Nepal Rastra Bank is planning to turn Nepal Clearing House Limited (NCHL) into a non-profit company and modify its working objectives.
The Government and NRB are working on a program for the last 7 years which is known as “National Switch”. Now, NRB plans to give this responsibility to NCHL.
NRB owns a 10% share in NCHL.
When Rastra Bank was handling Cheque Clearing, they were adopting traditional methods. Therefore, NCHL was set up with the initiative to move Cheque Clearing into a modern system. This was a joined initiative between NRB and the Banker’s Association.
Over time, NCHL has been involved in activities other than the purpose for which it was established. They are performing a “for-profit” business in the name of Nepal Rastra Bank. Once NCHL is considered as a non-profit, it can no longer take profit businesses in the name of Rastra Bank.
The online shopping trend grows around the world amid the COVID19 pandemic! Today, online shopping has become a necessity rather than a luxury.
People have started to turn to online shopping to be safe and reduce the chances of transmission. Apart from this, they are attracted to the fact that the goods arrive at their doorstep without having to move an inch!
Previously, people were not this much into online shopping. But today, People are buying not only the essentials but also less essential items.
Online shopping for groceries, books, cosmetics, and other goods has increased significantly.
Although online shopping has been around for a long time, it has only recently become mainstream. The need for it is growing due to the need to maintain social distance and fear of infection.
In May 2020, sales of non-store retailers in the United States rose to 31 percent.
Amid the pandemic, the online shopping trend in the UK rose to 30 percent.
Not only the developed countries, but the developing countries are also accepting the shopping trend. The online shopping has achieved bigger success due to the pandemic.
In Nepal, online shopping sites like Daraz and Sastodeal are also taking advantage of the pandemic. They are also offering various schemes to attract customers. Daraz has started Mahabachat Offer in a recent attempt to reap the benefits.
Before Covid-19, there was only a little reliance on the internet for daily shopping. But today it has actually become a necessity ! Until recently, online shopping was not seen as a big deal.
Given the success of online shopping amid COVID, it seems to remain an integral part of daily lives even after the end of the pandemic.
Although it’s good news for online shopping sites, the traditional retail stores are going to face a huge decline in their business. There should be some sort of collaboration among the online and traditional stores so that both the domains remain intact.
What are your views on this? Let us know in the comment sections.
With the COVID pandemic still around, NMB Bank signs MoU with nCloud Private Limited to promote digital payment channels in the transport sector.
From the NMB Bank, the bank’s CEO, Sunil KC signed the agreement. Similarly, Dipendra Narayan Shrestha, the CEO of nCloud Pvt Limited signed the MoU.
The agreement will implement a digital payment system on public transport. This means the public vehicles will implement contactless cards and POS terminals. Hence, this will assure the reduction of the transmission rate of coronavirus.
The project will initially tie up with Kipu Bus Service Pvt. Ltd. Here, the passengers will be able to use contactless cards for paying the bus fare.
This agreement has taken place considering the COVID pandemic still around us.
The project focuses on digitization as directed by Nepal Rastra Bank. Ultimately, it aims to transform society from cash to cashless.
Furthermore, the bank aims to start cooperation with other bus operators soon.
What are your views on this? Do you have better suggestions regarding this agreement? Do let us know in the comments.
Under their social responsibility program, DishHome comes forward and helps the landslide victims of Sindhupalchowk district.
DishHome has distributed relief materials to the locals in Bahrabise Municipality-5, Jambu of Sindhupalchowk district. The company has provided Rs.4,20,000 to 28 families affected by the landslide.
Is it the only instance when Dishhome has come forward in dire times?
No. You may want to know that since the very beginning, DishHome has been actively carrying out various social activities.
DishHome’s service in the education front is also commendable. Firstly, It had been carrying out special preparation classes for SEE appearing students. Secondly, during the lockdown period, DishHome has been broadcasting the course material for classes 4 through 10 too. How great is that!
DishHome, the only DTH service provider in Nepal, has been continuously playing the role of social responsibility. Along with that, it has also been serving the customers with excellent service.
Time and again, various companies have been actively involved in serving the people in times of need. Maybe this is a strategic move but why should we bother till it’s helping our people. Right?
Sagoon’s IPO collection in Nepal is illegal according to the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON).
Sagoon, which is registered in the United States, had previously claimed that it is safe and legal to invest with them.
However, SEBON has declared it illegal for Sagoon to engage in advertising and other activities with the objective of raising investment in Nepal.
The company has also been targeting Nepali investors. Meanwhile, the board has drawn serious attention to the news and advertisement of a company like Sagoon Inc.
Article 27 (1) of the Securities Act 2063 states that an organization must register with the Board before engaging in security issuance in Nepal.
Similarly, according to Article 29 (1) of the same Act, if an organized organization sells and distributes securities to more than 50 persons at a time, such securities have to be issued for sale and distribution.
However, the social commerce platform has been issuing securities in the name of mini-IPOs targeting Nepali investors. “It is illegal to issue securities in Nepal without the board’s approval,” the board said in a statement.
Public Notice | SEBON
The board has informed investors to invest only in the approved securities issuance. Moreover, the board has stated that the existing legal system cannot protect the interest of the investors while investing otherwise.
The board has also warned the investors not to make such information or advertisement through media targeting such evictions which the prevailing law doesn’t approve.
