Sunday, May 18, 2014
Thursday, May 8, 2014
आर्थिक विकास : आस गरौं भर नपरौं: कारोबार दैनिक, बैशाख २४
आर्थिक वृद्धिको स्थिरता र अझै उकालो लगाउनका लागि जुनसुकै दलको शासन भए पनि पूर्वाधार निर्माणमा राज्यले सम्पूर्ण ध्यान दिनुपर्छ र प्रगतिलाई कडाइका साथ अनुगमन गर्नुपर्छ । यसका साथै आर्थिक विकासको मेरुदण्डका रूपमा रहेको कृषिलाई आधुनिकीकरण गर्दै जानु अनिवार्य छ ।
– प्रा.डा. विकासराज सत्याल
आउँदो वर्षमा आर्थिक वृद्धिदर ५.१५ प्रतिशत र प्रतिव्यक्ति वार्षिक आय ७ सय १७ डलर पुग्ने अनुमान तथ्यांक विभागले सार्वजनिक गरिएको छ । पहिलो पटक दुई त्रैमासिक (चालू आर्थिक वर्षको ८ महिनाको) तथ्यांकलाई आधार बनाएर सार्वजनिक भएको कुल गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादन वृद्धिदरको तथ्यांकसँगै केही बहस आरम्भ भएका छन् ।यो उत्साही अनुमान यथार्थ तथ्यांककै आधारबाट गरिएकाले बढी सम्भाव्य देखिन्छ । तर, गएका केही वर्षका सम्पूर्ण आर्थिक सूचकांकहरू नकारात्मक देखिएको स्थितिमा पहिले त यो वृद्धिदरमाथि नै प्रश्न उठाउने ठाउँ प्रशस्त छ र दोस्रो यो वृृद्धि साँच्चै भए पनि यसले भविष्य ढुक्क पार्ने आशा दिन सक्दैन, किनकि यो दिगो विकास होइन ।
तथ्यांक विभागकै अनुसार, हाम्रो आर्थिक वृद्धिदर गत वर्ष ३.४६ प्रतिशत थियो, जो गएको ५ वर्षयताको सबैभन्दा कम थियो र प्रतिव्यक्ति आय ७ सय १३ डलर । हालै हामीले स्थिर सरकार पाएका छौँ, जसका आधारमा अर्थतन्त्र सुधारोन्मुख हुने अनुमान गर्न सकिन्छ । तर, केवल स्थिर सरकार पर्याप्त आधार हुन सक्दैन । फेरि स्वार्थको टकरावमा राजनीतिको स्थिरता अति दुर्लभ भएको तीतो यथार्थ हामीले भोगेकै कुरा हो । हुनत तथ्यांक विभागको यो वृद्धिको अनुमानमा मुख्य आधार गत वर्षको राम्रो मनसुन नै देखिएको छ, जसले कृषि, त्यसमा पनि धानको उत्पादनमा राम्रो वृद्धि भएको देखिएको छ । तर, यसका साथै गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनको ५२.२३ प्रतिशत अंश ओगटेको तृतीय क्षेत्र अर्थात् सेवाक्षेत्र जसमा– थोक तथा खुद्रा व्यापार, होटल तथा रेस्टुराँ, यातायात, सञ्चार रियल–इस्टेट तथा व्यावसायिक सेवा, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्यजस्ता सेवामूलक क्षेत्र पर्छन्, यिनीहरूको वृद्धिको आधार पनि आँकलन गरिएको छ, जो बढेर गत वर्षभन्दा ६.१३ प्रतिशत हुने तथ्याक विभागको अनुमान छ । यो अनुमान गर्ने कलामा पनि एउटा विचित्रता हुन्छ । आनी छोइङको ‘फूलको आँखामा फूलनै संसार...’ को सिद्धान्त तथ्यांकशास्त्रको अनुमान पद्धतिमा पनि लागू हुन्छ । अनुमान गर्दा फूल कि काँडा अर्थात् उदार कि अनुदार पद्धतिबाट भन्ने गरिन्छ नै । लाग्छ हालको यो अनुमान फूलको आँखाबाट गरिएको हो ।
सपना जे देखे पनि, देश आर्थिक रूपमा कति खोक्रो हुँदै गएको छ भन्ने कुरा हिजोका यथार्थ आँकडाहरूबाट मात्रै देखिने हो । गत वर्षको आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण र चौमासिक प्रतिवेदनहरूका अनुसार २०६९÷७० मा देशको व्यापारघाटा २३.९ प्रतिशतले बढेर झन्डै ५ खर्ब पुग्न लागेको छ र प्रत्येक १ सय रुपैयाँको निर्यात गर्दा हामी ७ सयको आयात गर्दैछौं । कृषि उत्पादनमा, जसको सहाराले हालको यो आर्थिक वृद्धिको प्रक्षेपण गरिएको छ, उत्पादकत्व यति बिग्रेको छ कि केही वर्ष पहिले चामल निर्यात गर्ने नेपाल अचेल हरेक वर्ष आयातमा वृद्धि गर्दै यो वर्ष १४ अर्बको चामल आयात गर्न पुगेको छ, जो गत वर्षभन्दा २ सय ४४ प्रतिशतले बढी हो । कृषि क्षेत्रमा ज्ञान र सीपको आधुनिकीकरण पसेको छैन । बीउ, मल, औजार, उत्पादन प्रणाली सबै पुरानै भएकाले उत्पादकत्व निराशाजनक हुँदै गएको छ । १ हजार ५ सय युवाको दैनिक विदेश पलायनको एक प्रमुख कारण कृषिको खराब उत्पादकत्व नै हो । गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनमा ५२ प्रतिशत योगदान दिने सेवालगायतका क्षेत्रको योगदान पनि सहज हुने देखिँदैन । निजी क्षेत्रका शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्यमा हुने लुट र अव्यवस्थाको पोल खुल्दै छन् । चरम बेरोजगारी, ९–१० प्रतिशतसम्मको मुद्रास्फीति, बेलगाम सरकारी खर्च र बेरुजु, बैंक–वित्तीय संस्था र सहकारीका घोटालाहरू, धराशायी घरजग्गा कारोबार– यी सबैले तृतीय क्षेत्रको विकास सहज हुने देखिँदैन । फलस्वरूप आर्थिक वृद्धि स्थिर हुने देखिँदैन ।
तथ्यांक आधारित भएकाले विभागको यो अनुमान सही होस् भन्ने शुभकामना आमजनताको रहे पनि एकै समयको सरकारी निकायको एउटै तथ्यांकसमेत भिन्दाभिन्दै हुने बिगतको अनुभव पनि हामीसँग छ । जस्तो, आर्थिक सर्भेक्षण ०६९÷७० मा गरिबीको रेखामुनिको जनसंख्या २३.८ प्रतिशत भनिरहँदा त्यही वर्षको त्रिवर्षीय योजनाको आधारपत्रमा यो संख्या ४१.५ प्रतिशत लेखिएको भेटिन्छ । यसैगरी, त्यसैताका अक्सफोर्ड भन्ने एक ब्रिटिस अनुसन्धान संस्थाले गरेको स्वतन्त्र मूल्यांकनमा ६० प्रतिशतभन्दा बढी जनता गरिबीको रेखामुनि रहेको तथ्यांक प्रकाशित भएकोे थियो, जसबाट देशमा एउटा ठूलो हलचल नै आयो, जो पछि ‘गणना गर्ने विधिको भिन्नताले भएको’ भन्ने विज्ञप्ति नेपाल सरकारले निकालेर मात्र शान्त भएको थियो । हालै अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मुद्राकोषको ‘विश्व आर्थिक परिदृश्य २०१४’ मा देखाएअनुसार नेपालको आर्थिक वृद्धिदर घट्ने र प्रतिव्यक्ति आय घटेर ६ सय ४० डलर पुग्ने देखिएको छ । विश्व बैंक र एसियाली विकास बैंकले पनि आर्थिक वृद्धि घट्ने नै अनुमान गरेका छन् । यी दुवै संस्थाका अनुसार नेपालको वृद्धिदर ४.५ प्रतिशत रहने देखिएको छ, जबकि केन्द्रीय तथ्यांक विभागले यो वर्ष ५.१५ प्रतिशतको वृद्धिदर हासिल हुने तथ्यांक भर्खर सार्वजनिक गरेको छ, यस्ता खाले विरोधाभासपूर्ण दृश्य यसपल्ट हाम्रो तथ्यांकको नहोस् ।
तर आर्थिक वृद्धि तथ्यांक विभागले सोचेअनुसार नै हुँदा पनि यसले हाम्रो दिगो प्रगतिको संकेत भने दिएको छैन । देशमा भित्रिएको विप्रेषण र स्वदेशको आयको ९०.५ प्रतिशत खर्च, उपभोग्य वस्तु अर्थात् खान, लाउन र विलासी वस्तुको खरिदमै भएको छ, जो स्वदेशी उद्योग नहुँदा विदेशबाटै आयातीत हुन्छ । यी आयहरू पूर्वाधार निर्माण या बचतमा गएको छैन, जो दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हो । आर्थिक वृद्धिको यो सम्भाव्य तथ्यांक गत २ वर्षको राम्रो मनसुन जनित हो भन्ने कुरा स्वयं तथ्यांक विभागले नै स्वीकार गरेको छ । हाम्रा पौरखी युवाहरूको विदेश जाने लर्काे हामीले रोक्न सकेका छैनौं, काम गरेर निर्धक्क बाँच्न सक्ने वातावरण दिन सकेका छैनौं । त्यसैले हाम्रा कृषि गरिँदै रहेका खेत–खरिहान अहिले बाँझो हुँदै गएका छन् । हाम्रा उद्योग–व्यापारलाई फस्टाउने वातावरण दिन सकेका छैनौं, बन्द–हड्ताल र चन्दाआतंक रोक्न सकेका छैनौं । विकासको खम्बा मानिने सडक र बिजुलीजस्ता पूर्वाधार ठाउँ–ठाउँमा पु¥याउन सकेका छैनौं, लोडसेडिङ र इन्धन अभाव उद्योगले सधैं भोग्नुपरेको छ । फलस्वरूप उद्योग, व्यापार, कृषि चलाउन छिमेकी देशबाट श्रमिकको भरथेक गर्नुपर्ने देखिँदैछ । वासिङ्गटनस्थित ‘विश्व मौद्रिक एकाई’ (ग्लोबल फाइनान्सियल इन्टिग्रिटी) को तथ्यांकअनुसार सन् २००२ देखि २०१३ सम्ममा नेपालबाट ८ अर्ब डलर विदेश पलायन भएको छ, जसमा सन् २००९ र २०१० मा मात्रै क्रमशः १.५५ अर्ब र १.८८ अर्ब पलायन भएको थियो, जसअनुसार नेपाल संसारकै उच्च विदेशी मुद्रा पलायन हुने देशमा पर्छ । अध्ययनकर्ताहरूका अनुसार यो पलायनको मुख्य कारण देशमा बढ्दो अपराध, अपहरण, फिरौती, करछली र भ्रष्टाचारबाट अर्जित सम्पत्तिको सेरोफेरो हो । यसरी देशको मौद्रिक र श्रमशक्तिको ठूलो पुँजी हरेक वर्ष पलायन हुँदै जाने हो भने हाम्रो आर्थिक, सामाजिक या राजनीतिक– कुनै खाले प्रगति हुने सम्भावना यथार्थमा भन्दा भाषण र कागजमा मात्र सीमित हुने दुर्भाग्य बढ्दै जाने देखिन्छ ।
यो आर्थिक वृद्धिको स्थिरता र अझै उकालो लगाउनका लागि जुनसुकै दलको शासन भए पनि पूर्वाधार निर्माणमा राज्यले सम्पूर्ण ध्यान दिनुपर्छ र प्रगतिलाई कडाइका साथ अनुगमन गर्नुपर्छ । यसका साथै आर्थिक विकासको मेरुदण्डका रूपमा रहेको कृषिलाई आधुनिकरण गर्दै जानु अनिवार्य छ ।
– प्रा.डा. विकासराज सत्याल
