KNPL is utilising the manufacturing set up of Nepal Shalimar and manufacturing the entire Nerolac range of products that are currently exported to Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">After the acquisition, Nerolac envisages to capture more than 15 per cent market share. How do you plan to achieve that? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are here to make Nepal almost self-reliant with the production of paints that match international standards in quality. Rapid urbanisation, construction boom in the past and growing awareness among customers has triggered the demand of paints, giving a leg up to the mostly joint ventures and subsidiary of Indian multinational companies. We believe that urbanisation not only in Kathmandu but also creation of new urban centres across the country with the flow of remittance in rural and semi-urban areas has been an encouraging factor to expand the paints market. We will be focusing to cash in on the emerging market. </span> <span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have observed in recent times that the market is growing for paints despite slowed demand in the construction sector as consumers have become more aware and are shifting towards high quality products. Population growth and infrastructure development will have advantage to increase in demand of the paints. Due to growing demand, we aim to deliver international quality and healthy home paints at the right price which will be the unique selling point of our brand to achieve higher market share. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the market prospects you see in Nepal? </span></strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We are proud to say that our water-based products are heavy metal free such as lead, mercury, chrome etc and all the products are almost zero VOC-(Volatile Organic Compound). We offer a wide range of decorative paints for exterior and interior walls as well as for wooden and metal products. Some of our products for exterior walls are Nerolac Excel Total, Excel Antipeel and Suraksha Advance in premium, middle and economy range respectively. Likewise, our products for interior walls are Nerolac Ecoclean, Impression 24 Carat Luxury of premium class, Lotus Touch Premium Emulsion for mid-range, Beauty Emulsion and Little Master for economy range. We have also offered Beauty Acrylic Distemper for our customers. </span></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Our end consumers, paints dealers and painting contractors are loyal to Nerolac brand and have huge confidence in it. We have always served our customer needs in the best way possible. Likewise, we constantly make sure that the health of our customers is not affected while using our products. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">You are also planning to use the production capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. What will be the range of products that will be produced within Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are augmenting the existing capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. We have added some new paints grinding machines for better quality and higher production capacity. We will be using same technology of manufacturing as we do in Japan and India. So, there will not be any variation in the quality of products produced here. We will be producing a full range of products in Nepal that we currently manufacture in India such as water-based emulsion for both Interiors and exteriors along with solvent-based primers and top coats with ancillaries. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the products that you plan to launch soon in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">A complete range of Nerolac paints is being launched in Nepal as we were already doing business via our range of products by importing in the past. Now, we will be manufacturing the same in Nepal at our Birgunj plant. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand Nerolac is endorsed by popular celebrities like Shahrukh Khan. How do such endorsements add value to the brand that also influences the Nepali market?<br />
	<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Shahrukh Khan is a leading celebrity of Bollywood and has a huge fan base not only in India but across the globe including Nepal. The brand endorsement has given boost to our sales figures in India and the same is expected in Nepal as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Nepal is a Strategically Important Country to Focus Upon’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Jagannath Patanaik </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Director-Channel Sales (South Asia) of Kaspersky Lab India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security vendors worldwide. Over 300 million people worldwide are protected by Kaspersky Lab products and technologies. Its corporate client base exceeds 200,000 companies located around the globe, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses all the way up to large governmental and commercial organizations. The Lab has more than 120 global partner and technology OEM agreements with companies and today, it’s the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. In an interview with New Business Age, Patanaik talked about Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 and market prospects for Kaspersky products in Nepal. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Can you please tell us the purpose of your current visit to Nepal? <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have just launched the new edition of Kaspersky internet security and Kaspersky mobile security anti-virus here in Nepal. Essential to any level of PC security is superior anti-virus protection that does not slow down your system. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 has been loaded with the latest technologies that work behind-the-scenes while delivering real-time, cloud-enabled protection from the latest threats, and proactive protection from unknown dangers. It is the essential protection for your computer and mobile these days. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Tell us about some latest features of the new edition of Kaspersky 2013. </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 is packed with the latest Kaspersky Lab technologies from our team of world-class security experts and engineers. It works surreptitiously with intelligent scanning and small, frequent updates, while delivering real-time protection. It goes beyond simply scanning for vulnerabilities and now includes analysis and control over the actions of programs and applications with vulnerabilities, so they cannot cause any harm. With a single mouse click, File Advisor uses cloud-based technologies to check the safety of any file you would like to access. In addition, our URL Advisor adds color-coded tags to all web links to advise you of the danger level of the link and subsequent pages. The users can fully enjoy the PC and Internet without being dragged down by security software. Small, smart updates and intelligent scanning operate behind the scenes while delivering maximum PC performance. </span> <br />
	<br />
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is your assessment of the Nepali market for Kaspersky? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><strong> </strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">There is lack of purchase habit regarding software in South Asian market and Nepal is no different. Although being a piracy-oriented country, we need to motivate people to develop a habit to purchase software. However, we have been able to penetrate the market and make people understand the benefits of our product. Nepali market is indeed a challenging market for us. Nevertheless, we are able to make some enrollment. Today, we are talking about reducing the piracy in order to create a virus free Nepal slowly. We have begun to set up Kaspersky anti-virus in every government institution of Nepal for six months for the virus free Nepal campaign. Thus, we are highly positive about the Nepali market in the days ahead as well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The Nepali market needs to grow. We are trying to educate people regarding the anti-virus security here. Nepal is one of the strategically important countries to focus upon. We are planning to provide security software services to 100,000 computers in Nepal so as to increase the awareness regarding genuine internet security. </span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	Who are the targeted customers for Kaspersky?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Anybody who owns a computer is our target customer. Major targeted customers are the individual consumers and then we are also targeting the government institutions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What do you consider to be the USP of Kaspersky amongst the targeted clientele here in Nepal?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">As we know that online transactions </span><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">are increasing each day, we have unique features in our new edition of Kaspersky 2013 known as “safe money”. Safe Money protects data during online financial transactions. Apart from it, the new Automatic Exploit Prevention ensures that vulnerabilities will not compromise your PC. Similarly, there is an improved version of Virtual Keyboard and Anti- Phishing protection guard against identity theft. A new Secure Keyboard mode protects personal data entered via physical keyboard. Anti-Spam and Anti-Banner protection block unwanted content. The new improved Advanced Parental Control keeps your children safe and responsible online. Hassle-free protection ensures maximum PC performance. All this makes Kaspersky irresistible for computer users all around the globe including Nepal.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Can you tell us about the innovative business solutions regarding the product?</span> <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">In the consumer section, we have internet security anti-virus while in enterprises segment, we have Kaspersky security for virtualization. As people have started to use virtual machines, we are trying to use security solutions for cloud. Kaspersky workspace security (KOSS-1) deals with the protection for workstation and Centralized Administration Kit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Kaspersky Business Space Security (KOSS-2) protects data, file Server, workstations etc. Similarly, Kaspersky Enterprise Space Security (KOSS-3) is for protecting e-mail Server, data, and file server. Kit Kaspersky Total Security (KOSS-4) protects internet gateway, email Server, data/file Server.</span><br />
	<br />
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Do you currently have any competition for your product in Nepal? If yes, how do you plan to keep ahead of the competition?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Currently, we are leading the business. I think that continuous improvisation in the product has created a tough competition to our competitors. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What are your business plans for Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">We operate through business channel partners and do not directly go to the market. We go through distributors and channel partners and do a lot of marketing in order to increase awareness and visibility. We are targeting piracy in order to increase our business. We are in the middle of a long tour to educate people regarding the benefits of the software even in Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">How do you compare Nepali market with other markets for your product?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Nepali market is a unique one and we are the number one in this market. In India, we are in the second position. However, we are leading in most South Asian markets. The product is making us proud. We are increasing people’s awareness regarding Kaspersky being a reasonably priced product. With this product, the Nepali consumers can experience a sense of security while using the computer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Our Main Strategy is to Customize Basic Products According to Nepali Customers’ Demand’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" height="284" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Milind-Pandharipande.gif" vspace="10" width="178" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Milind Pandharipande </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
color:#211D1E">is the CEO at ITS (Information and Telecom Systems) in India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">While pursuing his Masters in Computer Science in USA, he also worked as a research scientist for Horizon telecommunications USA. After some years, he returned to India and established his own company. His company had an effective operation from June 2006 and it began to roll out the products from 2010 onwards. Although it’s a fairly young company, he is confident about his business. He was in Kathmandu last month for launching his cash and check deposit machine. In an interview with New Business Age, Pandharipande talks about the importance of deposit machines in Nepali financial sector. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal this time? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The primary purpose of my visit to Nepal is to promote ITS’s self service Kiosk products, the ones which have been successfully deployed in India already. These products have been especially designed to work in conditions like extreme climate and power shortages which is common in countries like Nepal and India. Our products have been designed for the banking sector, the utility sector and are primarily focused on self service. If you are familiar with ATM machine where the customer can directly withdraw cash, our products can help customers not only withdraw the cash but also deposit the cash or check in his or his friend’s account. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the features of your products?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">These products have multiple features, where a customer can perform cash deposit, check deposit, account-to-account money transfer, balance inquiry etc. For instance, I can enter my account number and then decide whether to make cash deposit or check deposit. If I make cash deposit, the machine will instruct me to put all my notes in a cash tray and it will accept it one note at a time. Once, all the notes are accepted, it will provide me a transaction receipt and my account will be credited for that amount. These products are fitted with high performance security system which has made them robust. A type of mechanism has been built into it including a back-up UPS. Also, if the machine is stolen, it will automatically inform the law enforcement agencies. Every tampering with machines, either physical or software is recorded and transmitted to the enforcement agencies. This way the machine becomes a formidable piece of hardware.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Who are your target group of customers? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are basically promoting these products for Nepal’s banking and financial sector. And obviously, the major customers are the banks, finance companies and utility companies, for instance, mobile operators. There are also clients from electricity companies and other companies who are into financial transactions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How are you promoting your business in Nepal?</span>&nbsp; <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are talking to the news media basically the ones who can promote our products. We are seeking promotion of these products from our local partner World Distribution Nepal (WDN). It is difficult for someone coming from India to spread their business covering the entire country of Nepal. For quick penetration, we need other local partners here who can introduce the products in the market. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are your plans to attract more number of people using your services? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have tried to make our products customer friendly and are also offering more features on it. The only way that we can grow our business is by local customization. We cannot just bring the products from India and sell in Nepal. We ask consumers how they want to customize them. Like, if I offer coffee to you, I would not prepare coffee against your interests. I would ask how much milk and sugar you want which makes you very comfortable to drink that coffee rather than me telling you to drink coffee of my choice. Our main strategy is to bring the basic products that have been developed in India and then customize it according to the demand of the customers in Nepal, for instance, language customization. Customers from Nepal might be interacting or having certain bank transaction differently than what we have customized for Indian customers. That is why we consider local customization a key to our success.<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How can Nepali Industries benefit from your products?</span></strong><br />
	<br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">It is not just Nepali industries, it is important for overall businesses in Nepal. For instance, if I ask my customers to come between nine in the morning and five in the evening and suggest that I can sell the products only during this time, the customers may not feel comfortable to shop. Instead of that, if you take your shop to where the customers are, you will be able to flourish your business. Likewise, with these machines, customers can get service anytime, anywhere. We are bringing these products to our neighborhood and it could be operated 24hrs/7days. This will absolutely raise the number of customers and the bank’s revenue will increase. Many a time, customers do not pay utility bills not because they do not want to pay but because they do not have the avenues to pay. When the bank is closed after five, customers look forward to the next day. With these products, they will be able to deposit their cash after 10 pm also without having to go to the branch office. It is like an ATM machine where you can withdraw your cash rather than having to wait for the bank. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How do you observe the market demand for your products? </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">We will follow the same strategies what ATMs in Nepal have already been following. Every year, we have been doubling the features that are getting deployed. There has been a high demand for our products in Nepal. Nearly four banks have shown interests in our products who are likely to start using our products soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>',
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			'description' => 'Little Italy has recently opened its second international outlet in Kathmandu after its first one in Dubai. The restaurant has more than two dozen outlets within India. Mehta was recently in Nepal for the opening of the restaurant. In an interview with New Business Age, he shared his ideas on marketing and food business in Nepal. Excerpts:',
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We must adopt ‘tunnel technology’ for construction of roads in Nepal’ </span></span><br />
	<br />
	<img alt="hyidayesh" border="1" height="300" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Hridayesh-Tripathi.jpg" vspace="10" width="247" /></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, explaining that tunnels make roads shorter and secure and constructing tunnels will give respite from problems related to long winding roads. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A23"><span myriad="" style="font-size:25.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The entrepreneurs do not have a hand in determining vegetable prices’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Khom Prasad Ghimire, Chairman of Federation of Fruit &amp; Vegetable Entrepreneurs Nepal, clarifying that prices are affected as per demand and supply mechanism where low production leads to high prices and high production coupled with easy availability help stabilise prices.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Oman Air will actively pursue opportunities to expand its current operations in Nepal’<br />
	<br />
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">John Rodrigues, the Country Manager of Oman Air for Nepal, saying that the Muscat-based national airline of Oman has not finalized any immediate plans for expansion in Nepal, however, it is looking at opportunities to do so in the future.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The government cannot force us to make laminated sacks mandatory for packing cement’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘About 30 per cent of Nepal’s population is capable of buying insurance policies’<br />
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	<img alt="binod aryal" border="1" height="243" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Binod-Aryal,.jpg" vspace="10" width="200" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Binod Aryal, Executive Director of Insurance Board (IB) of Nepal, observing that the insurance companies have only reached about 6-7 per cent population because of their unwillingness to go to the remote areas as they earn profits in the cities.</span></span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F"><img alt="feedback" border="1" height="395" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /><br />
	<br />
	Chilime Hydropower: Dreaming Large<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="chilime hydropower" border="1" height="168" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feeback2.jpg" vspace="10" width="224" /><br />
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<p class="Pa17" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector. The SWOT analysis shows a long list of threats and more that we can add on. Looking at revenue collection and net profit it has generated, it defiantly lacks of investment in terms of growth. In my opinion, if licensing and flexibility from government are to be provided more easily, it can grow and thrive as PLC. It has improved its CSR as a PLC and locals are definitely getting far more benefit than they should get. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Prakash, <a href="mailto:sthprakash@gmail.com">sthprakash@gmail.com</a></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Remittance Matters </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The September 2012issue of New Business Age portrayed that Nepal is the 6th largest country in collecting remittance in its volume of GDP. This is the only reason that the economy is sustaining in Nepal. Although the figure seems to be very attractive, it is not a reliable source of economy, simply because it is temporary. The construction work will not last forever and one day the remittance economy will fall down. Apart from that, the fund collected from remittance is used in unproductive sector. Due to this, there is a high possibility of social problems and economic problems relating to inflation occurring in the country. So the government should make a special provision to effectively mobilize the funds in productive sector so that the country will become self sufficient. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Aryal, Apex College, New Baneshwor</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Almighty Remittance! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The massive flow of remittance in a developing nation like Nepal certainly makes good news. The cover story in the September 2012 issue of New Business Age was worth reading. It is a fact that hard earned money by Nepali workers residing abroad provides many Nepali families with two square meal and roof over their heads. The story reveals that the national economy largely depends on remittance money. As reported in the story, the positive point of the story is that despite the political unrest, the average household income of the Nepalis has increased by more than four-fold over the span of five years. The colossal flow of money certainly boosts the national economy but on the other hand, it makes our entire economy dependent on the migrant workers’ money. Thanks for highlighting such pertinent and ever relevant issue of Nepal. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Bikash Nepal, Biratnagar</span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
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line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Kudos to EBL </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">I’m pleased to know that Everest Bank Limited (EBL) has established a special branch ‘Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha’. The commercial bank’s initiative to lend some hand to the agricultural sector is definitely praiseworthy. Our farming sector lacks modern tools and on the other hand, we are not doing enough to obtain scientific methods. So, I hope such an initiative of EBL will facilitate the farmers and boost the agro business. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Rauniyar, Lalitpur</span></b></p>
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line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">The Importance of Ink Pens </span></p>
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line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
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color:#221E1F">Inspiring Story <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="feedback" border="1" height="450" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback3.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></p>
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Business entrepreneur Min Bahadur Gurung’s journey from a grocery store owner to the ever growing chain of Bhatbhateni Departmental Stores is an inspiring one for all. Gurung’s stature as an entrepreneur and his business is growing and he owes it to hard work and dedication. I liked his down-to-earth attitude and his belief that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Being a student of +2 level, I certainly heed his words and further believe that for our generation, his hard work will be ever inspirational. <br style="mso-special-character:
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	<span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Mail your feedback to P O Box 14197, Kathmandu or Email to editor@newbusinessage.com</span></p>',
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			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
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			'description' => 'It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector.',
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Sajag Karki</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Luxury Brands</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In this world of commercialization, luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="brand luxury" border="1" height="287" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">T</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">he concept of luxury has been around in various forms since the beginning of civilization. People were fond of novelty items reflecting their obsession for vanity. Items such as perfume, jewelry, premium watches, and fine whisky were considered luxury. Such products or services are not considered essential and are associated with affluence. The case is no less different today as people are still lured towards new and unusual things that give them a sense of vanity. The only notable difference is that the novelty items in the past were generic whereas today they are branded. It’s a want rather than a need and luxury brands have been successful in catering to this niche audience. Brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Ritz Carlton etc are almost synonymous with luxury.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="286" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand1.jpg" vspace="10" width="395" /></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Upon understanding the basic product types in marketing, there are three product levels: core, basic and augmented. The core product is the basic benefit that it provides. The actual product involves the features, design, brand name etc. The augmented product gives customers something extra such as luxury which customers indulge in as vanity. An example could be high quality leather seats and dashboard for the Mercedes. Such luxury products need special purchase efforts like ordering in advance or special instructions for additional features. It also has high price and fewer purchase locations which makes possessing such products an act of self esteem. Lamborghini and Rolex are targeted at deep pocketed clients who wish to purchase expensive goods and relate to them as having better quality and signifying luxury. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand3" border="1" height="294" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand3.jpg" vspace="10" width="402" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>Branding of luxury goods have some basic principles which are: equating luxury with life experiences, implied level of unparallel customer service, attention to detail and loyalty benefits. Rolls Royce, for example, has created a cult status of a super luxury automobile brand as they themselves choose their clientele based on one’s status in the society. It is not one of those cars that you can walk in to the showroom and buy. In India, only a handful of high profile personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have been chosen worthy to own a Rolls Royce. Hence, it is not just a matter of money but also a prestige awarded by the company for reaching an unprecedented level that meets the high standards set by the company. In a survey conducted by Forbes, some of the most desired luxury clothing brands are Gucci, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani among others.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand14" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand2.jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">However a term coined “mass luxury” has already begun to keep pace with luxury brands diversifying their products to meet the desires of middle class as well. BMW and Mercedes can be termed as mass luxury as anyone with money can buy it. Similarly, top hotels and airlines also have started mass luxury in order to sustain in the market. Five-star hotels with special discounted packages and airlines adding services in the economy class are all signs of mass luxury.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">In this world of commercialization, there is a saying “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” so luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else. For those looking for all these, luxury brands could be a solution to all their desires.</span> <br />
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Karki can be reached at sajag_karki@hotmail. com. The article is based on research and author’s practical experience as a marketing and advertising professional.</span></p>',
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	<br />
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><img alt="" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/featured_nolaughing.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Madan Lamsal</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Fear of Futures Contracts</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><br />
	Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/no-laughing-matter.jpg" vspace="10" width="334" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">I</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">f anything Nepal is scared of most at present is the futures contract of the commodities – every sector seems to be terror stricken by this fright. Dr Baburam’s government is shaken and equally confused in guiding another Baburam, who now heads regulatory authority SEBON, to take a further step on this trade. SEBON is frightened apparently, so that it is deliberately delaying to introduce the regulation. Financial sector is fearful in reading our media portrayal that the commodity exchanges are allegedly facilitating massive capital flights. Investors are not ready to invest, and exchanges themselves, about a dozen of them, fear bankruptcy and government wrath – two blows at once. So much so, the writers of a report, which is the root cause of this entire fuss, are even more terribly frightened to find how their very first experience of learning to write a serious report is faced with a hard rock.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">In fact, there is no surprise element in this. Nepalis are culturally averse to the very concept of contracts of any type. Take some examples, we recently sent out the contractor of Melamchi project. Our national flag carrier is at the verge of collapse for failing to strike a contract to purchase an aircraft. People even at the grassroots are determined to stop any development project that has potentials to be contracted. Trade unions resisted the introduction of the employment contract in manufacturing and services sectors. Therefore, much of the hue and cry over the commodities futures markets comes from our inherent disgust to contracts than anything serious like growing risk in investment, i.e. losing money, or even the capital flight.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">True that some feel that trading in the futures markets is like gambling in casinos. But still, Nepalis have not stopped going into casinos even knowing that it is absolutely illegal and there is well over 95% chance of losing money. But futures are not casinos; they are just ‘like’ them, as monkey is like man.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">This also implicitly means that other investments are not like casinos but they are like bank deposits with 200 percent guarantees of annual interest. This would also mean that thousands of investors in the Nepali stocks are in merry-making mood, thousands of industrialists and businessmen are making enjoying an impressive rate of return on their investment now. And, in a nutshell, Nepali economy except for the commodities futures market is stainless and trouble free. Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The flight of the capital, of course, there has been. Look at the rate of exchange for Rs100 Indian currency against Rs 168 in the ‘open’ black market. Despite the revered central bank’s repeated assurances that they have big pile of foreign currency reserves, no bank is able to give you more than 200 dollars in cash notes against your travel documents’ entitlement of 2,500 USD. This proves that every convertible currency available is flying away. But, all this has happened when the transactions in these futures exchanges got virtually halted. So, such flight must have taken place through tunnels and trenches dug during the jungle warfare by the brothers and sisters of Mao, Lenin and Che Guevara, who incidentally are now in government. And they only know for sure where exactly these holes, tunnels and trenches exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Again, coming back to the culture, the commodity exchanges should take into consideration that we Nepali firmly believe in -- the on-the-spot delivery of things. When a political party or a trade union asks for ‘donation’, it must be given then and there, otherwise your life may be delivered to God on-the-spot. If you buy or sell house or land or car, you must give or take physical cash – no cheques, no drafts. Even the government official concerned wants to be witness to such delivery. No one believes that he or she is owner of, say, a kilo of gold bought online, if the person cannot materially touch it. May be, these futures exchanges also have to physically deliver something in exchange of a regulation that they are demanding it for so long.</span></p>
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			'title' => 'Beauty, Brains And Balance',
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</xml><![endif]-->	<strong><span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Surokshya Manandhar</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="personality" border="1" height="417" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_1.jpg" vspace="10" width="345" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Beauty, Brains and Balance</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="persoanlity" border="1" height="524" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_2.jpg" vspace="10" width="373" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-bidi">G</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#221E1F">eorge Bernard Shaw once said “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not.” Similar has been the attitude of this ambitious businesswoman Seema Golchha throughout. Carving out a niche for herself, she has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business. She confessed that her father-in-law was the one to motivate her to join the business. Ever since she took a bold step toward business, there has been no looking back. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">&nbsp;Exploring the lesser known, and rather personal side to Golchha, she reveals to you, her journey from a young, liberal and warm hearted Indian girl to being the daughter-in-law of one of the most reputed business house in Nepal and finally to establishing herself a successful entrepreneur.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“I always had a smile on my face, she said, recalling her childhood days. Brought up in Lucknow and Dehradun, Golchha had a happy childhood. She completed her schooling from Dehradun and pursued her higher studies in Delhi University. She was always a vivacious and an independent girl. For her, the inspiration to lead an independent life always came from her working mother. Unlike ordinary women thirty years ago, she lived independently in a flat and worked for advertising agencies. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="424" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_3.jpg" vspace="10" width="366" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">However, things changed completely for her when she got married to Shekhar Golchha who belonged to a completely different cultural background. “I was leading a very modern and liberal lifestyle before marriage and hence getting married to a conservative family brought a huge cross-cultural transition in my life,” expressed Golchha. Although it took her some time, she eventually adapted to and adjusted with the new environment that she was placed in back then.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Golchha, who has perfectly balanced her personal and professional life, believes that time management is the key to balance in life. Wife of a businessman and a mother of two, she is also a perfectionist. Although it is not possible to score 10 / 10, she, as a mother, a wife, and an entrepreneur, is doing justice to every role with sheer conviction. . Enjoying every moment of the day, she still tries to work out details in whatever she engages. “We should always give our cent percent in whatever we do,” she said. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Entering business was intentional for her, as she always had an interest in it. “I am happy being involved in business as it recharges and completes my life in a way,” she said when asked about her professional life. She started her business with a women’s showroom in Durbar Marg. Since then there has been no looking back for her. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="367" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_4.jpg" vspace="10" width="312" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“Success is important, but it is not everything,” said Golchha. She believes that every step taken towards achieving your goal counts. It doesn’t matter if one succeeds or not, it is important that one should work hard to meet own expectations and goals. When she first joined the family business, a showroom like Samsung Plaza was an innovative idea. It was very rare in Nepal to find such a range of electronics under one roof. Today, 10 years later, she is expanding the exclusive outlet of Samsung electrical appliances across the country. Despite many obstructions like load shedding and strikes, she is also looking to further expand her business by launching two more Samsung Plazas, a Timex Watch outlet and a Bajaj Appliances outlet. She strongly believes that if you have faith in yourself, nothing can stop you and hence she is </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">moving ever onward. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She has always held the view that women should be empowered. Hence, most of her employees are young, motivated girls. In her line of business, it is important to understand customers’ temperament because at the end of the day, customers’ satisfaction is what matters most. So, when she is recruiting her employees, academic qualification is not all that she looks for, she also observes their personality. When asked about her management strategy, she shared that it is important to provide employees with space for innovation in order to improve and upgrade the company’s status. It is also important to provide enough opportunity for communication between management and staff. She also makes sure to set an example of dedication, in order to motivate her employees. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She is surely dedicated to her work but a trekking enthusiast, Golchha doesn’t forget to take a break every now and then. For her, friends and family are an integral part of her life and she lets her hair down while having fun with them. She believes that socializing is an important aspect of both personal and professional life. She is also an avid book reader. With her life moving back and forth between so many roles of a woman, she still manages to maintain equilibrium in her life. With an amazing life graph and career ladder, she is beauty with not only brains but also balance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22229">PERSONAL SIDE <br />
	<br />
	</span>Hobby: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Reading. She is a voracious reader. She always carries a book and is currently reading “Immortals of Meluha” by Amish. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Pets: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves dogs and cats. She has three dogs and would love to own a cat. But she complains that her husband is not fond of cats. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Friends: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Integral part of life. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Brands: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Brand conscious. However, if one can carry her/himself well without brands, it is perfectly alright. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Success: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Important but not everything. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Planning a holiday: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves travelling. Has already planned a holiday for Dashain. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Cosmetics: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Clinique. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Leisure time: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Listening to music, reading books, spending quality time with family. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Favorite travel destination: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Europe. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Sporty Indulgence: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Swimming, Trekking. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Socializing or not: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Yes, a big socialite! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Life: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Each day a new motivation to live with happiness and self-contentedness.</span></span></p>
<p>
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			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
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			'description' => 'Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.',
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			'id' => '721',
			'article_category_id' => '46',
			'title' => 'Justin Sargent',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><strong><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">‘Social Research has a Huge Scope in this Part of the World’</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span><img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="403" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="277" /><br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Justin Sargent </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">Managing Director-India </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Nielsen</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK &amp; Ireland. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">He is currently based in Mumbai, India and focuses on the strategy of listening to the consumers to get more consumers' insight. The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications. It is planning to continue growing its business by applying its strategies of driving more consumers' insights and generating a more complete understanding of consumers. In an interview with New Business Age, Langer talked about importance of Nielsen numbers and major plans for its Nepal operations among a host of other issues. Excerpts:<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="419" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_12.jpg" vspace="10" width="287" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A58"><br />