Sagoon claims that it is a social network invested by Nepalis. With this, the company has recently launched a campaign to raise investment through various social networks and media.
Previously, the company had confirmed that it has more than 7 million users from 123 countries; Nepal, India, and the USA being the top 3.
Similarly, Sagoon claimed that it had over 4000 investors globally, none of the majority being from Nepal.
The headquarters of Sagoon is in the US, and it also has an office in India as Sagun India Pvt. Ltd. Its office in Nepal is located at Tinkune. But the work of all these offices always seems to be to issue shares.
Investment Expert Numnath Poudel says that the company, which has been running at a loss since its inception, has a face value of only $0.0001.
“There is no other basis to raise investment with Sagoon except to play in the sympathy of Nepalis by dreaming of becoming a company like Google-Facebook,” says Poudel.
Genese Solution – a cloud service provider, working in various South Asia countries with its head office in Nepal – conducted AWS SAARC Meetup 2020 on 25 July, Saturday. The discussion was hosted to provide an opportunity for Amazon Web Services (AWS) enthusiasts who want to learn about the cloud and cloud solutions that AWS offers. The virtual event was supported by Girls in Tech – Nepal, Cloud Nepal, and Women in Big Data – Nepal.
The meetup had three speakers sharing their ideas and information on the occasion: Donnie Prakoso (Senior Developer Advocate at AWS), Mr. Ankit Gupta (AWS APN Ambassador, AWS Community Hero, AWS Community Leader (India) and Dr. Prakash Atreya (Director of Technology, Genese Solution). The session was moderated by Mr. Anjani Phuyal (Asia lead of Women in Big Data, and founder of Girls in Tech – Nepal). Over 100 enthusiastic participants attended the session.
The session was focused around discussion on supporting remote working at scale using AWS Workspace, building Serverless API, and exploring AWS use cases for technologists and entrepreneurs.
Speaking on the meetup, Donnie Prakoso, a software engineer and Senior Developer Advocate at AWS, said, “Customers are moving to microservices and API are the front door of major application. “He also added, “As a developer, we need to stay updated with various technologies and building serverless architecture. Moving to the cloud gives access to enterprise-class technology for everyone. It also allows smaller businesses to act faster than big, established competitors. Pay-as-you-go service is the beauty of this technology.”
Similarly, Ankit Gupta, AWS APN Ambassador and AWS Community Hero based in India, spoke on the topic supporting remote working at scale using AWS Workspace. On occasion, he discussed Desktop as a Service (DaaS) as well as Top AWS recent launches, which includes AWS Chatbot, Amazon Key Spaces, and many more. He also talked in brief about AWS Work from Home Solutions and added, “AWS launches new services every week, which makes AWS a unique platform.”
Likewise, Dr. Prakash Atreya, who is currently leading Genese Solution as a Director of Technology, further discussed AWS use cases for Technologists and Entrepreneurs and spoke on the topics AWS Lex for Process Automation, Using IoT for farming solutions, and enhancement of customer service using Image Recognition.
The meetup also had an active Question and Answered session among the audience who were from various SAARC countries, including India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal, among others. The course was quite interactive and engaging. Few of the audiences were also curious about careers in AWS and serverless technology in which all the speakers added importance of cloud and also how AWS is providing hundreds of other services.
After the success of this meetup, Genese is planning to organize a series of AWS Meet-ups in the future that can educate people and can connect with some of the experienced AWS professionals in the industry and learn from their experiences.
Who doesn’t love online shopping today?! It has become a great deal today! Hence, the tech giant Google is ready to launch its new shopping app, ‘Shoploop’ in the market. It is a video shopping platform.
At present, the app is not fully functional; only the beta version is available. Shoploop is currently available as a mobile app only. The developers believe that some new experiments have been started in the new app, and it will make human life much more comfortable.
The team members have claimed that it will be a new place for consumers and sellers. This app allows you to watch a 90-second video about the products. Here, the creators are demonstrating makeup, nails, and other beauty products.
Lax Poojary, the general manager of Shoploop, says that they are working with content creators and online shop owners in the beauty industry. This way, the creators will directly review the products through their videos. It is a win-win condition for both parties. The shopping platform gets its content. Then eventually, the content creators get their due.
At present, the customers are visiting several platforms like youtube and Instagram to get a review of the products. So, this app will prove to address the problem.
The content creators and store owners can apply through the website if they want to contribute and collaborate in this shopping experiment. You can visit https://shoploop.area120.google.com/ to get the mobile experience of the shopping platform.
Google is all ready to reap the benefits of today’s online shopping craze! We are excited about how google will be implementing its strategies for this ambitious project. It will be interesting to see if this becomes a success!
Are you excited for Shoploop? Do let us know in the comments below.
We also suggest you following article:
Daraz’s Mahabachat Bazar Making Shopping Fun Again -Starts Today
The Department of Commerce, Supplies, and Consumer Protection fined Gyapu Marketplace Rs 50,000 for illegal business operation. This incident took place on Sunday, 11th Shrawan,2077 BS.
The department fined Gyapu under Section 39 (1) (d) of the Protection Act 2075. The marketplace violated Section 38 (t) of conducting online business without registering.
You can click on https://www.gyapu.com/ to see their online presence. It’s Facebook page has over 39,000 likes. The marketplace is located in Bakhundol, Lalitpur.