आउँदो वर्षमा आर्थिक वृद्धिदर ५.१५ प्रतिशत र प्रतिव्यक्ति वार्षिक आय ७ सय १७ डलर पुग्ने अनुमान तथ्यांक विभागले सार्वजनिक गरिएको छ । पहिलो पटक दुई त्रैमासिक (चालू आर्थिक वर्षको ८ महिनाको) तथ्यांकलाई आधार बनाएर सार्वजनिक भएको कुल गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादन वृद्धिदरको तथ्यांकसँगै केही बहस आरम्भ भएका छन् ।यो उत्साही अनुमान यथार्थ तथ्यांककै आधारबाट गरिएकाले बढी सम्भाव्य देखिन्छ । तर, गएका केही वर्षका सम्पूर्ण आर्थिक सूचकांकहरू नकारात्मक देखिएको स्थितिमा पहिले त यो वृद्धिदरमाथि नै प्रश्न उठाउने ठाउँ प्रशस्त छ र दोस्रो यो वृृद्धि साँच्चै भए पनि यसले भविष्य ढुक्क पार्ने आशा दिन सक्दैन, किनकि यो दिगो विकास होइन ।
तथ्यांक विभागकै अनुसार, हाम्रो आर्थिक वृद्धिदर गत वर्ष ३.४६ प्रतिशत थियो, जो गएको ५ वर्षयताको सबैभन्दा कम थियो र प्रतिव्यक्ति आय ७ सय १३ डलर । हालै हामीले स्थिर सरकार पाएका छौँ, जसका आधारमा अर्थतन्त्र सुधारोन्मुख हुने अनुमान गर्न सकिन्छ । तर, केवल स्थिर सरकार पर्याप्त आधार हुन सक्दैन । फेरि स्वार्थको टकरावमा राजनीतिको स्थिरता अति दुर्लभ भएको तीतो यथार्थ हामीले भोगेकै कुरा हो । हुनत तथ्यांक विभागको यो वृद्धिको अनुमानमा मुख्य आधार गत वर्षको राम्रो मनसुन नै देखिएको छ, जसले कृषि, त्यसमा पनि धानको उत्पादनमा राम्रो वृद्धि भएको देखिएको छ । तर, यसका साथै गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनको ५२.२३ प्रतिशत अंश ओगटेको तृतीय क्षेत्र अर्थात् सेवाक्षेत्र जसमा– थोक तथा खुद्रा व्यापार, होटल तथा रेस्टुराँ, यातायात, सञ्चार रियल–इस्टेट तथा व्यावसायिक सेवा, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्यजस्ता सेवामूलक क्षेत्र पर्छन्, यिनीहरूको वृद्धिको आधार पनि आँकलन गरिएको छ, जो बढेर गत वर्षभन्दा ६.१३ प्रतिशत हुने तथ्याक विभागको अनुमान छ । यो अनुमान गर्ने कलामा पनि एउटा विचित्रता हुन्छ । आनी छोइङको ‘फूलको आँखामा फूलनै संसार...’ को सिद्धान्त तथ्यांकशास्त्रको अनुमान पद्धतिमा पनि लागू हुन्छ । अनुमान गर्दा फूल कि काँडा अर्थात् उदार कि अनुदार पद्धतिबाट भन्ने गरिन्छ नै । लाग्छ हालको यो अनुमान फूलको आँखाबाट गरिएको हो ।
सपना जे देखे पनि, देश आर्थिक रूपमा कति खोक्रो हुँदै गएको छ भन्ने कुरा हिजोका यथार्थ आँकडाहरूबाट मात्रै देखिने हो । गत वर्षको आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण र चौमासिक प्रतिवेदनहरूका अनुसार २०६९÷७० मा देशको व्यापारघाटा २३.९ प्रतिशतले बढेर झन्डै ५ खर्ब पुग्न लागेको छ र प्रत्येक १ सय रुपैयाँको निर्यात गर्दा हामी ७ सयको आयात गर्दैछौं । कृषि उत्पादनमा, जसको सहाराले हालको यो आर्थिक वृद्धिको प्रक्षेपण गरिएको छ, उत्पादकत्व यति बिग्रेको छ कि केही वर्ष पहिले चामल निर्यात गर्ने नेपाल अचेल हरेक वर्ष आयातमा वृद्धि गर्दै यो वर्ष १४ अर्बको चामल आयात गर्न पुगेको छ, जो गत वर्षभन्दा २ सय ४४ प्रतिशतले बढी हो । कृषि क्षेत्रमा ज्ञान र सीपको आधुनिकीकरण पसेको छैन । बीउ, मल, औजार, उत्पादन प्रणाली सबै पुरानै भएकाले उत्पादकत्व निराशाजनक हुँदै गएको छ । १ हजार ५ सय युवाको दैनिक विदेश पलायनको एक प्रमुख कारण कृषिको खराब उत्पादकत्व नै हो । गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनमा ५२ प्रतिशत योगदान दिने सेवालगायतका क्षेत्रको योगदान पनि सहज हुने देखिँदैन । निजी क्षेत्रका शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्यमा हुने लुट र अव्यवस्थाको पोल खुल्दै छन् । चरम बेरोजगारी, ९–१० प्रतिशतसम्मको मुद्रास्फीति, बेलगाम सरकारी खर्च र बेरुजु, बैंक–वित्तीय संस्था र सहकारीका घोटालाहरू, धराशायी घरजग्गा कारोबार– यी सबैले तृतीय क्षेत्रको विकास सहज हुने देखिँदैन । फलस्वरूप आर्थिक वृद्धि स्थिर हुने देखिँदैन ।
तथ्यांक आधारित भएकाले विभागको यो अनुमान सही होस् भन्ने शुभकामना आमजनताको रहे पनि एकै समयको सरकारी निकायको एउटै तथ्यांकसमेत भिन्दाभिन्दै हुने बिगतको अनुभव पनि हामीसँग छ । जस्तो, आर्थिक सर्भेक्षण ०६९÷७० मा गरिबीको रेखामुनिको जनसंख्या २३.८ प्रतिशत भनिरहँदा त्यही वर्षको त्रिवर्षीय योजनाको आधारपत्रमा यो संख्या ४१.५ प्रतिशत लेखिएको भेटिन्छ । यसैगरी, त्यसैताका अक्सफोर्ड भन्ने एक ब्रिटिस अनुसन्धान संस्थाले गरेको स्वतन्त्र मूल्यांकनमा ६० प्रतिशतभन्दा बढी जनता गरिबीको रेखामुनि रहेको तथ्यांक प्रकाशित भएकोे थियो, जसबाट देशमा एउटा ठूलो हलचल नै आयो, जो पछि ‘गणना गर्ने विधिको भिन्नताले भएको’ भन्ने विज्ञप्ति नेपाल सरकारले निकालेर मात्र शान्त भएको थियो । हालै अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय मुद्राकोषको ‘विश्व आर्थिक परिदृश्य २०१४’ मा देखाएअनुसार नेपालको आर्थिक वृद्धिदर घट्ने र प्रतिव्यक्ति आय घटेर ६ सय ४० डलर पुग्ने देखिएको छ । विश्व बैंक र एसियाली विकास बैंकले पनि आर्थिक वृद्धि घट्ने नै अनुमान गरेका छन् । यी दुवै संस्थाका अनुसार नेपालको वृद्धिदर ४.५ प्रतिशत रहने देखिएको छ, जबकि केन्द्रीय तथ्यांक विभागले यो वर्ष ५.१५ प्रतिशतको वृद्धिदर हासिल हुने तथ्यांक भर्खर सार्वजनिक गरेको छ, यस्ता खाले विरोधाभासपूर्ण दृश्य यसपल्ट हाम्रो तथ्यांकको नहोस् ।
तर आर्थिक वृद्धि तथ्यांक विभागले सोचेअनुसार नै हुँदा पनि यसले हाम्रो दिगो प्रगतिको संकेत भने दिएको छैन । देशमा भित्रिएको विप्रेषण र स्वदेशको आयको ९०.५ प्रतिशत खर्च, उपभोग्य वस्तु अर्थात् खान, लाउन र विलासी वस्तुको खरिदमै भएको छ, जो स्वदेशी उद्योग नहुँदा विदेशबाटै आयातीत हुन्छ । यी आयहरू पूर्वाधार निर्माण या बचतमा गएको छैन, जो दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण हो । आर्थिक वृद्धिको यो सम्भाव्य तथ्यांक गत २ वर्षको राम्रो मनसुन जनित हो भन्ने कुरा स्वयं तथ्यांक विभागले नै स्वीकार गरेको छ । हाम्रा पौरखी युवाहरूको विदेश जाने लर्काे हामीले रोक्न सकेका छैनौं, काम गरेर निर्धक्क बाँच्न सक्ने वातावरण दिन सकेका छैनौं । त्यसैले हाम्रा कृषि गरिँदै रहेका खेत–खरिहान अहिले बाँझो हुँदै गएका छन् । हाम्रा उद्योग–व्यापारलाई फस्टाउने वातावरण दिन सकेका छैनौं, बन्द–हड्ताल र चन्दाआतंक रोक्न सकेका छैनौं । विकासको खम्बा मानिने सडक र बिजुलीजस्ता पूर्वाधार ठाउँ–ठाउँमा पु¥याउन सकेका छैनौं, लोडसेडिङ र इन्धन अभाव उद्योगले सधैं भोग्नुपरेको छ । फलस्वरूप उद्योग, व्यापार, कृषि चलाउन छिमेकी देशबाट श्रमिकको भरथेक गर्नुपर्ने देखिँदैछ । वासिङ्गटनस्थित ‘विश्व मौद्रिक एकाई’ (ग्लोबल फाइनान्सियल इन्टिग्रिटी) को तथ्यांकअनुसार सन् २००२ देखि २०१३ सम्ममा नेपालबाट ८ अर्ब डलर विदेश पलायन भएको छ, जसमा सन् २००९ र २०१० मा मात्रै क्रमशः १.५५ अर्ब र १.८८ अर्ब पलायन भएको थियो, जसअनुसार नेपाल संसारकै उच्च विदेशी मुद्रा पलायन हुने देशमा पर्छ । अध्ययनकर्ताहरूका अनुसार यो पलायनको मुख्य कारण देशमा बढ्दो अपराध, अपहरण, फिरौती, करछली र भ्रष्टाचारबाट अर्जित सम्पत्तिको सेरोफेरो हो । यसरी देशको मौद्रिक र श्रमशक्तिको ठूलो पुँजी हरेक वर्ष पलायन हुँदै जाने हो भने हाम्रो आर्थिक, सामाजिक या राजनीतिक– कुनै खाले प्रगति हुने सम्भावना यथार्थमा भन्दा भाषण र कागजमा मात्र सीमित हुने दुर्भाग्य बढ्दै जाने देखिन्छ ।
यो आर्थिक वृद्धिको स्थिरता र अझै उकालो लगाउनका लागि जुनसुकै दलको शासन भए पनि पूर्वाधार निर्माणमा राज्यले सम्पूर्ण ध्यान दिनुपर्छ र प्रगतिलाई कडाइका साथ अनुगमन गर्नुपर्छ । यसका साथै आर्थिक विकासको मेरुदण्डका रूपमा रहेको कृषिलाई आधुनिकरण गर्दै जानु अनिवार्य छ ।
Monday, May 5, 2014
Loss of morality : Unethical businessmen: Republica May 4, 2014
Business is done for profit but it should be based on ethics. Businessmen are liable to add the value of their service. This is natural, moral and legal. If the businessmen’s service jeopardizes the life of people, community or nature, it is unethical. Adulterations of products, cheating in measurement, cartel for unnatural price hikes, evading taxes with false bills or statements are unethical acts.