	</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Please give us an overview of Nielsen’s business in this region that includes Nepal and India. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Nielsen’s South Asia operation covers countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It’s quite a sizeable region for Nielsen in this developing part of the world. Like multinationals, we view countries like India, Nepal and other parts of South Asia as areas of priority where our clients are investing to find out their consumers’ size. Nielsen has been in India since 1960s and in Nepal since early 1990s. We are increasingly focusing on these two countries as our clients are seeking growth here.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen in Nepal has a full range of services. It is mainly known for measurement services. Most of our clients are particularly from the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and hence they demand to understand how they are performing, in comparison to their competitors. We also do a lot of work with NGOs and help them understand factors that can help them promote and influence the country’s growth. We work for AED, PSI and some other USAID-funded projects in Nepal in addition to a host of multinational companies like Coca- Cola, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter &amp; Gamble to name a few.&nbsp; </span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A huge part of our business is dedicated to these two services. Our business is growing well in Nepal and the clients seem increasingly interested in this market. It seems to be the right time for us to consider how to elevate to the next level and how to potentially bring in further expansion. Maybe, we could bring some new analogical products that have worked well elsewhere, in other developing markets.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Social research has a huge scope in this part of the world. In India, we also work in sectors including government organizations and the NGOs, for example, UNICEF. We also work with projects on big, important sectors like health and education. FMCG is an area that Nielsen tends to put in a lot of time and energy into. Nielsen is a global company so we are constantly looking for the climax in different countries, and Nepal is now in its climax. It has many centers of attraction and the GDP growth of the country is four per cent which is still pretty attractive compared to a lot of western economies.</span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">We developed the social research practice that works right across South Asia. We have experts that tend to work across the different countries. For example, we utilize the microfinance expertise from Bangladesh in other countries. We have a team on the ground here in Nepal that lives by the company’s principles. However, we are bringing in more expertise to the Nepali marketplace to see what we can do in the social research sphere as a whole. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="491" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interviw_13.jpg" vspace="10" width="306" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please provide us some insight on the topline retail and consumer trends from the perspective of the Indian market?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">India has a huge population and big traditional trade. We have seen a lot of growth in that country, especially in the rural areas. Though modern trade is still small – only six per cent – compared to traditional trade, we have started observing changes in trends. It’s growing fast and more consumers are looking for convenience and choice. We have started to notice a lot of trading for more branded products. We notice a lot of use of technology including social media and smart phones. Consumers have grown a lot savvier and their expectations are increasing. This might be helpful in changing people’s perspectives, packaging perspectives and value perspectives. One thing which is very consistent in India is the value. We do service right around the world and India always comes top in terms of value consciousness. A lot of consumers increasingly shop around for promotion to make sure they can remain value conscious and still satisfy their increasing aspirations. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Our clients’ business and even the Nielsen’s business both saw this high trend basically three to four years ago. GDP growth is a little lower this year, which is forecasted now at six percent. However, global manufactures and local Indian multinational companies alike, are pretty positive about the future.</span><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Yours is a privately held company active in approximately 100 countries, with its headquarters in New York, USA. How big an advantage is this when you deal with global clients?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">When a global client is working with us, they may know Nielsen already. We assure the country manager of a global client locally that we will share our best practices with them and suggest that the service is worth exploiting. Our local teams are mostly in the field, visiting local clients to relate to them and understand their perspectives. Nielsen’s methodologies are globally consistent; however, we do tend to tailor them in order to meet specific needs of the marketplace. For example, when we spoke to our clients in Nepal, they expressed that they wanted us to represent certain regions and towns in more detail than we might have for others. We don’t have this service in other countries but developed it to match their demand of covering some of the towns in greater detail. We believe that the best global practice methodologies should be open for local customization. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Listening to a client’s need is a critical process and an important element of our strategy because clients know best where they are going and with what strategy. They can naturally express their needs. Therefore, listening is a critical part of our job while delighting clients is our aspiration. However, different clients have different needs so we need to balance between occasions and between realities. We have to bring the realities from a commercial firm with the right product to the market. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you explain the importance of Nielsen numbers?</span> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen numbers tell our clients what their market share is, how fast the market is growing, and where they are in the competition. We are proud of being an independent company. We focus on using the Nielsen’s number to guide the expertise’s planning. We invest a lot of time in quality management, ensuring that we have got the right field management practices and the right amulets to interpret those numbers because we know how much our clients rely on the Nielsen’s number. Before I joined Nielsen, I used to work at Procter &amp; Gamble as a category marketing analyst many years ago in the UK. Every week a Nielsen’s number used to come around and that is when I first realized how much weight these numbers carry. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The way in which people used the number were for making investment decisions, judging their performances in the market or looking after factors like distribution, product prices and level of competition. We tend to advise companies a lot in terms of what the distribution strategies should be and the likely pricing strategy they should adopt. Nielsen’s number is the bed rock for a lot of the decisions being made in the marketplace. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the major plans for Nielsen Nepal?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The main purpose of my visit to Nepal is spending time with the management team and deciding on the next steps to be taken for the development of business in this country. Nepali clients’ expectations are increasing, so we are looking into the areas where potential improvements can be made. One area that we are considering is whether or not to expand coverage of measurement products into rural areas. We have not decided whether it is the right measure to take. We are also looking at a particular social research base to elaborate more expertise and bring in some more technical capabilities into Nepal in order to improve the level of understanding. We are also looking forward to introduce other services that we also have in other countries, for example, analytics. This could be an advantage for Nepal because they know how to go to the next level, to expand the distribution and to improve their competitive businesses. We have a number of analytics with capabilities in consideration. We are looking forward to listening to our clients’ view point. We would certainly like to build more presence in Nepal because our clients are demanding it. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="430" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/intreview_2012.jpg" vspace="10" width="231" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">You joined Nielsen way back in 1993 and have held senior positions across the globe since. How do you assess this association over the period of almost two decades now?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From a personal perspective, Nielsen has provided me with lots of opportunities. When I joined Nielsen, I didn’t think that I would still be here 20 years later. Fortunately for me, I was given increasingly challenging assignments throughout which has allowed me to travel across different continents like Europe, Australia and Asia. Currently, I am working in India. Working in different countries engaging with different people, thinking about and understanding the clients’ needs and facing business challenges, has been very stimulating indeed. Nielsen has come across a lot of transformation in 20 years’ time including its ownership.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen focuses on shifting developments and as I mentioned before, moving people around is a big part of our strategy. Moving people to the developing market is good for learning about what works for a developing market. We can then reverse, innovate and take the best of practices to the developing market. But it also means you can look elsewhere, may be in the US or Europe, that could be a relevant market like India or Nepal. Nielsen’s strategies on talent developments and moving people around the world are incredibly one of the great things that it wants to share with other companies. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please elaborate on why is transferring talents so important?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The general principal of moving people around is either for different jobs within a country or across different countries. It provides people with different experiences, perspectives and learning opportunities that eventually lead to career building. It is equally important from a company’s perspective as transferring people is also about transferring ideas, embracing innovations and sharing the best skills within and beyond boundaries. A big part of Nielsen’s strategy is to be a company exporting talent around the globe. We are fortunately one of the beneficiaries of that as we get to carry out a number of different assignments in different countries.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you highlight the integral components of a transparent communications culture?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">This is something that I have always strongly believed in. You have to be very candid, honest and open to both your peers and clients. When you communicate very frankly, you recognize people better. It is a fundamental philosophy of mine to lead a very honest communication because it is the only way to build trust and loyalty in general. It’s about celebrating and recognizing people. The transparent communication culture is not limited among the colleagues, rather it also extends to our clients by being very open with them. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are your recommendations to organizations for building a ‘client first’ mindset?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">‘Client First’ mindset is all about thoughtfulness. Instead of offering Nielsen’s products immediately, I first inquire about what my clients need and how we can satisfy them better. Once you build a ‘client first’ mindset it will eventually benefit your business strategies because then you are developing your products and services according to the clients’ needs. It improves your client’s service because your clients can relate to and make use of them. Besides, at the end of the day, it ensures that our services are up to the mark. ’Client First’ mindset is something that I have passionately believed in during my entire career. Even if we talk beyond Nielsen, the same philosophy rules the most successful companies. From a marketing stand point, it is necessary to listen to the customers. Since there are new technologies emerging, we should utilize them to listen to the customers’ voice. For example, the social network and blogs could be powerful tools. Even the CEOs of many companies have started going out on the streets to understand customers’ needs.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Things are rapidly changing in countries like India and Nepal. If you are constantly in touch with people, you could know more about them particularly the way in which people adopt technology. You have to constantly engage with customers to understand what is important for your brand and how could you keep it desirable for them. Understanding technology and customers to flourish your brand is something that can certainly be achieved by building a ‘client first’ mindset.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A1"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Corporate Focus</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A30">The Last Resort </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">A Perfect Adventure Destination</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="corpoate focus" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">T</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">he Last Resort is not only an ultimate destination for Nepali daredevils but also for adventure seekers trekking across the world in a quest for thrills. The resort, lying peacefully 100 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu has become the ultimate destination for those seeking thrills of a bungee jump and various other adventure possibilities the resort offers. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since its establishment 14 years ago, thousands of adventure lovers have flocked to the resort to calm their adrenaline pumps. The resort was established by David H Alladice and Bishnu H Neupane in 1998 October. The resort primarily established with an aim to promote adventure activities with Bungy Nepal has now expanded to numerous activities like Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking and Rafting. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	The Last Resort in Sindhupalchowk district, a three-and-a-half hour’s drive from Kathmandu is not a haven for adventure seekers only. The resort is also a perfect getaway for relaxation and experiencing serene nature, away from the bustling city crowds and stressful weekdays. To address non-daredevils, the resort offers various packages like “relax at the resort for one night” at the price tag of Rs 3,500. Similarly, “relax and massage package” of one night costs Rs 5,000 per person. The resort has 25 tents that can accommodate 64 persons at once that ensure quiet and peaceful stay in an exotic setting. Services like massage, sauna and plunge pool in a peaceful environment help the relaxation of body and mind. Surrounding area also hosts numerous possibilities for hiking and brief strolling to enjoy the picturesque hills and roaring river deep into the gorge. <br />
	<br />
	So, The Last Resort is absolutely not for adventurous souls only. The resort located across the Bhotekoshi River linked with a suspension bridge from the Araniko Highway receives tourists and visitors round the year. Prakash Pradhan, Resort Manager and Bungy Master says being located near to the Tibetan border, tourists visiting the surrounding hills for hiking, biking and other activities also visit the resort to quench their thirst for ultimate adventure. The resort on top of a green river gorge is 10 kilometres from Tatopani, Tibetan border and 12 kilometres from Barhabise of Sindhupalchowk. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort does not need a special season to welcome its guests. The resort is visited round the year by Nepali and foreign visitors. However, it welcomes higher number of foreign tourists during the peak tourist season - September to November. Thakur Rimal, Assistant Resort Manager, says, “March to May and September to November is the season while rest of the year is off-season. Even in the off-season, the resort does reasonably well due to its many activities.” <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="last resort" border="1" height="217" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus1.jpg" vspace="10" width="483" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal at The Last Resort is ranked second on Asia’s five highest bungee jumps by CNNGo. It is also listed as one of the best bungee jumps around the world by numerous media. It is the second highest jump in Asia. Probably it is the most spectacular jump on the planet. Jumping off a 160 metre high bridge into the gorge of Bhotekoshi River is definitely one of the most thrilling acts to try. It is as exciting and fun as scary as it looks. After taking a leap from the 160 metre high bridge, the sense of intense thrill takes over the fear and leaves the jumper longing for never ending free fall instead of what Bungy Nepal offers – 3.5 seconds. As bungee instructors at the resort say, the jump is definitely, “Walking like a penguin and flying like a bird.” </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">To try the bungee jump, one must be at least 40 kg to 110 kg and 18 years and older or have consent from parents in case of a minor. The bungee begins between 11 to 11:30 am and continues usually till 4 pm. The sales office at Thamel takes 40 bookings at most but rest can be availed on-site bookings at the resort. A bus of the resort leaves Thamel at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	</span></span><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyon Swing </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><br />
	<br />
	Canyon Swing is definitely not a kid’s swing. The Canyon Swing at The Last Resort is the world’s highest giant and ultimate swing – jumping off a 160 metres high bridge, experiencing free fall of 100 metre for seven seconds before the twin lines swing you at 150 km per hour. The company claims it is the highest in the world. The weight limit for swing is 120 kg. The swing day trip to the resort costs Rs 4,000 per person while the swing only costs Rs 3,200. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes is a fun filled activity at The Last Resort that can be enjoyed with family and friends. The thrilling and fun filled activity releases stress and boosts the team work. This adventure sports has various mini activities like ladders, wobbly bridges, walk ways, cargo nets, abseils and zip lines. Hillary Steps, Nepali Taxi and Bagmati River Crossing are few of the obstacles that will make anyone’s adrenaline pump. High Ropes comes with a price tag of Rs 3,500 for a day trip, Relax and High Ropes (1 night/1day) at Rs 5,800 and High ropes only at Rs 3,000. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Hidden Canyons <br />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyoning at The Last Resort is not only about exploring hidden places in the Himalayas but also finding out the adventurer within oneself. The resort offers a variety of canyons from exploratory walks to some of Nepal’s most extreme environments, says the company. The guides of the resort will lead you to abseiling, jumping and sliding down steep canyon walls and waterfalls to deep pools below. It is just another adventurous way to release the tension and get adrenaline high in the blood. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort is spread over an area of around 18 ropanis. The land was bought from a local Guthi and around half the land is acquired by the resort from local villagers around the resort. Situated right next to a village, the resort has given back to the locality in various ways. The suspension bridge that holds the platform for bungee jumping and swing was built by the resort. The bridge not only offers the option to jump off it but also the convenient way for locals to connect to the highway. According to Pradhan, before the bridge was built by the resort, locals had to walk three hours to cross the Bhotekoshi River and reach the other side via a bridge closest to the village.<br />
	<br />
	&nbsp;Similarly, out of 68 employees, 48 are working at the resort and around 90 percent of them are locals, says Pradhan. He adds, “As part of our CSR initiatives, we help the local communities in the two VDCs of Marming and Listi Kot. We contribute Rs 400,000 each per year to the two VDCs for education, health and village development.” According to the resort, a fixed amount of every activity is spent on development of the local infrastructure and to support local projects.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHERE: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Panlang-5, Sindhupalchowk district, on the Araniko highway, across the Bhotekoshi River from Marming-8, Sindhupalchowk </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A16">HOW TO REACH: <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">100 kms from Kathmandu (approximately 3 </span><span color:="" style="font-family: ">½ </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">hrs drive), 14 kms from the Tibetan border. One can go by private transport, however, the resort also has its own tourist bus leaving at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHEN TO GO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Tourist Season (September- November &amp; March-May) <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHAT TO DO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Jump, Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Relax </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WEATHER: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similar to Kathmandu all season </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">MISCELLANEOUS: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A Bungy Jump/Canyon Swing costs Rs 3,200 per person per activity. The resort provides a package of Rs 4,000 per person for to-and-fro transportation, one activity and lunch. There is also a provision for overnight stay at the resort. For more details/reservations, contact The Last Resort, Sales Office, Thamel, Kathmandu: Tel 00977-1- 4700525/4701247, Email info@ thelastresort.com.np or visit its website www.thelastresort.com.np</span></span></p>',
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A14"><span style="font-family: ">By Gaurav Aryal</span></span></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A15">Labour Dilemma </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">An Analysis of Labour Issues Facing Nepal</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="labor cover story" border="1" height="495" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover2.jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa25">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours. </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Political instability, labour problems and power supply are said to be the major causes of poor investment climate in Nepal. According to a survey report of 2009 conducted by enterprisesurveys.org, political instability is the major constraint for doing business followed by power shortage and labour problems respectively.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;<img alt="political " border="1" height="270" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="257" /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">A</span><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">ccording to Bishnu Rimal, President of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), there are 353,000 individual members of GEFONT and altogether 29 affiliates. Similarly, there are 800,000 members in All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) which has 42 different professional organisations as affiliates., There are around 286 trade unions registered at the Department of Labour (DoL) that are affiliated to 10 trade union federations. A total of 86 new unions have been added after the People’s Movement II, six years ago, when there were 200 unions in the fiscal year 2005/06. According to Manish Agrawal, Vice Chairman of Employers Council at FNCCI, there are 10 authorised trade unions (including GEFONT and ANTUF) at national level in Nepal and they are all affiliated to different political parties. These unions themselves are divided into different categories according to the nature of industry. There are separate unions on tourism, hospitality, service industries, banks and financial institutions and manufacturing sector rather than having branches of a unified labour union that represents overall workers from the entire business sector. <br />
	<br />
	According to World Bank data, labour unrest is one of the contributing factors for adverse investment climate. According to the Global Competitive Index 2012/13 prepared by the World Economic Forum, inadequately educated workforce is one of the major hurdles for doing business in Nepal. The same report ranks Nepal at 125th position on labour market efficiency out of 144 countries. Likewise, poor work ethic in national labour force was placed at 8th most problematic factors for doing business in Nepal.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In addition, restrictive labour regulations was placed in the 5th position under the same category. A report by Nepal Business Initiative (NBI) with support of South Asia Enterprise Development Facility presented to the Prime Minister in the last week of September, labour problem ranks as one of the major challenges faced by the Nepali economy. Similarly, the Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 lists various aspects related to the labour market of Nepal and their efficiency and their world ranking.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">(See table).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><img alt="table coverstory" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/table(1).jpg" vspace="10" />&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In nutshell, if the ongoing problem of power shortage is resolved today, labour problem will come up as the biggest hurdle to beat, for making the overall investment environment favourable for new investors and existing corporate houses. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Wrong Message to Investors </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The never ending labour problems have given unintended messages to the local as well as foreign investors who are willing to venture into Nepal. Recent dispute in KFC and Pizza Hut has definitely given a wrong message to interested foreign investors. Similarly, Shikhar Shoes was closed after workers manhandled the Managing Director of the company and padlocked its factory at Goldhunga. It seems that labour unrest, one of the major roadblocks to higher investment, will continue unabated in the future too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">An investor usually looks to invest where there is favourable business environment. Experts believe that the labour issues have created a hostile environment to investments. Labour trouble experienced in Nepali units of multinational giants like Surya Nepal, Unilever, GMR and Asian Paints have turned off prospective investments to Nepal. A handful of such representative cases are enough to scare away either domestic or foreign investors. Khila Nath Dahal, Former Co-president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Independent (NTUC-I) and former President of Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union (DECONT) denied, “It is a false assumption that labours are the cause to repel the investment. Labours, investors themselves and the government policy. have roles in r creating threat to investors venturing new business in Nepal. Lack of infrastructural development like roadways, electricity and drinking water has also affected investment.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal claims that industrial strikes are in a decreasing trend. He said, “After 2008, the number of industrial strikes has been decreasing. Trade unions have contributed to only six per cent of the total work stoppages last year as around 28 per cent cases of such work stoppages were due to bandhas called by employers and the rest was contributed by political parties and other organisations.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Still, leading corporate houses like Chaudhary Group, Golchha Organisation, Dugar Group, among others say that due to unfavourable environment for the manufacturing sector, they have identified service sector as safer areas for investment. Service sector, except from tourism and hospitality, sees very few cases of labour strikes and union problems. These corporate houses have been minimising their foothold on manufacturing sector and moved onto the service sector like hospitality, education, banking and finance, healthcare among others. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Over Politicisation of Workers </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Naturally, the private sector companies look to make profits. When the workers are involved in union activities, more than working for the company, it adversely affects the productivity. So, a voice for ‘No Work No Pay’ was raised by the entrepreneurs but it has not been implemented till date as trade unions have strongly opposed this proposal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal said that as per the international norms, the identity of a labour is associated with the industry. “On the contrary, the identity of the worker in Nepal is associated with the trade union to which they belong,” he clarified. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to frequent strikes and even physical assault upon the employers and managers has led to closure of factories and companies. Foreign investors have shut down their industrial units and reduced their presence in the country. Agrawal said that Colgate-Palmolive is one such example. “Nepal is losing many investors because of labour problems. Recently, Surya Garment was also shut down due to labour problems,”. he said. However, Dahal says, “If the demands of employees are fulfilled they would not choose violent way to fulfil their demands. If one side does not provide basic rights of employees as stated in the Labour Law, then the other side would definitely not follow law and order also. This consequently results into imbalance between the employers and the employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In many cases, once an issue is resolved at a point of time and place, even more severe ones are raised at the next point of time and place. Numerous industries have closed down and, looking at the recent examples of KFC and Pizza Hut, it cannot be ruled out that similar situation won’t arise in other companies too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unruly unions are protected by the political parties who don’t tire talking about importance of bringing foreign investments. Different unions that belong to different political parties come up with different demands, mostly as dictated by the respective political party. Thus, there is conflict of interest and opinions among the unions themselves. They are primarily guided by party philosophy rather than working for creating a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Agrawal said, “The major problem of the trade unions in Nepal currently is that they are focused on following political ideologies of associated political parties rather than fulfilling the interests of workers.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Agni Prasad Thapaliya, Judge at the Labour Court, one union does not allow formation of second union in the company. “In most cases, employees are not allowed to work without taking membership of a trade union and paying a levy to the union and inter-union rivalry has also become problematic. The same person is found involved in numerous unions,” he said. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strange Demands </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In a series of recent events, workers have come up with weird and strange demands. Labour unions at Hotel Greenwich Village, a three star hotel in Lalitpur, recently came up with a demand that their members be felicitated with a gold medal weighing one kilogram. Labour unions affiliated to the Maoists (the party that is leading the present coalition government) and CPN-UML party are pressing the hotel management submitting a 22 point demand paper.. According to the demand paper, employees who have been working for more than 20 years in the hotel should be presented gold medals each weighing more than a kg. Prabin Acharya, Deputy Managing Director at the hotel said, “It is natural to demands an increase in remuneration and compensation but a demand like this was unheard of earlier.” The hotel has resumed its operation.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similarly, workers at Thai Airways Nepal office have presented an ultimatum with various absurd demands like paying their income taxes by the airline. Such activities have become a threat to the need of the day – increase investment that will have forward linkages to employment and overall national economic growth. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Legalities of Strikes </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Although Nepal too has a legal procedure to a strike, there are very few cases of complying with these procedures before a strike is held. Thapaliya said that most of the strikes are organised without following the legal procedure. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, the trade union leaders deny this charge. Rimal says that the legal procedure of strikes is not violated. “Labour laws are not violated in recent years. However, if employers and employees both are found defying the law, they should be brought under the book.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Shalikram Jamakattel, President of ANTUF says, “Strikes which are not in accordance with the law make workers’ case weak. Therefore, they go for the strikes according to the law unless there is a compulsion.’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Thapaliya, the due process requires prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then it is taken to the labour office, where both parties – the workers and the management - sit for dialogues. “If the dialogues do not resolve the issue, the workers should give a 30 days ultimatum. If the management does not resolve the issue even by the end of such 30 days, the workers can go for strike,” he adds. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective Bargaining </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining in Nepal is commonly focused on demanding additional facilities, mostly wages and other fringe benefits that often includes strange demands like that in the cases of Thai Airways and Greenwich Hotel. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is quite natural to adopt unique bargaining standpoints by the workers according to different types of companies. However, at times, workers are alleged to have come up with insatiable demands that can be hardly fulfilled by the employers. Thapaliya said that workers are often overambitious and their demands revolve around the political ideologies to which the union is affiliated, rather than relating to the overall benefits for workers. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal explains this differently. “I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is correct. We conduct collective bargaining at the central level for minimum standards like wage determination and finalise it there. Collective bargaining for maximum standards is done at the enterprise level and we think such standards should be different in different enterprises. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more from them whereas we demand less from companies that have less income and profits.” Jamakattel complains that collective bargaining is not conducted as promised in the policies. “Labours in industrial sector do collective bargaining every two years but it has not been managed systematically. Unless new labour law is made, these problems cannot be managed.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal on the other hand complains that there has not been effective collective bargaining as it is affected by the overruling political ideologies of trade unions they are affiliated to. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employment Security </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Trade union leaders also complain that many employers do not provide appointment letters. Dahal says, “The law guarantees a system of providing appointment letter to employees as soon as they join a company. But there are many employees who have not received their appointment letters. Thapaliya too has the same comment to make. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour law also states that an employee who has completed 240 working days should automatically become a permanent employee. However, there is a system of provisional period as well. If the employer finds the performance of an employee unsatisfactory, the employer has the right to terminate the service of such employee at any time during the probation period. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A minimum wage is fixed at Rs 6,200 per month. But many employees arereceiving less than this, complains Dahal. Therefore, he claims, more than fifty per cent of the labour strikes have been aimed to implement such provisions of the labour laws. Labour law also requires that the salary should be revised every two years. Also, this provision is neglected by employers, adds Dahal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Out of nearly half a million youths that enter the Nepali employment market every year, around 305,000 are going abroad for jobs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 11.7 million people in the workforce and only 1.8 million of them are in the formal sector jobs within the country while about 3.5 million are employed abroad. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Act Amendment </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both employers’ organisations and trade unions have been demanding amendment in the Labour Act. Both believe that to maintain cordial industrial relations, the Act urgently needs amendments.. Still, the leaders of these trade unions claim that half of the existing disputes could be resolved with the existing laws if executed properly. However, Rimal) is hopeful that the proposed amendment to the Act will address the issues of daily-wage workers and those working in the informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">And it has been around 10 years since the government begun planning to amend the labour laws. Both employer’s organisations and trade unions want the law amended. However, their respective demands are different and some of them even conflicting. Employers are demanding the inclusion of provisions like ‘No Work No Pay’ and ‘Hire and Fire’ while trade unions are demanding setting minimum wage also for informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">But there are other issues as well to be incorporated in the labour law. Thapaliya says, one such provision needed is for a tripartite commission to resolve issues that could not be addressed through collective bargaining. He suggested that the informal sector too should have rules and regulations that address issues of manual labours like minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Merger of Unions </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Another labour sector issue being intensely discussed these days is the merger of trade unions. During a recent function organised by GEFONT, Sharan KC, Regional Coordinator for South Asia at Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) said that Nepali trade unions should merge with each other so that they become stronger and influential. He also shared examples of merger of unions in the international arena. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employers too are positive about this proposal. Agrawal believes, “The presence of more than two trade unions within an enterprise has been creating a very difficult working atmosphere. It divides the workers into different ideologies.” He added, “There should be only one trade union for one enterprise.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">FNCCI is planning to form an Industrial Relations Forum involving all the presidents of major Trade Unions, industrialists and President of FNCCI. He informed, “It will be a platform to discuss the emerging issues of labour and industrial relationships. The forum will work towards safeguarding the rights of both employers and employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">State’s Role </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both the employers and employees are found unanimous on the state’s role for resolving the problems in industrial relations. As the government has a major responsibility to protect the investments in the country, it becomes the state’s responsibility to protect investors, when needed, from unlawful activities carried out by trade unions as well. Agrawal cites an example of Maruti Suzuki in India where the state came forward to provide such protection. During the recent labour strike there, the management team was beaten up by the labourers, and the Indian police deployed 500 rapid action forces. “This shows the level of concern the government has shown towards the investors. This action showed that Indian government will not tolerate repetition of such activities.. If Indian government can do it, the Nepali government too can do it,” he says. He said, “Sense of insecurity is the major problem that the investors are facing now due to the inability of the government to take actions when trade unions behave illegally.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Upper Karnali Project</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="upper karnali" border="1" height="85" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/upperkarnali.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Energy Limited, GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) and Italian-Thai Development Project Company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Nepal, for development of 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydro electric Project. The project was set to develop under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. The plant was targeted to be commissioned by the end of 2016. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The attack on Indian infrastructure and energy major GMR’s power project in western Nepal by Maoists delayed the 900 MW hydropower project to meet its 2016 completion date. The nearly $469 million project’s environmental impact assessment was on the verge of completion when the attack occurred. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Upper Karnali Hydropower Project’s camp site in Dailekh district was burnt down. The act of arson and vandalism destroyed all the three pre-fabricated buildings in Dailekh, including the GMR site office with its computers and documents. The fear of further attacks and the pulling out of all personnel was said to have caused the delay to go up further, causing an escalation in costs as well. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Soon after the attack, the second in two months, GMR’s director G Subba Rao and Harvinder Manocha, GMR Energy’s associate vice-president as well as country director for Nepal, held talks with Nepal’s erstwhile Energy Minister Gokarna Bista and all lawmakers from the three districts spanned by the project - Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet, GMR’s projects in Nepal, including the 600 MW Upper Marsyangdi, have been regularly threatened by the Maoists with their top leaders demanding that their licenses be scrapped. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal warned the government in a press statement that such attacks would demolish investors’ confidence in Nepal. Facing an 18-20 hour daily power cut during the dry winter and summer seasons, Nepal has been banking on the Upper Karnali project to ease the power crisis within the next five years. GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Surya Nepal Textile</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="surya nepal" border="1" height="91" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/suryanepal.jpg" vspace="10" width="160" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Established in 2004 with an investment of approximately Rs 700 million, Surya Nepal Private Limited’s garment manufacturing unit - Surya Textile Industry - had been providing jobs to 608 workers directly, while the number of workers indirectly related to textile industry was more than 1,000. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Remunerations demanded by workers for the eight days strike that took place in mid-April 2011 and the management’s refusal to provide any remuneration, under the “no work no pay” provision, in the long run turned out to be the main reason for the permanent closure of Surya Textile. Workers didn’t agree with the “no work no pay” pact arguing that they were present inside the industry’s premises during the strike but could not work, because the industry itself was closed. This way, arguments and counter arguments continued and it deepened the conflict between management and labourers. On June 14, the situation worsened when factory workers, under backing from major trade unions, locked up 42 officials of the management without food and water supply for more than 24 hours. Finally, police had to rescue the captivated officials forcefully, because the major trade unions wanted their demand to be fulfilled immediately, or else they were not ready to release the officials. During the rescue clash, 8 labourers and 12 policemen were injured. After the officials were rescued, the management announced an indefinite closure of the industry effective from June 15 itself. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since June 15 to August 17, the industry remained closed during which labourers and even the trade unions demonstrated to re-open the industry but the management continuously refused to re-open citing unfriendly industrial climate and security problems. Finally, an agreement was reached among representatives of Morang Industry Organisation, Trade Unions and Surya Nepal to shut down the industry permanently paying Rs 29,800 as lay-off benefits to each worker and also according to agreement, the laid-off workers will be given priority as per the workers’ efficiency and capacity if the company comes up with new venture or resume its factory again. The security problems, militant trade unionism and their irrational demands, according to the management, forced the company to permanently close the textile industry. Irrespective of many other cases where monthly wage is the main cause of rift between management and labourers, Surya Textile was an exception. Sanjiv Keshava, Surya Nepal’s Managing Director, claimed themselves as good paymaster and explained that they paid almost double the amount stated in the minimum wage.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">KFC and Pizza Hut</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="kfc and pizza hut" border="1" height="82" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/KFC.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Outlets of international fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell resumed operation on September 17, 2012 after a three point agreement between the workers and the management. KFC, the biggest fast food chain in Nepal, had remained closed for over a month. On August 14, 2012 Devyani International, a subsidiary of Varun Beverages which operates outlets of KFC and Pizza Hut in Nepal had written a letter to authorities with announcement of immediate closure of all the four KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants running in the capital. “In order to disrupt our operations, some staff have physically attacked and threatened to kill the senior managers,” the letter read. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The settlement of dispute took nearly a month’s time because the management was seeking action against those law breakers who threatened to kill the managers. Moreover, it was demanding a commitment from the workers on not repeating such violent behaviour again. The management of the company decided to reopen the outlets after taking action against 22 staff who manhandled a senior manager of the company. Yogendra Kumal, Joint Coordinator of All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary); Tika Subedi, Vice President of ANHWU-R; Nawaraj Bhatta, President of ANHRWU-R´s Devyani International Nepal unit and Vishnu Reddy, Country Manager of Devyani International, signed the pact. As per the agreement, the trade union will make all the staff obey rules and regulations of the company and will not object if the management takes action on those violating the company´s rules. Likewise, the management agreed to respect the trade union rights. On August 29, the workers registered ANHRWU (All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union-Revolutionary). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The fast food chain had been talk of the town since there was a dispute over the formation of a trade union. According to the sources, the management and its employees started crossing swords with each other in August after cadres of the Mohan Baidya led CPN-Maoist goaded the staff into forming the party’s trade union. The five outlets used to record average daily turnover of Rs 800,000. According to the senior managerial staff at KFC Durbarmarg, the company suffered a loss of around Rs 30 million including loss of perishable goods.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Activities of Trade Unions and Employers are Guided by Traditional Mentality’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="agni parajuli" border="1" height="292" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/agni.jpg" vspace="10" width="253" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">AGNI PRASAD THAPALIYA<br />