Another Similar Incident
Along with that, the government has also fined Camp Water Private Limited with Rs. 50,000. The department found it guilty for acting under Section 20 (2) of the Consumer Protection Act 2075. The fine is for violating Section 39 (1) (d) of the same Act.
With the rampant operation of such businesses, their credibility is lost somewhere. As customers, we might lose our interest in online shopping in the future.
Government’s Victory
I guess the government is quite aware of today’s mushrooming online businesses. Thus, these steps are appreciable.
This has a positive impact in two ways. Firstly, the government’s image is improved to some extent. Secondly, customers become aware of such illegal businesses.
Have your opinion in the comments below. We would like to hear your say on this.
Goyal Foundation has launched the Suraksha app in the Nepali market. This app is made specially considering the life after covid19 pandemic.
The government has lifted the nationwide lockdown. Hence, the risk of transmission is increasing daily. In such dire situations, this app can become very handy.
Chirag Goyal, the director of the Goyal Foundation, made this app available through his organization a week ago. He says that its main purpose is to reduce the transmission of coronavirus.
According to Mr. Goyal, this app has features similar to Google’s ‘contact tracing’ app. Some years ago, Google had developed the app in response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. Fortunately, it was able to reduce the transmission to a considerable level. Since then Google has made the app available throughout the world.
Surakshya app basically gives information about: Firstly, How many people has a person contacted ?! Secondly, whether the person has come in contact with infected people
Always keep the Bluetooth and GPS location of the mobile on
Then fill in the basic information form
After that, you need to fill about your health status, traveling history, contact with the transmitted people and so on.
Based on these details, the app shows you the risk of coronavirus infection.
Now, if two people have the app running and are in close proximity ( about 2 to 6 meters), both of them get information about each other. Since this app is serious, Mr. Goyal suggests people fill in the correct information.
“The more people who download this app, the more they benefit”, ‘he said. He also ensures to protect the privacy of the people using this app. According to him, this is Nepal’s first contact tracing app.
“We have officially released the app on Playstore after getting approval from the government,” he said. Furthermore, he also added, “With the opening of the lockdown, the risk of infection has increased. You have to take care of your own health. India has made it mandatory to have such an app on mobile.”
They also plan to use the app for other natural disasters in the future.
So, what do you feel about this app? Are you planning to use it? Let us know in the comment section below.
Nepal’s leading online marketplace, Daraz, is making shopping fun again with its first significant shopping campaign after the lockdown called Daraz Mahabachat Bazar, starting from 27th July to 4th August (Shrawan 12-19). Customers can buy anything they desire and make a good saving on this 8-day sale campaign through the campaign exclusive Bachat Offers, Bachat Vouchers, Free Shipping, Hot Picks, and more.
Furthermore, on top of the already cut prices, customers can get another extra 20% (upto Rs. 1000) off via eSewa, & 15% (upto Rs. 2000)off via Partner Bank debit/ credit card prepayment (Mega Bank, Sanima Bank, Nabil Bank, Global IME, Machhapuchchhre Bank, NMB, NIC Asia, Kumari Bank, Sunrise Bank, Nepal Investment Bank).
Daraz is also offering exclusive giveaways. The grandest of them all is the Suzuki Burgman Street 125 CC as the Maha Bumper prize. And the other being iPhone SE via the Daraz 1 Rupee game powered by eSewa. Under the 1 Rupee Game, customers can also win many other prizes, such as a Sony Action Cam, Homeglory Vacuum Cleaner, & CG Air Cooler.
All the most significant international and national brands like Suzuki, Caliber, CG, Converse, Fantech, Home Glory, Juas, LG, Lotto, Mantra, Midea, Oriflame, Palsonic, Police, Rangoli, Soapworks, Sony, Titan, Vans, Videocon, Whirlpool and more are also part of the campaign. They are giving away additional vouchers, and substantial price cuts as well.
“Shopping, after recent world events, has changed forever. Through this campaign, we want to bring the fun back into Shopping. We’re not only offering convenience and ease but also on the side entertainment via exclusive FB live videos, Online Games, Social Media Contests, and so on.”, said Lino Ahlering, the Managing Director of Daraz Nepal.
Recent data suggests the campaign will see 100 thousand plus customers competing with each other to grab hold of the vouchers & deals. Thus, Daraz has advised its users to turn on notifications, create a wishlist, or add desired items to cart beforehand not to miss out.
An incident that depicts the incompetence of the government occurred on Thursday (July 23) when government officials called upon the representatives of a private startup company at Singha Durbar.
In fact, the behavior shown by the officials at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was unethical.
Pravesh Koirala, a Computer Engineer at the Ministry invited Aditya Raj, Founder at a startup Company called Digital Nepal, to the Ministry.
“Upon receiving the call, I thought that it was regarding the application requested by the National Planning Commission with the aim of providing startup funds,” said Aditya.
“The employees at the Ministry said that our startup cannot use the term Digital Nepal for any purpose,” he added while in conversation with ICT Frame. “I was shocked and asked them the reason behind it and they said that Digital Nepal is a campaign launched by the government and being a single entity or a private company, we cannot use Digital Nepal.”
He also asked if they were willing to provide compensation since it would involve rebranding. However, there was no positive response regarding compensation.