These days Nepalis experience several immoral activities in business. Unethical dealings by businessmen have blatantly violated costumers’ rights. Recently a group of petrol transporters were caught red-handed stealing petroleum. At a time when the country is suffering from high shortage of petro products, 17,000 liters of stolen petrol was found at Rupandehi district. Investigation has shown that transport businessmen were behind the crime. People have been accusing petroleum traders and Nepal Oil Corporation for several dubious activities such as cheating in measurement, adulteration and unnatural price hike. Detection of such theft has only verified their accusation and also raised suspicion that such theft occurs at many other places, on different transportation routes.
We have hardly few business areas uninvolved in such unethical jobs. Adulteration of food with inedible chemicals, even poison, was reported time and again in Sweets and Gundpak shops. It was found that the confectioners mixed rotten substance in their products. Fish transported from India were found deepened in Formalin, a highly toxic chemical that produces inflammation in stomach causing gastritis and even causes death. Fruits, especially used in Nepal for weak patients, elderly and children, were found sprinkled with Borax and other toxic chemicals as preservatives.
High levels of fatal toxic pesticides are used by vegetable farmers. Due to ignorance or negligence, such pesticides are not handled safely. Farmers, especially females in Kavre and Sindhupalchok districts, didn’t even wash hands properly after spraying pesticides. They were found infected with cancer. That is why a large number of farmers have now stopped the use of such pesticides. However, they changed their habit as it threatened their life. They were not worried about the customer’s health.
Every year thousands of people die from drinking locally produced cheap alcohol, made of rotten stuffs. Many mineral water bottles were found with high contamination and bottling companies were found using untreated water taken directly from polluted sources. Last year, many dairy farms in the capital were found selling milk products contaminated with Coliform bacteria, which originates from fecal contamination. Pasteurized milk product should contain no Coliform but many were found with 24,000 times higher number of bacteria than allowed.
Observing the trend in increasing crowd of patients at dispensaries can make one easily understand the effect of increasing adulterated or toxic food taken by people. We can find medical shops mushrooming at every corner where the drug is sold by amateurs. Law dictates that drugs must be sold only by a pharmacologist. But drugs are sold even without doctor’s prescription. Besides this, large illicit drug business is in operation that sells duplicate or fake drugs, expired drugs and even narcotics.
It is not only the food business that is doing such mischief. Goldsmiths were found adulterating 18-carat gold with lead. Gold is smuggled from China or a third country and transported to India. Red sandalwood is smuggled from India and transported to China. Even when goods are imported legally, businessmen cheat the customs by unnaturally lowering its real value. Goods are smuggled three times more than through customs offices.
Shopping malls and supermarkets charging exorbitant taxes and VATs from customers were accused of not paying back these taxes to the government and even not paying electricity, water and other bills for several years. This is why in the last few weeks; Kathmandu Municipality stopped collecting garbage and other facilities of many malls. Last year, 568 business farms were accused of producing fake VAT bills worth more than seven billion rupees. Cooperatives, finance institutions and network businesses like Oriental Cooperative, Unity Networking and Gold Quest have swindled millions from the innocent people.
Social sector like education and health are no exception to unethical behavior. Privatization drive opened the gate for businessmen to manipulate social activities. The demand side was expanding with increasing population whereas remittance and other income sources were making people more capable of spending money. Health and education service are the essential services that allured such group of people having bulgy wallet but virtually little or no knowledge and interest in the gravity and social responsibility associated with such services. Large investment in these sectors led to opening of many new schools, colleges and hospitals but most were used just to make profit.
When we hear about unethical incidences like textbook scandals, bribing the examination board, bribing University officers for getting affiliation, we can easily guess the dubious dealings of businessmen. The long hunger strike of Dr Govinda KC exposed the maneuvering of medical mafia. We hear of ‘briefcase’ schools that do not exist physically and fake teachers get salary. We also hear of uterus operation of thousands of women who really do not need such operation but the health camp organizers coax them for this. The motive behind such crimes was to get government’s incentive of Rs. 12000 to 15000 per operation. Recently, Health Department has stopped the incentives after finding such misdeeds.
Such corruption has spread in business due to weak monitoring, wrongdoers going scot-free, negligence of government for customer’s rights, weak customer forums: in totality, the weak implementation of law-and-order. The public expects a people-centered system with stern law and order provisions. Just a month ago, we also saw fresh set of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries committee members led by Pradeep Jung Pandey. FNCCI and Pandey have vowed for democracy, value and business ethics. They should fulfill their commitments. People’s hope also lies with the customer forums that are in need of robust overhaul to make their presence felt. Nepali public and customers expect FNCCI, the Government and public forums for their dedication and strength to maintain value-based business and customer’s rights at the upmost.
These days Nepalis experience several immoral activities in business. Unethical dealings by businessmen have blatantly violated costumers’ rights. Recently a group of petrol transporters were caught red-handed stealing petroleum. At a time when the country is suffering from high shortage of petro products, 17,000 liters of stolen petrol was found at Rupandehi district. Investigation has shown that transport businessmen were behind the crime. People have been accusing petroleum traders and Nepal Oil Corporation for several dubious activities such as cheating in measurement, adulteration and unnatural price hike. Detection of such theft has only verified their accusation and also raised suspicion that such theft occurs at many other places, on different transportation routes.
We have hardly few business areas uninvolved in such unethical jobs. Adulteration of food with inedible chemicals, even poison, was reported time and again in Sweets and Gundpak shops. It was found that the confectioners mixed rotten substance in their products. Fish transported from India were found deepened in Formalin, a highly toxic chemical that produces inflammation in stomach causing gastritis and even causes death. Fruits, especially used in Nepal for weak patients, elderly and children, were found sprinkled with Borax and other toxic chemicals as preservatives.
High levels of fatal toxic pesticides are used by vegetable farmers. Due to ignorance or negligence, such pesticides are not handled safely. Farmers, especially females in Kavre and Sindhupalchok districts, didn’t even wash hands properly after spraying pesticides. They were found infected with cancer. That is why a large number of farmers have now stopped the use of such pesticides. However, they changed their habit as it threatened their life. They were not worried about the customer’s health.
Every year thousands of people die from drinking locally produced cheap alcohol, made of rotten stuffs. Many mineral water bottles were found with high contamination and bottling companies were found using untreated water taken directly from polluted sources. Last year, many dairy farms in the capital were found selling milk products contaminated with Coliform bacteria, which originates from fecal contamination. Pasteurized milk product should contain no Coliform but many were found with 24,000 times higher number of bacteria than allowed.
Observing the trend in increasing crowd of patients at dispensaries can make one easily understand the effect of increasing adulterated or toxic food taken by people. We can find medical shops mushrooming at every corner where the drug is sold by amateurs. Law dictates that drugs must be sold only by a pharmacologist. But drugs are sold even without doctor’s prescription. Besides this, large illicit drug business is in operation that sells duplicate or fake drugs, expired drugs and even narcotics.
It is not only the food business that is doing such mischief. Goldsmiths were found adulterating 18-carat gold with lead. Gold is smuggled from China or a third country and transported to India. Red sandalwood is smuggled from India and transported to China. Even when goods are imported legally, businessmen cheat the customs by unnaturally lowering its real value. Goods are smuggled three times more than through customs offices.
Shopping malls and supermarkets charging exorbitant taxes and VATs from customers were accused of not paying back these taxes to the government and even not paying electricity, water and other bills for several years. This is why in the last few weeks; Kathmandu Municipality stopped collecting garbage and other facilities of many malls. Last year, 568 business farms were accused of producing fake VAT bills worth more than seven billion rupees. Cooperatives, finance institutions and network businesses like Oriental Cooperative, Unity Networking and Gold Quest have swindled millions from the innocent people.
Social sector like education and health are no exception to unethical behavior. Privatization drive opened the gate for businessmen to manipulate social activities. The demand side was expanding with increasing population whereas remittance and other income sources were making people more capable of spending money. Health and education service are the essential services that allured such group of people having bulgy wallet but virtually little or no knowledge and interest in the gravity and social responsibility associated with such services. Large investment in these sectors led to opening of many new schools, colleges and hospitals but most were used just to make profit.
When we hear about unethical incidences like textbook scandals, bribing the examination board, bribing University officers for getting affiliation, we can easily guess the dubious dealings of businessmen. The long hunger strike of Dr Govinda KC exposed the maneuvering of medical mafia. We hear of ‘briefcase’ schools that do not exist physically and fake teachers get salary. We also hear of uterus operation of thousands of women who really do not need such operation but the health camp organizers coax them for this. The motive behind such crimes was to get government’s incentive of Rs. 12000 to 15000 per operation. Recently, Health Department has stopped the incentives after finding such misdeeds.
Such corruption has spread in business due to weak monitoring, wrongdoers going scot-free, negligence of government for customer’s rights, weak customer forums: in totality, the weak implementation of law-and-order. The public expects a people-centered system with stern law and order provisions. Just a month ago, we also saw fresh set of Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries committee members led by Pradeep Jung Pandey. FNCCI and Pandey have vowed for democracy, value and business ethics. They should fulfill their commitments. People’s hope also lies with the customer forums that are in need of robust overhaul to make their presence felt. Nepali public and customers expect FNCCI, the Government and public forums for their dedication and strength to maintain value-based business and customer’s rights at the upmost.
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
शहरी सार्वजनिक यातायात को बेथिति बारे गोपको लेख : April 29
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Sunday, April 20, 2014
"The way out: :Oil crisis" in Republica April 24
Petroleum shortage has once again hit the life of urban population hard. Long queue of vehicles can be seen in front of petrol pumps. Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) says that the supply will resume in a day or two but customers don’t believe this statement.
This shortage appeared as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) lowered its supply to Nepal demanding the outstanding payment of Rs 5.18 billion. But, as usual, NOC is unable to arrange the amount and the government also turns deaf ear to the NOC problem. The current Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat is considered to be strongly against fuel subsidy. It seems easy supply will not resume anytime soon.
Moreover, it is not one-time problem. In fact, it is the second most recurrent problem of urban Nepal after load-shedding. The reality is that Nepal has no oil mines, so it has to import oil from international markets where the price goes up all the time.
According to the 1974 agreement between NOC and IOC, IOC bids for crude gasoline from international market and supplies it to Nepal as per the latter’s demand. Nepal has to pay IOC and payment is revised twice a year. Due to inadequate numbers of tankers to carry petroleum products and insufficient NOC storage capacity, private sector plays the complementary role of transportation and supply. However, NOC takes up several responsibilities including pricing, quality control, and monitoring of technical and other losses.
Each of these activities provides scope for illegal operations, making the price, quality and supply of petroleum problematic.
Diesel price affects the price of all imported and transported items including food, clothing and luxury goods. Consumer Price Index (CPI) that measures the price of goods indicates that between 2000 and 2013, price of petroleum products has increased around 450 times whereas the price for other goods increased only 170 times. This shows how helpless we are to the vagaries of international fuel cartels like OPEC.
Fuel price in Nepal is government-regulated. Whenever it increases, student unions take to the streets. To bring an end to the strikes, government often rolls back the price and increases subsidy. As a result, the government has accumulated a huge financial burden.
If every other commodity like food, clothing, and medicine along with automobiles are sold in the market at the purchased price plus excise and profits, why can’t the same be done for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and LPG? In the name of fuel subsidy government as well as NOC seem to be playing lose-lose game. As NOC has to sell petroleum at a price much lower than the purchase price it has already incurred a debt of Rs. 34 billion from different sources. This current shortage has evolved from the additional due payment of Rs. 5.18 billion that is to be paid to the IOC; IOC has already cut 35 percent of its regular supply to Nepal.
Successive governments have tried to stabilize the fuel price just to please the public. They have created large deficits. Moreover, every government recruits party faithful at the NOC. Government officers enjoy privilege petrol and diesel quota. It all proves that NOC is not doing business but has become a party-palace where the powerful make merry. Most employees at the NOC are neither technicians nor business experts.