	Judge <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Labour Court</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "> <br />
	</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you view the current labour situation as a judge of Labour Court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour court gives its verdict on a legal basis on the disputes whatsoever comes to the court. The labour statutes have envisioned secured employment, secured employees and guarantee of social security. Looking at these, it seems that our law is labour oriented to some extent because it has made provision of secured work for workers. But in practice, workers are forced to work for a company for a long time without an appointment letter. In many cases, they don’t even have attendance files and they are not even given identity cards. To file a case in the court, one must be able to produce evidences. There must be some evidences like employment letter, identity card, payslip or attendance registers. In some case, none of these are existent. There are cases where people are put to work like bonded labours. Companies must formally employ its workers with proper documentation that clearly mentions post, type of work, job description and remuneration, according to the legal provision. There are cases where employers have not followed these rules. Based on available documents and evidences, we have made verdicts in the favour of employees. In some cases, we have not been able to reinstate the workers. Similarly, to employ foreigners in Nepal, having a work permit from the Department of Labour is a must when the company has to hire foreigners. But a research I have conducted shows that around 20 per cent employees are working without permit in the bordering areas. Similarly, around 48 per cent employees are put to work sans contract papers. There is also disparity on salary of males and females. There are also cases of sexual harassments at work. In the absence of provision to address sexual harassment in our labour law, decision made by the management of a company has been endorsed also by the court and in some cases; international law is also put into practice. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the annual number of cases that are filed in the labour court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Most of the cases reinstated in labour court are about unlawful dismissal of employees. In many cases, the misconduct is not established while in some cases there are shortcomings in the job done by the workers. There are situations when the workers have to be reinstated if misconduct is not proved or employees are not allowed an opportunity of clarification. There were 103 verdicts made last year through the labour court and 84 cases were appealed against the actions of proprietors or against decisions of Labour Offices. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It seems that labour unions are guided by political ideologies rather than for the benefits of workers. How do you view this?</span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;Politics has also made inroads into civil service and police while it was common in the private sector. But, this is sad. It is said that a manager accuses member of another trade union with the help of one union. Such practices do not benefit the private sector. Activities of trade unions and employers show that they are guided by a traditional mentality though the overall national political and economic situation has changed with time. Employers have not got rid of their bossy nature. Although the law mentions a proper procedure to hire employees, the regulation is not properly followed. But employers or proprietors have not followed the legal procedures, so, there is the problem. Similarly, workers too are overambitious. Due to political reason, and over ambition of workers, without understanding the financial condition of the industries and even the economy, workers always want to be benefitted and enjoy attractive facilities. World history shows extreme cases of exploitation of labour and industrialists too suffered a lot but we don’t have such a situation. Our situation is definitely better. Our law addresses almost every issue of the formal sector. Both the parties have their own standpoint, so, the private sector and investment is in dire straits. This has increased the chances of capital flight. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the process of collective bargaining? How much have Nepali trade unions complied with the legal provision? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining does not come under jurisdiction of the court. Agreements made based on collective bargaining are implemented equivalent to law. Though agreements made are implemented, in most of the cases the major problem is, agreements cannot be made. To resolve such issues, a dispute resolution body needs to be formed. As we are under the tripartite model recognised by the ILO, the personal disputes are resolved by the court while collective disputes are not solved through negotiation between employees and proprietor in the presence of Labour Office. After that, a mediator may be appointed through the consent of both parties who can settle dispute through mediation. In case the mediator fails to settle the issue, employees can file ultimatum to go on a strike. On the other hand, employers can lockup his/her business in case s/he has been unsatisfied by the complaint of employees. So, our labour law does not address effective mechanism for resolving collective issue. It is a lacuna in our law. In the absence of an authentic body to settle collective issues, the private sector is not moving ahead as it should have. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the legalities of industrial strikes? Do you see those legalities followed by unions as well as companies? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The process of strike has not been followed at all. A negligible number of strikes are organised following the legal procedure. Most of them are organised all of a sudden. The process involves prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then the issue is taken to the labour office where they can sit for dialogues. Even if the dialogues do not resolve the issue, a mediator can be appointed by the consent of both parties. In case, the mediator fails to settle issues or there is no understanding on appointing a mediator, labourers can go for strike but again a 30 days ultimatum should be given. When the management body does not listen to the demand within the ultimatum, strikes can then be organised. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is said that judiciary has been making pro-labour decisions. What is your take on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour issues are not criminal cases. An Indian pioneer on labour law, Gulzarilal Nanda said that if the labour cases are treated on the basis of whoever produces more evidences, you are not trying to give justice to the labourers. Likewise, if a convict gets the benefit of doubt and the judge maintains silence or acts like an umpire to see which party will produce more evidences, then the justice is denied. So, a labour court judge must find out the facts and evidences. The employer always looks to employ workers at minimum facilities and make higher profit. So, the labour law procedure is quite different in nature. In the labour court, a judge must be active enough to guarantee justice. Investors feel that they must have absolute power over employees to protect their investments. In cases against employers that do not fulfil the legal procedure, justice is given in favour of labourers rather than of the employers. In numerous cases it is found that workers are alleged of wrongdoings when actually they have not committed mistakes. Even if they have committed misconduct; they are not given a chance for clarification. In such cases, decisions made by managers are reverted by the court. Therefore, when employees win the case, the industrialists say that verdicts are being labour oriented but it is not true. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A voice for amendment of labour law is being raised. Do you think the amendment is really needed? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Compared to the law of other countries, one thing that needs to be incorporated into the labour law is – making a provision of a tripartite committee or commission to sort out issues that are not resolved through the collective bargaining procedure. The law must mention a certain mechanism to resolve the collective disputes. In least developed countries like Nepal, there is presence of a strong informal sector. A huge number of employed people in these sectors are in the form of manual labours like agricultural workers and household workers. The workers are still working like bonded labours. Therefore the informal sector too should have certain rules and regulations. So, there should be a regulation that addresses their minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. As we have moved into a democratic system and become the part of the network of the UN, we have to timely and properly address these issues and control inhuman activities too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is alleged that feeling of insecurity prevails in the labour court. To what extent is it true? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In my tenure of three years, I have not felt any kind of insecurity as of now. Apart from minor arguments from labourers, there is no interference and threat seen till this day. But as the overall judiciary is said to be insecure at the national level being the part of the overall broad framework of the judiciary, labour court is also insecure from that perspective. As an individual entity, there are no such issues in the labour court.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Trade Unions Contributed only Six Per cent of the Total Strikes’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="bishnu" border="1" height="398" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bishnu.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">BISHNU RIMAL <br />
	President <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">GEFONT</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How many members are there in your union and how do you manage them? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">There are more than 353,000 individual members in our union and 29 affiliates altogether. The affiliates recruit members on their own under our co-ordination and connect them with us but we do not subscribe direct membership. We have committees at the local and district levels. And at the entrepreneur level, they choose one male and female candidate each as our representatives. The committee of the registered union becomes our member in a national level. The affiliates are action oriented while the role of GEFONT is that of coordination. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Why are industrial strikes so recurrent in Nepal? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strikes were frequent between 2006 and 2008 but after 2008, the frequency of industrial strikes has gone down. If you follow the website www.nepalbanda.com, you will find that trade unions have contributed only six percent of the total bandhas in the last year while around 28 percent bandhas were called by employers and the rest was contributed by parties and other organizations. If you are confusing political strikes with trade unions’ strikes, it is a mistake. If counted, there are hardly three companies where unions called strikes namely Surya Nepal, Pizza Hut and Unilever up to now. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Do you think the trade unions in Nepal are following the right approach in collective bargaining? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since we do not call it collective bargaining across the board, I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is proper. We conduct bargaining at the central level committee for minimum standards like wage determination and finalize it there. Collective bargaining is for maximum standards and we do it according to the type of company in question. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more whereas we demand less from the less earning companies. Before getting into bargaining process, it is essential to find whether the company is in profit or not. There was a huge bargaining at local level when the Khimti Project was firing 89 workers. According to the law, it had to pay two per cent of the total earnings to the workers and the labors’ demand approach was correct. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to the violent strikes and vandalism, private sector employers in Nepal fear to hire Nepali workers. How do you view this? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Violent strikes are rare as far as I know. The strike against Surya Nepal is the only example that I can give for vandalism in the private sector. Apart from that, strikes are usually seen at the government service and public sector. Recently, there was a strike at Unilever in Hetauda for a week and the problem was solved immediately after the negotiations. If we go through case-by-case, we may find some cases that nurtured vandalism but in general, employees are not feared to hire Nepali workers. Moreover, I have heard that employees in Nepal are longing to hire Nepali workers but they are not finding any mainly because of the scarcity of the workers in Nepal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the problems that the workers are facing in Nepali industries? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Firstly, at the policy level, the main problem that we are facing is the ineffectiveness of the rule of law. Even the industrialists are not providing minimum wages to the workers while the minimum wage is Rs 6,200 only. Unless there is a labor inspection system, we cannot find out whether the rule of law has been followed or not. Our law says that after 240 days of working, a worker is permanent at the company but there are many outsourced labors working for years and the jobs are mostly informal. Secondly, the problem of meager pay has been on the rise. High productivity of the workers can be seen only if they are paid adequately. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides, there is no social security in the companies. In any developed country, workers get pension after 20 years of service in a company but this social protection is rare in Nepali companies. More than Rs 200 million has been collected since the government has put one per cent tax on the companies for the social security of the workers. Accident insurance and medical insurance should be implemented but there are no schemes yet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The employers here fear that if the workers are made permanent, there will be less productivity. They believe that the workers are more productive when they work in fear. If there were no problems in permanent and temporary jobs, there wouldn’t be strikes in most of the industries. Workers are often agitated because there is low salary, no job guarantee and no social protection. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Experts are saying that over unionization of labors has affected industries badly. What are your views on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Conflict results from the sour relationship between management and workers, not from unionization. It is true that there are more unions in in service sector companies while some companies that provide informal job opportunities do not have unions at all. Unions are not the problems in companies because they solve most problems of the employers. A union solves the problems of each and every worker in the company and in most organizations, union leaders maintain labor relations with the management. The number of the unions is not a problem for an employee or the employer as long as authenticity of the union or the members of the bargaining team selected by the workers themselves is maintained. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Intra-party/intra-union problems and power struggle are common among Nepali trade unions. You as the President of GEFONT may have realized that as well. What do you think could be the solution? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Historically, there has always been a relation between Nepali political parties and trade unions. But it should be noted that Nepali trade unions are formed according to the law. Whether there is one or more than 20 unions in an organization, the employees should acknowledge that there should be a national election for an authentic union. For example, if there are four unions in an organization, the bargaining panel will be formed according to the votes in the election regardless of who the ruler of the union is. It’s only then that the multiplicity of the unions can be managed easily. Problems occur from the employers’ side too because their behavior changes according to the relationship with the union. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">As the trade unions in Nepal are affiliated to one or the other political party, they seem busy in politics than in promoting workers’ interests. How can this be resolved? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unions alone are not affiliated to political parties, employers too are affiliated and involved with the parties. In a multi-party system, affiliation to political parties is common and ideologically, it is correct too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From the perspective of the laborers, we are purely representing the laborers inside the companies. We are not indulging in any politics, however, our people are affiliated with different political parties. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labor disputes and shutdown of the industries are perceived as a threat to the investors venturing into new businesses in Nepal. How is your union going about it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Had you gone through the document called ‘Doing Business’, you would find that the labor disputes are in the sixth number among other problems. Companies making high investments in Sunsari- Biratnagar corridor are demanding more labors. The report by World Bank has also put labor problems in seventh among others whereas the number one problem is government’s legal hassles and number two is the problem of taxation. No investor has withdrawn his investment because of the unions or the workers. Recently, we organized the third Labor and Employment Conference in Kathmandu where we jointly made a 15-points declaration regarding the welfare of the workers. We We shared that we do not have anything against the employers; rather, we had a common view that we lacked a proper government bureaucracy. Unions are often dragged between the ineffective government and the political parties which is not right. Investors say labour law is not good in Nepal but they have never blamed workers or the unions for being unfriendly towards investments. <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the country has about 11.7 million workforce and only 1.8 million are in the formal sector and around 3.5 million are in foreign jobs. Rest of them are either unemployed or in informal sector. What do you think should be done to attract more investments that help in reducing labor',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours.',
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	),
	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '717',
			'article_category_id' => '52',
			'title' => 'Made-in-Nepal Concept',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
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						<span heaveneticacond9="" style="font-size:56.0pt;
  font-family:">A</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>four-day ‘Made in Nepal Products and Service Expo-2012’ that concluded on 9th September in Kathmandu created hype of a sort with its tagline: afno bhanya afnai ho (our own, means our own). Two weeks later, Nepali elite class was seen scrambling to buy jackets made of allo (stinging nettle plant with scientific name Girardinia diversifolia) fibre in the Small and Cottage Industries Products’ Exhibition. Everyone, from prime minster to the commoner who visited these fairs, and the media alike, portrayed these as the moments proud to be. Indeed they were, but rather more emotionally.</p>
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	These expos and exhibitions designed to showcase and promote Nepali products and services no doubt are welcome endeavors. For that matter, any business initiative at a time when almost all economic and manufacturing activities in Nepal are dented by the prolonged political crisis is praiseworthy. But, the kind of twist these expos brought in to trade ‘afno’ emotions than goods and services warrants a serious debate on the very concept of ‘made in Nepal’ and its indispensability for the national economy.</p>
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	Let’s think beyond debatable issues of whether everything showcased in these exhibitions was truly a Nepali product. In the present globalised and highly interconnected world, can any economy of the size of Nepal operate and manage her ‘own’ economy and, is it at all necessary to be so? Or, shouldn’t we now think of making Nepal a ‘profitable economy’ than being falsely proud with hollow emotional swipe?</p>
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	Unquestionably, Nepal needs to produce and sell products and services that have comparative and competitive advantages, mainly those that are profitable both in domestic and international markets. First, the very concept of self-producing everything we need must be abandoned. Second, generating pride by renaming or changing the label to ‘made in Nepal’ of the goods produced by others is surely not an ethical practice and not going to help even our psychological bliss of industrialism, let alone economy.</p>
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	<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>We saw a swadeshi, self-reliant economic paradigm in the economies like India for almost half a century that got reverted to open market only at the beginning of 1990s. But, swadeshi policy could hardly help the market of its own of such a large size, apparently capable of creating economies of scale in any given sector. Even in our case, the guided economy of the panchayat era tried to produce everything through the state-owned entities -- from cigarettes to sugar and, run transport services to groceries outlets. Clearly, the prime objectives in those both cases were to create an economy of ‘national pride’ not a profitable economy based on cost-benefit analysis. Now we have the results in front of us – in the form of an absolutely tattered economy and also pathetic fate of these state-owned establishments, as an outcome of these costly prides.</p>
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	The official figures of the last fiscal year 2068/69 show that Nepal’s export import ratio stands at almost 1:6 and, unofficially, it is estimated to be well above 1:8. This indeed is indicative of the fact that Nepal only has two options to bridge this gap – either to increase the export or, produce the goods that can replace the massive import in substantial scale, or, instead of producing everything, focus on prioritizing the products with better domestic or international markets with higher rate of returns. As China has now shown, it is always preferable to import what turns out to be cheaper to import than producing ourselves and produce only that which brings in better rate of returns. Therefore, instead of being ‘proud’ for producing everything, the nation as one economy should think about pragmatic plans to make it more ‘profitable’. Then only ‘made in Nepal’ actually can contribute in making Nepal economically better off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:24px;"><span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="line-height: 115%;">‘Tunnel Project Is A Litmus Test For The Private Sector’<br />
	<br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="font-size:43.5pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="kushkmarjoshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview(8).jpg" vspace="10" width="303" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">Kush Kumar Joshi <br />
	Chairman <br />
	Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Ltd</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa19">
	<span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt">Kush Kumar Joshi is the Chairman of Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Limited (NPBCL) that is to develop the Kathmandu-Kulekhani- Hetauda Tunnel (KKHT) Highway that would substantially reduce the Kathmandu-Hetauda driving distance. <br />
	<br />
	NPBCL will be constructing the 50-kilometre long four-lane highway that will have approximately two 5.5 kilometre long tunnels for oncoming and going traffic between Kathmandu and Hetauda. The company will construct and operate the tunnel road in public-private-people partnership (4P) modality under the Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructure 2006 act. A leading industrialist of Nepal, Joshi is also the Immediate Past President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and the Chairman of Liberty Energy, Himalayan Bamboo Pvt Ltd and Managing Director of Nepal Ekarat Engineering Co Pvt Ltd. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In an interview with Gaurav Aryal of New Business Age, Joshi talked about the tunnel project as well as the country</span></span><span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">’</span></span><span class="A67"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">s overall investment environment. Excerpts:</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_333.jpg" vspace="10" width="250" /><br />
	<br />
	For the first time in Nepal, the private sector is developing a major road project. As the leader of this project, how do you plan to execute it? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is indeed the first time the government has entrusted a private company with such a big responsibility. It is an honour to share the weight of the government in enriching the lives of Nepali people. The concept of making shortest road from Hetauda to Kathmandu was conceptualised more than 50 years ago. Everyone knows this will be the shortest distance to link these two cities but due to socio-political reasons, the mechanism to construct the road was not finalised earlier. This time around, a new approach of 4P model - public, private and people participation - is taken to revive this initiative. People’s participation in a massive scale is the main strength of this approach. The local people presently have to take a longer route to travel to Kathmandu despite a possible shorter alternative there. This project would be a matter of dignity for every Nepali when it will be completed solely with Nepali resources, technology and management. That is a motivating factor for all of us. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the progress towards the financial closure of the project? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The government has granted us this project for 30 years as per the People, Private and Public Partnership (4P) Modality under Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructures 2006 act. The cost of the project is estimated around US$ 350 million and that money is going to be raised from amongst ourselves. Once we complete the feasibility study by November 2012, we will have the concession agreement with the government on technical and financial issues as well as the toll fee. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have set a timeline of three-and-a-half-years for the completion of the project. As many projects are failing to meet their deadlines, what is the basis of your optimism to meet your deadline? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The main possible hurdles in a project are fund collection, local disturbances and not getting a license. In our case, the government has already granted a license to us not only for DPR but also for execution of the project. The main strengths of this initiative are the local people. The local landowners are ready to contribute to this project by providing their land after a proper valuation. We are not buying the land; instead the value of the land will be treated as their equity investment in the project. Thus the main likely cause of local disturbance is not there. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The other main issue is fund collection. So far, we have received a warm response to our initiative and people are more than willing to invest in such a project that not only has high rate of return but also contributes in developing the infrastructure of the country. This will be the first time Nepali people will be involved in such kind of project. Our people have always been depending on financial support from donor countries, banks or the government. But, this project will make massive mobilisation of people – business community, local people, NRN community and the Nepali workers abroad - for generating funds. Another key component is the Nepali construction companies who will not only be the contractors but also major investors in this mega project. There is plenty of liquidity in the capital and money market but there are not enough good projects for investment. So, this good project will have no problem of funds. And we are hopeful to complete the project within the set deadline. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Disputes on land acquisition and paying compensation have proven major issues while developing such projects. What is the basis for your optimism that your arrangement will work this time? <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The modality we have come up with for this project is very unique. As I said earlier, we are not trying to buy land – it is more or less like a barter system and a participatory approach. Before deciding the alignment and making the survey, we had a lot of interactions with the locals and received a commitment from them regarding the project. The most important aspect is that they positively want to see this road built. The local community is ready to invest 75 per cent of the actual valuation of their land to the project and hold 25 per cent with themselves. This is a great step towards making a change. The locals have not just said that they want the road built but they have actually played a significant role in making this initiative a success. And if an existing house is needed to demolish for the road, we are committed to build another house for the owner. This, I think, is beauty or the strength of this entire project.</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar" border="1" height="264" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/inteview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="317" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	The KKHT highway is considered a project of national pride and a model to invite foreign investment in infrastructure development. How will this project be able to live up to this expectation? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have huge potentials in infrastructure. One can see the level of service we are providing to the people in energy, road, drinking water, medical facilities, the basic needs for the people where we need investment whether from domestic or the international investors. The deficit in infrastructure is such huge, domestic investment is simply not enough. But we need to build up the confidence level of investors by providing a guarantee through the policy, political commitment and, most importantly, from the domestic investment. If our project will thrive, it would be a benchmark for other investors to emulate. A successful project such as this will have foreign investors to get interested to work on other projects. This should be a milestone for all Nepalis. I hope that this will surely lure foreign investors to collaborate with local investors and develop the infrastructures in the country. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have said that the project will return the investment to its investors in six to eight years from the date of operation. Wouldn’t this proposition make the highway a costly road to travel for the general public? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is going to be a win-win situation for passengers as well as vehicle owners as they will be saving both fuel and time. If a truck or a passenger bus is today making a single round trip a day between Hetauda and Kathmandu, the completion of this road will enable them to make several round trips a day. Instead of four hours, the distance from Kathmandu to Hetauda will be covered in 45 minutes once this road comes into operation. Quite naturally, the frequency of travel will be more and transport entrepreneurs can earn more money besides, of course, saving on fuel. The toll fee will be very low and I am sure the users of this road will find it economical and not just save time but also money. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Do you think that investing in infrastructure will give enough yield to the private sector? What will be the model of investment in your company’s future projects? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">First of all, the license granted to us is a historical one. We always talk about the government not giving priority to the private sector and not giving investment opportunity or packages for infrastructure development. This is the first time the government has given a priority project to the private sector. Now, it is our turn to prove that we can do it. If we can do it ourselves, the trust on the private sector will be heightened. This is a litmus test for the private sector to prove that we can do it. For future projects, we may use foreign investment as well as equity based or debt and equity based modality. We will be trying to bring in equity participation for future projects as much as possible. Once this project is completed, NPBCL will become the largest company in Nepal valued at US$ 315 million. A sustainable mechanism and a proven track record will then be part of the company’s resume. We will be hoping for huge projects coming our way and perhaps we could look at large scale storage hydropower projects too. This is going to be the biggest company in Nepal enjoying massive public participation. The ownership will be divided among many people and benefits shared by all. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the other similar projects in the pipeline for NPBCL? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The other similar projects coming up include road extension plans from Hetauda to Narayanghat and Hetauda to Birgunj but that will be taken only after the current project completes a whole lap. The traffic from Kathmandu to Eastern and Western Nepal is huge. This project is now envisaged for westbound traffic and people from Far West will travel via this road. Once the proposed new road from Hetauda to Narayanghat is opened, the drive from Narayanghat to Kathmandu will take only one-and-a-half hours. All the traffic coming to Kathmandu via Mugling will be diverted to the newly built road.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">This project is to utilise Nepali resources only for its development. Is there a possibility of similar big projects with Nepali investment only?</span></strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times=""> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">Many other people are trying to emulate this particular project. For example, the NRN Association has a 100 million dollar fund and they are trying to develop 100 MW hydropower project on their own. Some other companies too are trying to build hydropower projects with Nepali investment only. There are two important bases for the development of a country, one is roads and the other is electricity. Therefore, our next project will focus on energy because there is a lack of storage-based project in hydropower currently. After the success of this project, we will work towards mega storage projects. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="387" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/kushkumar.jpg" vspace="10" width="208" /><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">What is your opinion on allowing investment abroad from Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">&nbsp;</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">We are observing Nepal Investment Year and trying to invite foreign investment to Nepal. Given this situation, what kind of message will the Nepali and foreign investors get if Nepali investment in other countries is made an option indeed? Having said so, even if we have an opportunity to invest in foreign countries, it must come with certain conditions. The criterion should be – one must be an expert in one’s own field, have good brand recognition at home and willing to expand. Expansion requires investment and in such case, one needs to have a chance to expand and to promote the products and technology in some other country. Ultimately, the benefit should come to one’s own country.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">For example, an airline must have its branch in other countries for marketing and promotions. In such a case, one has to invest in foreign countries. Similarly, if you have a good and well-known brand in Nepal and want to export but the cost of competition in other countries may make it not feasible to produce in Nepal and export. Then you should be allowed to produce your own brand in other countries. This will be similar to what multinational companies do. If you have your own brand image for product that is made in Nepal, it will benefit if you establish your factory abroad and promote your own product. But let’s focus on investing within Nepal first.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How do you judge the efficiency of the current FNCCI leadership? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">There are a lot of issues, which have scope to be tackled more efficiently by the FNCCI. It looks like they are focusing on the investment year but they must handle local issues first. Given the situation where the fate of the government hangs in the balance one needs to know how the policies are being driven and focus on pressing to bring the full annual budget of the government at the earliest. Similarly, the policies meant to attract foreign investment for the Nepal Investment Year must be established. Priorities on issues like areas of investment and backing up the investment are more important than to celebrate the investment year itself. The investment board has the law and bylaws to backup the investment package and the same will be applied for other investments also. There are a lot of things that FNCCI can do as an apex body of the business community. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Are business prospects for Nepal improving? What are the bottlenecks?<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Everybody knows about the prospects Nepal has. We talk about tourism, hydropower, infrastructure and others but the business community has to push the government to create a proper environment and identify the priority projects for investment. The ongoing political turmoil is not giving a good sign to the investors to come to Nepal and invest.</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">There are three issues – energy crisis, labour issues and unstable government policies. Energy is the prerequisite because without energy, nobody will come to invest here. Labour issues have also discouraged investors. These two things must be prioritised and cleared by the government and the investment board to encourage investment. We also need to have consistent policies. Changes in policies every time there is change in the government will not attract any investments in Nepal. We have been asking the government and the political parties to come up with a common minimum economic agenda. Establishing a common minimum economic agenda will give a positive signal to the investors. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">You have been demanding reforms in the public procurement system. Would you please explain it? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">The government has to prioritise domestic product. Any company’s first area of business is the local market. Once they have a good position in the local market, they can improve their quality, productivity and be assured about their growth. Having delivered their basic service, they can then think about exporting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">The government has to provide a level playing field for the domestic producers by buying their products, but at the same time it should be monitoring the price and quality as well. At this point of time the government has not been able to accomplish these objectives. The government always seeks cheap foreign products and does not care for the quality. Our argument is, local products do not need incentives instead they need to be promoted so that they can be competitive, qualitative and eventually become export oriented. The government has to give confidence to investors by prioritising the purchase of local products. That is why we are saying that the procurement act has to be revised by making it mandatory to buy local products.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>',