In fact, the government officials threatened to change the company name and the domain. “If you don’t change the name, we will see that it is closed by sending a letter to the concerned authority,” Aditya said, quoting the government official.
Government Shows The Lack of SEO Expertise
According to Aditya, one of the major reasons for the discussion was the fact that Aditya’s DIgital Nepal company ranked higher in Google. This overshadowed the Digital Nepal campaign of the government.
This would ultimately drive more visitors to the company’s website rather than the government’s site.
“We are a registered company under the Company Act and have existed way before the Government launched the Digital Nepal campaign,” said Aditya. “We have worked hard to build up the company’s brand using SEO and other strategies. Rebranding would cost a lot and it would be like starting from the ground with all our efforts down the drain.”
He also highlighted the fact that COVID 19 has hit them hard and thus, the company is not in the state to handle the hassle of rebranding.
However, the government employees did not care about the company’s state and wanted them to change their company name, domain, as well as their app’s name.
Even though the Deputy Secretary at the Ministry, Shiva Kumar Pokharel, denied telling Aditya to change the company’s name, this incident brings forward the incompetence of government.
Government websites lack the practice of SEO and this incident also shows the lack of general knowledge of SEO among the employees of the Ministry.
Digital Nepal Has Received Award from the Government
Digital Nepal, registered as eDigital Nepal Pvt. Ltd., had participated in a competition called ‘Smart Urban Technology Challenge’ organized by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City in Jestha, 2076.
In fact, the startup received a cash price of Rs. 2 Lakhs including a trophy from Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.
Similarly, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Technology handed over the ICT Startup Award to Digital Nepal in Shrawan, 2076.
So, Digital Nepal was doing very well as a brand and an idea to digitalize the education system in Nepal.
Aditya’s concern is that no one had objected to the company’s name or its domain name during registration or while receiving the awards from the government.
After being established as a reputable brand, the Ministry suddenly had a problem with the company’s name.
Government Has No Jurisdiction Over .com Domain
The fact that the government objected to the use of the term Digital Nepal in the domain makes no sense. It is because the domains other than .gov.np are outside the Government’s jurisdiction.
In fact, the .com domain falls under the generic Top-Level Domain (TLD) category and are maintained by the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA).
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) manages the issuance and regulation for such domain names.
Final Say
As an entity or organization involved in digitalizing the education sector of the country, one should hope for the government’s support. However, the case is exactly the opposite here.
What point is the government trying to prove by intimidating a startup?
Isn’t it the government’s responsibility to encourage and nurture young talents?
This incident has raised so many question marks. No law gives the government the right to intervene in this matter, especially regarding the ownership of the domain name.
Even after all of this, Aditya told ICT Frame that they would be happy to assist the government with their Digital Nepal campaign.
However, this approach by the Ministry officials violates the general rights of the citizens involved in the business sector.
What are your thoughts on this matter? Let us know in the comments!
MA-Udhyami (Mahila Udhyami) campaign, launched on July 8, 2020, at Thulo.Com, an e-commerce platform in Nepal, is a campaign initiated as a part of the project ‘Revitalizing Women’s Businesses amidst COVID-19 Pandemic’ with the support of USAID’s Tayar Nepal. The project is led by the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN) in collaboration with EMERGE (Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform and Gender Equality) and Thulo.Com.
Due to COVID-19 lockdown, the method of selling products physically, by visiting stores became almost non-existent, which affected the supply chain of the majority of the local women-led micro and small scale businesses, as they got disconnected with their customers and are having a hard time surviving due to lack of cash flow. So, the focus of this project is to overcome difficulties in forwarding supply chain and cash flow management of women-owned/led businesses by linking them to the digital economy.
COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of e-commerce in Nepal, and introducing women entrepreneurs to the digital economy was the need of the hour. Therefore, FWEAN partnered with Thulo.Com to promote and sell the products of local women and link them to the digital economy, through its e-commerce platform. For this Thulo.com conceptualized the campaign MA-Udhyami, which means ‘Mahila Udhyami’ with the tagline – ‘Digitalizing Women’s Businesses’ to bring women entrepreneurs and technology together.
Currently, this campaign is in its pilot phase, and there are 17 women led-businesses, mostly from marginalized groups, running micro and small scale production businesses, of Kathmandu and Lalitpur area, comprising both members and non-members of FWEAN. Under this pilot phase of MA-Udhyami those women led-businesses that have not been connected or made robust sales through other digital platforms, with products that meet the criteria as set by the project in terms of product quality, labeling, and packaging, have been onboarded. Currently, the products listed are essential food items – pickles, spices, honey, safety, and hygiene products – eco sanitary pad, masks, body oil, sanitizers, etc.
It is expected that these women entrepreneurs will be able to generate cash flow from sales of stocked goods, manage the business, and pay salaries to staff, and be able to manage the crisis bought by COVID-19. They will also get connected and get accustomed to the digital way of doing business (promotions, branding, sales, payments). Under this campaign, FWEAN and Thulo.com together with EMERGE are also doing product promotions, running contests, and media promotions with the aim to improve the performance of selected women’s businesses.
In the days to come, FWEAN together with Thulo.com and EMERGE plans to incorporate more women entrepreneurs under this campaign.