NOC’s involvement in corruption is clear. From 1997 to 1999 the price of gas decreased in the international market but NOC did not lower the price. Despite the fact that NOC was continuously losing billions, in 1999 it distributed bonus to employees worth Rs 174 million, amounting to 30 months’ salary. They took allowances even for washing clothes.
Investigation found that NOC staff accepted bribes from transporters and dealers who adulterate the petroleum products or cheat in measurement. Such problems have appeared due to the wrong recruiting process, internal corruption, inefficiency among workers and monopoly of NOC in petroleum business.
Obviously, it is not only NOC that is to be blamed; the private sector is equally responsible for the mess. The associations of petroleum dealers, transporters, gas companies and gas dealers have created a vicious cartel cycle in the country. They use pressure tactics like stalling supply and creating artificial crisis in the market to raise profits and commission margins. Energy experts also say that the Indian government uses petro weapon to keep Nepali government honest.
There are two options to manage the fuel problem. First, the market should be opened for the private sector and the NOC be dissolved. Second, NOC should be overhauled by bringing proficient staffs. The first option seems unfeasible for years. Private sector, at present, is less capable of international business or being accepted by the IOC. Until then the role of NOC is paramount. However, the supervision and working modality of NOC should be revised.
Many have suggested an autonomous price determining body. Also, the government should stop fuel subsidy that is mostly abused. Rather, the poor can be provided identity cards that entitle them to subsidized product. To mitigate the adverse effect on general public due to the increment of fuel price, the tax rate should be lowered.
The cumulative burden of the NOC is about Rs 40 billion, more than our budget for health or physical infrastructure. In 2013/14 the government allocated Rs. 30.4 billion for health and Rs. 35.3 billion for infrastructure. If the government stops paying NOC’s debts, more investment in these areas would be possible.
The money thus saved can be utilized for the exploration of cooking gas and other fuel sources. Natural gas has been reported at many locations such as Dailekh, Pyuthan, Dang and even in Kathmandu Valley at Pulchowk and Chobhar. The exploration of petrol initiated by a Canadian team few years ago had shown possibility of finding petroleum at some places.
This shortage appeared as Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) lowered its supply to Nepal demanding the outstanding payment of Rs 5.18 billion. But, as usual, NOC is unable to arrange the amount and the government also turns deaf ear to the NOC problem. The current Finance Minister Dr Ram Sharan Mahat is considered to be strongly against fuel subsidy. It seems easy supply will not resume anytime soon.
Moreover, it is not one-time problem. In fact, it is the second most recurrent problem of urban Nepal after load-shedding. The reality is that Nepal has no oil mines, so it has to import oil from international markets where the price goes up all the time.
According to the 1974 agreement between NOC and IOC, IOC bids for crude gasoline from international market and supplies it to Nepal as per the latter’s demand. Nepal has to pay IOC and payment is revised twice a year. Due to inadequate numbers of tankers to carry petroleum products and insufficient NOC storage capacity, private sector plays the complementary role of transportation and supply. However, NOC takes up several responsibilities including pricing, quality control, and monitoring of technical and other losses.
Each of these activities provides scope for illegal operations, making the price, quality and supply of petroleum problematic.
Diesel price affects the price of all imported and transported items including food, clothing and luxury goods. Consumer Price Index (CPI) that measures the price of goods indicates that between 2000 and 2013, price of petroleum products has increased around 450 times whereas the price for other goods increased only 170 times. This shows how helpless we are to the vagaries of international fuel cartels like OPEC.
Fuel price in Nepal is government-regulated. Whenever it increases, student unions take to the streets. To bring an end to the strikes, government often rolls back the price and increases subsidy. As a result, the government has accumulated a huge financial burden.
If every other commodity like food, clothing, and medicine along with automobiles are sold in the market at the purchased price plus excise and profits, why can’t the same be done for petrol, diesel, kerosene, and LPG? In the name of fuel subsidy government as well as NOC seem to be playing lose-lose game. As NOC has to sell petroleum at a price much lower than the purchase price it has already incurred a debt of Rs. 34 billion from different sources. This current shortage has evolved from the additional due payment of Rs. 5.18 billion that is to be paid to the IOC; IOC has already cut 35 percent of its regular supply to Nepal.
Successive governments have tried to stabilize the fuel price just to please the public. They have created large deficits. Moreover, every government recruits party faithful at the NOC. Government officers enjoy privilege petrol and diesel quota. It all proves that NOC is not doing business but has become a party-palace where the powerful make merry. Most employees at the NOC are neither technicians nor business experts.
NOC’s involvement in corruption is clear. From 1997 to 1999 the price of gas decreased in the international market but NOC did not lower the price. Despite the fact that NOC was continuously losing billions, in 1999 it distributed bonus to employees worth Rs 174 million, amounting to 30 months’ salary. They took allowances even for washing clothes.
Investigation found that NOC staff accepted bribes from transporters and dealers who adulterate the petroleum products or cheat in measurement. Such problems have appeared due to the wrong recruiting process, internal corruption, inefficiency among workers and monopoly of NOC in petroleum business.
Obviously, it is not only NOC that is to be blamed; the private sector is equally responsible for the mess. The associations of petroleum dealers, transporters, gas companies and gas dealers have created a vicious cartel cycle in the country. They use pressure tactics like stalling supply and creating artificial crisis in the market to raise profits and commission margins. Energy experts also say that the Indian government uses petro weapon to keep Nepali government honest.
There are two options to manage the fuel problem. First, the market should be opened for the private sector and the NOC be dissolved. Second, NOC should be overhauled by bringing proficient staffs. The first option seems unfeasible for years. Private sector, at present, is less capable of international business or being accepted by the IOC. Until then the role of NOC is paramount. However, the supervision and working modality of NOC should be revised.
Many have suggested an autonomous price determining body. Also, the government should stop fuel subsidy that is mostly abused. Rather, the poor can be provided identity cards that entitle them to subsidized product. To mitigate the adverse effect on general public due to the increment of fuel price, the tax rate should be lowered.
The cumulative burden of the NOC is about Rs 40 billion, more than our budget for health or physical infrastructure. In 2013/14 the government allocated Rs. 30.4 billion for health and Rs. 35.3 billion for infrastructure. If the government stops paying NOC’s debts, more investment in these areas would be possible.
The money thus saved can be utilized for the exploration of cooking gas and other fuel sources. Natural gas has been reported at many locations such as Dailekh, Pyuthan, Dang and even in Kathmandu Valley at Pulchowk and Chobhar. The exploration of petrol initiated by a Canadian team few years ago had shown possibility of finding petroleum at some places.
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sick City (MyRepublica April 7, 2014)
Sick city
Garbage and solid waste management has
become an incurable disease in all our cities
become an incurable disease in all our cities
Clean and green Kathmandu sounds like science fiction. Nepal Government and Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) Office have announced to make the valley clean and green for the upcoming 18th South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation summit in November 2014. Inhabitants of the valley are skeptical about such announcements. Do we need a clean city only for SAARC summit and not for our own sake?
When we visit a city in developed countries, the first impression we get is its cleanness, greenery and the open space. There they levy tax, often in good amount, from all who utilize the metropolitan facilities. In response, all essential facilities for the inhabitants are provided. In European cities, for example, we can find tea parlors and vendors all over the street but they have to pay a handsome tax to the municipality for doing business there. In Vienna, for example, vehicle parking charge inside the city is so high that most people including white-collar officers and executives would rather use public transportation than their personal cars.
When we visit a city in developed countries, the first impression we get is its cleanness, greenery and the open space. There they levy tax, often in good amount, from all who utilize the metropolitan facilities. In response, all essential facilities for the inhabitants are provided. In European cities, for example, we can find tea parlors and vendors all over the street but they have to pay a handsome tax to the municipality for doing business there. In Vienna, for example, vehicle parking charge inside the city is so high that most people including white-collar officers and executives would rather use public transportation than their personal cars.
However, here we often see municipality trucks chasing the street vendors. Kathmandu footpaths are always covered with cheap wares and their vendors who have not to pay any tax. Parking spaces too are free of cost. In an already congested city, free parking has made it unmanageably crowded. KMC should have arranged paid parking space at different corners of the city. People should realize that the city cannot allow parking anywhere and everywhere.
Garbage and solid waste management has become an incurable problem in all our cities. Non-governmental Organizations like Safai Nepal have made significant contributions to the collection and transportation of garbage of Kathmandu. The city would have been horrible place to live in without them. However, frequent protests by the locals from the nearby ‘land fill sites’ creates problem in garbage disposal.
While private agencies are doing their best for garbage management, the government takes no initiative for sustainable solid waste management. Solid waste of our cities contains 80-85 percent biodegradable waste that can be converted into manure. Rest of the garbage contains non-biodegradable materials which can be recycled. GTZ, DANIDA and few other INGOs have already proposed for technical and financial support for such recycling project but the government has not accepted this due to unknown reasons. Such recycle plants seem essential here.
In the meantime, municipalities should monitor private collectors so that they will be reliable and efficient. Despite all the effort of municipalities and NGOs we find pile of garbage in the open roads, street corners and rivers. Principally, public should not only be educated but also punished for littering their household and commercial garbage at public places.
In the last few months a momentum has been created to clean rivers of Kathmandu. Nepal Telecom sends SMS inviting all to participate in the cleaning of Bagmati River every Saturday. Many dignitaries and common people have participated in the cleaning program. While such drive shows awareness of people and builds social harmony which is much needed for urban societies, it has contributed very little to the cleanliness of the river.
Firstly, not only Bagmati is polluted but all rivers in the valley are highly polluted. Secondly, people have not stopped polluting the river even after the cleaning campaign. Recently, in some newspapers snaps of toilets having direct outpouring in Bagmati was published. At so many places wastes are still disposed directly in the river. If municipalities cannot provide alternatives for the management of public drainage and enforce strong laws to stop river polluters, the Saturday medicine cannot cure this epidemic.
Besides garbage, desertification and concrete jungle is a big problem in Kathmandu. A city is lively and beautiful only if it has sufficient vegetation and green parks. Development planners have never given priority to green-issues. Urban development should always go hand-in-hand with nature conservation. Municipalities have paper plans for ‘greenery on the roof’ but they have no plans for greenery on the ground: by roadsides, river banks, or public places.
These days, roads are being widened and reconstructed in Kathmandu. There seems to be no plan for plantation of saplings. Small shrubs are needed at the pathway so that it will help the pedestrians get shade in hot summer. It is said that ‘tree is life’ and we need trees, shrubs, bushes in the city to make city-dwellers’ life healthy.
Green parks are essential part of a city. However, we have no parks to speak of in Kathmandu. A few parks like Ratnapark and Balajupark are in no good condition. Central part of the city has dense population and high air pollution but has no green parks for balance. KMC should find open public lands and conserve nature. Some local clubs are trying to preserve public places for making parks and KMC can encourage and assist them on it.
The author is a professor at the Department of Statistics, Amrit Science Campus
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Nepal’s R&D funding: Not enough (My Republica March 19, 2014)
Nepal
has now become one of the darkest countries in the world due to its remarkably
long hours of power cuts and misplaced development priorities. Once a
relatively self-dependent country in agricultural production and semi-finished
goods like sugar, leather products and cement, Nepal has now been transformed
into a nation deprived of almost all basic requirements of life including food,
clothing, energy and technology. What should be the focus of our development
planning and where should we spend the major chunk of our budget is a topic
that is often debated in the media by our economists and development experts
alike. There is always disagreement over which sector deserves our priority:
energy, education, health, roads, agriculture or tourism infrastructure? But
certain areas where comparatively smaller investments can generate really big
returns are often neglected in such debates.
If we compare the relatively closed era of say 1950-1990 with the relatively forward-facing 2000-2013 period in the development trajectory of the country, there are a few significant differences. Compared to the first era, we now have a relatively better functioning democracy, which means more people centered decisions, less red tape and good governance. However, the troubles and toils of people have magnified. There are more jobless people now than ever before. For many, the work they do is not sufficient to sustain their livelihood. This is why around 1,500 people are departing the country on a daily basis. An equal number of people cross our open border by road every day. This high migration rate has drained the country labor force in the last few years.