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
"><img alt="madanlamsal" border="1" height="161" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/madan.jpg" vspace="10" width="177" /><br />
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By:&nbsp; Madan Lamsal</span></span></p>
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	The Magic of Poverty Cards</p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#211D1E"><br />
	If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="no laughing matter" border="1" height="313" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/nolaughingmatter(2).jpg" vspace="10" width="341" /><br />
	<br />
	</span><span class="A13"><span new="" style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">P</span></span><span new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">overty is pervasive as pervasive are the communist ideologies, ideologues and leaders in Nepal. There could be many manifestations of the relations between the communism and the poverty. Since the communism is commonly interpreted as the dictatorship of proletariats, then all people first must be proletariat or belonging or possessing no material wealth; means absolute poor. Nepal is run by an ultra-left Maoist government, then, by definition every citizen of this country is a proletariat, or absolute poor.&nbsp; <br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How would you establish that every Nepali is in indeed a proletariat or poor? For this purpose, the Red government has a very innovative idea of distributing ‘Poverty Cards’ to every Nepali. And, to make sure that every Nepali is entitled to this card, the government has a full-proof plan of first evenly distributing the poverty among the entire populace by every means possible and then start beginning to distribute these MAGIC cards to each citizenry.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Some may have seen recent industrial unrest, largely created by the trade unions affiliated to ruling, or if not, to this or that Left Party, as detrimental to national prosperity. But, in fact that is a well planned communist strategy of making every one poor as soon as possible so that the capitalist entrepreneurs of today, labourers and the men in the streets -- all alike can become eligible to get these ‘poverty cards.’<br />
	<br />
	The government has rightly assigned the donor funded Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to lead this drive to distribute the poverty card. The Fund is all set to start this mission in this very month of September itself. The choice of PAF for the task too is a very appropriate as it is the only institution in the country that has experience of distributing anything related to poverty, including the poverty itself say some.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Who are the poor? It is the commonplace knowledge that the citizen who does not possess any asset is the poor. Got some clue on why all the leaders of the ruling United Maoist party including its charismatic Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had reiterated that they would surrender all their property in the name of their party? They were in fact making themselves eligible to get this ‘poverty card.’ Not only that, right since the beginning of the guerrilla war, the party also greatly helped to make citizens properly qualified for the card by confiscating the land, houses and property or physically eliminating them who were not instantly becoming poor at the Maoist will.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">All these instances suggest that this ‘card distribution programmme’ is going to be a great success and an event of real national pride. Every citizen of this country is sure to get it. If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What does this card do? A simple answer is: it will be a magic card capable of providing everything for the one who holds it -- food, education, health services, employment, unemployment benefit, or you just name it. They can also function as the credit cards as well. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Then, who all will get this is anybody’s guess! But you can have some hint by the choice of the 25 districts put in the first priority, including Rukum, Rolpa, Gorkha, and Chitwan to distribute these cards. Why these districts? Rukum and Rolpa are where Maoists started the ambitious program of making every Nepali a proletariat and dispensation akin to proletariat dictatorship. Gorkha and Chitwan are the districts where the Maoist numero-uno Prachanda and PM Baburam hail from. Even before that, it goes without saying that all these leaders living in Kathmandu without ‘anything’ would be getting the privilege of this card. We are just waiting to see this card doing the MAGIC.<br />
	</span></p>',
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Born to Succeed</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
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	<span class="A35"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Min Bahadur Gurung started his business at a time when supermarket shopping was only meant for the elite. His journey from a grocery store owner to the Managing Director of Bhat-Bhateni chain of supermarkets is full of joy, sorrow, dedication and struggle.<br />
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	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">Y</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">oung Min Bahadur Gurung had strong faith in making history one day. His parents too had a dream that he will be a great personality of the country in due course of time. It was the major reason behind his parents’ decision to send him to a good school although his was a big 10-member family. Born after five sisters, he was raised as a pampered son in the family and provided with facilities that a son usually gets in the Nepali society. Two younger brothers were born after him. During his early schooling, Gurung was touched by the story about Madam Curie inventing bean size radium after melting 17 tons of stone. Megnath Lamsal, his teacher at high school, left a deep impression on him. The teacher’s lessons motivated him to do well in life and reach greatness one day. “I was very fond of Lamsal Sir and liked his classes much. I developed a strong belief in myself and was committed to work hard for success,” he recalls.</span> <br />
	<br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Born in Dube, a village in Khotang district, Gurung had schooling up to SLC at different schools nearby. Unlike other young boys of his time, he was very energetic and hardworking. He enjoyed his schooldays even though he had to walk two hours daily to go to the school. Despite being a good student, Gurung failed in the SLC exams. It came as a shock for all the teachers, students and his own family who considered him as a bright student. He didn’t take it as a setback though and tried his best to overcome the failure by studying harder. </span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Reflecting back on his SLC failure, Gurung says that it actually made him the person he is today. He elaborates, “Because I failed my SLC exams, I did not pursue science stream later. Had I cleared SLC in my first attempt with flying colors, I would have other ideas about my future course of life and ultimately miss this fantastic business opportunity that I have today. </span></p>
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	 </p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22128">GURUNG’S TIPS FOR SUCCESS </span></p>
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	<span class="A65">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt">Honesty : Be honest because the lack of it casts shadow on other qualities </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Hard Work : A great company needs great vision which, in turn, needs hard work </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Patience : It helps manage every success and failure </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Positive Thinking : Don’t start your business without it </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Continuity : Continue your business under any circumstances whatsoever</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="305" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_2(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="393" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung started helping his family in farming after his intermediate degree. In Bhadra 2031 BS, he started planting rice, harvesting maize and other jobs required by the farming demands. During this period, he fell terribly sick and survived the ordeal somehow. Gurung’s father decided that enough was enough. Until now, he always insisted to keep his dearest son close to him but following the incident, he advised him to go to Kathmandu and study further.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung had his first job as a record keeper who recorded attendance of daily wage laborers. He shares, “I was given Rs 400 by my father when I left for Kathmandu so I had to find a job anyhow to sustain.” He was soon hired in Nepal Bank Limited and was given a position in Nepalgunj. However, after two years, he managed to find a posting to Kathmandu and started pursuing a master’s degree shortly afterwards. He would attend college in the morning and work at the bank as his full time job.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">A permanent job at the bank encouraged him to settle down in life. He married Sabitri Gurung, a girl from his own village who was pursuing her intermediate degree in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, he also started selling goods which built the foundation of his retail business. Gurung later turned his part time retail business as a full time profession when he realized the potential that the business offered. He established Bhatbhateni Cold Store in 2041 and expanded his retail shop on the second floor of the store in due course of time.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As fate would have it, his store caught fire in 2047 BS and caused him a financial loss of around a million rupees. Gurung says the fire at Bhatbhateni was a turning point for him and he learnt a lesson the hard way to take his business more seriously. Three years later, he established Bhatbhateni Departmental Store. “I am a different type of person who believes in growing plants on rock. It is not possible to stop at a failure when you have a great vision,” he says.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Even today, despite all the success, Gurung consults his wife as before while making business strategies. He remembers the time when he had to invest the same gold in his business that he had gifted to his wife earlier. She joined his business within a few days of delivering their first child Kamana. “It was quite amazing that she could join the store within a short period after the delivery of our first child,” he reminisces. He rues the fact that he finds himself unable to give enough time to his family due to a busy schedule. It is hard to find him relaxing much but when he does so, he listening to music from stalwarts such as Narayan Gopal, Bachchu Kailash and Ani Choying Dolma.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Starting his grocery store with an investment of Rs 35,000 in a small single shutter, his business today is worth billions of rupees with five huge outlets in the Kathmandu valley and one in Pokhara. It was dream come true for him when the construction of his four huge supermarkets was completed last year. The construction of supermarkets in Kathmandu was overseen by his wife, son and daughter while he was busy taking care of the construction of the Pokhara outlet. As many as 50 people from his family circle are involved in the business, informs Gurung.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He says that support from the people and the facilities provided at the Bhatbhateni outlets have made it a successful supermarket chain. His stores registered overwhelming business during their respective openings. The Bhatbhateni outlet at Pokhara was opened not too long ago and the story there was no different either with thousands of people swarming the store for several days. “We had to cease either the upstairs or downstairs lifts every hour to manage the heavy crowd. There were people coming from Gorkha, Butwal and Lamjung as well,” he recounts.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung believes that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Bhatbhateni Supermarket employs 22,000 people currently and Gurung hopes that the group will have 50,000 employees in its ranks in 15 years time.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As part of its corporate social responsibility, the group helped construct an emergency ward having 72 beds at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with a spending of Rs 100 million. Gurung has named the ward after his parents whom he holds in very high esteem. He has also been providing yearly scholarships to two MBBS students, especially the ones who originate from remote villages. “We will all die one day so it is important that we set apart a certain percentage of our earnings for social causes,” he reasons. Gurung thinks it is rather unfortunate that not many people spare a thought for the less privileged.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He plans to spend his retired life as a social worker. “I still believe in doing jobs which others haven’t tried before and hope to work for the well being of the society,” he says. He recommends people to believe in themselves to make it successful in life and be a part of the history.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
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<p class="Default">
	<span class="A8"><span style="font-size:24.0pt"><img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/sectoral_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	‘Real Growth Opportunity Lies in Agriculture and Small Scale Industries’</span></span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<img alt="realgrow" border="1" height="236" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/P-K-Mohapatra.jpg" vspace="10" width="217" /></p>
<p class="Pa1">
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">P K Mohapatra </span></span><span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Chief Executive Officer at Everest Bank Limited (EBL). </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">With an aim to promote the agriculture sector, the EBL established a specialised branch called Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha at Rijbiraj, Saptari on August 17. In an interview with New Business Age, Mohapatra talked about reasons behind the newly opened branch and bank’s expansion plans in the agriculture sector. Excerpts:<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why did you come up with a dedicated branch for agricultural services? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The branch will not only concentrate on agricultural services, however, the thrust will be on agriculture and agro based industries. The country’s main focus area should now be agriculture because the new industries are not taking off due to many reasons. Around 66 per cent of the total population depends on agriculture and this sector’s contribution in the GDP is about 39 per cent. Therefore, if some priority is given to agriculture, it will be a contribution to the national economy too. <br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	<br />
	Why did you choose this particular location Rajbiraj among so many other places? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We found Rajbiraj suitable because the land is irrigated, people have money to spend on land and the area receives good amount of remittance. When we were planning to start this branch, we looked for different localities where agriculture is of prime focus including Chitwan where we already had a presence. We did not have a presence in Rajbiraj though which is an area with high growth potential. As a banker, we will also be interested to mobilise deposits as Rajbiraj has a high potential for deposit growth. So, that is a service for dual purpose – mobilising deposit and at the same time, helping the farmers by financing agriculture. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">How do you see the scope of formal lending to Nepal’s agriculture sector? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">It is one of the best virgin areas. So far, microfinance companies and Rural Development Bank have been doing agro based lending. All these sectors lend at a high rate of interest that makes the total investment and works literally non-viable. The moment commercial banks enter, we can lend at a much lower rate than present. This will encourage the farmers to borrow money from banks and go for high yielding crop varieties, improved seeds and better livestock. The entire economy will be supported by low interest funding by the commercial banks. For example, in districts like Chitwan, Ilam and Jhapa, a lot of migrant workers have returned from abroad with experience and money. All they need is a little support from the banking system so that they can thrive here, invest and use the experience and money they have gained. At the same time, they can give employment to some other people also. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why are commercial banks hesitant to lend to this sector? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Banking in Nepal has been excessively based on urban areas. However, activities based in the urban areas are getting saturated. Therefore, the real growth opportunity lies in agriculture and small scale industries. Till now, the concentration was in cities and industrial towns like Birgunj, Biratnagar, Butwal and some other areas. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has made a mandatory provision to invest at least 10 per cent in agriculture and hydropower out of the total investments made by banks. It is a really appreciable measure adopted by the central bank. Agriculture and small scale industries are two sectors which are going to support the country in the long run. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">To what extent does Everest Bank wants to invest in the agriculture sector? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">The minimum investment will be what the NRB has already stipulated. Our small effort is to encourage the field people – branch managers and field staff – to look at agriculture from a totally different angle. Many think that agriculture lending is not a good lending. However, it is not true. If a thousand rupees is lent in the agriculture sector, it goes straight to the economy. As socially responsible corporate entities, all banks should target the rural people, particularly those involved in agriculture. We will be coming up with two to three branches having thrust on the agriculture sector within this fiscal year. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We are also preparing setting up a farmer training institute in Nepal. Being from Punjab National Bank, India, we have a huge experience in running farmer training institutes in India and so, we have proposed to begin with at least one institute and replicate that all over Nepal. We are trying to open the training institute that will provide trainings free-of-cost in collaboration with the private sector and IFC (International Finance Corporation) or IOM (International Organisation for Migration). <br />
	<br />
	Such institutes will have basic facilities like soil testing will a simple laboratory. We will also teach farmers to repair agriculture machineries so that they can save money and time. Besides, we will train returnee migrants through these institutes so that they can use their experience and money. It is a long term plan and we should be able to start the first training institute before the close of financial year 2069/70. <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Impact">Sectoral</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Sushila Budhathoki</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Demanding Business of Herbal Products</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35">&nbsp;<br />
	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing.jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:59.0pt">C</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">onsumption of herbal products in Nepal, according to an estimate, is registering an annual increment of 20 per cent. According to Pradip Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) at Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FNCCI), Nepali herbal products also account for three per cent of the total exports. He further says, “Nepali herbal products meet around 60 per cent of the domestic market demand. The remaining 40 per cent demand is still fulfilled by imports.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The yearly production of ‘Sancho’, a product of Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited (HPPCL), has reached five million units. Last year, the company produced around 3.4 million units of Sancho. According to Chandra Bahadur Shahi, General Manager of HPPCL, the company is now aggressively marketing the product in villages after having found a tremendous market in urban areas already. <br />
	<br />
	“Due to its popularity, we have been marketing Sancho and other herbal products through our distributors in each development region,” says Shahi. The company has estimated the total turnover of its herbal products at around Rs 100 million last year of which Sancho alone contributes around Rs 70 million. Sancho is a widely popular cure for cold, cough, rheumatism, stuffy nose, fatigue, body ache, muscular ache, headache, neuralgia, sprain and itching. It is marketed by the HPPCL since 2057 BS. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="demaing" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	<br />
	Nepal is basically exporting essential oils, Chyawanprash and Shilajit among other herbal products. According to the Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), oil worth Rs 82 million was exported to third countries in 2010-2011. Govind Adhikari, President of Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA), says the herbal industries can get optimum benefit by exporting finished herbal products rather than only exporting crude herbs. He adds, “We are exporting a huge amount of raw materials to India, which in turn, is earning from making the finished products. If we were able to export final products ourselves, we would have earned a tremendous market internationally.” He adds, “Since herbal products are unique, they usually do not face stiff competition.” <br />
	<br />
	The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. Today, the people around the world are inclined towards ‘back to nature’ and demanding natural products ranging from medicines and food items to cosmetics. Germany and France, among other countries, have been considered as major herbal markets in Europe and the popularity of herbal products has a great impact on its development. It is not surprising when many consider Nepal as a country with huge potentiality for herbal trade. <br />
	<br />
	Maharjan recommends exploring the need for investment in herbal industries due to the increasing demand of Nepali products internationally. He says, “There is a huge demand for herbal products internationally because people are lured towards products that are free from side effects. And our products have established a reputation of being natural and chemical-free products.” Nepali Industries are advertising their products through the internet as well and soliciting business online. Most of the Nepali herbal industries maintain websites and use them as a marketing tool for promoting their products. <br />
	<br />
	There are herbal products being sold everywhere and more people are inquiring about natural products such as cream, lip balm, oils and other cosmetics. According to Rina Gongaju, Production Manager at Wild Earth, the company has launched a basic range of products owing to local demand. She shares, “We are wealthy in herbs but it costs dearly to produce a final product because of the technical lapses in the collection and refinement of the herbs.” Wild Earth produces a range of handmade herbal goods such as soaps, massage oils, pillows, smudge sticks and aromatic amulets and sells them in over 30 countries. The company also caters its products to different Nepali hotels, resorts and spa centers. <br />
	<br />
	There are many brands for each range of products like Yak Milk Soaps and Mongolian Mare’s Milk Soap in Wild Wares category. There are other ranges of aromatic pillows namely Passion, Dream, Tranquility, Hangover, Calm, Balance, Soothe and Energy as well as pillows for each zodiac sign. Single products at Wild Earth are priced from Rs 55 to Rs 1,500 while for the herbal set, the prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 3,500.</span> </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Adhikari says that Nepali products only acquire Food Phyto Sanitary Certificate and Plant Phyto Sanitary Certificate while buyers in Western countries have increasingly been asking for GMP certificates for aryurvedic remedies, as these products were relatively vulnerable to contamination and unwanted substances. He adds, “Lack of certification is troubling us on exporting herbal products even though there are no complaints about our products.” There are some Nepali companies too who do not apply proper production measures in their production process. Hari Dhital, Administrator at Gorkha Ayurved Company Pvt Ltd, says, “Our products compete with other ‘me too’ products of low quality which have confused the consumers. It has also troubled us in marketing the products.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Industrialists say that the government provisions are discouraging newer industries, especially the small entrepreneurs. Although Herbs and NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Products) Policy 2004-05 has been endorsed, entrepreneurs are facing a lot of hurdles in its implementation. Adhikari shares his bitter experience in the promotion and development of herbal products in Nepal. “The latest policy has been prepared for the benefit of the industries, however, the government is turning a deaf ear to its implementation,” he complains. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">There is a list of 119 NTFPs that are in trade or have the potential to trade. These herbs are used to produce crude herbs, essential oils, extraction items and lokta/argeli papers. They are the raw materials for different ayurvedic products/para pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and vegetable oils too. Different parts like leaf stem extract, pod, root, rhizome, flower, fruit, seed, wood, tendril, bark etc of herbal and aromatic plants are used to produce these items. <br />
	<br />
	According to NEHHPA, there are around 40 companies involved in the production of finished herbal products and 2,000 traders and around 5,000 to 6,000 wild collectors, especially the farmers from different villages, involved in the herbal business. With around 7,000 types of herbs and a kind of bio-diversity rarely found in other corners of the world, Nepal seems the first priority for the investors venturing into herbal business. Maharjan says, “Since the market of herbal products is growing, many western countries are attracted towards production of herbal products. There are a few Nepali companies having joint ventures with foreign companies and are producing herbal products.”</span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Having seen the potential for herbs and herbal products, many projects have started focusing on the production, processing and marketing of herbal products. AEC reports that High Mountain livelihood Improvement (HIMALI), Raising Income for small and Medium Farmers (RISME), High Value Agricultural Products (HVAP) and One Village One Product (OVOP) are some of the current programs that focus on cultivation, production and marketing of herbal products along with other agricultural products. <br />
	<br />
	The 350 hectares of land owned by HPPCL, if used properly, would also benefit herbal business in Nepal and encourage newer herbal industries for research and development. From a marketing perspective, traditional ayurvedic medicines enjoy good brand value in the west. However, with the demand of quality and harmless herbal products, ‘Trademark Herbal’ is not enough for the aggressive growth of Nepali herbal industries.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
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mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Gulf Air Resumes Flights to Iran and Iraq</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="gulf air" border="1" height="90" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/gulfair.gif" vspace="10" width="197" /><br />
	B</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">ahrain’s national carrier Gulf Air resumed its flights to Iraq and Iran from September 20. The Airlines also launched a special promotion with up to 30 per cent off on its return air fares to Iran and Iraq from all destinations across its network, to mark the three-week countdown to the resumption of its services.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">During this promotion that started on September 1, passengers could book their travel from any of the airline’s 48 destinations to Baghdad, Erbil and Najaf in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad and Shiraz in Iran and enjoy a 25 per cent discount on Economy class and 30 per cent on Falcon Gold fares, according to the airlines’ press statement.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The special fares were available on bookings made between 1 and 14 September, and for travel between 20 September and 15 October 2012. All travel must be completed by 15 October 2012.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gulf Air Chief Commercial Officer Karim Makhlouf said, “We are pleased to be able to offer customers this special promotion. For a limited time, passengers wishing to travel to Iran and Iraq and enjoy Gulf Air’s award-winning on-board service can do so at a reduced cost.” Flights to Baghdad, Erbil, Najaf and Basra in Iraq and Tehran, Mashhad, Shiraz and Isfahan in Iran began progressively from 20 September.</span></p>
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42.5pt"><br />
	<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/edihad.gif" vspace="10" /><br />
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color:#211D1E">o celebrate the fifth anniversary in Nepal, UAE’s national carrier Etihad Airways offered anniversary fares to a number of destinations from Kathmandu. “The various destinations include London, Frankfurt, Paris, Munich, Brussels, Manchester, Milan and Geneva, and the offer stood for the period from 1 to 30 September in terms of ticket sales and 10 to 24 October in terms of outbound travel,” said an official press statement from the company.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO), James Hogan, visited Boeing’s Everett production facility on September 12, as the UAE flag carrier prepares to take delivery of more Boeing 777s and awaits the arrival of the 787 Dreamliner.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan was leading a senior delegation of Etihad Airways and airberlin executives on a one day visit. Etihad Airways owns almost 30 per cent of airberlin, Europe’s sixth largest airline, reads the company’s press statement. In March, the two carriers announced plans to strengthen their partnership by integrating their respective Boeing 787 Dreamliner programs. Together, Etihad Airways (41) and airberlin (15) have 56 Dreamliners on order.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Inspecting the 777 and Dreamliner assembly lines, Hogan said, “It is exciting to see these aircraft take shape and we look forward to taking delivery of nine more 777s over the next 15 months. Last December, Etihad Airways announced it was taking its total order book for the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner to 41, the first of which arrives in the last quarter of 2014. The order, valued at US$ 9.3 billion, will make Etihad Airways the largest operator of the aircraft type in the world. The UAE flag carrier has options and purchase rights for an additional 25 aircraft.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Etihad Airways on September 2 confirmed its equity stake in Virgin Australia Holdings which has now reached 10 per cent. According to the company’s official statement, this represents 221 million shares which have been bought in the open market over recent months.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Six weeks earlier to the latest development, Etihad Airways received Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB) approval to increase its holding from 5 per cent to 10 per cent. Hogan said, “We are very pleased to have reached this threshold. “We support the management strategy of Virgin Australia and will continue to work closely with them on ways to improve our business,” he added.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Hogan reiterated that Etihad Airways wasn’t interested in becoming a majority shareholder or taking control of Virgin Australia. “Our small equity stake reflects the strong working relationship of both airlines and again demonstrates our enduring commitment to the Australian market,” he said. Hogan is confident that the equity stake would lead to more revenue generating opportunities.</span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Dragonair Launches Flights to Zhengzhou</span></span><span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
42.5pt"><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
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42.5pt"><img alt="" border="1" height="53" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/dragon.gif" vspace="10" width="227" /><br />
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	<span class="A28"><span style="font-size:
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color:#211D1E">ragonair on August 31 announced that it will launch a new scheduled service to Zhengzhou from 8 January 2013, offering more travel choices and greater convenience for passengers travelling between Hong Kong and Mainland China. The new daily service will be operated by Airbus A320 aircraft. Zhengzhou will be the ninth destination to be launched or resumed by the airline in less than 10 months, reads the press statement issued by the airlines.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Zhengzhou is the capital of Henan Province. The city has seen rapid economic growth, particularly in the manufacturing and high-technology sectors, in recent years, attracting both domestic and international investment. World-famous tourist attractions such as the Shaolin Temple in Henan also help to make Zhengzhou a popular destination.</span> <span style="font-size:10.0pt;
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">“We see great potential in the Zhengzhou market for both business and leisure travel, and the new service will significantly boost ties between Hong Kong and Henan Province,” said Patrick Yeung, Dragonair Chief Executive Officer. “Dragonair’s network in Mainland China will increase to 21 cities with the launch of the Zhengzhou service, reinforcing our commitment to the core Mainland China market and at the same time boosting Hong Kong’s role as a major international aviation hub.”</span> </p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We want to do a Long Term Business in Nepal’</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="360" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Jagannath-Patanaik.gif" vspace="10" width="242" /></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Raj Mehta </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the CMD of Little Italy Restaurant and Bar, an Indian restaurant chain well known for authentic Italian cuisine. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Little Italy has recently opened its second international outlet in Kathmandu after its first one in Dubai. The restaurant has more than two dozen outlets within India. Mehta was recently in Nepal for the opening of the restaurant. In an interview with New Business Age, he shared his ideas on marketing and food business in Nepal. Excerpts:</span><br />
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the prospects that Little Italy sees in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Nepal is a growing economy and a lot of tourists visit Nepal. Besides, Nepalis travel to a lot of places and so, people do know about different kind of food. The culture for eating out is also very good. There is a lot of potential for food as it is a never-dying business. Globally, food can be categorised into four major categories – Indian, Chinese, Italian and French. Indian as well as Chinese foods have good presence in Nepal while Italian food too is there but not as a proper fine dining option. That is the reason we chose Nepal and are very happy to be here. Kathmandu can sustain two more Italian dining outlets. Pokhara, being a major tourist destination, can also sustain an outlet. It is just a matter of time. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Little Italy is a new brand name for Nepal. How do you plan to market your brand along with Italian food? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">First, launching the brand will increase the visibility of a particular brand in the market. We are covering the brand name through newspapers and e-marketing is being taken care of by our marketing team. The food business has a lot to do with word-of-mouth. We are certain on it because we are confident about the food. Once the food is tried and tasted, the word-of-mouth spreads like fire. There are marketing strategies in place but we believe most in the word-of-mouth publicity. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the brand value of Little Italy at present? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand was started in 1989 from Pune as a family run business. When an outlet was established in Mumbai in 1995, we got a big exposure. After that, we understood that there are a lot of prospects throughout India. As the world was getting narrower because of globalisation, we started franchising. That was one of the best ways to grow. This is a fine dining restaurant, so, we need a local partner to look after its day-to-day affairs. We have presence in most of the two-tier and three-tier cities in India. We started our first international outlet last year in Dubai which is doing very well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the specialities of your restaurant? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We always wanted to be a fine dine restaurant for unique experience. We prepare food in an authentic Italian way - as the Italians prepare it. We like to keep the menu authentic as we don’t believe in getting things tailored. Everything is fresh here and we never compromise on quality. </span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	Usually, the branded and chain restaurants in Nepal are priced comparatively high. How have you priced your menu? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Our target customers are local people, Indians residing in Nepal who know about us during their travels to India and other tourists. For tourists, Italian food is a kind of staple food. Relatively, this brand is a value for money. We maintain our standards that can be compared to a five-star restaurant but we believe that the price has to be value for money. We want to do a long term business rather than a short term business in Nepal. This will be a destination for good food and value for money. <br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the level of competition you feel here?</span>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Fortunately, there is no competition. The market is a virgin territory for us. There are hardly any players in this particular Italian fine dining segment. There are few places for continental and multi-cuisine delicacies but something like fine dining is missing. There are a few players in Kathmandu market who are scattered here and there but those having a full-fledged setup are unfortunately missing. So, we don’t see any competition at all.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">KFC and Pizza Hut recently faced a serious labour problem. How would you tackle the situation if similar situation arise in this restaurant too? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">I would say things have to be seen positively. We should be able to take care of all the scenarios which are unfortunately common here in Nepal. It was kind of similar throughout the world years before. We must try to understand the situation. If both management and staff are well taken care of, such kind of scenario will not come up.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Consumers are Shifting Towards High Quality Products’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Rajendra-Desai.gif" vspace="10" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Rajendra Desai </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the General Manager for Business Development at Kansai Nerolac Paints Limited (KNPL). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">He has recently been appointed to the post of Country Head for Nepal and will be looking after the operations here. Having a work experience of three-and-a-half decades, Desai has worked at Asian Paints for 26 years in various capacities. He has been associated with Nerolac for the last seven years. Kansai Nerolac is a Japan-India Joint venture company. After the acquisition of Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd, the company has transformed into Japan-India-Nepal tripartite joint venture. In an interview with New Business Age, Desai shared details about the acquisition and the moves ahead. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints has acquired 68 per cent stakes in Nepal Shalimar Paints. What are the reasons behind this move? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd, India entered the joint venture with Nepal Shalimar Pvt Ltd (NSPL), one of the leading paints manufacturers in Nepal and acquired 68 per cent stake in the Nepali paints manufacturer. The investment made by Kansai Nerolac towards this acquisition is about Rs 125.8 million. With this acquisition, Nerolac expects to consolidate 10 per cent market share for Kansai Nerolac in Nepal. Owing to Nepal’s progressive economy, Kansai Nerolac Paints Ltd has shown significant business interest in the country. Further, the company would be giving a loan of Rs 120 million to fund the working capital requirement of NSPL. Considered in the top five bracket of Nepal, Nepal Shalimar commands a market share of 8 per cent in Nepal. It had a turnover of Rs 205.7 million in 2010/11 and approximately Rs 250 million in 2011/12. The company’s consolidated profit would improve and in turn increase EPS which will also benefit KNPL shareholders. KNPL is utilising the manufacturing set up of Nepal Shalimar and manufacturing the entire Nerolac range of products that are currently exported to Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">After the acquisition, Nerolac envisages to capture more than 15 per cent market share. How do you plan to achieve that? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are here to make Nepal almost self-reliant with the production of paints that match international standards in quality. Rapid urbanisation, construction boom in the past and growing awareness among customers has triggered the demand of paints, giving a leg up to the mostly joint ventures and subsidiary of Indian multinational companies. We believe that urbanisation not only in Kathmandu but also creation of new urban centres across the country with the flow of remittance in rural and semi-urban areas has been an encouraging factor to expand the paints market. We will be focusing to cash in on the emerging market. </span> <span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have observed in recent times that the market is growing for paints despite slowed demand in the construction sector as consumers have become more aware and are shifting towards high quality products. Population growth and infrastructure development will have advantage to increase in demand of the paints. Due to growing demand, we aim to deliver international quality and healthy home paints at the right price which will be the unique selling point of our brand to achieve higher market share. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p>
