Nepal

It shall take initiatives to help create a network of Nepali diaspora and memorize about their contribution to Nepal

Kathmandu, May 10

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has set up a unit named Brain Acquire Centre with an aim to tap the expertise of Nepali diaspora and encourage them to contribute to Nepalsocial and economic development.

Major thingives of the centre include preserveing up-to-date information about Nepali diaspora and their expertise, thereby creating access to the huge amount of mental resources they possess. The centre also aims at giving recognition to the work by individual diaspora experts and groups, promoting their contribution among government and non-governmental agencies, and fostering respect for diaspora experts among the people back home.

Other thingives of the centre include encouraging ministries, government agencies and academic and social institutions to use database for reaching out to diaspora experts and enhance associateions and opportunities.

It envisages taking initiatives to help create a network of Nepali diaspora and memorize about their contribution to Nepal, and create opportunities for collaborating with experts at home.

The centre has already started gathering information about number of Nepali diaspora experts, their expertise, current engagements and their interests.

On Tuesday, Minister of Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali wrote a letter to Nepalis living around the globe requesting them to get associateed to the centre.

In the letter, Gyawali said the country needed both internal and external resources to achieve its goal of graduating into a developing country by 2022, and into a middle-income country by 2030.

Stating that the country was facing a severe shortage of human capital because of growing ‘brain drain,& Gyawali said Brain Acquire Centre aimed at identifying human resources required for the country and large crowd of peopleilising them accordingly.

&Hoping that you shall cofunction and use your knowledge, seliminates and experience in the interest of your home country, I request you to share your information through this platform,& said Gyawali in the letter.

Interested individuals can access the centre at www.mofa.gov.np/bgc.

Non-resident Nepalis welcomed the governmentmove. Previous president of Non-Resident Nepali Association Jiba Lamichhane said in a Twitter post that the government and the ministry had come up with a good initiative. &BGC is a good initiative. Numerous thanks MOFA GoN,& he tweeted.

Kathmandu, May 10

Locals of Asan have staged protest against Bayu Guthi Sansthan, a local trust, for allegedly selling the historical building and Bihar, a holy temple of Buddhist ‘Kuthanani&, for the construction of concrete building nowadays.

Kuthanani is a historical building, which, according to locals, dates back more than 500 years. It was home to 14 families and a Bihar. Families living at a place from generations have been paying rent every month. According to Umesh Sthapit, a local of Asan, Bayu Guthi Sansthan has signed a contract to lease the historical place to a person named Raju Gorkhali for 25 years. He said the families living there had tried to buy a blue print of the building four decades ago but the Survey Leavement refused to sell it.

&As per contract, Sthapit can build concrete building and use it for 25 years. This is a cultural place and we would much allow anyone to construct a concrete building here,& said Sthapit.

He added, &Guthi Sansthan is a responsible organisation committed to protecting culture and historical places. Despite its contribution in protecting the cultural place, it has also been trying to misuse its authority.&

&We would much allow anyone to build concrete complex at this historical place.

The building which was damaged by the April 2015 soiltrembles shall be reconstructed with the help of local resources and support,& said Sthapit.

Ganapati Lal Shrestha, also a local of Asan, said should the Guthi Sansthan fail to rescind the contract, they would stage protest programmes.

He said, &Itmuch only the concern of the local people, but also of the government when it comes to protecting cultural places.&