If we compare the relatively closed era of say 1950-1990 with the relatively forward-facing 2000-2013 period in the development trajectory of the country, there are a few significant differences. Compared to the first era, we now have a relatively better functioning democracy, which means more people centered decisions, less red tape and good governance. However, the troubles and toils of people have magnified. There are more jobless people now than ever before. For many, the work they do is not sufficient to sustain their livelihood. This is why around 1,500 people are departing the country on a daily basis. An equal number of people cross our open border by road every day. This high migration rate has drained the country labor force in the last few years.
The population has increased from 18 million in the census of 1991 to 27 million in 2011. The added people need more food, more jobs and better human resource management. However, this population growth is considered normal and not unnatural like the baby-boom that occurred in the western world after Second World War. The three most populated countries in China, India and the US, all have managed their high population pressures rather well. They considered their people as opportunities for national development. China, the most populated country in the world, has also one of the cheapest labor forces in the world that in turn lure foreign investors, contributing to its already big FDI pool.
However, China has also been training its human resources to better understand basic technology. Hence, it is not the 2.2 population growth rate that has slowed Nepal’s economic growth (to around 2 percent), nor is corruption solely responsible, or the failure of planners, or slackness of implementation agencies. All these might be responsible. But, above all, it is the absence of tech savvy among our planners and policymakers to better understand technology’s important role in the history of mankind that is hindering our development.
If we study the rise and fall of development in the world, we find a strong correlation between scientific research and the development of a country. No country has developed without investing in Research and Development (R&D). History shows that all powerful countries of the past had big interest in R&D and funded it well. In 17th, 18th and early 19th century, the UK was a hub of scientific research. Most of the discoveries in physics, chemistry, mathematics, statistics, botany and zoology were made there. Large government funds were made available to academia for scientific research. There were Royal Societies for different branches of science (that exists until now). Many scientists were conferred national honors. They were called Sir (Sir Isaac Newton) and appointed in scientific academies. The famous Scottish mathematician and physicist William Thomson, well known as Lord Kelvin, was honored as a Lord, a member of the Upper House of the UK.
The government spent big on scientific innovations. This made the country the most powerful and influential for many centuries. But after the Second World War, the UK’s premier position has been replaced by another great power. From the early 19th century, the US gradually began to take over the mantle of the R&D hub of the world. Today, the US spends a big chunk of its budget on R&D. Other than funding from several private companies, US Federal R&D funding (which is only one major stream of the governmental support) in 2013 was US $138 billion. According to World Bank’s data, US government was spending around 2.8 percent of its GDP for R&D until 2009, which has been raised by the Obama administration to three percent.
The increasing proportion of R&D spending relative to GDP shows more government inclination for scientific research. Also, and perhaps unsurprisingly, there is a strong correlation between this proportion and development of a country. According to World Bank in 2011, this spending was highest for Israel (4.39 percent) and lowest for some poor African countries like Madagascar (0.11 percent), Burundi (0.12 percent) and Gambia (0.13 percent). Many European countries spend between 2-3 percent of their national budget and the East Asian tiger South Korea spends 3.74 percent. Nepal has never given research and innovation high priority. No government, even after the first advent of democracy in 1950, has seriously thought about investing in research. According to a 2011 NAST report, the government that year allocated a budget of Rs. 443.611 million on R&D which is about 0.37 percent of GDP. Late professor Dayanand Bajracharya often urged the government to raise its research spending to at least 1.3 percent of GDP.
On the verge of drafting a new constitution, the government should also give due attention to the development of science and technology. The technology related to mobile, internet and computer have revolutionized the way Nepalis live. Such adopted technologies have changed the lifestyles of even the rural folks. This hard fact must never be lost on our planners. I believe giving a little more attention to R&D will in the long run keep able brains in Nepal and in the process accelerate national development.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
The hydro route: My Republica : MARCH 2, 2014
After months of wrangling the new government has taken a near full shape. It is a pleasure that the government is led by a Gandhian democrat Sushil Koirala. The number of promising faces in the cabinet has given some hope to the people. Koirala government has two main responsibilities: promulgating the constitution within a year and at the same time taking measures to address the problems in various sectors. To meet the second objective, the government needs to work on several fronts and fill the vacuum created by past governments whose focus on constitution had pushed development issues to the backburner. Thus the current government needs to identify key priority areas and work on them. Many economists and development experts have recommended a plan-holiday, which seems advisable as the nature of this coalition government is transitory.
But I would say the government should make energy its top priority. Nepal is one of the darkest countries in the world with long hours of power-cut. In winter there is more than 12 hours of daily power outage, which negatively impacts the country’s economy, education, livelihood and social harmony. Industries have been using imported fossil fuels for survival. Same is the story of other service sectors like hotels, national/international offices, hospitals and private colleges. Likewise, a number of households have been using inverters that store electric power in batteries. People are free to use such inverters if they can afford them. But such use results in 10 to 20 percent energy loss. Besides, it also creates inequality in the society—allowing only well-to-do to use these devices and letting the rest to grapple with darkness.  Unemployment has magnified in recent years. As past governments failed to address this problem, thousands of promising youth are leaving the country each day to find work. Unemployment cannot be solved solely by focusing on industrialization, education, technology and/or good governance. Developing enough energy is as crucial. Once the government launches energy projects in massive scales, it will create job opportunities for millions. In the long run it will help improve ever-increasing trade imbalance that is estimated to cross Rs 500 billion this year. Industries cannot be run without adequate energy, nor can health and education establishments. Due to the abundance of high altitude water sources, hydroelectricity is our most promising source of energy. Solar power, fossil fuel, biomass, and hydropower are also used to generate energy in Nepal. But two factors should determine which source to depend on primarily: cost and environment friendliness. But fossil fuel, coal or gas is neither cost friendly nor environment friendly. Hydroelectricity is the best option. But despite having abundance of rivers, we have not been able to utilize them fully. After more than 100 years of first hydroelectricity generation at Pharping in 1911, we have only been able to generate about 750 MW power so far, less than one percent of the estimated potential. Even today 60 percent of population have no access to electricity and depends on firewood or other means for illumination and cooking. The daily energy demand exceeds 1500 MW but we can generate only around 400 MW during the summer. Receding water level during the winter results in low generation. To solve this crisis, we need to develop reservoir systems instead of depending solely on run-of-the-river systems. Or we will always have energy crisis in winter and have to import it from India at a steep price. According to International Energy Agency (IEA), hydroelectricity accounts for only 16 percent of total energy in the world. China, Brazil, Canada and the US together generate 52 percent of total hydroelectricity. The top-ranked China produces about 700 terawatt (1 TW=10 million MW) hydroelectricity. Running large hydro-projects is costly. Thus private sector should be encouraged to invest. Citizen’s Investment Trust (CIT) and Nepal Telecom must be appreciated for investing in around 456 MW power projects so far. We need to encourage banks and financial institutions to join the fray. Nepal receives more than Rs 400 billion in yearly remittance. But the hard-earned money is used in purchasing luxury items, adding to our trade deficit. We need to channel remittance into hydro-development. Remittance we receive is sufficient for medium hydro-projects. Thus the new Finance Minister should devise policies to tap this resource. Remittance money is mostly deposited at cooperatives and financial institutions. Cooperative law should be amended to channel this deposit to development projects. The projects concerned should share profits and benefits with those whose money they use. Before the election, Nepali Congress and CPN-UML had promised to produce 500MW electricity in three years. They pledged in their election manifestoes to make the country load-shedding free in the next five years. But the bitter reality is that we have not been able to run mega power projects in recent years. Political parties themselves are responsible for nullifying mega projects like Arun-III, Pancheshwar, West Seti and Upper Karnali. The government needs to ensure that does not happen again. It needs to make energy production and promotion our first priority. This will be an important step in solving a myriad other problems facing the country. |
Friday, February 14, 2014
Despairs in Agriculture: review of the Agriculture-Census data
तथ्यांक विभागले बर्षदिन लगाएर गरेको कृषि लघु-गणनाको नतिजा गत पौष ९ मा
सार्बजनिक गर्यो | कृषि जनगणना भनिएपनि यो छानिएका श्याम्पलमा मात्र गरिएको लघु गणना(sample survey) हो | यो प्रतिबेदनको तथ्यांकले २०११ को नेपाललाई मात्र