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the market prospects you see in Nepal? </span></strong><strong> </strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We are proud to say that our water-based products are heavy metal free such as lead, mercury, chrome etc and all the products are almost zero VOC-(Volatile Organic Compound). We offer a wide range of decorative paints for exterior and interior walls as well as for wooden and metal products. Some of our products for exterior walls are Nerolac Excel Total, Excel Antipeel and Suraksha Advance in premium, middle and economy range respectively. Likewise, our products for interior walls are Nerolac Ecoclean, Impression 24 Carat Luxury of premium class, Lotus Touch Premium Emulsion for mid-range, Beauty Emulsion and Little Master for economy range. We have also offered Beauty Acrylic Distemper for our customers. </span></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Our end consumers, paints dealers and painting contractors are loyal to Nerolac brand and have huge confidence in it. We have always served our customer needs in the best way possible. Likewise, we constantly make sure that the health of our customers is not affected while using our products. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">You are also planning to use the production capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. What will be the range of products that will be produced within Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are augmenting the existing capacity of Nepal Shalimar Paints. We have added some new paints grinding machines for better quality and higher production capacity. We will be using same technology of manufacturing as we do in Japan and India. So, there will not be any variation in the quality of products produced here. We will be producing a full range of products in Nepal that we currently manufacture in India such as water-based emulsion for both Interiors and exteriors along with solvent-based primers and top coats with ancillaries. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the products that you plan to launch soon in Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">A complete range of Nerolac paints is being launched in Nepal as we were already doing business via our range of products by importing in the past. Now, we will be manufacturing the same in Nepal at our Birgunj plant. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The brand Nerolac is endorsed by popular celebrities like Shahrukh Khan. How do such endorsements add value to the brand that also influences the Nepali market?<br />
	<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Shahrukh Khan is a leading celebrity of Bollywood and has a huge fan base not only in India but across the globe including Nepal. The brand endorsement has given boost to our sales figures in India and the same is expected in Nepal as well.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Nepal is a Strategically Important Country to Focus Upon’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p>
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Jagannath Patanaik </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Director-Channel Sales (South Asia) of Kaspersky Lab India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Kaspersky Lab is one of the fastest growing IT security vendors worldwide. Over 300 million people worldwide are protected by Kaspersky Lab products and technologies. Its corporate client base exceeds 200,000 companies located around the globe, ranging from small and medium-sized businesses all the way up to large governmental and commercial organizations. The Lab has more than 120 global partner and technology OEM agreements with companies and today, it’s the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. In an interview with New Business Age, Patanaik talked about Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 and market prospects for Kaspersky products in Nepal. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Can you please tell us the purpose of your current visit to Nepal? <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have just launched the new edition of Kaspersky internet security and Kaspersky mobile security anti-virus here in Nepal. Essential to any level of PC security is superior anti-virus protection that does not slow down your system. Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 has been loaded with the latest technologies that work behind-the-scenes while delivering real-time, cloud-enabled protection from the latest threats, and proactive protection from unknown dangers. It is the essential protection for your computer and mobile these days. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Tell us about some latest features of the new edition of Kaspersky 2013. </span></strong></p>
<p>
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2013 is packed with the latest Kaspersky Lab technologies from our team of world-class security experts and engineers. It works surreptitiously with intelligent scanning and small, frequent updates, while delivering real-time protection. It goes beyond simply scanning for vulnerabilities and now includes analysis and control over the actions of programs and applications with vulnerabilities, so they cannot cause any harm. With a single mouse click, File Advisor uses cloud-based technologies to check the safety of any file you would like to access. In addition, our URL Advisor adds color-coded tags to all web links to advise you of the danger level of the link and subsequent pages. The users can fully enjoy the PC and Internet without being dragged down by security software. Small, smart updates and intelligent scanning operate behind the scenes while delivering maximum PC performance. </span> <br />
	<br />
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is your assessment of the Nepali market for Kaspersky? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><strong> </strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">There is lack of purchase habit regarding software in South Asian market and Nepal is no different. Although being a piracy-oriented country, we need to motivate people to develop a habit to purchase software. However, we have been able to penetrate the market and make people understand the benefits of our product. Nepali market is indeed a challenging market for us. Nevertheless, we are able to make some enrollment. Today, we are talking about reducing the piracy in order to create a virus free Nepal slowly. We have begun to set up Kaspersky anti-virus in every government institution of Nepal for six months for the virus free Nepal campaign. Thus, we are highly positive about the Nepali market in the days ahead as well. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The Nepali market needs to grow. We are trying to educate people regarding the anti-virus security here. Nepal is one of the strategically important countries to focus upon. We are planning to provide security software services to 100,000 computers in Nepal so as to increase the awareness regarding genuine internet security. </span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	Who are the targeted customers for Kaspersky?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Anybody who owns a computer is our target customer. Major targeted customers are the individual consumers and then we are also targeting the government institutions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What do you consider to be the USP of Kaspersky amongst the targeted clientele here in Nepal?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">As we know that online transactions </span><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">are increasing each day, we have unique features in our new edition of Kaspersky 2013 known as “safe money”. Safe Money protects data during online financial transactions. Apart from it, the new Automatic Exploit Prevention ensures that vulnerabilities will not compromise your PC. Similarly, there is an improved version of Virtual Keyboard and Anti- Phishing protection guard against identity theft. A new Secure Keyboard mode protects personal data entered via physical keyboard. Anti-Spam and Anti-Banner protection block unwanted content. The new improved Advanced Parental Control keeps your children safe and responsible online. Hassle-free protection ensures maximum PC performance. All this makes Kaspersky irresistible for computer users all around the globe including Nepal.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Can you tell us about the innovative business solutions regarding the product?</span> <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">In the consumer section, we have internet security anti-virus while in enterprises segment, we have Kaspersky security for virtualization. As people have started to use virtual machines, we are trying to use security solutions for cloud. Kaspersky workspace security (KOSS-1) deals with the protection for workstation and Centralized Administration Kit.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Kaspersky Business Space Security (KOSS-2) protects data, file Server, workstations etc. Similarly, Kaspersky Enterprise Space Security (KOSS-3) is for protecting e-mail Server, data, and file server. Kit Kaspersky Total Security (KOSS-4) protects internet gateway, email Server, data/file Server.</span><br />
	<br />
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Do you currently have any competition for your product in Nepal? If yes, how do you plan to keep ahead of the competition?</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Currently, we are leading the business. I think that continuous improvisation in the product has created a tough competition to our competitors. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What are your business plans for Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">We operate through business channel partners and do not directly go to the market. We go through distributors and channel partners and do a lot of marketing in order to increase awareness and visibility. We are targeting piracy in order to increase our business. We are in the middle of a long tour to educate people regarding the benefits of the software even in Nepal. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">How do you compare Nepali market with other markets for your product?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Nepali market is a unique one and we are the number one in this market. In India, we are in the second position. However, we are leading in most South Asian markets. The product is making us proud. We are increasing people’s awareness regarding Kaspersky being a reasonably priced product. With this product, the Nepali consumers can experience a sense of security while using the computer.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Visiting Business People</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A1"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Our Main Strategy is to Customize Basic Products According to Nepali Customers’ Demand’</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A25"><span myriad="" style="font-size:24.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="" border="1" height="284" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Milind-Pandharipande.gif" vspace="10" width="178" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa0">
	<span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Milind Pandharipande </span></span><span class="A16"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;
color:#211D1E">is the CEO at ITS (Information and Telecom Systems) in India. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">While pursuing his Masters in Computer Science in USA, he also worked as a research scientist for Horizon telecommunications USA. After some years, he returned to India and established his own company. His company had an effective operation from June 2006 and it began to roll out the products from 2010 onwards. Although it’s a fairly young company, he is confident about his business. He was in Kathmandu last month for launching his cash and check deposit machine. In an interview with New Business Age, Pandharipande talks about the importance of deposit machines in Nepali financial sector. Excerpts:</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the purpose of your visit to Nepal this time? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong>&nbsp;</strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The primary purpose of my visit to Nepal is to promote ITS’s self service Kiosk products, the ones which have been successfully deployed in India already. These products have been especially designed to work in conditions like extreme climate and power shortages which is common in countries like Nepal and India. Our products have been designed for the banking sector, the utility sector and are primarily focused on self service. If you are familiar with ATM machine where the customer can directly withdraw cash, our products can help customers not only withdraw the cash but also deposit the cash or check in his or his friend’s account. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the features of your products?</span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">These products have multiple features, where a customer can perform cash deposit, check deposit, account-to-account money transfer, balance inquiry etc. For instance, I can enter my account number and then decide whether to make cash deposit or check deposit. If I make cash deposit, the machine will instruct me to put all my notes in a cash tray and it will accept it one note at a time. Once, all the notes are accepted, it will provide me a transaction receipt and my account will be credited for that amount. These products are fitted with high performance security system which has made them robust. A type of mechanism has been built into it including a back-up UPS. Also, if the machine is stolen, it will automatically inform the law enforcement agencies. Every tampering with machines, either physical or software is recorded and transmitted to the enforcement agencies. This way the machine becomes a formidable piece of hardware.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">Who are your target group of customers? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are basically promoting these products for Nepal’s banking and financial sector. And obviously, the major customers are the banks, finance companies and utility companies, for instance, mobile operators. There are also clients from electricity companies and other companies who are into financial transactions. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How are you promoting your business in Nepal?</span>&nbsp; <br />
	</strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We are talking to the news media basically the ones who can promote our products. We are seeking promotion of these products from our local partner World Distribution Nepal (WDN). It is difficult for someone coming from India to spread their business covering the entire country of Nepal. For quick penetration, we need other local partners here who can introduce the products in the market. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">What are your plans to attract more number of people using your services? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">We have tried to make our products customer friendly and are also offering more features on it. The only way that we can grow our business is by local customization. We cannot just bring the products from India and sell in Nepal. We ask consumers how they want to customize them. Like, if I offer coffee to you, I would not prepare coffee against your interests. I would ask how much milk and sugar you want which makes you very comfortable to drink that coffee rather than me telling you to drink coffee of my choice. Our main strategy is to bring the basic products that have been developed in India and then customize it according to the demand of the customers in Nepal, for instance, language customization. Customers from Nepal might be interacting or having certain bank transaction differently than what we have customized for Indian customers. That is why we consider local customization a key to our success.<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How can Nepali Industries benefit from your products?</span></strong><br />
	<br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">It is not just Nepali industries, it is important for overall businesses in Nepal. For instance, if I ask my customers to come between nine in the morning and five in the evening and suggest that I can sell the products only during this time, the customers may not feel comfortable to shop. Instead of that, if you take your shop to where the customers are, you will be able to flourish your business. Likewise, with these machines, customers can get service anytime, anywhere. We are bringing these products to our neighborhood and it could be operated 24hrs/7days. This will absolutely raise the number of customers and the bank’s revenue will increase. Many a time, customers do not pay utility bills not because they do not want to pay but because they do not have the avenues to pay. When the bank is closed after five, customers look forward to the next day. With these products, they will be able to deposit their cash after 10 pm also without having to go to the branch office. It is like an ATM machine where you can withdraw your cash rather than having to wait for the bank. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">How do you observe the market demand for your products? </span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">We will follow the same strategies what ATMs in Nepal have already been following. Every year, we have been doubling the features that are getting deployed. There has been a high demand for our products in Nepal. Nearly four banks have shown interests in our products who are likely to start using our products soon.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>',
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We must adopt ‘tunnel technology’ for construction of roads in Nepal’ </span></span><br />
	<br />
	<img alt="hyidayesh" border="1" height="300" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Hridayesh-Tripathi.jpg" vspace="10" width="247" /></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Hridayesh Tripathi, Minister for Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, explaining that tunnels make roads shorter and secure and constructing tunnels will give respite from problems related to long winding roads. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A23"><span myriad="" style="font-size:25.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:20.0pt">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities. </span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The entrepreneurs do not have a hand in determining vegetable prices’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Khom Prasad Ghimire, Chairman of Federation of Fruit &amp; Vegetable Entrepreneurs Nepal, clarifying that prices are affected as per demand and supply mechanism where low production leads to high prices and high production coupled with easy availability help stabilise prices.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘We were the first one to propose BOOT model for infrastructure development’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Dr Ram Sharan Mahat, Former Finance Minister and Nepali Congress leader, claiming that his party had first proposed to introduce BOOT model for Kathmandu-Terai fast track and emphasised the private sector must follow the model for infrastructure projects that have profit making possibilities.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘Oman Air will actively pursue opportunities to expand its current operations in Nepal’<br />
	<br />
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">John Rodrigues, the Country Manager of Oman Air for Nepal, saying that the Muscat-based national airline of Oman has not finalized any immediate plans for expansion in Nepal, however, it is looking at opportunities to do so in the future.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘The government cannot force us to make laminated sacks mandatory for packing cement’</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Atma Ram Murarka, President of Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nepal (CMAN), while agreeing that the use of laminated sacks may be environment friendly it is simply not possible for the cement producers to switch their packing system from the existing woven sacks within 91 days as notified by the Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A24"><span myriad="" style="font-size:20.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">‘About 30 per cent of Nepal’s population is capable of buying insurance policies’<br />
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	<img alt="binod aryal" border="1" height="243" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/Binod-Aryal,.jpg" vspace="10" width="200" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span myriad="" style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">Binod Aryal, Executive Director of Insurance Board (IB) of Nepal, observing that the insurance companies have only reached about 6-7 per cent population because of their unwillingness to go to the remote areas as they earn profits in the cities.</span></span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F"><img alt="feedback" border="1" height="395" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /><br />
	<br />
	Chilime Hydropower: Dreaming Large<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="chilime hydropower" border="1" height="168" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feeback2.jpg" vspace="10" width="224" /><br />
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<p class="Pa17" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector. The SWOT analysis shows a long list of threats and more that we can add on. Looking at revenue collection and net profit it has generated, it defiantly lacks of investment in terms of growth. In my opinion, if licensing and flexibility from government are to be provided more easily, it can grow and thrive as PLC. It has improved its CSR as a PLC and locals are definitely getting far more benefit than they should get. <br style="mso-special-character:
line-break" />
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	<span class="A21"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Prakash, <a href="mailto:sthprakash@gmail.com">sthprakash@gmail.com</a></span></b></span></p>
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	<span class="A21"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Remittance Matters </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The September 2012issue of New Business Age portrayed that Nepal is the 6th largest country in collecting remittance in its volume of GDP. This is the only reason that the economy is sustaining in Nepal. Although the figure seems to be very attractive, it is not a reliable source of economy, simply because it is temporary. The construction work will not last forever and one day the remittance economy will fall down. Apart from that, the fund collected from remittance is used in unproductive sector. Due to this, there is a high possibility of social problems and economic problems relating to inflation occurring in the country. So the government should make a special provision to effectively mobilize the funds in productive sector so that the country will become self sufficient. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Ramesh Aryal, Apex College, New Baneshwor</span></b></p>
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	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Almighty Remittance! </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
margin-left:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:10.05pt;mso-layout-grid-align:
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The massive flow of remittance in a developing nation like Nepal certainly makes good news. The cover story in the September 2012 issue of New Business Age was worth reading. It is a fact that hard earned money by Nepali workers residing abroad provides many Nepali families with two square meal and roof over their heads. The story reveals that the national economy largely depends on remittance money. As reported in the story, the positive point of the story is that despite the political unrest, the average household income of the Nepalis has increased by more than four-fold over the span of five years. The colossal flow of money certainly boosts the national economy but on the other hand, it makes our entire economy dependent on the migrant workers’ money. Thanks for highlighting such pertinent and ever relevant issue of Nepal. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Bikash Nepal, Biratnagar</span></b></p>
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line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
	<span style="font-size:9.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p>
	 </p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top:5.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
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none;text-autospace:none">
	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#221E1F">Kudos to EBL </span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">I’m pleased to know that Everest Bank Limited (EBL) has established a special branch ‘Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha’. The commercial bank’s initiative to lend some hand to the agricultural sector is definitely praiseworthy. Our farming sector lacks modern tools and on the other hand, we are not doing enough to obtain scientific methods. So, I hope such an initiative of EBL will facilitate the farmers and boost the agro business. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
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line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
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	 </p>
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color:#221E1F">The Importance of Ink Pens </span></p>
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">The story on Pilot pen in the ‘Corporate Focus’ column was a delight. At a time when the world has been dominated by gadgets and gizmos, the importance of an ink pen has been well documented in the story. There were oblivious facts for ‘pen users’ like us, for example, Pilot Pens being a trademark name has a sole authorized distributor in Kathmandu. The leading Japanese pen brand has made its own niche in the world of ink pens. When young, I used to be fond of pilot pens while watching my banker father use them to complete his assignments. It was quiet distressing to know that the absence of legal mechanism has made it easy for counterfeit products to co-exist with such a valued brand. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
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color:#221E1F">Inspiring Story <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="feedback" border="1" height="450" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/feedback3.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></p>
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mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Business entrepreneur Min Bahadur Gurung’s journey from a grocery store owner to the ever growing chain of Bhatbhateni Departmental Stores is an inspiring one for all. Gurung’s stature as an entrepreneur and his business is growing and he owes it to hard work and dedication. I liked his down-to-earth attitude and his belief that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Being a student of +2 level, I certainly heed his words and further believe that for our generation, his hard work will be ever inspirational. <br style="mso-special-character:
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Amit Yadav, Bhaktapur</span></b></p>
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&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:13.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">Mail your feedback to P O Box 14197, Kathmandu or Email to editor@newbusinessage.com</span></p>',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
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			'description' => 'It was interesting to read the above titled article in the August 2012 issue of New Business Age. I think Chilime Hydropower is a really promising company. As we can see that demand of electricity is increasing day-by-day, there is definitely money to be made in this sector.',
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Sajag Karki</span></span></strong></p>
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	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Luxury Brands</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">&nbsp;</span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In this world of commercialization, luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else.</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="brand luxury" border="1" height="287" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">T</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">he concept of luxury has been around in various forms since the beginning of civilization. People were fond of novelty items reflecting their obsession for vanity. Items such as perfume, jewelry, premium watches, and fine whisky were considered luxury. Such products or services are not considered essential and are associated with affluence. The case is no less different today as people are still lured towards new and unusual things that give them a sense of vanity. The only notable difference is that the novelty items in the past were generic whereas today they are branded. It’s a want rather than a need and luxury brands have been successful in catering to this niche audience. Brands such as Mercedes, BMW, Ritz Carlton etc are almost synonymous with luxury.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="286" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand1.jpg" vspace="10" width="395" /></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Upon understanding the basic product types in marketing, there are three product levels: core, basic and augmented. The core product is the basic benefit that it provides. The actual product involves the features, design, brand name etc. The augmented product gives customers something extra such as luxury which customers indulge in as vanity. An example could be high quality leather seats and dashboard for the Mercedes. Such luxury products need special purchase efforts like ordering in advance or special instructions for additional features. It also has high price and fewer purchase locations which makes possessing such products an act of self esteem. Lamborghini and Rolex are targeted at deep pocketed clients who wish to purchase expensive goods and relate to them as having better quality and signifying luxury. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand3" border="1" height="294" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand3.jpg" vspace="10" width="402" /><br />
	</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>Branding of luxury goods have some basic principles which are: equating luxury with life experiences, implied level of unparallel customer service, attention to detail and loyalty benefits. Rolls Royce, for example, has created a cult status of a super luxury automobile brand as they themselves choose their clientele based on one’s status in the society. It is not one of those cars that you can walk in to the showroom and buy. In India, only a handful of high profile personalities like Amitabh Bachchan and Sachin Tendulkar have been chosen worthy to own a Rolls Royce. Hence, it is not just a matter of money but also a prestige awarded by the company for reaching an unprecedented level that meets the high standards set by the company. In a survey conducted by Forbes, some of the most desired luxury clothing brands are Gucci, Christian Dior and Giorgio Armani among others.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="brand14" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/brand2.jpg" vspace="10" width="394" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">However a term coined “mass luxury” has already begun to keep pace with luxury brands diversifying their products to meet the desires of middle class as well. BMW and Mercedes can be termed as mass luxury as anyone with money can buy it. Similarly, top hotels and airlines also have started mass luxury in order to sustain in the market. Five-star hotels with special discounted packages and airlines adding services in the economy class are all signs of mass luxury.</span></p>
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">In this world of commercialization, there is a saying “if you’ve got it, flaunt it” so luxury is more of an affluence or prestige factor than anything else. For those looking for all these, luxury brands could be a solution to all their desires.</span> <br />
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:8.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Karki can be reached at sajag_karki@hotmail. com. The article is based on research and author’s practical experience as a marketing and advertising professional.</span></p>',
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	<br />
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><img alt="" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/featured_nolaughing.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">By Madan Lamsal</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A14"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Fear of Futures Contracts</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span myriad="" style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:"><br />
	Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="301" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/no-laughing-matter.jpg" vspace="10" width="334" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">I</span></span><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">f anything Nepal is scared of most at present is the futures contract of the commodities – every sector seems to be terror stricken by this fright. Dr Baburam’s government is shaken and equally confused in guiding another Baburam, who now heads regulatory authority SEBON, to take a further step on this trade. SEBON is frightened apparently, so that it is deliberately delaying to introduce the regulation. Financial sector is fearful in reading our media portrayal that the commodity exchanges are allegedly facilitating massive capital flights. Investors are not ready to invest, and exchanges themselves, about a dozen of them, fear bankruptcy and government wrath – two blows at once. So much so, the writers of a report, which is the root cause of this entire fuss, are even more terribly frightened to find how their very first experience of learning to write a serious report is faced with a hard rock.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">In fact, there is no surprise element in this. Nepalis are culturally averse to the very concept of contracts of any type. Take some examples, we recently sent out the contractor of Melamchi project. Our national flag carrier is at the verge of collapse for failing to strike a contract to purchase an aircraft. People even at the grassroots are determined to stop any development project that has potentials to be contracted. Trade unions resisted the introduction of the employment contract in manufacturing and services sectors. Therefore, much of the hue and cry over the commodities futures markets comes from our inherent disgust to contracts than anything serious like growing risk in investment, i.e. losing money, or even the capital flight.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">True that some feel that trading in the futures markets is like gambling in casinos. But still, Nepalis have not stopped going into casinos even knowing that it is absolutely illegal and there is well over 95% chance of losing money. But futures are not casinos; they are just ‘like’ them, as monkey is like man.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">This also implicitly means that other investments are not like casinos but they are like bank deposits with 200 percent guarantees of annual interest. This would also mean that thousands of investors in the Nepali stocks are in merry-making mood, thousands of industrialists and businessmen are making enjoying an impressive rate of return on their investment now. And, in a nutshell, Nepali economy except for the commodities futures market is stainless and trouble free. Bravo for a perspective which has understood business not as a risk taking game but an operation to be run in mercy and at the mark charted by the state.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The flight of the capital, of course, there has been. Look at the rate of exchange for Rs100 Indian currency against Rs 168 in the ‘open’ black market. Despite the revered central bank’s repeated assurances that they have big pile of foreign currency reserves, no bank is able to give you more than 200 dollars in cash notes against your travel documents’ entitlement of 2,500 USD. This proves that every convertible currency available is flying away. But, all this has happened when the transactions in these futures exchanges got virtually halted. So, such flight must have taken place through tunnels and trenches dug during the jungle warfare by the brothers and sisters of Mao, Lenin and Che Guevara, who incidentally are now in government. And they only know for sure where exactly these holes, tunnels and trenches exist.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
">Again, coming back to the culture, the commodity exchanges should take into consideration that we Nepali firmly believe in -- the on-the-spot delivery of things. When a political party or a trade union asks for ‘donation’, it must be given then and there, otherwise your life may be delivered to God on-the-spot. If you buy or sell house or land or car, you must give or take physical cash – no cheques, no drafts. Even the government official concerned wants to be witness to such delivery. No one believes that he or she is owner of, say, a kilo of gold bought online, if the person cannot materially touch it. May be, these futures exchanges also have to physically deliver something in exchange of a regulation that they are demanding it for so long.</span></p>
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			'title' => 'Beauty, Brains And Balance',
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</xml><![endif]-->	<strong><span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Surokshya Manandhar</span></span></strong></p>
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	<span class="A14"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="personality" border="1" height="417" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_1.jpg" vspace="10" width="345" /></span></span></p>
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	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Beauty, Brains and Balance</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A30"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A29"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="persoanlity" border="1" height="524" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_2.jpg" vspace="10" width="373" /></span></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="mso-line-height-alt:10.05pt">
	<span class="A4"><span style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:
minor-bidi">G</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;color:#221E1F">eorge Bernard Shaw once said “Some men see things as they are and say why - I dream things that never were and say why not.” Similar has been the attitude of this ambitious businesswoman Seema Golchha throughout. Carving out a niche for herself, she has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business. She confessed that her father-in-law was the one to motivate her to join the business. Ever since she took a bold step toward business, there has been no looking back. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">&nbsp;Exploring the lesser known, and rather personal side to Golchha, she reveals to you, her journey from a young, liberal and warm hearted Indian girl to being the daughter-in-law of one of the most reputed business house in Nepal and finally to establishing herself a successful entrepreneur.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“I always had a smile on my face, she said, recalling her childhood days. Brought up in Lucknow and Dehradun, Golchha had a happy childhood. She completed her schooling from Dehradun and pursued her higher studies in Delhi University. She was always a vivacious and an independent girl. For her, the inspiration to lead an independent life always came from her working mother. Unlike ordinary women thirty years ago, she lived independently in a flat and worked for advertising agencies. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="" border="1" height="424" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_3.jpg" vspace="10" width="366" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">However, things changed completely for her when she got married to Shekhar Golchha who belonged to a completely different cultural background. “I was leading a very modern and liberal lifestyle before marriage and hence getting married to a conservative family brought a huge cross-cultural transition in my life,” expressed Golchha. Although it took her some time, she eventually adapted to and adjusted with the new environment that she was placed in back then.</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Golchha, who has perfectly balanced her personal and professional life, believes that time management is the key to balance in life. Wife of a businessman and a mother of two, she is also a perfectionist. Although it is not possible to score 10 / 10, she, as a mother, a wife, and an entrepreneur, is doing justice to every role with sheer conviction. . Enjoying every moment of the day, she still tries to work out details in whatever she engages. “We should always give our cent percent in whatever we do,” she said. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#221E1F">Entering business was intentional for her, as she always had an interest in it. “I am happy being involved in business as it recharges and completes my life in a way,” she said when asked about her professional life. She started her business with a women’s showroom in Durbar Marg. Since then there has been no looking back for her. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="367" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personaliity_4.jpg" vspace="10" width="312" /><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#221E1F">“Success is important, but it is not everything,” said Golchha. She believes that every step taken towards achieving your goal counts. It doesn’t matter if one succeeds or not, it is important that one should work hard to meet own expectations and goals. When she first joined the family business, a showroom like Samsung Plaza was an innovative idea. It was very rare in Nepal to find such a range of electronics under one roof. Today, 10 years later, she is expanding the exclusive outlet of Samsung electrical appliances across the country. Despite many obstructions like load shedding and strikes, she is also looking to further expand her business by launching two more Samsung Plazas, a Timex Watch outlet and a Bajaj Appliances outlet. She strongly believes that if you have faith in yourself, nothing can stop you and hence she is </span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">moving ever onward. </span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She has always held the view that women should be empowered. Hence, most of her employees are young, motivated girls. In her line of business, it is important to understand customers’ temperament because at the end of the day, customers’ satisfaction is what matters most. So, when she is recruiting her employees, academic qualification is not all that she looks for, she also observes their personality. When asked about her management strategy, she shared that it is important to provide employees with space for innovation in order to improve and upgrade the company’s status. It is also important to provide enough opportunity for communication between management and staff. She also makes sure to set an example of dedication, in order to motivate her employees. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">She is surely dedicated to her work but a trekking enthusiast, Golchha doesn’t forget to take a break every now and then. For her, friends and family are an integral part of her life and she lets her hair down while having fun with them. She believes that socializing is an important aspect of both personal and professional life. She is also an avid book reader. With her life moving back and forth between so many roles of a woman, she still manages to maintain equilibrium in her life. With an amazing life graph and career ladder, she is beauty with not only brains but also balance.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#221E1F">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22229">PERSONAL SIDE <br />
