<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720cdb9c7e80680e0b7890jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"/><figcaption>Photo: NAMRATA SHARMA</figcaption></figure>"I am who I am today because my father raised me as if he would a son and encouraged me to do what I wanted,” says Bimita Bhandari, one of the first women tour operators in the Chitwan National Park as she takes visitors around on a safari.The theme of International Women’s Day this year is #BreakTheBias, something Bhandari was already doing on her own, <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/hop-over-the-gender-gap/">breaking gender norms and stereotypes</a>. But every girl should be allowed the same and given the right kind of support, she says.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720cde9c7e80680e0b7891jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="126" height="150">“Girls should not be <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/how-the-climate-crisis-adds-to-child-marriage-in-nepal/">married off early</a> and allowed to pursue a career they want. Both recognition and money would help them to overcome discrimination,” adds 27-year-old Bhandari, who was one of the first three women to receive a jungle guide license at the Park.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720cdf9c7e80680e0b7892jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1125"><figcaption>Photo: NAMRATA SHARMA</figcaption></figure>A daughter of a forest guard herself, Bhandari grew up loving nature. She was adventurous from a young age, which also got her into a lot of trouble. One of her earliest memories is of a close encounter with a rhino that she managed to outrun.After this, she developed a sixth sense that has since helped her and her companions to steer clear of the wildlife in case of an encounter, something that would come in handy when she took tourists out on jungle safari.Early on she also saw how boys and men in her community were earning both money and respect as forest guides, instilling in her a desire to become one too. So when her classmates were being married off, her father encouraged her to pursue her dream, eventually allowing her to be a professional of her choice.<img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720ce29c7e80680e0b7893jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000">But it was not always so rosy for Bhandari, who was only 16 when she became a forest guide. She was initially not taken seriously and had to serve as an assistant guide. Her male colleagues constantly ridiculed her and doubted her ability to take tourists on jungle safari.But when they saw her skillfully handle tourists with her knowledge of the forest and the wildlife, and save them from dangerous situations in the wild, she gained their trust.Tourists were also impressed with her services, adding to her own confidence. Today, Bhandari is one of the most sought-after and recognised guides in the region. The fact that she can also speak Mandarin, English and Hindi helps.Bhandari does not much remember her mother who passed away while she was still a toddler. She was raised by a supportive father. But neighbours and relatives were against her taking up a career traditionally reserved for men.“But that did not bother me because my father was my strength and helped me to be the first woman in my community to take up such a career,” says Bhandari, who is also a promising wildlife photographer.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720ce59c7e80680e0b7894jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="640" height="427"><figcaption>Red panda in its habitat in Ilam. Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720ce89c7e80680e0b7895jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Bengal Tiger in Chitwan national park. Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720cec9c7e80680e0b7896jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Bengal tiger enjoying a swim in Bardia Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101136/63720cef9c7e80680e0b7897jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>A pair of mugger crocodiles mating in Chitwan national park. Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure><figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101140/63720cf39c7e80680e0b7898jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="1500" height="1000"><figcaption>Wild cat. Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure>Initially, she used her phone to take pictures but she now has a Nikon G500 she bought with her savings. On a small scale, her photographs are sold in the local market and one even made it to the calendar of the Nepal Tourism Board.Much like many talented youths in rural Nepal, she does not have access to national and international platforms to showcase her wildlife photography. But for now, her pictures can be viewed in her Instagram account @bimitaphotography.Bhandari has made her dreams come true, she has both respect and money. But the <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/nepal-reopening-for-tourists/">Covid-19 crisis</a> hit her family hard.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221114101140/63720cf69c7e80680e0b7899jpeg.jpg" alt="" width="996" height="1500"><figcaption>Wild elephant pictured in Chitwan national park. Photo: Bimita Bhandari</figcaption></figure>“I have used up all my savings,” she says, adding that she is in no hurry to marry. She trusts in her abilities to care for her family of her father, stepmother and brother once tourism is up and running.For women to break biases, discover new talents and provide them bigger platforms, Bhandari shows that it is not enough to mark just one day a year with token gestures. We must be committed to working for their welfare throughout the year.Read  also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/women-conservationists-brave-discrimination-and-the-wild/">Women conservationists brave discrimination, and the wild</a>, Nepali Times