FWEAN and its partners – Thulo.com and EMERGE seek support from everyone as much as possible. Thus, we request everyone to purchase the products of our women entrepreneurs from “MA-Udhyami” by visiting Thulo.Com (link: thulo.com/ma). Purchasing these products will not only support the women entrepreneurs affected by the economic slowdown due to COVID-19 but will add to the experience of using the fantastic hand-made and local products.
Nepal’s leading online marketplace, Daraz, & Nepal’s leading online payment service provider, eSewa, have announced an exciting opportunity for their customers to win a brand new iPhone SE at the price of just Re. 1 by participating in the Daraz 1 Rupee Game. To participate, customers must place an order for the smartphone on Daraz- apply promo code IPHONERUPEE1, and pre-pay 1 rupee via eSewa.
The offer will be available from July 22 to July 27, 2020. The winner announcement will be held on July 31 via the Daraz app and Daraz Nepal’s Facebook page. Once announced, all the participants will have their 1 rupee refunded to their eSewa accounts. Daraz & eSewa are also offering shipwide discounts of 20% (upto Rs.1000) from July 27 to August 3 (Sharwan 12 – 19) under Daraz’s Maha Bachat Offer in which customers can expect significant savings in products ranging from fashion to electronics and everything in between.
“eSewa’s integration into Daraz last month was a pivotal moment. This collaboration has opened doors for so many more opportunities such as this to make online shopping an exciting alternative,” said Daraz MD, Lino Ahlering.
Under the 1 Rupee Game, customers can also win many other prizes, such as a Sony Action Cam, Homeglory Vacuum Cleaner, & CG Air Cooler.
To know more about how to pay via eSewa on Daraz, please visit the Daraz or eSewa app.
We all experienced the nationwide lockdown due to the COVID-19. While many businesses went down, we did anticipate a few new ventures to emerge. And here we have, Lozoom, a new ridesharing service in Nepal!
If you’re having a hard time pronouncing “Lozoom”, it means “लु जुम“. In Nepali, it means “let’s go”.
It’s a good question to question, ” Why a startup during the lockdown?” And the answer also lies within the problem! We’ve all noticed that Nepal is slowly lifting the lockdown but there are no public transports for people to travel to work. Moreover, due to coronavirus and its fear, people are reluctant to travel through public vehicles. Where does that leave those people who do not own a private vehicle?
And right there is our answer – Lozoom or Luzoom! A ride-sharing service that is just the need of the hour! But we have popular ridesharing services already. We have Tootle, Pathao, and Sarathi. What makes Luzoom any different? Check this interesting video it came up with. It has a sweet explanation of why they are different!
Lozoom: Features for Users
Online and Offline Services: We all know how the online service works, don’t we? All you need to do is download the app from the play store, register and you’re ready to Lozoom! The other interesting part is you don’t need a fancy smartphone or internet connection to book a ride. You can call in their offline numbers, and they will pick you up. Just as easy as that! If you want to try the offline method, here are the numbers 980-2323233, 980-2323234, 980-2323235, 980-2323236.
Ride Safety: Safety matters and Lozoom knows it better. They are providing accidental treatment facilities in case you face any sort of accident while using their services.
Gender Preference: This new ridesharing service is providing the facility for female users to choose the gender of their rider. A nice gesture for the safety of our female users!
Complimentary Rides: This feature sounds too good to be true. They are providing free rides for every early 5% user every month for 5 years! Go ahead, read that again!
Now those are some wonderful ridesharing features for users. Below you’ll be reading some amazing features for riders as well!
Lozoom: Features for Riders
Child Care: How these feature works are that each month, Lozoom selects one rider among the top riders. Lozoom then pays that month’s monthly education fee of that selected top rider! Is this not wonderful gratitude?
Holiday Destination: What if you’re not married and you are the top rider? Option 2 comes to play for you! Lozoom sends you off on a holiday trip. Even better, they will do the annoying booking processes. All you have to do is pack your bags and enjoy the ride!
Mobile and Fuel Reimbursement: Imagine being a rider. Imagine the distance you will travel and now imagine the fuel it will eat. But, Luzoom wants to take care of that too, of their riders! They will reimburse these expenses of their riders so the riders can earn more and save more!
Does this make you want to experience the Luzoom ride? We think you should give it a try.
The government has launched an online system to submit tax and income details simultaneously through banks from Shrawan 1 (July 17).
Small taxpayers had to spend more time and money than their revenue to submit tax and income details. Finally, the government has ended the situation with the launch of this system.
Finance Minister Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada inaugurated the system virtually from the Ministry of Finance. In fact, it took place at a program organized at the Inland Revenue Department (IRD) on Thursday.
Furthermore, there’s an arrangement for small entrepreneurs to get the tax payment certificate immediately after submitting the tax and income details through the bank.
Beneficial for Small Taxpayers
Director of the department, Maharaj Koirala, informed that small taxpayers can now get the tax payment certificate within 10 minutes.
Earlier, all taxpayers had to go to the IRD office or Taxpayer Service Office to submit their income statement.
Point 333 of the budget of the current fiscal year states that the government will make arrangements for small taxpayers with business up to Rs. 2 million.
Concerned employees of the bank can log in to the Revenue Management Information System. All they need are username, password, and financial year.
The D01 form is available from the D01 Voucher Form menu. After the taxpayer or his/her representative submits the D01 form, only should the tax be collected.