	<br />
	</span>Hobby: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Reading. She is a voracious reader. She always carries a book and is currently reading “Immortals of Meluha” by Amish. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Pets: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves dogs and cats. She has three dogs and would love to own a cat. But she complains that her husband is not fond of cats. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Friends: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Integral part of life. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Brands: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Brand conscious. However, if one can carry her/himself well without brands, it is perfectly alright. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Success: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Important but not everything. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Planning a holiday: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Loves travelling. Has already planned a holiday for Dashain. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Cosmetics: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Clinique. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Leisure time: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Listening to music, reading books, spending quality time with family. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Favorite travel destination: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Europe. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Sporty Indulgence: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Swimming, Trekking. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Socializing or not: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt">Yes, a big socialite! </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A55"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Life: </span></span><span class="A56"><span style="font-size:9.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Each day a new motivation to live with happiness and self-contentedness.</span></span></p>
<p>
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			'created' => '2012-10-30',
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			'description' => 'Carving out a niche for herself, Seema Golchha has been making her presence felt in the Nepali business sector. In the male dominated Nepali society, when Golchha decided to join her family business, it was something unusual. Never before had any woman from the Golchha family forayed into business.',
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			'title' => 'Justin Sargent',
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			'content' => '<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><strong><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%;">‘Social Research has a Huge Scope in this Part of the World’</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:20px;"><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A31"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "><span style="font-size:20px;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></span><img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="403" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="277" /><br />
	</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Justin Sargent </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">Managing Director-India </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Nielsen</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">Justin Sargent is the Managing Director for Nielsen India's Consumer Business. He is leading Nielsen's consumer businesses (Retail Measurement Services, Consumer Research, BASES, Advance Analytical Consulting) including Client Leadership, Client Service and Product Leadership initiatives. He graduated from Warwick University, England with a BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics. Langer has held a number of senior positions at Nielsen across the globe, including the position of RMS Executive Director - Australia, and most recently Managing Director - UK &amp; Ireland. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A58">He is currently based in Mumbai, India and focuses on the strategy of listening to the consumers to get more consumers' insight. The Nielsen Company is a global information and media company with leading market positions in marketing and consumer information, television and other media measurement, online intelligence, mobile measurement, trade shows and business publications. It is planning to continue growing its business by applying its strategies of driving more consumers' insights and generating a more complete understanding of consumers. In an interview with New Business Age, Langer talked about importance of Nielsen numbers and major plans for its Nepal operations among a host of other issues. Excerpts:<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="419" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_12.jpg" vspace="10" width="287" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A58"><br />
	</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Please give us an overview of Nielsen’s business in this region that includes Nepal and India. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Nielsen’s South Asia operation covers countries like India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. It’s quite a sizeable region for Nielsen in this developing part of the world. Like multinationals, we view countries like India, Nepal and other parts of South Asia as areas of priority where our clients are investing to find out their consumers’ size. Nielsen has been in India since 1960s and in Nepal since early 1990s. We are increasingly focusing on these two countries as our clients are seeking growth here.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen in Nepal has a full range of services. It is mainly known for measurement services. Most of our clients are particularly from the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector and hence they demand to understand how they are performing, in comparison to their competitors. We also do a lot of work with NGOs and help them understand factors that can help them promote and influence the country’s growth. We work for AED, PSI and some other USAID-funded projects in Nepal in addition to a host of multinational companies like Coca- Cola, Colgate-Palmolive and Procter &amp; Gamble to name a few.&nbsp; </span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A huge part of our business is dedicated to these two services. Our business is growing well in Nepal and the clients seem increasingly interested in this market. It seems to be the right time for us to consider how to elevate to the next level and how to potentially bring in further expansion. Maybe, we could bring some new analogical products that have worked well elsewhere, in other developing markets.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Social research has a huge scope in this part of the world. In India, we also work in sectors including government organizations and the NGOs, for example, UNICEF. We also work with projects on big, important sectors like health and education. FMCG is an area that Nielsen tends to put in a lot of time and energy into. Nielsen is a global company so we are constantly looking for the climax in different countries, and Nepal is now in its climax. It has many centers of attraction and the GDP growth of the country is four per cent which is still pretty attractive compared to a lot of western economies.</span><br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">We developed the social research practice that works right across South Asia. We have experts that tend to work across the different countries. For example, we utilize the microfinance expertise from Bangladesh in other countries. We have a team on the ground here in Nepal that lives by the company’s principles. However, we are bringing in more expertise to the Nepali marketplace to see what we can do in the social research sphere as a whole. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="491" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interviw_13.jpg" vspace="10" width="306" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please provide us some insight on the topline retail and consumer trends from the perspective of the Indian market?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">India has a huge population and big traditional trade. We have seen a lot of growth in that country, especially in the rural areas. Though modern trade is still small – only six per cent – compared to traditional trade, we have started observing changes in trends. It’s growing fast and more consumers are looking for convenience and choice. We have started to notice a lot of trading for more branded products. We notice a lot of use of technology including social media and smart phones. Consumers have grown a lot savvier and their expectations are increasing. This might be helpful in changing people’s perspectives, packaging perspectives and value perspectives. One thing which is very consistent in India is the value. We do service right around the world and India always comes top in terms of value consciousness. A lot of consumers increasingly shop around for promotion to make sure they can remain value conscious and still satisfy their increasing aspirations. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Our clients’ business and even the Nielsen’s business both saw this high trend basically three to four years ago. GDP growth is a little lower this year, which is forecasted now at six percent. However, global manufactures and local Indian multinational companies alike, are pretty positive about the future.</span><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Yours is a privately held company active in approximately 100 countries, with its headquarters in New York, USA. How big an advantage is this when you deal with global clients?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">When a global client is working with us, they may know Nielsen already. We assure the country manager of a global client locally that we will share our best practices with them and suggest that the service is worth exploiting. Our local teams are mostly in the field, visiting local clients to relate to them and understand their perspectives. Nielsen’s methodologies are globally consistent; however, we do tend to tailor them in order to meet specific needs of the marketplace. For example, when we spoke to our clients in Nepal, they expressed that they wanted us to represent certain regions and towns in more detail than we might have for others. We don’t have this service in other countries but developed it to match their demand of covering some of the towns in greater detail. We believe that the best global practice methodologies should be open for local customization. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Listening to a client’s need is a critical process and an important element of our strategy because clients know best where they are going and with what strategy. They can naturally express their needs. Therefore, listening is a critical part of our job while delighting clients is our aspiration. However, different clients have different needs so we need to balance between occasions and between realities. We have to bring the realities from a commercial firm with the right product to the market. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal">&nbsp;</b></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you explain the importance of Nielsen numbers?</span> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen numbers tell our clients what their market share is, how fast the market is growing, and where they are in the competition. We are proud of being an independent company. We focus on using the Nielsen’s number to guide the expertise’s planning. We invest a lot of time in quality management, ensuring that we have got the right field management practices and the right amulets to interpret those numbers because we know how much our clients rely on the Nielsen’s number. Before I joined Nielsen, I used to work at Procter &amp; Gamble as a category marketing analyst many years ago in the UK. Every week a Nielsen’s number used to come around and that is when I first realized how much weight these numbers carry. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The way in which people used the number were for making investment decisions, judging their performances in the market or looking after factors like distribution, product prices and level of competition. We tend to advise companies a lot in terms of what the distribution strategies should be and the likely pricing strategy they should adopt. Nielsen’s number is the bed rock for a lot of the decisions being made in the marketplace. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the major plans for Nielsen Nepal?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The main purpose of my visit to Nepal is spending time with the management team and deciding on the next steps to be taken for the development of business in this country. Nepali clients’ expectations are increasing, so we are looking into the areas where potential improvements can be made. One area that we are considering is whether or not to expand coverage of measurement products into rural areas. We have not decided whether it is the right measure to take. We are also looking at a particular social research base to elaborate more expertise and bring in some more technical capabilities into Nepal in order to improve the level of understanding. We are also looking forward to introduce other services that we also have in other countries, for example, analytics. This could be an advantage for Nepal because they know how to go to the next level, to expand the distribution and to improve their competitive businesses. We have a number of analytics with capabilities in consideration. We are looking forward to listening to our clients’ view point. We would certainly like to build more presence in Nepal because our clients are demanding it. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<img alt="Justin Sargent " border="1" height="430" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/intreview_2012.jpg" vspace="10" width="231" /></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">You joined Nielsen way back in 1993 and have held senior positions across the globe since. How do you assess this association over the period of almost two decades now?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From a personal perspective, Nielsen has provided me with lots of opportunities. When I joined Nielsen, I didn’t think that I would still be here 20 years later. Fortunately for me, I was given increasingly challenging assignments throughout which has allowed me to travel across different continents like Europe, Australia and Asia. Currently, I am working in India. Working in different countries engaging with different people, thinking about and understanding the clients’ needs and facing business challenges, has been very stimulating indeed. Nielsen has come across a lot of transformation in 20 years’ time including its ownership.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Nielsen focuses on shifting developments and as I mentioned before, moving people around is a big part of our strategy. Moving people to the developing market is good for learning about what works for a developing market. We can then reverse, innovate and take the best of practices to the developing market. But it also means you can look elsewhere, may be in the US or Europe, that could be a relevant market like India or Nepal. Nielsen’s strategies on talent developments and moving people around the world are incredibly one of the great things that it wants to share with other companies. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you please elaborate on why is transferring talents so important?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The general principal of moving people around is either for different jobs within a country or across different countries. It provides people with different experiences, perspectives and learning opportunities that eventually lead to career building. It is equally important from a company’s perspective as transferring people is also about transferring ideas, embracing innovations and sharing the best skills within and beyond boundaries. A big part of Nielsen’s strategy is to be a company exporting talent around the globe. We are fortunately one of the beneficiaries of that as we get to carry out a number of different assignments in different countries.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Could you highlight the integral components of a transparent communications culture?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">This is something that I have always strongly believed in. You have to be very candid, honest and open to both your peers and clients. When you communicate very frankly, you recognize people better. It is a fundamental philosophy of mine to lead a very honest communication because it is the only way to build trust and loyalty in general. It’s about celebrating and recognizing people. The transparent communication culture is not limited among the colleagues, rather it also extends to our clients by being very open with them. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are your recommendations to organizations for building a ‘client first’ mindset?</span></b> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">‘Client First’ mindset is all about thoughtfulness. Instead of offering Nielsen’s products immediately, I first inquire about what my clients need and how we can satisfy them better. Once you build a ‘client first’ mindset it will eventually benefit your business strategies because then you are developing your products and services according to the clients’ needs. It improves your client’s service because your clients can relate to and make use of them. Besides, at the end of the day, it ensures that our services are up to the mark. ’Client First’ mindset is something that I have passionately believed in during my entire career. Even if we talk beyond Nielsen, the same philosophy rules the most successful companies. From a marketing stand point, it is necessary to listen to the customers. Since there are new technologies emerging, we should utilize them to listen to the customers’ voice. For example, the social network and blogs could be powerful tools. Even the CEOs of many companies have started going out on the streets to understand customers’ needs.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Things are rapidly changing in countries like India and Nepal. If you are constantly in touch with people, you could know more about them particularly the way in which people adopt technology. You have to constantly engage with customers to understand what is important for your brand and how could you keep it desirable for them. Understanding technology and customers to flourish your brand is something that can certainly be achieved by building a ‘client first’ mindset.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A1"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Corporate Focus</span></span></strong></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A30">The Last Resort </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">A Perfect Adventure Destination</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A32"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="corpoate focus" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">T</span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">he Last Resort is not only an ultimate destination for Nepali daredevils but also for adventure seekers trekking across the world in a quest for thrills. The resort, lying peacefully 100 kilometres north-east of Kathmandu has become the ultimate destination for those seeking thrills of a bungee jump and various other adventure possibilities the resort offers. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since its establishment 14 years ago, thousands of adventure lovers have flocked to the resort to calm their adrenaline pumps. The resort was established by David H Alladice and Bishnu H Neupane in 1998 October. The resort primarily established with an aim to promote adventure activities with Bungy Nepal has now expanded to numerous activities like Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking and Rafting. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	<br />
	The Last Resort in Sindhupalchowk district, a three-and-a-half hour’s drive from Kathmandu is not a haven for adventure seekers only. The resort is also a perfect getaway for relaxation and experiencing serene nature, away from the bustling city crowds and stressful weekdays. To address non-daredevils, the resort offers various packages like “relax at the resort for one night” at the price tag of Rs 3,500. Similarly, “relax and massage package” of one night costs Rs 5,000 per person. The resort has 25 tents that can accommodate 64 persons at once that ensure quiet and peaceful stay in an exotic setting. Services like massage, sauna and plunge pool in a peaceful environment help the relaxation of body and mind. Surrounding area also hosts numerous possibilities for hiking and brief strolling to enjoy the picturesque hills and roaring river deep into the gorge. <br />
	<br />
	So, The Last Resort is absolutely not for adventurous souls only. The resort located across the Bhotekoshi River linked with a suspension bridge from the Araniko Highway receives tourists and visitors round the year. Prakash Pradhan, Resort Manager and Bungy Master says being located near to the Tibetan border, tourists visiting the surrounding hills for hiking, biking and other activities also visit the resort to quench their thirst for ultimate adventure. The resort on top of a green river gorge is 10 kilometres from Tatopani, Tibetan border and 12 kilometres from Barhabise of Sindhupalchowk. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort does not need a special season to welcome its guests. The resort is visited round the year by Nepali and foreign visitors. However, it welcomes higher number of foreign tourists during the peak tourist season - September to November. Thakur Rimal, Assistant Resort Manager, says, “March to May and September to November is the season while rest of the year is off-season. Even in the off-season, the resort does reasonably well due to its many activities.” <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="last resort" border="1" height="217" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/corporate-focus1.jpg" vspace="10" width="483" /><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Nepal at The Last Resort is ranked second on Asia’s five highest bungee jumps by CNNGo. It is also listed as one of the best bungee jumps around the world by numerous media. It is the second highest jump in Asia. Probably it is the most spectacular jump on the planet. Jumping off a 160 metre high bridge into the gorge of Bhotekoshi River is definitely one of the most thrilling acts to try. It is as exciting and fun as scary as it looks. After taking a leap from the 160 metre high bridge, the sense of intense thrill takes over the fear and leaves the jumper longing for never ending free fall instead of what Bungy Nepal offers – 3.5 seconds. As bungee instructors at the resort say, the jump is definitely, “Walking like a penguin and flying like a bird.” </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">To try the bungee jump, one must be at least 40 kg to 110 kg and 18 years and older or have consent from parents in case of a minor. The bungee begins between 11 to 11:30 am and continues usually till 4 pm. The sales office at Thamel takes 40 bookings at most but rest can be availed on-site bookings at the resort. A bus of the resort leaves Thamel at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br />
	</span></span><strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyon Swing </span></span></strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><br />
	<br />
	Canyon Swing is definitely not a kid’s swing. The Canyon Swing at The Last Resort is the world’s highest giant and ultimate swing – jumping off a 160 metres high bridge, experiencing free fall of 100 metre for seven seconds before the twin lines swing you at 150 km per hour. The company claims it is the highest in the world. The weight limit for swing is 120 kg. The swing day trip to the resort costs Rs 4,000 per person while the swing only costs Rs 3,200. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">High Ropes is a fun filled activity at The Last Resort that can be enjoyed with family and friends. The thrilling and fun filled activity releases stress and boosts the team work. This adventure sports has various mini activities like ladders, wobbly bridges, walk ways, cargo nets, abseils and zip lines. Hillary Steps, Nepali Taxi and Bagmati River Crossing are few of the obstacles that will make anyone’s adrenaline pump. High Ropes comes with a price tag of Rs 3,500 for a day trip, Relax and High Ropes (1 night/1day) at Rs 5,800 and High ropes only at Rs 3,000. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Hidden Canyons <br />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa8">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Canyoning at The Last Resort is not only about exploring hidden places in the Himalayas but also finding out the adventurer within oneself. The resort offers a variety of canyons from exploratory walks to some of Nepal’s most extreme environments, says the company. The guides of the resort will lead you to abseiling, jumping and sliding down steep canyon walls and waterfalls to deep pools below. It is just another adventurous way to release the tension and get adrenaline high in the blood. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The resort is spread over an area of around 18 ropanis. The land was bought from a local Guthi and around half the land is acquired by the resort from local villagers around the resort. Situated right next to a village, the resort has given back to the locality in various ways. The suspension bridge that holds the platform for bungee jumping and swing was built by the resort. The bridge not only offers the option to jump off it but also the convenient way for locals to connect to the highway. According to Pradhan, before the bridge was built by the resort, locals had to walk three hours to cross the Bhotekoshi River and reach the other side via a bridge closest to the village.<br />
	<br />
	&nbsp;Similarly, out of 68 employees, 48 are working at the resort and around 90 percent of them are locals, says Pradhan. He adds, “As part of our CSR initiatives, we help the local communities in the two VDCs of Marming and Listi Kot. We contribute Rs 400,000 each per year to the two VDCs for education, health and village development.” According to the resort, a fixed amount of every activity is spent on development of the local infrastructure and to support local projects.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHERE: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Panlang-5, Sindhupalchowk district, on the Araniko highway, across the Bhotekoshi River from Marming-8, Sindhupalchowk </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><strong><span class="A16">HOW TO REACH: <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">100 kms from Kathmandu (approximately 3 </span><span color:="" style="font-family: ">½ </span><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">hrs drive), 14 kms from the Tibetan border. One can go by private transport, however, the resort also has its own tourist bus leaving at 6 am every day (6 days during the high season – Monday off, and 4 days during the off season). <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHEN TO GO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Tourist Season (September- November &amp; March-May) <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WHAT TO DO:</span> <br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Bungy Jump, Canyon Swing, High Ropes, Canyoning, Mountain Biking, Rafting, Relax </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">WEATHER: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa18">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similar to Kathmandu all season </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa31" style="margin-top:8.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A16">MISCELLANEOUS: <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A Bungy Jump/Canyon Swing costs Rs 3,200 per person per activity. The resort provides a package of Rs 4,000 per person for to-and-fro transportation, one activity and lunch. There is also a provision for overnight stay at the resort. For more details/reservations, contact The Last Resort, Sales Office, Thamel, Kathmandu: Tel 00977-1- 4700525/4701247, Email info@ thelastresort.com.np or visit its website www.thelastresort.com.np</span></span></p>',
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<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A14"><span style="font-family: ">By Gaurav Aryal</span></span></span></p>
<p>
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size:14px;"> </span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A15">Labour Dilemma </span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">An Analysis of Labour Issues Facing Nepal</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A34"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="labor cover story" border="1" height="495" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover2.jpg" vspace="10" width="400" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa25">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours. </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Political instability, labour problems and power supply are said to be the major causes of poor investment climate in Nepal. According to a survey report of 2009 conducted by enterprisesurveys.org, political instability is the major constraint for doing business followed by power shortage and labour problems respectively.</span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;<img alt="political " border="1" height="270" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/cover1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="257" /></span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A4">A</span><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">ccording to Bishnu Rimal, President of General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT), there are 353,000 individual members of GEFONT and altogether 29 affiliates. Similarly, there are 800,000 members in All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) which has 42 different professional organisations as affiliates., There are around 286 trade unions registered at the Department of Labour (DoL) that are affiliated to 10 trade union federations. A total of 86 new unions have been added after the People’s Movement II, six years ago, when there were 200 unions in the fiscal year 2005/06. According to Manish Agrawal, Vice Chairman of Employers Council at FNCCI, there are 10 authorised trade unions (including GEFONT and ANTUF) at national level in Nepal and they are all affiliated to different political parties. These unions themselves are divided into different categories according to the nature of industry. There are separate unions on tourism, hospitality, service industries, banks and financial institutions and manufacturing sector rather than having branches of a unified labour union that represents overall workers from the entire business sector. <br />
	<br />
	According to World Bank data, labour unrest is one of the contributing factors for adverse investment climate. According to the Global Competitive Index 2012/13 prepared by the World Economic Forum, inadequately educated workforce is one of the major hurdles for doing business in Nepal. The same report ranks Nepal at 125th position on labour market efficiency out of 144 countries. Likewise, poor work ethic in national labour force was placed at 8th most problematic factors for doing business in Nepal.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In addition, restrictive labour regulations was placed in the 5th position under the same category. A report by Nepal Business Initiative (NBI) with support of South Asia Enterprise Development Facility presented to the Prime Minister in the last week of September, labour problem ranks as one of the major challenges faced by the Nepali economy. Similarly, the Global Competitiveness Report 2012–2013 lists various aspects related to the labour market of Nepal and their efficiency and their world ranking.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">(See table).</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);"><img alt="table coverstory" border="1" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/table(1).jpg" vspace="10" />&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In nutshell, if the ongoing problem of power shortage is resolved today, labour problem will come up as the biggest hurdle to beat, for making the overall investment environment favourable for new investors and existing corporate houses. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Wrong Message to Investors </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The never ending labour problems have given unintended messages to the local as well as foreign investors who are willing to venture into Nepal. Recent dispute in KFC and Pizza Hut has definitely given a wrong message to interested foreign investors. Similarly, Shikhar Shoes was closed after workers manhandled the Managing Director of the company and padlocked its factory at Goldhunga. It seems that labour unrest, one of the major roadblocks to higher investment, will continue unabated in the future too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">An investor usually looks to invest where there is favourable business environment. Experts believe that the labour issues have created a hostile environment to investments. Labour trouble experienced in Nepali units of multinational giants like Surya Nepal, Unilever, GMR and Asian Paints have turned off prospective investments to Nepal. A handful of such representative cases are enough to scare away either domestic or foreign investors. Khila Nath Dahal, Former Co-president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Independent (NTUC-I) and former President of Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Union (DECONT) denied, “It is a false assumption that labours are the cause to repel the investment. Labours, investors themselves and the government policy. have roles in r creating threat to investors venturing new business in Nepal. Lack of infrastructural development like roadways, electricity and drinking water has also affected investment.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal claims that industrial strikes are in a decreasing trend. He said, “After 2008, the number of industrial strikes has been decreasing. Trade unions have contributed to only six per cent of the total work stoppages last year as around 28 per cent cases of such work stoppages were due to bandhas called by employers and the rest was contributed by political parties and other organisations.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Still, leading corporate houses like Chaudhary Group, Golchha Organisation, Dugar Group, among others say that due to unfavourable environment for the manufacturing sector, they have identified service sector as safer areas for investment. Service sector, except from tourism and hospitality, sees very few cases of labour strikes and union problems. These corporate houses have been minimising their foothold on manufacturing sector and moved onto the service sector like hospitality, education, banking and finance, healthcare among others. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Over Politicisation of Workers </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Naturally, the private sector companies look to make profits. When the workers are involved in union activities, more than working for the company, it adversely affects the productivity. So, a voice for ‘No Work No Pay’ was raised by the entrepreneurs but it has not been implemented till date as trade unions have strongly opposed this proposal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal said that as per the international norms, the identity of a labour is associated with the industry. “On the contrary, the identity of the worker in Nepal is associated with the trade union to which they belong,” he clarified. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to frequent strikes and even physical assault upon the employers and managers has led to closure of factories and companies. Foreign investors have shut down their industrial units and reduced their presence in the country. Agrawal said that Colgate-Palmolive is one such example. “Nepal is losing many investors because of labour problems. Recently, Surya Garment was also shut down due to labour problems,”. he said. However, Dahal says, “If the demands of employees are fulfilled they would not choose violent way to fulfil their demands. If one side does not provide basic rights of employees as stated in the Labour Law, then the other side would definitely not follow law and order also. This consequently results into imbalance between the employers and the employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In many cases, once an issue is resolved at a point of time and place, even more severe ones are raised at the next point of time and place. Numerous industries have closed down and, looking at the recent examples of KFC and Pizza Hut, it cannot be ruled out that similar situation won’t arise in other companies too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unruly unions are protected by the political parties who don’t tire talking about importance of bringing foreign investments. Different unions that belong to different political parties come up with different demands, mostly as dictated by the respective political party. Thus, there is conflict of interest and opinions among the unions themselves. They are primarily guided by party philosophy rather than working for creating a win-win situation for both employers and employees. Agrawal said, “The major problem of the trade unions in Nepal currently is that they are focused on following political ideologies of associated political parties rather than fulfilling the interests of workers.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Agni Prasad Thapaliya, Judge at the Labour Court, one union does not allow formation of second union in the company. “In most cases, employees are not allowed to work without taking membership of a trade union and paying a levy to the union and inter-union rivalry has also become problematic. The same person is found involved in numerous unions,” he said. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strange Demands </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In a series of recent events, workers have come up with weird and strange demands. Labour unions at Hotel Greenwich Village, a three star hotel in Lalitpur, recently came up with a demand that their members be felicitated with a gold medal weighing one kilogram. Labour unions affiliated to the Maoists (the party that is leading the present coalition government) and CPN-UML party are pressing the hotel management submitting a 22 point demand paper.. According to the demand paper, employees who have been working for more than 20 years in the hotel should be presented gold medals each weighing more than a kg. Prabin Acharya, Deputy Managing Director at the hotel said, “It is natural to demands an increase in remuneration and compensation but a demand like this was unheard of earlier.” The hotel has resumed its operation.</span> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Similarly, workers at Thai Airways Nepal office have presented an ultimatum with various absurd demands like paying their income taxes by the airline. Such activities have become a threat to the need of the day – increase investment that will have forward linkages to employment and overall national economic growth. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Legalities of Strikes </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Although Nepal too has a legal procedure to a strike, there are very few cases of complying with these procedures before a strike is held. Thapaliya said that most of the strikes are organised without following the legal procedure. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, the trade union leaders deny this charge. Rimal says that the legal procedure of strikes is not violated. “Labour laws are not violated in recent years. However, if employers and employees both are found defying the law, they should be brought under the book.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Shalikram Jamakattel, President of ANTUF says, “Strikes which are not in accordance with the law make workers’ case weak. Therefore, they go for the strikes according to the law unless there is a compulsion.’ </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">According to Thapaliya, the due process requires prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then it is taken to the labour office, where both parties – the workers and the management - sit for dialogues. “If the dialogues do not resolve the issue, the workers should give a 30 days ultimatum. If the management does not resolve the issue even by the end of such 30 days, the workers can go for strike,” he adds. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective Bargaining </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining in Nepal is commonly focused on demanding additional facilities, mostly wages and other fringe benefits that often includes strange demands like that in the cases of Thai Airways and Greenwich Hotel. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is quite natural to adopt unique bargaining standpoints by the workers according to different types of companies. However, at times, workers are alleged to have come up with insatiable demands that can be hardly fulfilled by the employers. Thapaliya said that workers are often overambitious and their demands revolve around the political ideologies to which the union is affiliated, rather than relating to the overall benefits for workers. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">However, Rimal explains this differently. “I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is correct. We conduct collective bargaining at the central level for minimum standards like wage determination and finalise it there. Collective bargaining for maximum standards is done at the enterprise level and we think such standards should be different in different enterprises. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more from them whereas we demand less from companies that have less income and profits.” Jamakattel complains that collective bargaining is not conducted as promised in the policies. “Labours in industrial sector do collective bargaining every two years but it has not been managed systematically. Unless new labour law is made, these problems cannot be managed.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Agrawal on the other hand complains that there has not been effective collective bargaining as it is affected by the overruling political ideologies of trade unions they are affiliated to. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employment Security </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Trade union leaders also complain that many employers do not provide appointment letters. Dahal says, “The law guarantees a system of providing appointment letter to employees as soon as they join a company. But there are many employees who have not received their appointment letters. Thapaliya too has the same comment to make. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour law also states that an employee who has completed 240 working days should automatically become a permanent employee. However, there is a system of provisional period as well. If the employer finds the performance of an employee unsatisfactory, the employer has the right to terminate the service of such employee at any time during the probation period. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A minimum wage is fixed at Rs 6,200 per month. But many employees arereceiving less than this, complains Dahal. Therefore, he claims, more than fifty per cent of the labour strikes have been aimed to implement such provisions of the labour laws. Labour law also requires that the salary should be revised every two years. Also, this provision is neglected by employers, adds Dahal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Out of nearly half a million youths that enter the Nepali employment market every year, around 305,000 are going abroad for jobs. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, there are around 11.7 million people in the workforce and only 1.8 million of them are in the formal sector jobs within the country while about 3.5 million are employed abroad. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Act Amendment </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both employers’ organisations and trade unions have been demanding amendment in the Labour Act. Both believe that to maintain cordial industrial relations, the Act urgently needs amendments.. Still, the leaders of these trade unions claim that half of the existing disputes could be resolved with the existing laws if executed properly. However, Rimal) is hopeful that the proposed amendment to the Act will address the issues of daily-wage workers and those working in the informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">And it has been around 10 years since the government begun planning to amend the labour laws. Both employer’s organisations and trade unions want the law amended. However, their respective demands are different and some of them even conflicting. Employers are demanding the inclusion of provisions like ‘No Work No Pay’ and ‘Hire and Fire’ while trade unions are demanding setting minimum wage also for informal sector. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">But there are other issues as well to be incorporated in the labour law. Thapaliya says, one such provision needed is for a tripartite commission to resolve issues that could not be addressed through collective bargaining. He suggested that the informal sector too should have rules and regulations that address issues of manual labours like minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Merger of Unions </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Another labour sector issue being intensely discussed these days is the merger of trade unions. During a recent function organised by GEFONT, Sharan KC, Regional Coordinator for South Asia at Trade Union Solidarity Centre of Finland (SASK) said that Nepali trade unions should merge with each other so that they become stronger and influential. He also shared examples of merger of unions in the international arena. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Employers too are positive about this proposal. Agrawal believes, “The presence of more than two trade unions within an enterprise has been creating a very difficult working atmosphere. It divides the workers into different ideologies.” He added, “There should be only one trade union for one enterprise.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">FNCCI is planning to form an Industrial Relations Forum involving all the presidents of major Trade Unions, industrialists and President of FNCCI. He informed, “It will be a platform to discuss the emerging issues of labour and industrial relationships. The forum will work towards safeguarding the rights of both employers and employees.” </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa14" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">State’s Role </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Both the employers and employees are found unanimous on the state’s role for resolving the problems in industrial relations. As the government has a major responsibility to protect the investments in the country, it becomes the state’s responsibility to protect investors, when needed, from unlawful activities carried out by trade unions as well. Agrawal cites an example of Maruti Suzuki in India where the state came forward to provide such protection. During the recent labour strike there, the management team was beaten up by the labourers, and the Indian police deployed 500 rapid action forces. “This shows the level of concern the government has shown towards the investors. This action showed that Indian government will not tolerate repetition of such activities.. If Indian government can do it, the Nepali government too can do it,” he says. He said, “Sense of insecurity is the major problem that the investors are facing now due to the inability of the government to take actions when trade unions behave illegally.”</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Upper Karnali Project</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="upper karnali" border="1" height="85" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/upperkarnali.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Energy Limited, GMR Infrastructure Limited (GIL) and Italian-Thai Development Project Company had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Government of Nepal, for development of 900 MW Upper Karnali Hydro electric Project. The project was set to develop under a Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) basis. The plant was targeted to be commissioned by the end of 2016. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The attack on Indian infrastructure and energy major GMR’s power project in western Nepal by Maoists delayed the 900 MW hydropower project to meet its 2016 completion date. The nearly $469 million project’s environmental impact assessment was on the verge of completion when the attack occurred. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Upper Karnali Hydropower Project’s camp site in Dailekh district was burnt down. The act of arson and vandalism destroyed all the three pre-fabricated buildings in Dailekh, including the GMR site office with its computers and documents. The fear of further attacks and the pulling out of all personnel was said to have caused the delay to go up further, causing an escalation in costs as well. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Soon after the attack, the second in two months, GMR’s director G Subba Rao and Harvinder Manocha, GMR Energy’s associate vice-president as well as country director for Nepal, held talks with Nepal’s erstwhile Energy Minister Gokarna Bista and all lawmakers from the three districts spanned by the project - Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides Dailekh, Accham and Surkhet, GMR’s projects in Nepal, including the 600 MW Upper Marsyangdi, have been regularly threatened by the Maoists with their top leaders demanding that their licenses be scrapped. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal warned the government in a press statement that such attacks would demolish investors’ confidence in Nepal. Facing an 18-20 hour daily power cut during the dry winter and summer seasons, Nepal has been banking on the Upper Karnali project to ease the power crisis within the next five years. GMR Group is a Bangalore headquartered global infrastructure major with interests in Airports, Energy, Highways and Urban infrastructure.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Surya Nepal Textile</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="surya nepal" border="1" height="91" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/suryanepal.jpg" vspace="10" width="160" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Established in 2004 with an investment of approximately Rs 700 million, Surya Nepal Private Limited’s garment manufacturing unit - Surya Textile Industry - had been providing jobs to 608 workers directly, while the number of workers indirectly related to textile industry was more than 1,000. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Remunerations demanded by workers for the eight days strike that took place in mid-April 2011 and the management’s refusal to provide any remuneration, under the “no work no pay” provision, in the long run turned out to be the main reason for the permanent closure of Surya Textile. Workers didn’t agree with the “no work no pay” pact arguing that they were present inside the industry’s premises during the strike but could not work, because the industry itself was closed. This way, arguments and counter arguments continued and it deepened the conflict between management and labourers. On June 14, the situation worsened when factory workers, under backing from major trade unions, locked up 42 officials of the management without food and water supply for more than 24 hours. Finally, police had to rescue the captivated officials forcefully, because the major trade unions wanted their demand to be fulfilled immediately, or else they were not ready to release the officials. During the rescue clash, 8 labourers and 12 policemen were injured. After the officials were rescued, the management announced an indefinite closure of the industry effective from June 15 itself. </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since June 15 to August 17, the industry remained closed during which labourers and even the trade unions demonstrated to re-open the industry but the management continuously refused to re-open citing unfriendly industrial climate and security problems. Finally, an agreement was reached among representatives of Morang Industry Organisation, Trade Unions and Surya Nepal to shut down the industry permanently paying Rs 29,800 as lay-off benefits to each worker and also according to agreement, the laid-off workers will be given priority as per the workers’ efficiency and capacity if the company comes up with new venture or resume its factory again. The security problems, militant trade unionism and their irrational demands, according to the management, forced the company to permanently close the textile industry. Irrespective of many other cases where monthly wage is the main cause of rift between management and labourers, Surya Textile was an exception. Sanjiv Keshava, Surya Nepal’s Managing Director, claimed themselves as good paymaster and explained that they paid almost double the amount stated in the minimum wage.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">KFC and Pizza Hut</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A37"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="kfc and pizza hut" border="1" height="82" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/KFC.jpg" vspace="10" width="144" /></span></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa7" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Outlets of international fast food chains KFC, Pizza Hut and Cream Bell resumed operation on September 17, 2012 after a three point agreement between the workers and the management. KFC, the biggest fast food chain in Nepal, had remained closed for over a month. On August 14, 2012 Devyani International, a subsidiary of Varun Beverages which operates outlets of KFC and Pizza Hut in Nepal had written a letter to authorities with announcement of immediate closure of all the four KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants running in the capital. “In order to disrupt our operations, some staff have physically attacked and threatened to kill the senior managers,” the letter read. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The settlement of dispute took nearly a month’s time because the management was seeking action against those law breakers who threatened to kill the managers. Moreover, it was demanding a commitment from the workers on not repeating such violent behaviour again. The management of the company decided to reopen the outlets after taking action against 22 staff who manhandled a senior manager of the company. Yogendra Kumal, Joint Coordinator of All Nepal Trade Union Federation (Revolutionary); Tika Subedi, Vice President of ANHWU-R; Nawaraj Bhatta, President of ANHRWU-R´s Devyani International Nepal unit and Vishnu Reddy, Country Manager of Devyani International, signed the pact. As per the agreement, the trade union will make all the staff obey rules and regulations of the company and will not object if the management takes action on those violating the company´s rules. Likewise, the management agreed to respect the trade union rights. On August 29, the workers registered ANHRWU (All Nepal Hotel and Restaurant Workers Union-Revolutionary). </span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The fast food chain had been talk of the town since there was a dispute over the formation of a trade union. According to the sources, the management and its employees started crossing swords with each other in August after cadres of the Mohan Baidya led CPN-Maoist goaded the staff into forming the party’s trade union. The five outlets used to record average daily turnover of Rs 800,000. According to the senior managerial staff at KFC Durbarmarg, the company suffered a loss of around Rs 30 million including loss of perishable goods.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Activities of Trade Unions and Employers are Guided by Traditional Mentality’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="agni parajuli" border="1" height="292" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/agni.jpg" vspace="10" width="253" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">AGNI PRASAD THAPALIYA<br />
	Judge <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">Labour Court</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: "> <br />
	</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How do you view the current labour situation as a judge of Labour Court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour court gives its verdict on a legal basis on the disputes whatsoever comes to the court. The labour statutes have envisioned secured employment, secured employees and guarantee of social security. Looking at these, it seems that our law is labour oriented to some extent because it has made provision of secured work for workers. But in practice, workers are forced to work for a company for a long time without an appointment letter. In many cases, they don’t even have attendance files and they are not even given identity cards. To file a case in the court, one must be able to produce evidences. There must be some evidences like employment letter, identity card, payslip or attendance registers. In some case, none of these are existent. There are cases where people are put to work like bonded labours. Companies must formally employ its workers with proper documentation that clearly mentions post, type of work, job description and remuneration, according to the legal provision. There are cases where employers have not followed these rules. Based on available documents and evidences, we have made verdicts in the favour of employees. In some cases, we have not been able to reinstate the workers. Similarly, to employ foreigners in Nepal, having a work permit from the Department of Labour is a must when the company has to hire foreigners. But a research I have conducted shows that around 20 per cent employees are working without permit in the bordering areas. Similarly, around 48 per cent employees are put to work sans contract papers. There is also disparity on salary of males and females. There are also cases of sexual harassments at work. In the absence of provision to address sexual harassment in our labour law, decision made by the management of a company has been endorsed also by the court and in some cases; international law is also put into practice. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"> <br />
	</b></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the annual number of cases that are filed in the labour court? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Most of the cases reinstated in labour court are about unlawful dismissal of employees. In many cases, the misconduct is not established while in some cases there are shortcomings in the job done by the workers. There are situations when the workers have to be reinstated if misconduct is not proved or employees are not allowed an opportunity of clarification. There were 103 verdicts made last year through the labour court and 84 cases were appealed against the actions of proprietors or against decisions of Labour Offices. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It seems that labour unions are guided by political ideologies rather than for the benefits of workers. How do you view this?</span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;Politics has also made inroads into civil service and police while it was common in the private sector. But, this is sad. It is said that a manager accuses member of another trade union with the help of one union. Such practices do not benefit the private sector. Activities of trade unions and employers show that they are guided by a traditional mentality though the overall national political and economic situation has changed with time. Employers have not got rid of their bossy nature. Although the law mentions a proper procedure to hire employees, the regulation is not properly followed. But employers or proprietors have not followed the legal procedures, so, there is the problem. Similarly, workers too are overambitious. Due to political reason, and over ambition of workers, without understanding the financial condition of the industries and even the economy, workers always want to be benefitted and enjoy attractive facilities. World history shows extreme cases of exploitation of labour and industrialists too suffered a lot but we don’t have such a situation. Our situation is definitely better. Our law addresses almost every issue of the formal sector. Both the parties have their own standpoint, so, the private sector and investment is in dire straits. This has increased the chances of capital flight. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What is the process of collective bargaining? How much have Nepali trade unions complied with the legal provision? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Collective bargaining does not come under jurisdiction of the court. Agreements made based on collective bargaining are implemented equivalent to law. Though agreements made are implemented, in most of the cases the major problem is, agreements cannot be made. To resolve such issues, a dispute resolution body needs to be formed. As we are under the tripartite model recognised by the ILO, the personal disputes are resolved by the court while collective disputes are not solved through negotiation between employees and proprietor in the presence of Labour Office. After that, a mediator may be appointed through the consent of both parties who can settle dispute through mediation. In case the mediator fails to settle the issue, employees can file ultimatum to go on a strike. On the other hand, employers can lockup his/her business in case s/he has been unsatisfied by the complaint of employees. So, our labour law does not address effective mechanism for resolving collective issue. It is a lacuna in our law. In the absence of an authentic body to settle collective issues, the private sector is not moving ahead as it should have. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the legalities of industrial strikes? Do you see those legalities followed by unions as well as companies? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The process of strike has not been followed at all. A negligible number of strikes are organised following the legal procedure. Most of them are organised all of a sudden. The process involves prior information about the strike. If the management does not settle the issues, then the issue is taken to the labour office where they can sit for dialogues. Even if the dialogues do not resolve the issue, a mediator can be appointed by the consent of both parties. In case, the mediator fails to settle issues or there is no understanding on appointing a mediator, labourers can go for strike but again a 30 days ultimatum should be given. When the management body does not listen to the demand within the ultimatum, strikes can then be organised. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is said that judiciary has been making pro-labour decisions. What is your take on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labour issues are not criminal cases. An Indian pioneer on labour law, Gulzarilal Nanda said that if the labour cases are treated on the basis of whoever produces more evidences, you are not trying to give justice to the labourers. Likewise, if a convict gets the benefit of doubt and the judge maintains silence or acts like an umpire to see which party will produce more evidences, then the justice is denied. So, a labour court judge must find out the facts and evidences. The employer always looks to employ workers at minimum facilities and make higher profit. So, the labour law procedure is quite different in nature. In the labour court, a judge must be active enough to guarantee justice. Investors feel that they must have absolute power over employees to protect their investments. In cases against employers that do not fulfil the legal procedure, justice is given in favour of labourers rather than of the employers. In numerous cases it is found that workers are alleged of wrongdoings when actually they have not committed mistakes. Even if they have committed misconduct; they are not given a chance for clarification. In such cases, decisions made by managers are reverted by the court. Therefore, when employees win the case, the industrialists say that verdicts are being labour oriented but it is not true. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp; <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">A voice for amendment of labour law is being raised. Do you think the amendment is really needed? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Compared to the law of other countries, one thing that needs to be incorporated into the labour law is – making a provision of a tripartite committee or commission to sort out issues that are not resolved through the collective bargaining procedure. The law must mention a certain mechanism to resolve the collective disputes. In least developed countries like Nepal, there is presence of a strong informal sector. A huge number of employed people in these sectors are in the form of manual labours like agricultural workers and household workers. The workers are still working like bonded labours. Therefore the informal sector too should have certain rules and regulations. So, there should be a regulation that addresses their minimum wages, contract system, working hours and provision of social security. As we have moved into a democratic system and become the part of the network of the UN, we have to timely and properly address these issues and control inhuman activities too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">It is alleged that feeling of insecurity prevails in the labour court. To what extent is it true? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">In my tenure of three years, I have not felt any kind of insecurity as of now. Apart from minor arguments from labourers, there is no interference and threat seen till this day. But as the overall judiciary is said to be insecure at the national level being the part of the overall broad framework of the judiciary, labour court is also insecure from that perspective. As an individual entity, there are no such issues in the labour court.</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="line-height: 115%; color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">‘Trade Unions Contributed only Six Per cent of the Total Strikes’</span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<strong><span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A38"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;<img alt="bishnu" border="1" height="398" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/bishnu.jpg" vspace="10" width="346" /></span></span></span></strong></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0">BISHNU RIMAL <br />
	President <br />
	<span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">GEFONT</span></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span class="A0"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:normal"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-family: ">&nbsp;</span></b></span></span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">How many members are there in your union and how do you manage them? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">There are more than 353,000 individual members in our union and 29 affiliates altogether. The affiliates recruit members on their own under our co-ordination and connect them with us but we do not subscribe direct membership. We have committees at the local and district levels. And at the entrepreneur level, they choose one male and female candidate each as our representatives. The committee of the registered union becomes our member in a national level. The affiliates are action oriented while the role of GEFONT is that of coordination. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Why are industrial strikes so recurrent in Nepal? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Strikes were frequent between 2006 and 2008 but after 2008, the frequency of industrial strikes has gone down. If you follow the website www.nepalbanda.com, you will find that trade unions have contributed only six percent of the total bandhas in the last year while around 28 percent bandhas were called by employers and the rest was contributed by parties and other organizations. If you are confusing political strikes with trade unions’ strikes, it is a mistake. If counted, there are hardly three companies where unions called strikes namely Surya Nepal, Pizza Hut and Unilever up to now. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Do you think the trade unions in Nepal are following the right approach in collective bargaining? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Since we do not call it collective bargaining across the board, I think the approach that we follow for collective bargaining is proper. We conduct bargaining at the central level committee for minimum standards like wage determination and finalize it there. Collective bargaining is for maximum standards and we do it according to the type of company in question. Multinational companies have high paying capacity so we demand more whereas we demand less from the less earning companies. Before getting into bargaining process, it is essential to find whether the company is in profit or not. There was a huge bargaining at local level when the Khimti Project was firing 89 workers. According to the law, it had to pay two per cent of the total earnings to the workers and the labors’ demand approach was correct. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Due to the violent strikes and vandalism, private sector employers in Nepal fear to hire Nepali workers. How do you view this? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Violent strikes are rare as far as I know. The strike against Surya Nepal is the only example that I can give for vandalism in the private sector. Apart from that, strikes are usually seen at the government service and public sector. Recently, there was a strike at Unilever in Hetauda for a week and the problem was solved immediately after the negotiations. If we go through case-by-case, we may find some cases that nurtured vandalism but in general, employees are not feared to hire Nepali workers. Moreover, I have heard that employees in Nepal are longing to hire Nepali workers but they are not finding any mainly because of the scarcity of the workers in Nepal. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">What are the problems that the workers are facing in Nepali industries? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Firstly, at the policy level, the main problem that we are facing is the ineffectiveness of the rule of law. Even the industrialists are not providing minimum wages to the workers while the minimum wage is Rs 6,200 only. Unless there is a labor inspection system, we cannot find out whether the rule of law has been followed or not. Our law says that after 240 days of working, a worker is permanent at the company but there are many outsourced labors working for years and the jobs are mostly informal. Secondly, the problem of meager pay has been on the rise. High productivity of the workers can be seen only if they are paid adequately. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Besides, there is no social security in the companies. In any developed country, workers get pension after 20 years of service in a company but this social protection is rare in Nepali companies. More than Rs 200 million has been collected since the government has put one per cent tax on the companies for the social security of the workers. Accident insurance and medical insurance should be implemented but there are no schemes yet. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">The employers here fear that if the workers are made permanent, there will be less productivity. They believe that the workers are more productive when they work in fear. If there were no problems in permanent and temporary jobs, there wouldn’t be strikes in most of the industries. Workers are often agitated because there is low salary, no job guarantee and no social protection. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Experts are saying that over unionization of labors has affected industries badly. What are your views on it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Conflict results from the sour relationship between management and workers, not from unionization. It is true that there are more unions in in service sector companies while some companies that provide informal job opportunities do not have unions at all. Unions are not the problems in companies because they solve most problems of the employers. A union solves the problems of each and every worker in the company and in most organizations, union leaders maintain labor relations with the management. The number of the unions is not a problem for an employee or the employer as long as authenticity of the union or the members of the bargaining team selected by the workers themselves is maintained. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Intra-party/intra-union problems and power struggle are common among Nepali trade unions. You as the President of GEFONT may have realized that as well. What do you think could be the solution? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Historically, there has always been a relation between Nepali political parties and trade unions. But it should be noted that Nepali trade unions are formed according to the law. Whether there is one or more than 20 unions in an organization, the employees should acknowledge that there should be a national election for an authentic union. For example, if there are four unions in an organization, the bargaining panel will be formed according to the votes in the election regardless of who the ruler of the union is. It’s only then that the multiplicity of the unions can be managed easily. Problems occur from the employers’ side too because their behavior changes according to the relationship with the union. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">As the trade unions in Nepal are affiliated to one or the other political party, they seem busy in politics than in promoting workers’ interests. How can this be resolved? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Unions alone are not affiliated to political parties, employers too are affiliated and involved with the parties. In a multi-party system, affiliation to political parties is common and ideologically, it is correct too. </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">From the perspective of the laborers, we are purely representing the laborers inside the companies. We are not indulging in any politics, however, our people are affiliated with different political parties. </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;</span></p>
<p class="Pa24" style="margin-top:5.0pt;text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;"><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight:
normal"><span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Labor disputes and shutdown of the industries are perceived as a threat to the investors venturing into new businesses in Nepal. How is your union going about it? </span></b></span></p>
<p class="Pa8" style="text-align:justify">
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;<span style="color: rgb(34, 30, 31);">Had you gone through the document called ‘Doing Business’, you would find that the labor disputes are in the sixth number among other problems. Companies making high investments in Sunsari- Biratnagar corridor are demanding more labors. The report by World Bank has also put labor problems in seventh among others whereas the number one problem is government’s legal hassles and number two is the problem of taxation. No investor has withdrawn his investment because of the unions or the workers. Recently, we organized the third Labor and Employment Conference in Kathmandu where we jointly made a 15-points declaration regarding the welfare of the workers. We We shared that we do not have anything against the employers; rather, we had a common view that we lacked a proper government bureaucracy. Unions are often dragged between the ineffective government and the political parties which is not right. Investors say labour law is not good in Nepal but they have never blamed workers or the unions for being unfriendly towards investments. <br />
	</span></span></p>
<p>
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the country has about 11.7 million workforce and only 1.8 million are in the formal sector and around 3.5 million are in foreign jobs. Rest of them are either unemployed or in informal sector. What do you think should be done to attract more investments that help in reducing labor',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2012-10-30',
			'modified' => '2012-12-06',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => 'On the eve of celebrating Nepal Investment year 2012/13, over unionisation of labour has continued alarming foreign investors and discouraging local investors to venture into new industries. Multiple unions affiliated to more than one political party exist within a company. Such politicisations of labour unions have resulted in inter union and employee-employers rifts that significantly reduce productivity along with losses of working hours.',
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	),
	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '717',
			'article_category_id' => '52',
			'title' => 'Made-in-Nepal Concept',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => null,
			'content' => '<p>
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	<span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:120%;font-family:">From the Editor</span></p>
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						<span heaveneticacond9="" style="font-size:56.0pt;
  font-family:">A</span><span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span>four-day ‘Made in Nepal Products and Service Expo-2012’ that concluded on 9th September in Kathmandu created hype of a sort with its tagline: afno bhanya afnai ho (our own, means our own). Two weeks later, Nepali elite class was seen scrambling to buy jackets made of allo (stinging nettle plant with scientific name Girardinia diversifolia) fibre in the Small and Cottage Industries Products’ Exhibition. Everyone, from prime minster to the commoner who visited these fairs, and the media alike, portrayed these as the moments proud to be. Indeed they were, but rather more emotionally.</p>
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	These expos and exhibitions designed to showcase and promote Nepali products and services no doubt are welcome endeavors. For that matter, any business initiative at a time when almost all economic and manufacturing activities in Nepal are dented by the prolonged political crisis is praiseworthy. But, the kind of twist these expos brought in to trade ‘afno’ emotions than goods and services warrants a serious debate on the very concept of ‘made in Nepal’ and its indispensability for the national economy.</p>
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	Let’s think beyond debatable issues of whether everything showcased in these exhibitions was truly a Nepali product. In the present globalised and highly interconnected world, can any economy of the size of Nepal operate and manage her ‘own’ economy and, is it at all necessary to be so? Or, shouldn’t we now think of making Nepal a ‘profitable economy’ than being falsely proud with hollow emotional swipe?</p>
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	Unquestionably, Nepal needs to produce and sell products and services that have comparative and competitive advantages, mainly those that are profitable both in domestic and international markets. First, the very concept of self-producing everything we need must be abandoned. Second, generating pride by renaming or changing the label to ‘made in Nepal’ of the goods produced by others is surely not an ethical practice and not going to help even our psychological bliss of industrialism, let alone economy.</p>
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	<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp;</span>We saw a swadeshi, self-reliant economic paradigm in the economies like India for almost half a century that got reverted to open market only at the beginning of 1990s. But, swadeshi policy could hardly help the market of its own of such a large size, apparently capable of creating economies of scale in any given sector. Even in our case, the guided economy of the panchayat era tried to produce everything through the state-owned entities -- from cigarettes to sugar and, run transport services to groceries outlets. Clearly, the prime objectives in those both cases were to create an economy of ‘national pride’ not a profitable economy based on cost-benefit analysis. Now we have the results in front of us – in the form of an absolutely tattered economy and also pathetic fate of these state-owned establishments, as an outcome of these costly prides.</p>
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	The official figures of the last fiscal year 2068/69 show that Nepal’s export import ratio stands at almost 1:6 and, unofficially, it is estimated to be well above 1:8. This indeed is indicative of the fact that Nepal only has two options to bridge this gap – either to increase the export or, produce the goods that can replace the massive import in substantial scale, or, instead of producing everything, focus on prioritizing the products with better domestic or international markets with higher rate of returns. As China has now shown, it is always preferable to import what turns out to be cheaper to import than producing ourselves and produce only that which brings in better rate of returns. Therefore, instead of being ‘proud’ for producing everything, the nation as one economy should think about pragmatic plans to make it more ‘profitable’. Then only ‘made in Nepal’ actually can contribute in making Nepal economically better off.<span style="mso-spacerun:yes">&nbsp; </span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:24px;"><span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="line-height: 115%;">‘Tunnel Project Is A Litmus Test For The Private Sector’<br />
	<br />
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	<span class="A66"><span myriad="" style="font-size:43.5pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;<img alt="kushkmarjoshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview(8).jpg" vspace="10" width="303" /></span></span></p>
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	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">Kush Kumar Joshi <br />
	Chairman <br />
	Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Ltd</span></p>
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	<span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:14.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></p>
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	<span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt">Kush Kumar Joshi is the Chairman of Nepal Purbadhar Bikash Company Limited (NPBCL) that is to develop the Kathmandu-Kulekhani- Hetauda Tunnel (KKHT) Highway that would substantially reduce the Kathmandu-Hetauda driving distance. <br />
	<br />
	NPBCL will be constructing the 50-kilometre long four-lane highway that will have approximately two 5.5 kilometre long tunnels for oncoming and going traffic between Kathmandu and Hetauda. The company will construct and operate the tunnel road in public-private-people partnership (4P) modality under the Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructure 2006 act. A leading industrialist of Nepal, Joshi is also the Immediate Past President of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), and the Chairman of Liberty Energy, Himalayan Bamboo Pvt Ltd and Managing Director of Nepal Ekarat Engineering Co Pvt Ltd. <br />
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	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">In an interview with Gaurav Aryal of New Business Age, Joshi talked about the tunnel project as well as the country</span></span><span class="A67"><span style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">’</span></span><span class="A67"><span mso-bidi-font-family:="" myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:">s overall investment environment. Excerpts:</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A67"><span myriad="" style="font-size:13.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:">&nbsp;</span></span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="251" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/interview_333.jpg" vspace="10" width="250" /><br />
	<br />
	For the first time in Nepal, the private sector is developing a major road project. As the leader of this project, how do you plan to execute it? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is indeed the first time the government has entrusted a private company with such a big responsibility. It is an honour to share the weight of the government in enriching the lives of Nepali people. The concept of making shortest road from Hetauda to Kathmandu was conceptualised more than 50 years ago. Everyone knows this will be the shortest distance to link these two cities but due to socio-political reasons, the mechanism to construct the road was not finalised earlier. This time around, a new approach of 4P model - public, private and people participation - is taken to revive this initiative. People’s participation in a massive scale is the main strength of this approach. The local people presently have to take a longer route to travel to Kathmandu despite a possible shorter alternative there. This project would be a matter of dignity for every Nepali when it will be completed solely with Nepali resources, technology and management. That is a motivating factor for all of us. <br />
	<br />
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	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What is the progress towards the financial closure of the project? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The government has granted us this project for 30 years as per the People, Private and Public Partnership (4P) Modality under Private Financing in Build and Operation of Infrastructures 2006 act. The cost of the project is estimated around US$ 350 million and that money is going to be raised from amongst ourselves. Once we complete the feasibility study by November 2012, we will have the concession agreement with the government on technical and financial issues as well as the toll fee. <br />
	<br />