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Nepali safari guide breaks the bias

<img width="640" height="427" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08b69c7e80680e0a6032jpeg.jpg" alt=""/>The Tarai Arc Landscape, a shared transboundary protected zone between Nepal and India is spread across 25,000 sq km on the Nepal side, roughly 17% of the country's total area. It is home to 7 million people, half of them women, making their <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/empowering-nepalis-during-covid-19-crisis/">stake in conservation efforts</a> significant.In Nepal’s agrarian society, rural women are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/from-the-nepali-press/women-conservationists-brave-discrimination-and-the-wild/">often relegated to household roles</a> and spend much of their time in the forest searching for fuelwood and fodder, or grazing livestock.  This consequently places them at a higher risk of <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/in-conservation-nepal-is-not-out-of-the-woods-yet/">human-wildlife interactions,</a> with research showing that more females than males have been injured or killed by tigers. Women and marginalised communities are <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/women-leaders-set-example-for-rest-of-nepal/">custodians of Nepal’s natural heritage, </a>and have played an important role in safeguarding natural resources, especially in tiger conservation. Their contribution is valuable in every aspect of conservation: vulnerability, mobilisation and benefits. Take Sapika Magar, the first female coordinator of the Thori Rapid Response Team in Parsa National Park, who believes that youth and women play a meaningful part in biodiversity conservation, particularly in <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/is-wildlife-conservation-a-victim-of-its-own-success-in-nepal/">reducing human-wildlife contact</a> on the fringes of the park that is <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/">home to many tigers. </a>Magar also leads behavioural change communication classes, a volunteer group that discusses challenges that communities face in the hope of changing the negative attitude towards wildlife. She has restricted local herders from illegally entering the forest to motivating villages into <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/champions-of-nepals-conservation-movement/">mainstream conservation.</a> It is no surprise that girls in her buffer zone areas look up to her and wish to pursue a career in conservation.  <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/winners-of-celebrating-womanhood-navadevi-awards,1183">Nanda Devi Kunwar,</a> former chairperson of Madhumalati Community Forest in Kailali district lost her right hand trying to protect the forest and wildlife. After she set up a metal fence to bar entry into the community forest, encroachers retaliated by physically attacking her.Despite the injury and the traumatic experience, Kunwar carries on as before with her conservation activism. In 2018, the Nepal government recognised her contribution and named a newly found rare orchid species, Odanchilas Nandeyi, after her.Many female <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/">grassroots activists</a> have now been elected to local governments and are working to engage women in decision-making bodies, dialogue, and <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/villagers-step-up-to-protect-nepals-tigers/">conservation mechanisms.</a> This in turn has brought the opportunity to expand women’s access to natural resources and support their livelihoods. Bharati Pathak is chair of the Federation of Community Forest User Groups, under whose leadership Nepal has rolled out group insurance schemes to mitigate human-wildlife contact in community forests across 77 districts in the country. She has advocated for equitable rights for community forest users, and for the representation of women — particularly from poor, vulnerable, and socially excluded Natural Resource Management groups — in decision-making bodies. Premiere schools such as the Institute of Forestry at Pokhara Campus are dedicated to producing top-notch forestry professionals. Each year roughly 40% of graduates who  enter the field are female, and they have been making a significant contribution in ecology and natural resource management.Without their involvement, Nepal’s <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/here-now/close-encounters-with-tigers-in-nepal/">conservation efforts</a> risk overlooking root causes of biodiversity loss, as well as potential solutions all while perpetuating gender inequality. The statute of community forestry envisions that half the executive positions be held by women. However, we are far from achieving it. There are structural and