प्रतिबिम्बित गर्छ, यसैले गत बर्षको बर्ड-फ्लूको संक्रमणले सखाप भएको ह्याचरी उध्द्योगमा झण्डै
५०% कुखुराको बृध्दि भएको यसको तथ्यांक देखाएको छ | यसै गरी यो प्रतिबेदनले कृषिको
उत्पादकत्वको तथ्यांक दिनसकेको छैन, केवल भू-स्थितिको तथ्यांक मात्र दिएको छ | जस्तोकी,
धान फल्ने जग्गामा करिब ६% ले कमी आएको छ भन्ने यो प्रतिबेदनले देखाएको छ तर धानको
उत्पादन कति प्रतिशत घटेको भन्ने देखाएको छैन | हेक्का रहोश, नेपाल राष्ट्रबैंकले
फागुन २०६९ मा गरेको मुल्यांकन अनुसार देशमा चामलको आयात २४४% ले बढेको देखाएको थियो
| यसरी कृषि-गणनाको ५० बर्ष पुगेको गर्ब गरिरहदा यो तीन बर्ष पुरानो र अधकल्चो तथ्यांकमात्र
दिनसक्नु भनेको तथ्यांक विभागले आधुनिक प्रविधिको प्रयोग र व्यबस्थापन गर्न अझै अक्षम
भएको जस्तो नै देखिन्छ | तथापी गणना गर्ने पद्धतिमा निकै आधुनिकरण गरिएको, पूर्ण आफ्नै
आर्थिक क्षमताबाट सम्पन्न गरिएको भनिएको छ, जो यसको प्रशंसनीय पक्ष हो |
नेपाल कृषिप्रधान देश हो, किनकी अहिले पनि देशको ७१%
जनताको संलग्नता कृषिमा नै भएको देखिन्छ | सन् १९७१ मा यो संलग्नता ९४% थियो, जो ४०
बर्ष पछि २०११ मा आएर ७१% मा झरेको छ | हुनत, कृषिको संलग्नता घट्नु नै अविकाश
होइन | कृषिबाट गैर-कृषिमा रुपान्तरित हुदै जानु प्रगति नै हो | तर हाम्रो देशमा
कृषिको लागि आधार जति सजिलो छ त्यति उद्योग, व्यापार या सेवाको लागि छैन | कृषि
हाम्रो धर्म, संस्कृति, दर्शन, साहित्य, भाषा, प्रेम, क्रान्ति लगायत जीबनका हरेक
तत्व मा मिलिसकेको छ | कृषिबारे सामान्य ज्ञान दिदा पढलेख नगरेकाले पनि राम्ररी
बुझ्न र उपयोग गर्न सक्छन | फेरी, भाग्यबश
हामी हिमाल र तराईको जुन भौगोलिक स्थितिमा छौ जहाँ संसारको दुर्लभ हावापानी र
जैविक बिबिधता हामीलाई प्राप्त छ, जहाँ शैकणौ प्रकारका कृषि उपज सम्भब छ जो नजिकका
अन्य छिमेकी देशहरुमा हुदैन | तसर्थ यस क्षेत्रको विकास हुन सजिलो र यसले भबिष्यको
लागि ठुलो क्षमता बोकेको देखापर्छ | तर बस्तुगत
स्थिति यति अनुकुल देखिएपनि कृषि क्षेत्र लगातार बिग्रिदै गएको देखिन्छ |
हाल कुल गार्हस्थ्यउत्पादनको ३५% भन्दा केहीबढी कृषिबाट नै पूर्ति हुन्छ | तर साथ साथै, तीस
बर्ष पहिले सम्म चामल विदेशबाट आयात गर्ने नेपालले यस आर्थिक बर्षमा झण्डै ८
अर्बको त चामलनै आयात गर्ने अनुमान छ | खाध्द्यान्नमा हाम्रो परनिर्भरता हरेक बर्ष
यति बढ्दै गएको छ कि हरियो तरकारी नै नेपालले गत छ महिनामा रु २ अर्ब ५ करोडको भारतबाट
आयात गरेको छ, जो अघिल्लो बर्ष को भन्दा ६१%ले बढी हो र जसको उत्पादनक्षेत्र
सबैभन्दा बढेको (४१% बढेको) यो कृषि प्रतिबेदनले देखाएको छ | आर्थिक सर्वेक्षण
२०७० ले, कृषिबाट गार्हस्थ्य उत्पादनमा ३४% को योगदान पुगेको देखाउछ भने कृषि उत्पादनको
वृद्धिदर आर्थिक बर्ष २०६८/६९ मा ४.९% रहेकोमा २०६९/७० मा झरेर १.२% हुनपुगेको
देखाउछ | यस सर्वेक्षण अनुसार हाम्रो व्यापार घाटा ३.८ खर्ब पुगेको छ जो गतबर्ष
भन्दा २३.५% ले बढेको हो | यस घाटाको प्रमुख जिम्मेवार, खादयान्नको आयात हो जो गतबर्ष
हामीले करिब ४० अर्बको गरेको देखिन्छ | यसको अर्थ हो हाम्रो उत्पादनको बृध्दिदर
मागको बृध्दिदर भन्दा अत्यन्त कम छ |
गाउँघरमा पुग्नेहो भने पहिला खेती गरीएका जमिनहरु
बाँझै बसेका दृश्यहरु जताततै देखिन्छन् र शयौ मुरी अन्न फल्ने खेतहरु कित बाँझै,
कित तीन बाली उब्जनेमा एक बाली मात्र लगाएको भन्ने सुनिन्छ | कृषि मजदुर नपाईने,
ज्याला ज्यादै महगो भएको, आफ्नो परिवारको रेखदेखगर्ने बलिया मान्छे विदेश या शहर
पसेका, मल-बिउ लिन गाह्रो भएको, गुनासो नै यो कृषिको निराशजनक हुनुको कारणहुन् भन्ने
जताततै सुनिन्छ | आश्चर्यको कुरा यस्ता गाउँघरमा सामान्यतया: भेटिने लक्षणहरु यो कृषिको
प्रतिबेदनमा प्रतिबिम्बित भएका छैनन् | उदाहरणको लागि, यो प्रतिबेदनले “एउटै जग्गामा
कति बाली लगाईन्छ?” भन्ने तथ्यांकमा करिब दुई बाली लगायिने (१.८५ पल्ट) र यो दर
हिमाल,पहाड र तराई सबैतिर गत दश बर्षमा बढेको देखाउछ | खेती गरिने ग्रामीण भेगहरुमा
मजदुरको कमी भएको र त्यहाँका स्थानीय युवाहरु शहर या विदेश पलायन गरेको यथार्थ हो
| यस जनशक्तिको पलायन र विप्रेषणको पैसाले कृषिमा रुची घट्दै गएको पनि सत्य हो |
तर यो युवाशक्तिको पलायन र कृषिमा निराशाको एक प्रमुख कारण कृषि क्षेत्रमा सरकारको
उदासिनता र अक्षमता पनि हो | उत्पादकत्वमा कमी र धेरै समय दिदा पनि १२ महिना खान
नपुग्नु निराशाको प्रमुख कारण हो | यो प्रतिबेदन अनुसार कृषिमा संलग्न परिवार
मध्ये ६०% लाई आफ्नो उब्जनी ले पुग्दैन जसमध्ये ४४% लाई ४-६ महिना र २३% लाई ७-९
महिना खान पुग्दैन | समयमा बिउ/मल नपाउने, आकाशे सिंचाईमा नै निर्भर, नयाँ प्रविधिका
कृषिऔजार नभएको, कृषि बजारको अभाब, संकलन प्रणालीको अभाब तथा नयाँ बिउ-बिजन/खेतिका
प्रविधि/माटोको अम्लियताको अनुसन्धानको प्रभावहिनता- यि कमजोरीहरु दसौ बर्ष देखि
अनुसन्धानकर्ताहरुले औलाईरहेका कृषिमा बिद्यमान समयहरु हुन् | तर यो क्षेत्रमा
लगातार भईरहेको अधोगतीले देखाउछ कि सरकारको कृषि प्रतिको रुची केवल मन्त्रालय बनाउने,
जागिर ख्वाउने र टिप्पणी उठाउने औपचारिकता भन्दा धेरै माथि उठेको छैन | नेपाल
सरकारले बजेटको राम्रो हिस्सा कृषिलाई दिदै आएको छ | प्राय: बजेटको ५-७%(सिंचाई जोड्दा)
हिस्सा पाउने कृषि क्षेत्रको बजेट, गतबर्ष बाट दोब्बर बढाएर बार्षिक २१ अर्ब ४० करोड
पुह्राईएको छ | यसरी योजनाबद्द विकाश शुरु भएदेखिको ५० बर्षको हिसाबगर्दा कृषिमा करिब
१०-१५ खर्बको लगानी भईसकेको छ | यो तथ्यांक हेर्दा राज्यले कृषिमा गरेको खर्च
अब्यबस्थित र अबिबेकी भएको वा भनौ बालुवामा पानि खन्यायेको जस्तो मात्र देखिएको छ |
अहिले मोन्सान्टो जस्ता आनुवंशिक बिउको प्रोयोग-स्थल नेपाल भएको सनसनीखेज खबर चल्दा
सरकारी नीति र संयन्त्र कति निरिपेक्ष्य भएर कृषिप्रति उदासिन भै बसेका रहेछन् भन्ने
प्रष्ट्याउछ |
यि अधिकांश निराशका
तथ्यांकहरु को बिचमा केही व्यक्तिगत प्रयाशहरुको आशाजनक खबर पनि छापामा पढ्न पाउदा
यस क्षेत्रको भबिष्य त्यती निराशाजनक न भएको भान हुन्छ | जुनार, च्याउ,
रेन्बोट्राउट माछा, टनेलमा तरकारीखेती जस्ता कामबाट राम्रों कमाई गरिरहेका युवाहरुको
समाचारले ठुलो ताम-झाम र देशी-बिदेशी संस्थाको फेरो समातेर बनाईयेका १०/२० बर्षे कृषि
नीतिहरुमा हुंकार गरीरहेको सरकारलाई संदेश पुगेको हुनु पर्छ | यसैगरी नवलपरासीका
चन्द्रशर्माको अष्ट्रीच पालनको कथा छ जसले सन् २०२० सम्ममा रु.८७ अर्बको व्यापार
गर्ने हौसला देखाएका छन् | यस्तै, कृषि उपजलाई थोरै मात्र प्रशोधित गरी मुल्य अभिबृध्दि
गर्ने र लामोसमय भण्डारण गरी बढी मुनाफा गरिरहेका हरुको गाथा छ जसमा पुर्बोत्तर
संखुवासभाको हिन्वा वाईन, मार्फाको ब्रान्डी, जिरीको चीज, ईलामको चिया, गुल्मीको
उच्च-पर्बतिय कफी र गलैचा उधोगहरु पर्छन | यि यस्ता उदाहरण पनिहुन् जो नेपालको
बिशेष जलबायुमा आफ्नै खालको उत्पादनको रुपमा विश्वबिख्यात भईसकेका छन् | जस्तो, “नेपालको
उच्च-पर्बतिय-कफी संसारका अरु धेरै देशका कफीभन्दा एकदमै भिन्न छ” भनेर पारखीहरु
भन्छन् | हाम्रा यस्ता आफ्नैपना भएका कृषि उत्पादानको पहिचान गर्दैजानुपर्छ र
यसलाई अर्ध-प्रशोधित गरि कुन रुपमा विश्वबजारमा लानसकिन्छ त्यसको खोजि हुनुपर्छ | यसैगरी
हाम्रा यार्सागुम्बा, पाँचऔले, केशर, जटामाशी जस्ता बहुमुल्य जडिबुटीहरु जो प्राय:
नेपालमा मात्रै पाईन्छ हामी कच्चारुपमा सोझै बेचिदिछौ | यसबाट पनि केहीको घरबार त
चलेको छ तर सामान्य प्रशोधनगरि तेलको रुपमा बेच्दा यसबाट दशगुना बढी मूल्य पाईन्छ
र केहि बढी मान्छेहरुले रोजगारी पनि पाउछन् | यस्तो सामान्य प्रशोधनको लागि ठूलो
लगानी र प्रबिधिको आबश्यकता पनि पर्दैन |
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Sunday, February 2, 2014
Problems and consequences of revisiting Semester System by TU: Republica Feb-03, 2014
Why the haste? by PROF DR VIKASH RAJ SATYAL
Tribhuvan University is revisiting the semester system, and this attempt is being criticized from many quarters. Students unions are protesting that it would be highly expensive, and that TU has not done proper homework and taken relevant stakeholders into confidence. Meanwhile, TU claims this new system will improve education quality.
Certainly, semester system engages students throughout the session. It is assumed that with presentations and group discussions in semester system, students will learn better. However, semester system has serious drawbacks too. It is expensive. Back in 1971, it was supported in Nepal by the World Bank; donors may not support it this time. Students and their guardians will ultimately have to foot the bills.
Certainly, semester system engages students throughout the session. It is assumed that with presentations and group discussions in semester system, students will learn better. However, semester system has serious drawbacks too. It is expensive. Back in 1971, it was supported in Nepal by the World Bank; donors may not support it this time. Students and their guardians will ultimately have to foot the bills.
TU is a national institution; more than 80 percent of all Nepali students aspiring for higher education are enrolled in TU, most of them poor.
In the first phase, TU proposes to implement this system only at Kirtipur Campus and only at the Masters’ level. This makes sense as higher education is inherently more expensive, and the small territory can be managed efficiently. However, there are many other TU affiliated colleges that run Master’s programs, and TU’s next step would undoubtedly be implementing the system in those colleges. In 1979, after eight years of experimenting with semester system, TU had declared it unsuccessful and gone back to the annual system. How do we know it will not fail this time? Have we evaluated previous failure? Have we communicated them to stakeholders?
The protest of student unions may be self serving, as they see their role minimized in the semester system. But when they say that there has not been adequate debate, they have a point. Also, their concerns about high costs are valid. At a time the government is advocating ‘education for all’, this new system is too expensive. Currently, TU charges Rs 16,000 annually for Masters’ program in Humanities, which will be raised to Rs 80,000 annually in the semester system. Similarly, it proposes yearly fees of Rs 50,000 in MBBS where it currently charges Rs 9,000.
The argument that this system will improve quality of education is again questionable. TU argues that in semester system, class size can be reduced (to 30-40). Why cannot it reduce class size in the annual system? It claims quality of education can be achieved through presentation, group discussions in class, etc. Why cannot effective teaching methods like power-points, handouts, interaction, application oriented techniques be used in the current system?
Some Bachelors’ students have not given annual exams after 17 months of study, and some examinees have not received results after 11 months of their exams. These are administrative failures. How can such negligence be magically corrected in semester system? Education experts believe such negligence occur due to the staff’s politicization. In semester system, the administrators need to be twice as efficient. How can the TU’s lethargic existing system respond to this need? Raising education fee and pouring money is not the solution.
In the last decade, inefficient teachers and staffs have entered TU through political backdoor. They have no intention of teaching. Why is TU unable to take action against its staff and teachers who are openly running private colleges or holding senior posts in such institutions?
It is true that the quality of students in TU is degrading, and is lower than in some private universities. It is also true that semester system has been found effective in many universities, in Nepal and abroad. However, in the case of TU, revisiting a failed system without proper analysis of previous failure is likely to backfire.
If raising fees is TU’s sole objective, it can do so with the annual system, through open debate, especially with students. If TU thinks increased income will free it from government intervention, it is right. However, this cannot be its sole intention. Dr Govinda KC’s recent fast has exposed the mindset of high officers at TU and made public their greed for money and power.