In the D01 form, the taxpayer must mention their permanent account number, income year, transaction amount, and amount to be deducted. The system will automatically show the name, address of the form, and date of registration.
Similarly, it also displays the Internal Revenue office or Taxpayer Service Office, and Bank Branch after entering the permanent account number of the taxpayer.
You may ask, in a global era, do we still have to write in the Nepali language? To answer your thoughts easily, yes! Yes, we still need to write in the Nepali language. Knowing how to type in Nepali gives you an edge while finding a job! But, if you’re clever and want to save time, you will find this easy tutorial on how to type in Nepali Unicode pretty helpful!
How to Type in Nepali Unicode
Firstly, you have to understand that Nepali typing in Unicode is simple and very easy! Secondly, you need to know about Roman Nepali.
What’s Roman Nepali?
It is typing in English but you are spelling out Nepali words. For example, when you type “Mero naam Ramesh ho” in Nepali Unicode, it gives you “मेरो नाम रमेश हो।.” Yes, it’s that simple in the modern world, thanks to the new technology and the internet!
We have an image below that shows you how the Romanized Keyboard looks like!
Go ahead, head to Unicode, and try out some amazing Nepali typing!
How to Write Half Letter in Nepali Unicode
We Nepalese are aware that our Language is pretty complex, right?
Half letters like “मान्छे” and “व्यापारी” require certain attention but they aren’t difficult in Unicode.
Here’s how you can write to them.
You write half letters by using Hal (् /hal/ ) after the letter. You have to press “/” for Hal. For example,
मान + ् /hal/ + छे = मान्छे
In the modern Unicode, you can simply type “manche” to get “मान्छे”. You can always try and see how it works!
There is one more thing to remember. If you want to display “स्कुल”, you need to type “skul”, and not “school”. This becomes easier as you get used to it.
You can promote yourself to typing in Nepali Unicode Traditional once you are fluent in typing in Nepali Unicode Romanized!
Here, we have an image of the traditional Nepali keyboard.
Notice the difference from the image above?
If you look closely at the images below, you can see that not all the letters from the Nepali language are visible. To see more options, press “Ctrl + Alt” to see more letters.
Do you notice in the picture below?
Similarly, press “Shift” to see other options. Look at the picture below!
There are certain letters that all of us have trouble typing! You will come to notice them on your journey with Nepali typing practice in Unicode!
To save you time and frustration, here are some helpful tips for you!
क्ष = क + ् + ष
त्र = त + ् + र
ज्ञ = ज + ् + ञ
त्त = त + ् + त
द्ध = द + ् + ध
श्र = श + ् + र
द्य = द + ् + य
How to Type Nepali Unicode in Word
To type in Nepali Unicode in Word, you will have to follow the following steps!
Go to your PC/Laptop’s Start menu, click Start and then click Control Panel.
Double-click to Regional and Language Options.
Go to the Languages Tab, Click “Text Services and Input Languages”.
Under the Tab “Installed Services”, click “Add” and then select the Nepali language.
If you already have the Nepali Language installed, just do the following few steps!
Open MS Word.
In the Status Bar, click Language, and change to “Nepali”.
Now, you can start typing in Nepali under the above traditional format!
We think you are now capable of typing in Nepali Unicode like a professional typist! Teach your friends and young ones to type in Nepali Unicode. It will not just help them but help you as well!
We wish you good luck with your experience with Unicode and Nepali Typing!
Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST) makes public the list of proposals and applications for receiving grants under their new campaign!
NAST is aware of the impact of the coronavirus in Nepal and the unimaginable ways it can hamper our lives. To fight such battles and to stay prepared, NAST is granting money for new companies and teams to come with smart solutions.
In this mega campaign, 13 proposals are under selection by NAST. Below is an image of the best proposals.
There were remarkably more proposals that were submitted. Out of a total of 162 proposals, 13 best were selected by NAST.
The Research Titles are as follows:
Industrial Production of Indigenous Insect for food and feed in Nepal by Vivekananda Mahat.
Smart Egg Incubator by Santosh Dahal.
Pesticide Spraying Drone by Robotics Association of Nepal.
Smart Agrochemical Plant for Keratin Waste by Biplab Karki.
Implementing the Internet of Things (IoT) for Oyster Mushroom by Deepesh Guragain.
Hydroponics by Sandesh Subedi.
Medical Drone Tech by Anil Karki.
Portable Sawmill for Timber Processing by Laxman Motra.
Quad Bike by Kapil Gyawali.
e-Voting System by Ashmita Pandey.
Organic Pesticide by Khil Bahadur Bayakoti.
Replacement of animal power with Motar by Hari Darlami.
Modern Pottery by Nawaraj Bhattarai.
These are the 13 best proposals that were accepted by NAST. These research proposals will receive grants in phase wise for starting and completing the projects!
It is amusing to see the number of youths ready to bring a change for the love of the nation. So much energy and so much potential with the youths of today!
If given the platform and opportunity, maybe the youths of today can change Nepal in a better way. Maybe if we trust our young ones, we can fight the COVID pandemic in the future. Maybe we become much stronger as a nation.
And maybe it’s time to trust a little more on the young ones.
Do you think the youth are the hope for Nepal? What are your thoughts with NAST’s attempt?