behavioural barriers that prevent women from climbing up the socio-economic ladder. Having them in leadership positions will change that. Bishnu Shrestha, Chief Warden of <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/bardiya-beginnings-Lisa-Choegyal,1085">Bardia National Park</a> and co-author of the paper ‘Women in protected area and buffer zone management’ highlights the low representation of women in the workforce (less than 15%) despite supportive policies on women empowerment and engagement. The paper recommends policy intervention and sufficient resource allocation to generate awareness and promote gender inclusivity at all levels of the conservation movement. Radha Wagle, Nepal’s first female joint secretary and division head at the Climate Change Management Division at the Ministry of Forest and Environment, is from the forestry batch of 1998-2002. She is working to make the forestry sector more equitable and inclusive for women and marginalised groups. She recently helped draft the Ministry of Forest and Environment’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Strategy and Action Plan, which is now awaiting endorsement from the government. This policy document highlights best practices for implementation and promises to empower all the beneficiaries and Natural Resource Management groups and aspires to mainstream GESI provisions in Forestry and Environmental Sectors. Research has shown that including women in forestry and fisheries management can <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/latest/women-leaders-set-example-for-rest-of-nepal/">lead to better governance</a> and conservation outcomes, with Rwanda being a fine example. Representation of women, and their meaningful participation in the executive committee of Natural Resource Management groups, particularly in the buffer zones and corridors, can influence decisions which will be conducive to women and biodiversity conservation in general. Challenges such as equitable access to natural resources, benefit-sharing, mitigating negative human-wildlife interactions, including building management and intellectual capacity, have been shown to have a better chance at success under <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/women-leaders-seen-but-not-heard/">female leadership. </a>Female conservation leaders like Sapika Magar and Nanda Devi Kunwar have helped motivate countless individuals and communities to work towards establishing a cordial relationship between communities, natural resource management groups, and divisional forest and protected areas authorities. The next step would be to also include <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/unsung-heroes-of-nepals-tiger-recovery/">women from indigenous groups</a> who have traditional knowledge of conservation efforts. This is especially true for indigenous women, who are even more marginalised in decision-making processes. More attention and resources must be allocated, primarily at the local level, to ensure that Nepal’s conservation successes are efforts that are implemented in ways that address gender issues. Their efforts have shown that protecting the habitat of tigers protects its entire ecosystem.  <img width="267" height="267" src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221110151120/636d08b99c7e80680e0a6033jpeg.jpg" alt="">Kanchan Thapa, PhD, is head of Wildlife Programs at WWF Nepal. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organisation.

Nepali women at forefront of saving tigers

<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171144/636936969c7e80680e03fdebjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2814" height="1808"/><figcaption>The Interns: Visit to Tiger Tops by then-U.S First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, flanked by guest relations Arati Rai and Sam Vincent.</figcaption></figure>Somewhere along the way at Tiger Tops Jungle Lodge, it was decided that we needed a gentle female hand to look after guests, to reassure them in the remote jungle setting, and to balance the macho effect of the wildlife naturalists who swaggered through tiger and rhino country.The result was a succession of guest relations girls (gals), most of whom did not last more than a couple of seasons -- such was the intensity of the task and isolation of life within Nepal’s Tarai national parks.When I first <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/So-far-so-good/back-to-Chitwan,1075" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worked in Chitwan in 1974</a>, we all did everything. I could be found in my khaki shirt not only on airport duty and briefing the guests on arrival, but also escorting barefoot visits to the tiger blinds, explaining the careful husbandry of the elephant camp, or pointing out crocodiles and birds whilst floating down the Narayani river in local wood boats with only the dip of a paddle or the call of an osprey to spoil the silence.Most thrilling was driving guests in the battered green Land Rovers on afternoon excursions across the rickety bridges, through shallow streams and along the rough tracks carved each year out of the encroaching <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/banner/its-a-jungle-out-there/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">jungle</a>. I could change one of the heavy tread tyres in less than eight minutes, and had to do so on more than one occasion -- usually on some distant stretch of rutted road, never quite sure what creature might emerge out of the forest and grassland.