In annual system, the prescribed textbooks by foreign writers are seldom used in class. Teachers use their own books, which are mostly ugly copies. There is no scope for sound understanding from such books. Also, examination questions measure student capacity to mug. If the questions are aimed at testing students’ analytical capacity, the quality of students can be improved even now. But the examination board is overrun by people whose interest is not quality. The same is true of the syllabus monitoring body. How can semester system curb such practices?
The most dangerous aspect of the semester system is the 40 percent marks for class assessment. This score is likely to be manipulated by students or teachers. In the current annual system, practical examinations are conducted by colleges in the Science departments. Student unions every year threaten HoDs to give students no less than 40 marks (out of 50). This has caused physical destruction in many colleges. The arson at the Central Department of English and Economics at Kirtipur happened for similar reasons. How can TU assure this will not happen with 40 marks in the hands of teachers? It was one of the major reasons the semester system failed last time, and the risk is higher today. In contrast, the centralized examination structure in the annual system prevents such dangerous interference.
TU should not hurry to revisit a system that failed once. First, it needs to publish a whitepaper about what problems it wants to solve and how, what it wishes to achieve, what its plans of expansion to regional level are, and how the extra income will be used. Discussion about these topics should be held among different stakeholders. It is not advisable to leap into this risky experiment without preparation.
Saturday, December 21, 2013
सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारीको अबधारणा र साल्ट ट्रेडिंग
सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारीको अबधारणा र साल्ट
ट्रेडिंग
प्राडा. विकासराज सत्याल
५० बर्ष अघी नुनको सहज आपूर्तिको
लागि खोलिएको पहिलो सरकारी ब्यबसायिक संस्था ‘साल्ट ट्रेडिंग कर्पोरेशन लिमिटेड’
अर्धशताब्दी लामो अनुभवबाट खारिएर आज एउटा आत्मनिर्भर, सेवामुखी र सशक्त संस्थाको रुपमा
उभ्भिएको छ | भूपरिबेष्ठित भएकोले समुद्री नुन जो दैनिक नेपाली खानाको अत्याबश्यक
अवय हो हामीलाई बाहिरबाटनै आयात गर्नुपर्ने बाध्यता छ | नेपाल जस्तो कठिन भौगोलिक बनोट,
असहज ढुवानी, असंगठित बजार र अपरिपक्व ब्यबसायिक क्षमाता भएको देशको तत्कालीन परिबेशमा
विक्रम सम्बत २०२० मा मूलतः नुन र पछि आयोडिनयुक्त-नुनको सहज आपूर्तिको लागि गरिएको
यसको स्थापना एउटा सराहनीय कदम मान्नु पर्छ | ५० बर्षको यो अन्तरालमा देशले धेरै
काँचुली फेरीसकेको छ | राजनैतिक ब्यबस्था पंचायती हुदै गणतान्त्रिक भैसकेको छ |
बजार ब्यबस्थापनका सिद्धान्तहरुमा धेरै उलटफेर भएको छ | २००७ साल अगाडि खासै सिद्धान्तको
आधारमा नभई एकांकि ब्यबस्थापनबाट चलेका बजार पंचायतकलमा मूलतः आरक्षित र केन्द्रिकृत
रहे | देश अहिले ‘विश्व व्यापार संगठन(WTO)’ मा
आबद्ध भइसकेको छ | राष्ट्रिय र अन्तरराष्ट्रिय व्यापारका संजाल देशमा सक्रिय छन् |
बजार पूर्णरुपले निजीकारण गरिनुपर्छ भन्नेहरु पनि आबाज उठाईरहेका छन् र सरकारलाई
दबाब दिदैछन् | साथै सार्वजनिक निजी साझेदारी (पीपीपी) को अवधारणालाई पनि धेरै
राष्ट्रिय तथा अन्तरराष्ट्रिय संगठनहरुले उपुक्त ठानेर यसै अनुरुप कैयौ कार्यक्रम र
संस्था चलिरहेका छन् | यिनै वादबिवाद र प्रयोगहरुको वीच सरकारको जम्मा ९ प्रतिशत
हिस्सेदारी भएको साल्टट्रेडिंग, सार्वजनिक-निजी-साझेदारीको एउटा सफल उदाहरण र विकासवादी
तथा अर्थशास्त्रीहरुको लागि अध्ययन मनन्-योग्य बिषय बनेको छ |
सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारीको अबधारणा
देश विकासको लागि सार्वजनिक-निजी-साझेदारीको
अबधारणा विश्वका धेरै मुलुकहरुमा नब्बेको
दशकदेखि शुरु भएको थियो | सन् १९९२ मा बेलायतको अनुदारवादी दलका प्रधानमन्त्री जोन
मेजरले चलाएको ‘निजी वित्तिय पहल’ (Private Finance Initiative) भनिने कार्यक्रम नै सार्वजनिक-निजी-साझेदारीको अबधारणामा चलेको
पहिलो कार्यक्रम ठानिन्छ | यो अवधारणा नेपालले केही वर्षयता अंगीकार गरिरहेको छ । नेपालमा यस अबधारणाको शिलान्याशनै
साल्ट ट्रेडिंग कर्पोरेशन बाट भएको ठानिन्छ | सार्वजनिक-निजी-साझेदारीको अवधारणामा
विश्व बैंक, यूएनडीपी, डीएफआइडी जस्ता हाम्रा दातृ निकायहरुले पनि चासो दिने गरेका
छन् । यसको पछाडी राज्य वा निजी क्षेत्र
एउटालाई मात्र राम्ररी विश्वास गर्न नसक्ने अवस्थामा यो अवधारणामार्फत आफ्नो लगानी
सदुपयोग होस् भन्ने दातृ निकायहरुको अपेक्षा देखिन्छ ।
विश्वका धेरै अर्थशास्त्रीहरु 'जनता र लगानीकर्ताले
एकअर्कालाई सन्तुलनमा राख्न्ने’ हुँदा यो मोडल दिगो विकासको उपुक्त मोडल हो भन्ने
ठान्छन । निजी क्षेत्र छिटो नाफा आर्जन हुने क्षेत्रमा मात्रै लगानी गर्न चाहन्छन र
मनग्य नाफा नहुने भए लगानी गर्दैन | ढिलो नाफा दिने सिँचाइ, शिक्षा, स्वास्थ्य, खानेपानी
र सरसफाइजस्ता आयोजनामा सरकारको उपस्थिति र निगरानी जरुरी हुन्छ । नेपालमा शासन व्यवस्था कस्तो हुनुपर्छ भन्ने बहस चल्न
थालेपछि अर्थ नीतिबारे पनि बहस चल्न थालेको हो | विश्वमा दुईखाले अर्थ व्यवस्थाको वर्चश्व
देखिन्छ । राज्यले नेतृत्व गरेको ‘समाजवादी अर्थतन्त्र’ र निजी क्षेत्र अर्थात्
बजारले नेतृत्व गरेको ‘पूजीवादी अर्थतन्त्र’ । दुवै खाले अर्थतन्त्र दोष-रहित छैनन् त्यसैले जनताका अपेक्षाहरु
लाई पूरागर्न पूर्ण सफल छैनन | यसै क्रममा बीचको बाटोको रुपमा सार्वजनिक–निजी
साझेदारीलाई अगाडि सारिएको हो । मध्यमार्ग अर्थात् सेतु को कामगर्ने यो बिधिको प्रयोग
संसार का अधिकांश विकाससिल मात्र होइन विकशित देशहरु मा समेत भईरहेको छ | थाइल्याण्ड,
चीन र भारत जस्ता विकाससिल देशहरु एवम् बेलायत, अस्ट्रेलिया र क्यानाडा जस्ता
विकशित देशहरुमा यो मोडलका मनग्य कार्यक्रमहरु चलेका छन् | युरोपियन संघमा भौतिक
निर्माणको छेत्रमा सन् २००० देखि यो मोडल निकै लोकप्रिय भएको हो | तर शिक्षा र श्वास्थ जस्ता जनतासंग प्रत्यक्ष
सरोकार राखने धेरै कार्यक्रमहरु पनि यसै मोडेलबाट संचालित भईरहेका छन् |
हुन त यो अवधारणाबारे नेपालमा प्रशस्तै
मतभेद हुनेगरेको छ । एकखाले अर्थविद्हरु यसलाई “समाजवादी नीति अख्तियार गर्न
प्रयोग गरिएको चोर बाटो” भनेर टिप्पणी गर्ने गरेका छन्, भने अर्कोथरि अर्थविद्हरु
भारत, चीन, थाइल्याण्डजस्ता देशहरुमा यसको सफल प्रयोग भएकाले यसबाट पूजीवादीहरु
तर्सन नहुने तर्क गर्दछन् । हरेक नयाँ अवधारणाका
पछाडि तर्क वितर्क त हुन्छन् नै तर नेपालजस्तो विकासोन्मुख देश जहाँ राज्य वा निजी क्षेत्रले एकलरुपमा मात्र प्रशस्त लगानीगर्न
सक्दैन त्यहाँ यो अवधारणा सफल हुने अपेक्षा धेरैले गरेका छन् । फेरी कोरा
शिद्धान्त भन्दा प्रतिफललाई पनि हेरेर अबधारणाहरुको पुनर्मुल्यांकन गरिनु राम्रो
हो | आर्थिक विकासमा यो अवधारणाले दिर्घकालमा कस्तो प्रतिफल ल्याउछ त्यो त अहिलेनै
ठोकुवा गर्न सकिदैन तर नेपालमा यो उपयुक्त हुने धेरै आधार छन् । नेपाल सरकार ले एक्लै ठूलो लगानी
गर्न सक्दैन | निजीक्षेत्रले पनि परियोजनामा लगानीका लागि अफ्नो विश्वस्तता देखाउन
सकिरहेको छैन | यस स्थितिमा दुवै क्षेत्रको सही सदुपयोग गरियो भने राम्रो परिणाम
आउने अपेक्षा गर्न सकिन्छ । यसले एकातिर लगानीको
दायरा फराकिलो बनाउने छ भने अर्कोतिर सरकारी र निजी क्षेत्रले एकअर्काप्रति
दोषारोपण गर्ने प्रवृत्ति पनि कम हुनेछ । त्यसका साथै समाजमा पछाडि पारिएका र सीमान्तकृत अवस्थामा रहेका
वर्गलाई आर्थिक विकासको मूलप्रवाहमा ल्याउदै उनीहरुलाई आर्थिक विकासबाट आउने
प्रतिफलको हिस्सेदार बनाउन पनि यसबाट सहयोग पुग्नसक्छ । जुनसुकै अवधारणाको पनि सही सदुपयोग नै यसको सफलताको कडी
हो । आर्थिक विकासमा सरकारी र निजी
क्षेत्रको सहकार्य र साझेदारी बढाउने कुरालाई पनि व्यवहारमै बढी जोड दिन जरुरी छ । सही प्रयोगबाटै यसको सफलताको खोजी