For the first time in Nepal, InfoDevelopers brings you fund transfer services from wallets to cooperative accounts.
With the experience of 18 years in the field of Information, Communication, and Technology, InfoDevelopers has been providing not only fund transfer service but also providing various services to cooperatives like Mobile Banking, ATM, eBanking, Tablet Banking, Inter Bank Fund Transfer (IBFT). Currently, there are about one thousand cooperatives affiliated to InfoDevelopers.
For now, this facility of transferring funds to cooperative accounts is possible from eSewa. Work is underway to integrate the service in other companies’ wallets in the coming days. Members of the cooperative and other people can transfer money directly from the eSewa digital wallet to the account of the cooperative.
Money transfer service has been started for the convenience of the members of cooperatives affiliated with InfoDevelopers.
This service will facilitate quick and easy transactions for the members. Furthermore, funds can be easily transferred to the cooperative account without any hassle.
The spokesperson for the company, Suresh Kansakar informed that this facility has been added keeping in mind the situation of not being able to reach the cooperatives during the lockdown.
The National Innovation Center is building a Ventilator in Nepal that could cost less than Rs. 1 Lakh.
Mahabir Pun, Chairman of National Innovation Center, informed through Twitter that the center is making a ventilator in Nepal in collaboration with Stanford University (US).
Here’s the prototype:
“The prototype of the ventilator is being made at the center”, informs Mahabir Pun.
In fact, if this research is successful, the value of the ventilator will be less than one lakh Rupees.
Earlier, NIC had made PPE suits and gloves for doctors in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak in Nepal.
The team used Rubberized Taffeta Fabric for making PPE kits which are fully airproof and waterproof.
Apple users around the world experienced a technical problem of app outages. Popular apps such as Spotify, Pinterest, and Tinder went down all over the world.
Following the incident, all app owners/developers have blamed Facebook for the problem in the initial analysis.
These apps became unusable for a few hours and angry users took to social media complaining about the issue. DownDetector, which monitors net blackouts, reported that it was a widespread outage.
Although Facebook has resolved the problem, what could’ve been the reason for such app outages throughout the globe?
What Caused the iOS App Outages?
According to Facebook, “a code change triggered crashes for some iOS apps using the Facebook SDK [Software Development Kit]”.
Furthermore, the social media giant claims to have identified and quickly resolved the issue. Facebook also apologized for the inconvenience in a statement.
It was not the first time that Facebook’s SDK caused app crashes. A similar incident occurred back in May when several major iOS apps crashed at launch due to Facebook SDK issues.
What does this mean?
Well, most apps use Facebook SDK as a login feature for users. Remember the “login with Facebook” option that you see on most apps?
Yes! App Developers are encouraged to integrate the feature so that the social network could take advantage of the user data from the apps.
Therefore, a code issue on the Facebook SDK can very possibly trigger problems in other apps.
However, android users commented that their apps were working just fine.
2020 has been a difficult period for probably every individual no matter what part of the world they are in. Lockdown and quarantine throughout the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic has caused chaos in the daily lives of people.
Technology, especially, mobile phones have become both distraction and savior from boredom.
According to Statista, 3.5 billion people owned a smartphone in 2019 from which Gen Z (born 1997-2012) comprises roughly 32% of the population.
A report by App Annie suggests consumers spent 35% more time in mobile in 2019 than 2 years prior.
Now, just imagine the surge in numbers since the pandemic hit the world!
In the second quarter of 2020, users around the world downloaded more than 35 billion new apps. The statistics suggest a 10% increase in Google Play Store’s download while a 20% increase in iOS app downloads.
Furthermore, people are spending an average of 4 hours and 20 minutes per day on their smartphones. This is twice the average time and thus, justifies the spike in the app download stats.
What type of apps did users download?
Source: App Annie, State of Mobile 2020
Well, almost all companies adopted the digital shift as employees started working from home. The downloads of business category apps increased by 115% securing the first position.
Similarly, educational apps came second among the most downloaded app category while health and fitness occupied the third position.
Finally, the fourth position on the category includes entertainment apps.
Mobile Gaming – the Most Popular Form of Gaming
Mobile gaming surpassed PC, and Mac gaming with 2.8 times increment in its usage. Likewise, mobile gaming increased by 3.1 times compared to home game consoles.
In the first four months of 2020, it was found that 70% of users spending on the Appstore and Play Store was in gaming. However, stats show only 40% game downloads.
The report further suggests that mobile gaming is on track to surpass $100B across all mobile app stores in 2020.
Television distributors in Nepal have banned Indian news channels after they broadcasted rumored content about Nepal.
The TV distributors have informed that they have stopped broadcasting all Indian news channels besides Doordarshan since Thursday evening.
This ban is in effect for more than a dozen Indian channels and imposed by DishHome, various DTH and cable service providers.
According to sources, more television distributors are in the process to impose the ban.
The Vice President of Mega Max TV, Dhruba Sharma said that false and misleading news broadcasted by Indian news channels is the reason behind the ban. Moreover, such rumored news was disseminated in a manner that would provoke Nepal’s self-esteem.
Also, some news content objected to the character of the Prime Minister of the country. However, there’s no confirmation of such a decision from the Federation of Nepal Cable Television Association.
According to the association, the TV distributors took decisions for their companies following the wrongdoing of the Indian news channels.