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171144/6369369a9c7e80680e03fdecjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="2092" height="2716"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Early evening tigers would use the same roads to patrol their territory and spray-mark trees, leaving pungent cat-scent hanging in the air, and impossibly large pug marks imprinted in the dust.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/recreating-tiger-tops-in-the-tropics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recreating tiger tops in the tropics</a>, Lisa ChoegyalAfter I moved to the Kathmandu office, the boundaries became less blurred and the guest relations job description tightened to exclude driving – prompted by one enthusiastic dark-haired American gal colliding head on around a jungle corner with the only other vehicle for miles.<a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/business/City-safari-in-rickshaw,2784" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Safaris</a>, drives, boat trips and walks were deemed the masculine domain of operations staff, naturalists and nature guides. Guest relations’ focus was entirely on the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/regular-columns/guest-editorial/leave-no-one-behind-gender-roles,858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">feminine</a> duties of housekeeping and the kitchen, planning menus, assigning tree-top rooms, arranging tents, and ensuring guests felt at home – more systematic perhaps, but not nearly so much fun.I suffered the ultimate feminist indignity when, during a glossy London magazine fashion shoot that I had arranged in 1977 with top models and a celebrity photographer, and me posing at the wheel of an open safari jeep, a moustache was later photo-shopped onto my upper lip. If not women’s liberation, we did achieve 10 valuable pages of publicity for <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/Conservation-and-tourism-Chitwan-National-Park,2957" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chitwan’s wildlife tourism</a>.<figure><img src="https://superdesk-pro-c.s3.amazonaws.com/sd-nepalitimes/20221107171144/6369369d9c7e80680e03fdedjpeg.jpg" alt="" width="880" height="638"><figcaption> </figcaption></figure>Our guest relations girls were mainly recruited from friends of friends, meaning we had a bias of Western gals (and the occasional guy) from the wide-open spaces of North America, and the more specialised British habitat of Sloane Square, the Pony Club and titled country house parties. Double-barrelled surnames proliferated, and at one point we had a Lavinia, a Philippa, a Venetia and a Samantha in close succession.In those conservative times, few Nepali or Indian girls were permitted by their families to work in the mostly male atmosphere of the <a href="https://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/More-trouble-in-Chitwan-National-Park,2956" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lodges</a> and camps, although we did find a few individuals who gained traction as attitudes relaxed. By definition, they were mavericks, pushing the boundaries; Asha moved on to Disney in the US, Pramoda still campaigns for animal rights, Christabel from Darjeeling now lives in Melbourne, and Gauree has risen to international lodge manager status in her own right.Read also: <a href="https://www.nepalitimes.com/opinion/pilgrimage-to-copenhagen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pilgrimage to Copenhagen</a>, Lisa ChoegyalOver the decades, Tiger Tops gals came and went, and many are still in touch. Those that did not succumb to suburbia discovered their destiny – many still work in hospitality and conservation. Some fell foul of the system (or the boss’ kids) and had to leave in a hurry. A few left their heart in the jungle and there were several Tiger Tops marriages.One English blond had to be rescued from an enamoured royal prince who was found installed in a Soaltee suite – that was tricky to explain to her mother in Surrey. Many took an interest in the food. A lovely lady from Tasmania would greet guests with “Have a nice cup of tea!” and an older lady returned regularly to teach new European recipes. Nodding patiently, the eyes of the Nepali cooks would glaze over with years of conflicting instructions.Such was the allure of adventure in the jungle that Tiger Tops developed a clever category of young kids whose parents actually paid for them to work with us. Un-catchily named the Youth Trainee Programme, YTPs would spend a month or two traipsing around, shadowing guides, and ostensibly helping out in Chitwan and Bardia, often in their gap year between school and university (yes, gap yah!).Other than a few casualties -- usually related to love, drink or homesickness -- an ‘amazing’ time was had by all. One chap overdid the <a href="http://archive.nepalitimes.com/article/Nepali-Times-Buzz/elephants-born-free,3302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elephant</a> camp ganja, one misjudged the Khukri rum, and another got no further than the Thamel throngs before being nursed back to Oxfordshire, but they were the exception.Most of our guest relations’ gals and the transitory gap yah kids claim that the experience in Nepal changed their lives, and I have no doubt that it did.