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	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have set a timeline of three-and-a-half-years for the completion of the project. As many projects are failing to meet their deadlines, what is the basis of your optimism to meet your deadline? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The main possible hurdles in a project are fund collection, local disturbances and not getting a license. In our case, the government has already granted a license to us not only for DPR but also for execution of the project. The main strengths of this initiative are the local people. The local landowners are ready to contribute to this project by providing their land after a proper valuation. We are not buying the land; instead the value of the land will be treated as their equity investment in the project. Thus the main likely cause of local disturbance is not there. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">The other main issue is fund collection. So far, we have received a warm response to our initiative and people are more than willing to invest in such a project that not only has high rate of return but also contributes in developing the infrastructure of the country. This will be the first time Nepali people will be involved in such kind of project. Our people have always been depending on financial support from donor countries, banks or the government. But, this project will make massive mobilisation of people – business community, local people, NRN community and the Nepali workers abroad - for generating funds. Another key component is the Nepali construction companies who will not only be the contractors but also major investors in this mega project. There is plenty of liquidity in the capital and money market but there are not enough good projects for investment. So, this good project will have no problem of funds. And we are hopeful to complete the project within the set deadline. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Disputes on land acquisition and paying compensation have proven major issues while developing such projects. What is the basis for your optimism that your arrangement will work this time? <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The modality we have come up with for this project is very unique. As I said earlier, we are not trying to buy land – it is more or less like a barter system and a participatory approach. Before deciding the alignment and making the survey, we had a lot of interactions with the locals and received a commitment from them regarding the project. The most important aspect is that they positively want to see this road built. The local community is ready to invest 75 per cent of the actual valuation of their land to the project and hold 25 per cent with themselves. This is a great step towards making a change. The locals have not just said that they want the road built but they have actually played a significant role in making this initiative a success. And if an existing house is needed to demolish for the road, we are committed to build another house for the owner. This, I think, is beauty or the strength of this entire project.</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:"><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar" border="1" height="264" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/inteview_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="317" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	The KKHT highway is considered a project of national pride and a model to invite foreign investment in infrastructure development. How will this project be able to live up to this expectation? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">We have huge potentials in infrastructure. One can see the level of service we are providing to the people in energy, road, drinking water, medical facilities, the basic needs for the people where we need investment whether from domestic or the international investors. The deficit in infrastructure is such huge, domestic investment is simply not enough. But we need to build up the confidence level of investors by providing a guarantee through the policy, political commitment and, most importantly, from the domestic investment. If our project will thrive, it would be a benchmark for other investors to emulate. A successful project such as this will have foreign investors to get interested to work on other projects. This should be a milestone for all Nepalis. I hope that this will surely lure foreign investors to collaborate with local investors and develop the infrastructures in the country. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">You have said that the project will return the investment to its investors in six to eight years from the date of operation. Wouldn’t this proposition make the highway a costly road to travel for the general public? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">It is going to be a win-win situation for passengers as well as vehicle owners as they will be saving both fuel and time. If a truck or a passenger bus is today making a single round trip a day between Hetauda and Kathmandu, the completion of this road will enable them to make several round trips a day. Instead of four hours, the distance from Kathmandu to Hetauda will be covered in 45 minutes once this road comes into operation. Quite naturally, the frequency of travel will be more and transport entrepreneurs can earn more money besides, of course, saving on fuel. The toll fee will be very low and I am sure the users of this road will find it economical and not just save time but also money. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">Do you think that investing in infrastructure will give enough yield to the private sector? What will be the model of investment in your company’s future projects? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">First of all, the license granted to us is a historical one. We always talk about the government not giving priority to the private sector and not giving investment opportunity or packages for infrastructure development. This is the first time the government has given a priority project to the private sector. Now, it is our turn to prove that we can do it. If we can do it ourselves, the trust on the private sector will be heightened. This is a litmus test for the private sector to prove that we can do it. For future projects, we may use foreign investment as well as equity based or debt and equity based modality. We will be trying to bring in equity participation for future projects as much as possible. Once this project is completed, NPBCL will become the largest company in Nepal valued at US$ 315 million. A sustainable mechanism and a proven track record will then be part of the company’s resume. We will be hoping for huge projects coming our way and perhaps we could look at large scale storage hydropower projects too. This is going to be the biggest company in Nepal enjoying massive public participation. The ownership will be divided among many people and benefits shared by all. <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">What are the other similar projects in the pipeline for NPBCL? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:">The other similar projects coming up include road extension plans from Hetauda to Narayanghat and Hetauda to Birgunj but that will be taken only after the current project completes a whole lap. The traffic from Kathmandu to Eastern and Western Nepal is huge. This project is now envisaged for westbound traffic and people from Far West will travel via this road. Once the proposed new road from Hetauda to Narayanghat is opened, the drive from Narayanghat to Kathmandu will take only one-and-a-half hours. All the traffic coming to Kathmandu via Mugling will be diverted to the newly built road.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	<strong><br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</strong></span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span myriad="" style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:">This project is to utilise Nepali resources only for its development. Is there a possibility of similar big projects with Nepali investment only?</span></strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times=""> <br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">Many other people are trying to emulate this particular project. For example, the NRN Association has a 100 million dollar fund and they are trying to develop 100 MW hydropower project on their own. Some other companies too are trying to build hydropower projects with Nepali investment only. There are two important bases for the development of a country, one is roads and the other is electricity. Therefore, our next project will focus on energy because there is a lack of storage-based project in hydropower currently. After the success of this project, we will work towards mega storage projects. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="kush kumar joshi" border="1" height="387" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/kushkumar.jpg" vspace="10" width="208" /><br />
	<br />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">What is your opinion on allowing investment abroad from Nepal? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:5.0pt;line-height:10.05pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	<strong><span mso-bidi-theme-font:="" new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">&nbsp;</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">We are observing Nepal Investment Year and trying to invite foreign investment to Nepal. Given this situation, what kind of message will the Nepali and foreign investors get if Nepali investment in other countries is made an option indeed? Having said so, even if we have an opportunity to invest in foreign countries, it must come with certain conditions. The criterion should be – one must be an expert in one’s own field, have good brand recognition at home and willing to expand. Expansion requires investment and in such case, one needs to have a chance to expand and to promote the products and technology in some other country. Ultimately, the benefit should come to one’s own country.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">For example, an airline must have its branch in other countries for marketing and promotions. In such a case, one has to invest in foreign countries. Similarly, if you have a good and well-known brand in Nepal and want to export but the cost of competition in other countries may make it not feasible to produce in Nepal and export. Then you should be allowed to produce your own brand in other countries. This will be similar to what multinational companies do. If you have your own brand image for product that is made in Nepal, it will benefit if you establish your factory abroad and promote your own product. But let’s focus on investing within Nepal first.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How do you judge the efficiency of the current FNCCI leadership? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">There are a lot of issues, which have scope to be tackled more efficiently by the FNCCI. It looks like they are focusing on the investment year but they must handle local issues first. Given the situation where the fate of the government hangs in the balance one needs to know how the policies are being driven and focus on pressing to bring the full annual budget of the government at the earliest. Similarly, the policies meant to attract foreign investment for the Nepal Investment Year must be established. Priorities on issues like areas of investment and backing up the investment are more important than to celebrate the investment year itself. The investment board has the law and bylaws to backup the investment package and the same will be applied for other investments also. There are a lot of things that FNCCI can do as an apex body of the business community. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Are business prospects for Nepal improving? What are the bottlenecks?<br />
	</span></strong></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Everybody knows about the prospects Nepal has. We talk about tourism, hydropower, infrastructure and others but the business community has to push the government to create a proper environment and identify the priority projects for investment. The ongoing political turmoil is not giving a good sign to the investors to come to Nepal and invest.</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">There are three issues – energy crisis, labour issues and unstable government policies. Energy is the prerequisite because without energy, nobody will come to invest here. Labour issues have also discouraged investors. These two things must be prioritised and cleared by the government and the investment board to encourage investment. We also need to have consistent policies. Changes in policies every time there is change in the government will not attract any investments in Nepal. We have been asking the government and the political parties to come up with a common minimum economic agenda. Establishing a common minimum economic agenda will give a positive signal to the investors. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">You have been demanding reforms in the public procurement system. Would you please explain it? </span></strong></p>
<p class="Pa23" style="margin-top:5.0pt">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">The government has to prioritise domestic product. Any company’s first area of business is the local market. Once they have a good position in the local market, they can improve their quality, productivity and be assured about their growth. Having delivered their basic service, they can then think about exporting.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">The government has to provide a level playing field for the domestic producers by buying their products, but at the same time it should be monitoring the price and quality as well. At this point of time the government has not been able to accomplish these objectives. The government always seeks cheap foreign products and does not care for the quality. Our argument is, local products do not need incentives instead they need to be promoted so that they can be competitive, qualitative and eventually become export oriented. The government has to give confidence to investors by prioritising the purchase of local products. That is why we are saying that the procurement act has to be revised by making it mandatory to buy local products.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>',
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	<span myriad="" style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
"><img alt="madanlamsal" border="1" height="161" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/madan.jpg" vspace="10" width="177" /><br />
	<span style="font-size:14px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; By:&nbsp; Madan Lamsal</span></span></p>
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	The Magic of Poverty Cards</p>
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#211D1E"><br />
	If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="no laughing matter" border="1" height="313" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/nolaughingmatter(2).jpg" vspace="10" width="341" /><br />
	<br />
	</span><span class="A13"><span new="" style="font-size:59.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">P</span></span><span new="" style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:" times="">overty is pervasive as pervasive are the communist ideologies, ideologues and leaders in Nepal. There could be many manifestations of the relations between the communism and the poverty. Since the communism is commonly interpreted as the dictatorship of proletariats, then all people first must be proletariat or belonging or possessing no material wealth; means absolute poor. Nepal is run by an ultra-left Maoist government, then, by definition every citizen of this country is a proletariat, or absolute poor.&nbsp; <br />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">How would you establish that every Nepali is in indeed a proletariat or poor? For this purpose, the Red government has a very innovative idea of distributing ‘Poverty Cards’ to every Nepali. And, to make sure that every Nepali is entitled to this card, the government has a full-proof plan of first evenly distributing the poverty among the entire populace by every means possible and then start beginning to distribute these MAGIC cards to each citizenry.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
color:#211D1E">Some may have seen recent industrial unrest, largely created by the trade unions affiliated to ruling, or if not, to this or that Left Party, as detrimental to national prosperity. But, in fact that is a well planned communist strategy of making every one poor as soon as possible so that the capitalist entrepreneurs of today, labourers and the men in the streets -- all alike can become eligible to get these ‘poverty cards.’<br />
	<br />
	The government has rightly assigned the donor funded Poverty Alleviation Fund (PAF) to lead this drive to distribute the poverty card. The Fund is all set to start this mission in this very month of September itself. The choice of PAF for the task too is a very appropriate as it is the only institution in the country that has experience of distributing anything related to poverty, including the poverty itself say some.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">Who are the poor? It is the commonplace knowledge that the citizen who does not possess any asset is the poor. Got some clue on why all the leaders of the ruling United Maoist party including its charismatic Chairman Prachanda and Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had reiterated that they would surrender all their property in the name of their party? They were in fact making themselves eligible to get this ‘poverty card.’ Not only that, right since the beginning of the guerrilla war, the party also greatly helped to make citizens properly qualified for the card by confiscating the land, houses and property or physically eliminating them who were not instantly becoming poor at the Maoist will.<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">All these instances suggest that this ‘card distribution programmme’ is going to be a great success and an event of real national pride. Every citizen of this country is sure to get it. If some business people are yet out of this poverty bracket, they will soon fall into it as industries are closing, foreign investors are running away and political crisis deepens every other day.<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:#211D1E">What does this card do? A simple answer is: it will be a magic card capable of providing everything for the one who holds it -- food, education, health services, employment, unemployment benefit, or you just name it. They can also function as the credit cards as well. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;color:#211D1E">Then, who all will get this is anybody’s guess! But you can have some hint by the choice of the 25 districts put in the first priority, including Rukum, Rolpa, Gorkha, and Chitwan to distribute these cards. Why these districts? Rukum and Rolpa are where Maoists started the ambitious program of making every Nepali a proletariat and dispensation akin to proletariat dictatorship. Gorkha and Chitwan are the districts where the Maoist numero-uno Prachanda and PM Baburam hail from. Even before that, it goes without saying that all these leaders living in Kathmandu without ‘anything’ would be getting the privilege of this card. We are just waiting to see this card doing the MAGIC.<br />
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
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	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
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mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Born to Succeed</span></span></p>
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	<span class="A46"><span style="font-size:40.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;<img alt="born to succeed" border="1" height="317" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality(5).jpg" vspace="10" width="182" /></span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35"><span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">Min Bahadur Gurung started his business at a time when supermarket shopping was only meant for the elite. His journey from a grocery store owner to the Managing Director of Bhat-Bhateni chain of supermarkets is full of joy, sorrow, dedication and struggle.<br />
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	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:
59.0pt">Y</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">oung Min Bahadur Gurung had strong faith in making history one day. His parents too had a dream that he will be a great personality of the country in due course of time. It was the major reason behind his parents’ decision to send him to a good school although his was a big 10-member family. Born after five sisters, he was raised as a pampered son in the family and provided with facilities that a son usually gets in the Nepali society. Two younger brothers were born after him. During his early schooling, Gurung was touched by the story about Madam Curie inventing bean size radium after melting 17 tons of stone. Megnath Lamsal, his teacher at high school, left a deep impression on him. The teacher’s lessons motivated him to do well in life and reach greatness one day. “I was very fond of Lamsal Sir and liked his classes much. I developed a strong belief in myself and was committed to work hard for success,” he recalls.</span> <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="388" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_1(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="500" /></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Born in Dube, a village in Khotang district, Gurung had schooling up to SLC at different schools nearby. Unlike other young boys of his time, he was very energetic and hardworking. He enjoyed his schooldays even though he had to walk two hours daily to go to the school. Despite being a good student, Gurung failed in the SLC exams. It came as a shock for all the teachers, students and his own family who considered him as a bright student. He didn’t take it as a setback though and tried his best to overcome the failure by studying harder. </span></p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-align:justify;text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Reflecting back on his SLC failure, Gurung says that it actually made him the person he is today. He elaborates, “Because I failed my SLC exams, I did not pursue science stream later. Had I cleared SLC in my first attempt with flying colors, I would have other ideas about my future course of life and ultimately miss this fantastic business opportunity that I have today. </span></p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Default">
	 </p>
<p class="Default" style="margin-top:6.0pt;margin-right:0in;margin-bottom:0in;
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	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;color:#D22128">GURUNG’S TIPS FOR SUCCESS </span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65">&nbsp;<span style="font-size:11.0pt">Honesty : Be honest because the lack of it casts shadow on other qualities </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Hard Work : A great company needs great vision which, in turn, needs hard work </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Patience : It helps manage every success and failure </span></span></p>
<p class="Pa56" style="margin-left:89.0pt;text-indent:-89.0pt">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Positive Thinking : Don’t start your business without it </span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span class="A65"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">Continuity : Continue your business under any circumstances whatsoever</span></span></p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="personality" border="1" height="305" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/personality_2(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="393" /></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung started helping his family in farming after his intermediate degree. In Bhadra 2031 BS, he started planting rice, harvesting maize and other jobs required by the farming demands. During this period, he fell terribly sick and survived the ordeal somehow. Gurung’s father decided that enough was enough. Until now, he always insisted to keep his dearest son close to him but following the incident, he advised him to go to Kathmandu and study further.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung had his first job as a record keeper who recorded attendance of daily wage laborers. He shares, “I was given Rs 400 by my father when I left for Kathmandu so I had to find a job anyhow to sustain.” He was soon hired in Nepal Bank Limited and was given a position in Nepalgunj. However, after two years, he managed to find a posting to Kathmandu and started pursuing a master’s degree shortly afterwards. He would attend college in the morning and work at the bank as his full time job.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">A permanent job at the bank encouraged him to settle down in life. He married Sabitri Gurung, a girl from his own village who was pursuing her intermediate degree in Kathmandu. Meanwhile, he also started selling goods which built the foundation of his retail business. Gurung later turned his part time retail business as a full time profession when he realized the potential that the business offered. He established Bhatbhateni Cold Store in 2041 and expanded his retail shop on the second floor of the store in due course of time.</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As fate would have it, his store caught fire in 2047 BS and caused him a financial loss of around a million rupees. Gurung says the fire at Bhatbhateni was a turning point for him and he learnt a lesson the hard way to take his business more seriously. Three years later, he established Bhatbhateni Departmental Store. “I am a different type of person who believes in growing plants on rock. It is not possible to stop at a failure when you have a great vision,” he says.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Even today, despite all the success, Gurung consults his wife as before while making business strategies. He remembers the time when he had to invest the same gold in his business that he had gifted to his wife earlier. She joined his business within a few days of delivering their first child Kamana. “It was quite amazing that she could join the store within a short period after the delivery of our first child,” he reminisces. He rues the fact that he finds himself unable to give enough time to his family due to a busy schedule. It is hard to find him relaxing much but when he does so, he listening to music from stalwarts such as Narayan Gopal, Bachchu Kailash and Ani Choying Dolma.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Starting his grocery store with an investment of Rs 35,000 in a small single shutter, his business today is worth billions of rupees with five huge outlets in the Kathmandu valley and one in Pokhara. It was dream come true for him when the construction of his four huge supermarkets was completed last year. The construction of supermarkets in Kathmandu was overseen by his wife, son and daughter while he was busy taking care of the construction of the Pokhara outlet. As many as 50 people from his family circle are involved in the business, informs Gurung.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He says that support from the people and the facilities provided at the Bhatbhateni outlets have made it a successful supermarket chain. His stores registered overwhelming business during their respective openings. The Bhatbhateni outlet at Pokhara was opened not too long ago and the story there was no different either with thousands of people swarming the store for several days. “We had to cease either the upstairs or downstairs lifts every hour to manage the heavy crowd. There were people coming from Gorkha, Butwal and Lamjung as well,” he recounts.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung believes that failures pave paths towards new directions and trigger innovations. Bhatbhateni Supermarket employs 22,000 people currently and Gurung hopes that the group will have 50,000 employees in its ranks in 15 years time.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">As part of its corporate social responsibility, the group helped construct an emergency ward having 72 beds at Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital with a spending of Rs 100 million. Gurung has named the ward after his parents whom he holds in very high esteem. He has also been providing yearly scholarships to two MBBS students, especially the ones who originate from remote villages. “We will all die one day so it is important that we set apart a certain percentage of our earnings for social causes,” he reasons. Gurung thinks it is rather unfortunate that not many people spare a thought for the less privileged.</span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">He plans to spend his retired life as a social worker. “I still believe in doing jobs which others haven’t tried before and hope to work for the well being of the society,” he says. He recommends people to believe in themselves to make it successful in life and be a part of the history.</span> </p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Gurung dreams of making Bhatbhateni a multinational company and an international shopping hub as well as plans to spread his business all around the world. His passion of expanding Bhatbhateni’s business reflects strongly in his statement, “This has become a part of my body; it pains me if something goes wrong in the company.”<br />
	<br />
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<p class="Default">
	<span class="A8"><span style="font-size:24.0pt"><img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="181" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/sectoral_11.jpg" vspace="10" width="338" /><br />
	<br />
	<br />
	‘Real Growth Opportunity Lies in Agriculture and Small Scale Industries’</span></span> </p>
<p class="Default">
	&nbsp;<br />
	<img alt="realgrow" border="1" height="236" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/P-K-Mohapatra.jpg" vspace="10" width="217" /></p>
<p class="Pa1">
	<span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">P K Mohapatra </span></span><span class="A24"><span style="font-size:14.0pt;color:#211D1E">is the Chief Executive Officer at Everest Bank Limited (EBL). </span></span></p>
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	 </p>
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	<span style="font-size:11.5pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">With an aim to promote the agriculture sector, the EBL established a specialised branch called Krishi Udhyam Bikash Shakha at Rijbiraj, Saptari on August 17. In an interview with New Business Age, Mohapatra talked about reasons behind the newly opened branch and bank’s expansion plans in the agriculture sector. Excerpts:<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why did you come up with a dedicated branch for agricultural services? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The branch will not only concentrate on agricultural services, however, the thrust will be on agriculture and agro based industries. The country’s main focus area should now be agriculture because the new industries are not taking off due to many reasons. Around 66 per cent of the total population depends on agriculture and this sector’s contribution in the GDP is about 39 per cent. Therefore, if some priority is given to agriculture, it will be a contribution to the national economy too. <br />
	<br />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E"><br />
	<br />
	Why did you choose this particular location Rajbiraj among so many other places? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We found Rajbiraj suitable because the land is irrigated, people have money to spend on land and the area receives good amount of remittance. When we were planning to start this branch, we looked for different localities where agriculture is of prime focus including Chitwan where we already had a presence. We did not have a presence in Rajbiraj though which is an area with high growth potential. As a banker, we will also be interested to mobilise deposits as Rajbiraj has a high potential for deposit growth. So, that is a service for dual purpose – mobilising deposit and at the same time, helping the farmers by financing agriculture. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">How do you see the scope of formal lending to Nepal’s agriculture sector? <br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">It is one of the best virgin areas. So far, microfinance companies and Rural Development Bank have been doing agro based lending. All these sectors lend at a high rate of interest that makes the total investment and works literally non-viable. The moment commercial banks enter, we can lend at a much lower rate than present. This will encourage the farmers to borrow money from banks and go for high yielding crop varieties, improved seeds and better livestock. The entire economy will be supported by low interest funding by the commercial banks. For example, in districts like Chitwan, Ilam and Jhapa, a lot of migrant workers have returned from abroad with experience and money. All they need is a little support from the banking system so that they can thrive here, invest and use the experience and money they have gained. At the same time, they can give employment to some other people also. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Why are commercial banks hesitant to lend to this sector? <br />
	</span></strong><br />
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Banking in Nepal has been excessively based on urban areas. However, activities based in the urban areas are getting saturated. Therefore, the real growth opportunity lies in agriculture and small scale industries. Till now, the concentration was in cities and industrial towns like Birgunj, Biratnagar, Butwal and some other areas. The Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has made a mandatory provision to invest at least 10 per cent in agriculture and hydropower out of the total investments made by banks. It is a really appreciable measure adopted by the central bank. Agriculture and small scale industries are two sectors which are going to support the country in the long run. <br />
	<br />
	<br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span><strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">To what extent does Everest Bank wants to invest in the agriculture sector? <br />
	<br />
	</span></strong><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">The minimum investment will be what the NRB has already stipulated. Our small effort is to encourage the field people – branch managers and field staff – to look at agriculture from a totally different angle. Many think that agriculture lending is not a good lending. However, it is not true. If a thousand rupees is lent in the agriculture sector, it goes straight to the economy. As socially responsible corporate entities, all banks should target the rural people, particularly those involved in agriculture. We will be coming up with two to three branches having thrust on the agriculture sector within this fiscal year. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
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	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">We are also preparing setting up a farmer training institute in Nepal. Being from Punjab National Bank, India, we have a huge experience in running farmer training institutes in India and so, we have proposed to begin with at least one institute and replicate that all over Nepal. We are trying to open the training institute that will provide trainings free-of-cost in collaboration with the private sector and IFC (International Finance Corporation) or IOM (International Organisation for Migration). <br />
	<br />
	Such institutes will have basic facilities like soil testing will a simple laboratory. We will also teach farmers to repair agriculture machineries so that they can save money and time. Besides, we will train returnee migrants through these institutes so that they can use their experience and money. It is a long term plan and we should be able to start the first training institute before the close of financial year 2069/70. <br />
	</span></p>
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	<span class="A3"><span style="font-size:18.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:Impact">Sectoral</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">By Sushila Budhathoki</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A2"><span style="font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:32.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Demanding Business of Herbal Products</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span class="A35">&nbsp;<br />
	<span style="font-size:15.0pt;line-height:
115%;font-family:&quot;Calibri&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;;mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;">The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. <br />
	<br />
	<br />
	<img alt="sectorl" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing.jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	</span></span></p>
<p class="Pa9">
	<span class="A13"><span style="font-size:59.0pt">C</span></span><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">onsumption of herbal products in Nepal, according to an estimate, is registering an annual increment of 20 per cent. According to Pradip Maharjan, Chief Executive Officer of Agro Enterprise Center (AEC) at Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce &amp; Industry (FNCCI), Nepali herbal products also account for three per cent of the total exports. He further says, “Nepali herbal products meet around 60 per cent of the domestic market demand. The remaining 40 per cent demand is still fulfilled by imports.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">The yearly production of ‘Sancho’, a product of Herbs Production and Processing Company Limited (HPPCL), has reached five million units. Last year, the company produced around 3.4 million units of Sancho. According to Chandra Bahadur Shahi, General Manager of HPPCL, the company is now aggressively marketing the product in villages after having found a tremendous market in urban areas already. <br />
	<br />
	“Due to its popularity, we have been marketing Sancho and other herbal products through our distributors in each development region,” says Shahi. The company has estimated the total turnover of its herbal products at around Rs 100 million last year of which Sancho alone contributes around Rs 70 million. Sancho is a widely popular cure for cold, cough, rheumatism, stuffy nose, fatigue, body ache, muscular ache, headache, neuralgia, sprain and itching. It is marketed by the HPPCL since 2057 BS. <br />
	<br />
	<img alt="demaing" border="1" height="260" hspace="10" src="http://newbusinessage.com/ckfinder/userfiles/Images/demaing(1).jpg" vspace="10" width="219" /><br />
	<br />
	Nepal is basically exporting essential oils, Chyawanprash and Shilajit among other herbal products. According to the Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC), oil worth Rs 82 million was exported to third countries in 2010-2011. Govind Adhikari, President of Nepal Herbs and Herbal Products Association (NEHHPA), says the herbal industries can get optimum benefit by exporting finished herbal products rather than only exporting crude herbs. He adds, “We are exporting a huge amount of raw materials to India, which in turn, is earning from making the finished products. If we were able to export final products ourselves, we would have earned a tremendous market internationally.” He adds, “Since herbal products are unique, they usually do not face stiff competition.” <br />
	<br />
	The same products which people have been using since a long time for bathing, worshipping or for makeup, are being used by the modern-age people now. Today, the people around the world are inclined towards ‘back to nature’ and demanding natural products ranging from medicines and food items to cosmetics. Germany and France, among other countries, have been considered as major herbal markets in Europe and the popularity of herbal products has a great impact on its development. It is not surprising when many consider Nepal as a country with huge potentiality for herbal trade. <br />
	<br />
	Maharjan recommends exploring the need for investment in herbal industries due to the increasing demand of Nepali products internationally. He says, “There is a huge demand for herbal products internationally because people are lured towards products that are free from side effects. And our products have established a reputation of being natural and chemical-free products.” Nepali Industries are advertising their products through the internet as well and soliciting business online. Most of the Nepali herbal industries maintain websites and use them as a marketing tool for promoting their products. <br />
	<br />
	There are herbal products being sold everywhere and more people are inquiring about natural products such as cream, lip balm, oils and other cosmetics. According to Rina Gongaju, Production Manager at Wild Earth, the company has launched a basic range of products owing to local demand. She shares, “We are wealthy in herbs but it costs dearly to produce a final product because of the technical lapses in the collection and refinement of the herbs.” Wild Earth produces a range of handmade herbal goods such as soaps, massage oils, pillows, smudge sticks and aromatic amulets and sells them in over 30 countries. The company also caters its products to different Nepali hotels, resorts and spa centers. <br />
	<br />
	There are many brands for each range of products like Yak Milk Soaps and Mongolian Mare’s Milk Soap in Wild Wares category. There are other ranges of aromatic pillows namely Passion, Dream, Tranquility, Hangover, Calm, Balance, Soothe and Energy as well as pillows for each zodiac sign. Single products at Wild Earth are priced from Rs 55 to Rs 1,500 while for the herbal set, the prices range from Rs 350 to Rs 3,500.</span> </p>
<p class="Pa10" style="text-indent:14.0pt">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Adhikari says that Nepali products only acquire Food Phyto Sanitary Certificate and Plant Phyto Sanitary Certificate while buyers in Western countries have increasingly been asking for GMP certificates for aryurvedic remedies, as these products were relatively vulnerable to contamination and unwanted substances. He adds, “Lack of certification is troubling us on exporting herbal products even though there are no complaints about our products.” There are some Nepali companies too who do not apply proper production measures in their production process. Hari Dhital, Administrator at Gorkha Ayurved Company Pvt Ltd, says, “Our products compete with other ‘me too’ products of low quality which have confused the consumers. It has also troubled us in marketing the products.” <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Pa10">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">Industrialists say that the government provisions are discouraging newer industries, especially the small entrepreneurs. Although Herbs and NTFPs (Non Timber Forest Products) Policy 2004-05 has been endorsed, entrepreneurs are facing a lot of hurdles in its implementation. Adhikari shares his bitter experience in the promotion and development of herbal products in Nepal. “The latest policy has been prepared for the benefit of the industries, however, the government is turning a deaf ear to its implementation,” he complains. <br style="mso-special-character:line-break" />
	</span></p>
<p class="Default">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;
color:#211D1E">There is a list of 119 NTFPs that are in trade or have the potential to trade. These herbs are used to produce crude herbs, essential oils, extraction items and lokta/argeli papers. They are the raw materials for different ayurvedic products/para pharmaceutical products, cosmetics and vegetable oils too. Different parts like leaf stem extract, pod, root, rhizome, flower, fruit, seed, wood, tendril, bark etc of herbal and aromatic plants are used to produce these items. <br />
	<br />
	According to NEHHPA, there are around 40 companies involved in the production of finished herbal products and 2,000 traders and around 5,000 to 6,000 wild collectors, especially the farmers from different villages, involved in the herbal business. With around 7,000 types of herbs and a kind of bio-diversity rarely found in other corners of the world, Nepal seems the first priority for the investors venturing into herbal business. Maharjan says, “Since the market of herbal products is growing, many western countries are attracted towards production of herbal products. There are a few Nepali companies having joint ventures with foreign companies and are producing herbal products.”</span> </p>
<p class="MsoNormal">
	<span style="font-size:10.0pt;line-height:115%;mso-bidi-font-family:
&quot;Myriad Pro&quot;;color:#211D1E">Having seen the potential for herbs and herbal products, many projects have started focusing on the production, processing and marketing of herbal products. AEC reports that High Mountain livelihood Improvement (HIMALI), Raising Income for small and Medium Farmers (RISME), High Value Agricultural Products (HVAP) and One Village One Product (OVOP) are some of the current programs that focus on cultivation, production and marketing of herbal products along with other agricultural products. <br />
	<br />
	The 350 hectares of land owned by HPPCL, if used properly, would also benefit herbal business in Nepal and encourage newer herbal industries for research and development. From a marketing perspective, traditional ayurvedic medicines enjoy good brand value in the west. However, with the demand of quality and harmless herbal products, ‘Trademark Herbal’ is not enough for the aggressive growth of Nepali herbal industries.<br />
	<br />
	<br />
	</span></p>',
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Currency	Unit	Buy	Sell
U.S. Dollar	1	121.23	121.83
European Euro	1	131.65	132.31
UK Pound Sterling	1	142.47	143.18
Swiss Franc	1	124.29	124.90
Australian Dollar	1	71.69	72.05
Canadian Dollar	1	83.90	84.32
Japanese Yen	10	10.94	11.00
Chinese Yuan	1	17.17	17.26
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Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)

Bullion

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

Update : 2020-03-25

Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association

Petroleum

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