गर्न जरुरी छ ।
हाम्रो देश जहाँ केही ठूला ब्यापारी
घरानाको अधिनमानै उद्धोग वाणिज्य रुमल्लिएको छ | जहाँ मझौला उद्धोग ब्यबसायमा
सिन्डिकेटको राम्रो पकड छ | स्वतन्त्र व्यापारको वकालत गर्ने अर्थशास्त्रीहरुको
‘प्रतिस्पर्धा वाट बजारभाउ आफै नियंत्रित हुन्छ, प्रविधि, गुण वा सेवा को स्तर बढ्छ’
भन्ने तर्कको आधार नै काल्पनिक देखिन्छ | यो खुला प्रतिस्पर्धाको अबधारणा
रामराज्यको दिवास्वप्न या अंग्रेजी शब्द युटोपियन-मिरेज (Utopian-mirage) मात्र हो जस्तो देखिइरहेको छ | हालैमा नेपालमा देखिएका केही
उदाहरणले यस कुराको पुष्टि हुन्छ |
केही दिनअघि यातायात व्यवसायीले विभिन्न माग राखेर हडतालको
आह्वान गरे । सरकारले सुरुमा यातायात नचलाए कानुनी कारबाही हुने
धम्की पनि दियो तर दुई दिन सार्वजनिक सवारीसाधन बन्द गरेपछि सरकार झुक्न बाध्य भयो । यातायात व्यवसायीहरूले यातायात नचलाएपछि सरकारसँग उनीहरूलाई खुसी पार्नुको
विकल्प थिएन । किनकि सरकारसंग साझा यातायात, ट्रलीबस जस्ता सरकारी सार्वजनिक
यातायातका साधन नै छैनन् । यातायात व्यवसायीहरूले जति
नै कडा माग राखेपनि त्यो माग पूरा गर्नुको विकल्प सरकारसँग छैन ।
हालैको अर्को उदाहरण खाना पकाउने ग्यासको
लिनसकिन्छ | कमिसन वृद्धिमा सरकार नमान्दा ब्यबसायीहरुले केही दिन ग्यासजस्तो दैनिक
उपभोग्य बस्तुको आपूर्तिनै बन्द गरे | सरकार यसपल्टपनि कमिसन बृध्दीगर्न बाध्यभएको
भयो | पेट्रोलियम पदार्थको ठुवानीमा सरकारी निकायको आंशिक मात्र सहभागिता छ | यसको
वितरणमा हुने हड्ताल र बन्दले उपभोक्ता अजित हुनेगरेका छन् । यसैगरी खाद्यान्न र
तरकारीको आकासिदो भाउले आम जनता पिडित छन् | यो मुलाताया बिचौलियाहरुको नै करामत
हो | अन्तिम उपभोक्ताको खरिदमा महगो समान परेपनि त्यसको शताम्शमात्र उत्पादक किसनले
पाउने गर्दछ | स्वतन्त्र बजारनीति कतै लागु भएको देखिदैन | निजीक्षेत्रलाई समावेश
नगरीकन विकास हुनसक्दैन भन्ने यथार्थतालाई नाबिर्सिएपनि निजीक्षेत्रको एकाधिकार
भयो भने त्यसले सरकारलाई र देशलाई कसरी कमजोर बनाउँछ र त्यसको सिकार सर्वसाधारण
जनता बन्नुपर्छ भन्ने पनि बिर्सिन नहुने यथार्थ देखिन्छ
। यस स्थितिमा मध्यमार्गको सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारी, विकाशको राम्रो अबधारणाको
रुपमा हुनसक्ने देखिन्छ | अमेरिकी अर्थशास्त्री ‘जोशेफ युलिन स्टिगलिज’ जो २००१ को
नोबेल पुरस्कार बिजेता हुन्, आफ्ना व्याख्यानमा बजार धरासायी (market failure) हुनबाट जोगाउन ‘तेस्रो मार्ग’ को आबश्याकता पनि रहेको चर्चा गरेका छन्
| उनको यो ‘तेस्रो मार्ग’ सरकारको भूमिका रहेको ‘सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारी’ हो भन्ने
मानिन्छ |
हामीले अबलम्बन गरेको सार्वजनिक-निजी
साझेदारीको कार्यक्रमका केही कमजोरीहरु पनि देखिन्छन | सरकारी र निजी क्षेत्रबीच यस्ता
कार्यक्रमहरु चलिरहदा पर्याप्त छलफल भइरहेको देखिन्न । नेपालमा विशेशगरी राष्ट्रियस्तरमा केही हदसम्म त्यस्तो
छलफल चलेपनि स्थानीयस्तरमा त्यसखाले छलफल त्यति भइरहेको छैनन् । यस्ता छलफल बाटनै
ति कार्यक्रमहरु प्रति जनताको अपनत्व कायम हुन्छ र कार्यक्रमहरु संचालक, जो सरकार नै
हुन्छ, को आर्थिक बिश्वस्नियता कायम हुन्छ | दोस्रो समस्या पारदर्शिताको पनि हो |
बिना टेन्डर खरिद-विक्री हुने परिपाटीमा भ्रष्टाचारको सम्भावना रहन्छ | काठमाडौं
महानगरपालिकाले सार्वजनिक-निजी अबधारणा अनुसार चलाएको 'आकासे पुल'
यसको
उदाहरण हो । काठमाडौंको असन,
रत्नपार्क, सहिदगेट आदि स्थानमा आकासे पुलमा महानगरपालिकाको
एकलौटी अधिकार रहेको छ । यो एकलौटी अधिकारको अर्को विकल्प उपलब्ध पनि छैन किनकि निजी
क्षेत्रले आकासे पुलको वैकल्पिक उपाय दिन पनि सक्दैन । महानगरपालिकाले आकासे पुल
निर्माणको ठेक्का प्रतिस्पर्धाबाट निजी क्षेत्रलाई दिन्छ तर निजी क्षेत्रले बनाएको
आकासे पुलमुनि रहेका पसलको भाडाको दर भने बिनाप्रतिस्पर्धानै निर्माणकर्ताले
निर्धारण गर्नेगरेका छन् | यस्तै आर्को उदाहरण साल्ट ट्रेडिङ कर्पोरेसनको हो जस्ले
वस्तु वा सेवा खरिद वा बिक्री गर्दा कहिल्यै टेन्डरमा भाग लिनुपर्दैन | यसलाई अर्थशास्त्रीहरु
अश्वस्थता ठान्छन् । सार्वजनिक-निजी साझेदारीको तेश्रो समस्या नविनता ल्याउन नसक्नु
हो | यस अवधारणामा एउटा प्रमुख तत्त्व निजीक्षेत्रको निपुणता भित्र्याउने कुरा रहन्छ
। तर सरकारले तोकिदिएको मूल्य माथि नाफापनि थपिने भएपछि निजी क्षेत्रले जोखिम उठाउन
हिच्किचाउछ र आफ्नो मूल्य वा सेवाको खर्च कम गराउन प्रोत्साहित हुदैन । तसर्थ यि
कमजोरीहरुलाई सुधार गरे यो विकाशको मोडल वढी प्रभाबकारी हुनसक्ने देखिन्छ |
व्यापार विविधिकरण
नुनको आपूर्तिमा मात्र सिमित भएकोभए
साल्ट ट्रेडिंग आजको जस्तो आत्मनिर्भर र फाइदा कमाउने संस्था हुनसक्दैन
थियो, अझ यसको अस्तित्व नै शायद रहने थिएन | पचास बर्सको तन्नेरी हुंदा सम्ममा यसले बहुआयामी
व्यापार बिविधीकारण को निती अपनाएर अफ्नो विकास गरेको देखीन्छ
| यसले देशकै कृषिउपज अथवा आयातित - चिनी, चामल, दलहन, खाने तेल, गरममसला र मैदा
जस्ता खाध्यान्नहरु आफ्नै लोगोमा बिक्रि-वितरण गरिरहेछ जसको लक्ष पहाडी, हिमाली र हिमालपारीका
दुर्गम जिल्लाका सम्मका मध्यम र निम्न बर्गका उपभोक्ताका दैनिक उपभोगको आवश्यकतामा
योगदान गर्नु हो | यस्ले देशमानै पहिलोपल्ट
बनस्पति घ्यू (?) घियू उत्पादनको सुरुवातगर्दै
यस्ता उधोग देशका विभिन्न ठाउँमा विस्तार गरेको छ | पछिल्लो समयमा, शहरी उपभोक्ताको
आबश्यकता बन्दै गएको ‘खाना पकाउने ग्यास’ को बोटलिंग र वितरणको समेत सुरुवात गरेको
छ | ४०० कर्मचारीलाई प्रत्यक्ष र हजारौ लाई अप्रत्यक्ष रोजगारी दिनु पनि यसको
महत्वपूर्ण योगदान हो | यसैगरी अन्य उधोग र उधोगीहरु संग हातेमालो गर्दै व्यापारको
नेटवर्क बनाएको केही उदाहरणगरुमा: गोरखकाली रबर, मोरंग चिनीमिल, बुटवल धागो र
घरेलु हस्तकला जस्ता पर्दछ | यसको वेबसाईटमा उल्लेख भए अनुसार केही खाद्यान्न को
निर्यात समेत यसले गर्नेगरेको छ |
निश्कर्ष
नेपालको वर्तमान आर्थिक स्थिति निराशजनक
छ | आर्थिक वृद्धिदर लक्ष भन्दा प्रायः सधै तल झरिरहेको छ | गत आर्थिक बर्ष
२०६९/७० मा आर्थिक
वृद्धिदर ३.६% रह्यो जो ६ वर्ष यताकै न्यून वृद्धिदर थियो | हरेक बर्ष सोधनान्तर घाटा
बढ्दै छ र यसैसंग व्यापार घाटा डरलाग्दो संग बढ्दै छ | २०६९/७० मा व्यापार घाटा गत बर्षभन्दा १२०% ले
बढेर रु
४ खर्ब ८० अर्ब पुगेको छ | यसले देशको उत्पादन क्षमता घट्दै गएको र
परनिर्भरता बढ्दै गएको देखाउछ | राजनैतिक अस्थिरता संगै विकासका कार्यहरु प्रायः
बन्द छन् जसले गर्दा रोजगारी घद्दै गएको छ | केही सक्ने र टाठावाठाहरु बैदेशिक
रोजगारीमा विदेशपुगेका छन् | करिब २५ लाख युवा यसै क्रममा विदेशिएको तथ्यांकले देखाउछ
| कृषि जो देशको अर्थतन्त्रको सबैभन्दा ठूलो स्रोत थियो लगातार खस्किदै गएको छ | कुनैबेला
निकासी गरिने चामलको आयातनै गतबर्ष भन्दा २४४% ले बढेर करिब साढे ४ अर्ब भएको छ | कृषिको ह्राशका मुख्य कारणहरु हुन्: बिउ, मल, सिचाई र
उन्नत प्रबिधी तथा श्रम शक्तिको अभाब | उत्पादनलाई बजारको या भनौ श्वस्थ वितरण प्रणालीको
ठूलो अभाब छ | अशिक्षित किसानहरु लाई बजारको राम्रो ज्ञान छैन | फलस्वरूप बिचौलिया
र सिण्डिकेटको चपेटामा पर्छन र न्यून मुल्यमा उत्पादन बेच्न बाध्य हुन्छन् | यसले गर्दा
कृषिपेशामा पर्याप्त क्षमता हुदाहुदै पनि गहिरो निराशा छाएको छ | देशको आर्थीक
विकाशको लागि उत्पादक र बजारको विचमा कम नाफामा चल्ने इमानदार र स्थायित्व भएको
वितरण व्यवस्थाको अहिले ठूलो खाँचो छ | यस कशीमा खरो उत्रने ‘साल्ट ट्रेडिंग’ जस्ता
संस्था देशको लागि त्राण देखिएको छ | अहिलेको यस्तो स्थितिमा यसै प्रकारका अन्य संस्थाहरु
जस्ले बिबिध प्रकारका कृषिजन्य र उधोगजन्य उत्पादनको बिक्रि वितरणको ब्यबस्थापन
गरी अर्थ वाणिज्यमा टेवा पुर्याउछ को ठूलो आवश्यकता देशमा देखिन्छ |
संदर्भ सामाग्री:
१) ‘पीपीपी’ उत्कृष्ट विकास मोडल,
आर्थिक संबाददाता, कान्तिपुर दैनिक, मंसिर १९, २०६७
२)
सार्वजनिक निजी साझेदारी र समाजवाद, भोलानाथ चालिशे, कान्तिपुर दैनिक, पुस ६, २०६७
३)
जलविद्युत्मा ‘सिन्डिकेट’को खतरा, भीम गौतम, सौर्य दैनिक(www.souryadaily.com), बैसाख १५ , २०६९
४)
Public
Private Partnership in Nepal, Madhukar SJB Rana, Telegraphnepal.com, April 17,
2009
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