Lisa Choegyal

Gap yah gals in the jungle

Samsung Nepal has opened pre-orders for the Galaxy A57 5G and A37 5G. Both phones run Samsung’s One UI 8.5, featuring AI capabilities like voice transcription, Circle to Search, and photo editing. They feature a 50MP triple-camera system, a Super AMOLED display, and six years of OS and security updates.

Galaxy A series

The war in West Asia has exposed the fragility of the economic architecture Nepal has built on over two generations. If the conflict continues, growth across developing Asia will slow and prices will rise. For Nepal, this will be felt through higher living costs, weaker economic activity, and growing uncertainty for the millions of families who depend on remittances.&nbsp; Nepal now needs to structurally transform from exporting labour to investing in domestic job creation. &nbsp; The country's current path toward a knowledge economy has a blind spot. A <a href="https://iids.org.np/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unleashing.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> by the Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) in Kathmandu shows that IT export companies alone generated 7,228 jobs and income for 66,509 freelancers.&nbsp; We are building digital labour export, not an economy that accumulates institutional knowledge. The Nepali Upwork developer and a migrant construction worker in the Gulf are engaged in the same economic activity, but with different tools. Nepal’s reliance on a <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/BX.TRF.PWKR.DT.GD.ZS?locations=NP" target="_blank">remittance-driven economy,</a> means the country has failed to create enough <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal/publication/unlocking-nepal-s-growth-potential" target="_blank">quality jobs</a> at home. For millions of young people, leaving the country is not a choice but a necessity to survive and support families back home. <a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/nepal/publication/unlocking-nepal-s-growth-potential" target="_blank">Remittances</a> have no doubt helped reduce poverty. Thirty years ago, 55% of Nepal’s population lived on less than $2.15 a day, now it is 20% after the absolute poverty line was revised upwards. This progress has come at a cost — &nbsp;an economy that depends more on exporting workers than creating opportunities at home. This development reflects a deeper political failure to create meaningful jobs within the country. Since the democratic transition in 1991, Nepal’s leadership has largely recycled the same faces, with limited progress on job creation or industrial growth.&nbsp; Nepal cannot build a <a href="https://nipore.org/accelerating-nepals-startups/" target="_blank">knowledge economy</a> while its most ambitious people are outbound to Doha and Tokyo. We are also not just losing ‘labour’. We are losing the entrepreneurial risk tolerance of our youth.&nbsp; If the most ambitious 25-year-olds are abroad, who is left to support innovation and entrepreneurship? The same people who are working tirelessly abroad, are our biggest asset for development. Their work ethic and the know-how inurban renewal could well fit into the new RSP government’s mandate of 7% annual growth.&nbsp; The <a href="https://english.biznessnews.com/posts/-nepal%E2%80%99s-it-exports-cross-1-billion-" target="_blank">$1B milestone</a> of IT exports is a celebratory moment for Nepal. However, that cannot lead to a pathway to a $100 billion economy without innovation ecosystems that go beyond individual labour export. Companies like SecurityPal and industry associations such as NASIT have made significant efforts in building such an environment, recently championed by private sector leaders as a &nbsp;<a href="https://www.securitypalhq.com/blog/silicon-peaks" target="_blank">Silicon Peaks</a> model that emphasises a home growth tech cluster. The need to accelerate this transition is even more urgent with the escalating conflict in West Asia. &nbsp;The recent International Labour Organisation (ILO) <a href="https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/Nepal%20LDC%20Graduation%20Employment%20Impacts%20Report.pdf" target="_blank">report</a> shows that LDC graduation is expected to adversely impact manufacturing with losses of $1 billion by 2030.&nbsp; If manufacturing takes such a large hit from losing trade preferences, then Nepal’s services and IT sectors need to structurally transform and shift from exporting individual talent to building firms. &nbsp; A generation’s frustration has finally forced a shift in Nepal’s political structure, handing the new government a clear mandate to fix failures. But the question still persists: what prevents Nepal from achieving sustained, productivity-driven growth? &nbsp;&nbsp; RSP is in the right place at the right time to put Nepal's economy on a firm footing. At the heart of Nepal’s economic underperformance lies a major development binding constraint: low returns to investment on projects.&nbsp; The government invests like a high-growth economy, with gross capital formation at around <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/NE.GDI.FTOT.ZS?locations=NP" target="_blank">25–30 percent of GDP</a>. Yet economic growth remains modest. The problem is not how much the country invests, but how little it gets in return. One way to see this is by looking at how much investment is required to generate growth.&nbsp; Nepal needs large amounts of capital to produce relatively small gains in output (graph, below). For instance, in 2024, the ICOR was 8.29, this suggests that Nepal had to invest more than 8 units of capital to produce a one unit of additional economic output.&nbsp;  <figure> <img src="https://publisher-publish.s3.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com/pb-nepalitimes/swp/asv65r/media/20260406040412_605dc527641d2ff2dc5723ed8bbec946898331d5538a55b9941e32a0725bf811.jpg" data-media-id="editor_9" data-image-id="20260406040412_605dc527641d2ff2dc5723ed8bbec946898331d5538a55b9941e32a0725bf811" data-rendition-name="original" width="1827" height="925" loading="lazy" alt="Economy graph"> <figcaption>Source: Author's calculation based on a Growth Diagnostic simulation</figcaption> </figure>  This reflects a deeper issue in how investment is allocated and executed. Capital is often locked in low-productivity sectors or diluted by delays, inefficiencies, and policy uncertainty.&nbsp; As a result, even high levels of investment fail to translate into sustained growth. Until investment shifts toward productive, firm-building activities, higher spending alone will not deliver results. &nbsp; To reverse this, the government must focus on raising the returns to investment by enabling firms to grow and compete. This requires a shift from managing scarcity to creating an environment where capital can generate consistent and predictable returns. A central priority should be given to attracting and retaining both domestic and foreign private investment. Investors do not just respond to direct incentives, but also to policy stability in the country. Nepal’s economy cannot sustain high growth if its human capital continues to leave the country.&nbsp; The goal should not simply be to create jobs, but to build companies that scale, innovate, and compete beyond Nepal. This requires supporting sectors with strong productivity potential and ensuring that firms can expand without being constrained by infrastructure gaps or regulatory friction. Finally, the state must improve the quality of its own investment. Public spending should focus on lowering the cost of doing business through reliable electricity, efficient logistics, and digital infrastructure.&nbsp; The GenZ movement took two days to bring change. The economic transformation of Nepal might take a generation. The RSP can accelerate this transition, but only if it focuses on building a better investment climate for business and not just feeding the global labour pool. Kailash Raj Pandey is an MPA/ID and MBA candidate at Harvard Kennedy School and MIT Sloan School of Management and a fellow at MIT Kuo Sharper Center for Innovation and Prosperity.&nbsp; Siddhartha Raymajhí is a policy researcher based in Kathmandu.

Creating a firm future for Nepal

Know your Ministers

Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday broke tradition and met with 17 foreign envoys collectively, a move that was a notable departure from how his predecessors operated.&nbsp;
Shah had already set himself apart by talking less, listening more, and delegating to trusted friends. But by meeting all ambassadors at one go in the presence of the Foreign Ministry, he signalled a paradigm shift in how he wants Nepal to be seen: no longer just balancing India and China, but as a country confident about its <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/opinion/guest-editorial/tripolar-contestation-over-nepal">strategic importance and place in the world</a>.
In just two weeks, the <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/rsp-dos-and-don-ts">RSP has sprung into action </a>on multiple fronts to implement its ambitious 100-point, 100-days action plan. It has taken short-term measures to mitigate the impact of the Gulf war, as well as medium- and long- term measures to streamline the bureaucracy. A few high-profile figures have been made examples of to drive the message home.
Earlier this week, the government recalled six politically appointed ambassadors, the most notable being long-serving Shankar Sharma from New Delhi. The Kathmandu District Court issued arrest warrants against former prime minister Sher Bahadur Deuba and his former foreign minister wife Arzu Rana on charges of money laundering and corruption.
Each ministry has been trying to clean up the accumulated rot from the past three decades: regulatory overhaul of microfinance, education, health and service delivery.&nbsp;
These actions widely disseminated campaign-style on YouTube and TikTok have made most Nepalis hopeful that the party they installed in power means business.
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BACKLASH
But such attempts to overhaul a long-entrenched political culture were bound to face backlash. In their impatience and enthusiasm to get things done, some of Prime Minister Shah’s ministers have over-reached.
It was common knowledge that government-paid advertising in the mainstream press was kickback-driven, but the PMO’s directive that official notices be published or broadcast only on state-run media has been denounced — especially as the media industry struggles to stay afloat.
More serious are some recent appointments by ministers of relatives and figures closely associated with the RSP to key positions. This has rankled because this party built its political plank on ending nepotism and graft.&nbsp;
News that Home Minister Sudan Gurung allegedly had not paid rent on leased land, which illegally encroached on the lake in Pokhara did not help. &nbsp;
Prime Minister Shah himself has come under scrutiny for appointing a kitchen cabinet full of male buddies from his time as Kathmandu mayor. To douse criticism he brought in as adviser investigative journalist Deepa Dahal, who has exposed corruption in high places of the previous coalitions.&nbsp;
Shah’s appointment of another political adviser Asim Shah to the head Constitution Amendment Task Force, is also seen as problematic. He is a filmmaker and former lawmaker, but does not have a background in constitutional law.&nbsp;
Even more controversial is the Cabinet’s decision to appoint RSP Chair Rabi Lamichhane’s legal counsel, Narayan Kandel, as Attorney General. Kandel used to be a UK permanent resident, and does not have as much experience practicing law in Nepal.&nbsp;
Kandel’s appointment drew flak and raised eyebrows, and with the pending legal cases against Lamichhane this appointment represents a flagrant conflict of interest.
Health Minister Nisha Mehta was also accused of favouritism after reappointing Junu Shrestha, wife of Labour Minister Dipak Kumar Shah, as member of the Health Insurance Board which had earlier suspended her. The Labour Minister’s rambling rant at the Board’s meeting on Tuesday has not helped the RSP’s image.&nbsp;
(UPDATE: On Thursday, Prime Minister Shah sacked the Labour Minister after the RSP found him in breach of the party's code of conduct and discipline. He served 14 days in the Cabinet, one of the shortest tenures for a minister in Nepal )
It is hard to know what <a href="https://nepalitimes.com/news/ball-in-balen-s-court">Balendra Shah is thinking</a>, and how Rabi Lamichhane is going to justify some of these moves. After all, making politics, governance, and bureaucracy a meritocracy has been the core tenet of the RSP, and it risks alienating its mainly youth base if these missteps persist.
But at least for now, most RSP supporters seem to be giving the party the benefit of doubt.