Furthermore, there is no formal decision from the government to ban Indian television channels.
Meanwhile, the television service providers have requested the government to impose a ban on such TV channels, even through social media and apps.
TATOMITHO started with a professional team keeping a different kind of a Mission in their minds. They Started with Kathmandu and Lalitpur accommodating almost all classes of restaurants. They carried out a goal-filled target just to ensure every common man/women in Nepal has to get facilitated with an online food delivery system, So they managed from a small restaurant to a class restaurant, and they do not charge any extra charges no matter where the delivery is scheduled for. They do not even ask for a minimum order value too, Taking from a single roti to a luxurious dinner, a only platform is TATOMITHO which helps Nepal’s every single Common man to enjoy a one-time meal without budget hassles or distance hassles sitting where ever he/she is . Especially during this tough time of COVID-19 they have served many needy providing food to their doorstep with all the extra precautions as per customers own need of hunger and especially as per the customer’s wallet.
Reason Why TatoMitho Is Different From Other Online Food Delivery Companies
Busy schedules have created a need and ultimately increased the demand for online delivery options. With a few selections/clicks, customers can place a food order and have their meal delivered to their doorstep FREEE….Get Food Delivered For Free
It’s simple and allows everyone to have minimal contact with the restaurant if they are trying to adhere to their busy schedule. Viewing the menu online enables the customers /clients to stay within a required budget as they know exactly what they want to spend and we do it without any Minimal Basket System.No Minimum Order
Nepal’s leading property marketplace, Basobaas.com now launches a mobile application that enables you to buy, sell, or rent your land and/or house! With more than 500,000+ reach on social media, this platform provides space for property advertising, houses for sale and rent, and home loans.
The best part of this app is that you can easily download the app and list your property for free.
As for buyers and renters, you can search for properties in the properly classified tabs such as “Premium Properties in Nepal”, “Latest Properties in Nepal”, and “Trending Properties in Nepal”.
Moreover, you can also search for properties from categories like House, Flat, Apartment, Land, and Office Space!
The visuals of this application are also well thought. It’s clean and very simple to use. More importantly, it is very simple to find the kind of property you are looking for.
There’s more!
Once you have this application on your phone, you can save your favorite properties to view them later. In addition, the app provides various updated articles regarding houses, tips on buying and selling property, and investment strategies.
If you’re thinking of giving Basobaas mobile app a shot, here’s the download link for Android’s Playstore, and iOS’s App Store.
CAN Federation, the Internet Governance Institute, and Facebook launched a #BoostwithFacebook partnership on Friday to help support local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) during the current global health crisis. As part of the collaboration, which has the support of the Department of Information Technology, the Ministry of Information Technology, partners will also mentor SMEs and offer other support and tools. SMEs will also be able to host whitelisted content on partners’ websites.
“CAN Federation is excited to contribute to SMEs, the backbone of the Nepali economy, in this difficult time, to help revive their business using digital tools and platforms”, said Mr. Nawaraj Kunwar, President of CAN Federation. “Collaboration with Facebook, one of the significant platforms for business and IGI, the ICT Policy think tank in Nepal, with the support of the Department of Information Technology will significantly contribute to the rise and revival of SMEs in Nepal.”
As part of this collaboration, partners will host their first capacity building program on July 3, 2020. This will kick start training for at least 10,000 SMEs and Nepali youth on digital best practices to help boost their business.
“Boost with Facebook is aimed at strengthening businesses by equipping them with digital tools, knowledge, and skills to help build a strong community that can thrive together, despite the current economic challenges”, said Shelly Thakral, Head of Policy Programs for India, South and Central Asia at Facebook.
“Boost with Facebook gives small and medium businesses the tools that they need to tell their stories and build real connections with their audience,” Thakral added.
“The Government of Nepal has been always supportive of the multi-stakeholder collaboration to support SMEs in Nepal. In line with this philosophy, the Digital Nepal Framework, one of the key programs of the government, has also emphasized government-public-private partnerships. I believe this collaboration will significantly contribute towards #boosting the Nepali economy”, said Mr. Prem Sharan Shrestha, the Director-General of Department of Information Technology (DoIT).
Nepal’s leading online marketplace, Daraz, has joined hands with Nepal’s leading digital wallet service provider, eSewa. With this partnership, users can now quickly pay via eSewa for anything bought on the Daraz App. This new payment process will introduce one of the most convenient ways of shopping on Daraz. Payments via esewa will not only reduce the time spent in the check-out process but also alleviate consumer concern by improving digital security and adding another cashless payment option.
All transactions through eSewa Wallet can be completed in a few taps, ensuring a smooth online shopping experience on Daraz. To use the eSewa Wallet on Daraz, customers will have first to link their eSewa account once connected customers can do seamless transactions ensuring minimal time spent at check-out. The Wallet also facilitates fast refund processing for payments completed through eSewa.
“eSewa is the leading digital Wallet with a massive user base in Nepal, and we’re very excited to finally integrate eSewa into our Daraz platform and give our customers even more payment options. We see great synergies between both companies, and we are confident this will add to a smoother shopping experience to customers going forward,” said Lino Ahlering, Managing Director of Daraz Nepal.
Nepal’s largest online marketplace, Daraz, hosts more than 4000 sellers selling products across 100 plus categories ranging from groceries to electronics. Daraz also delivers to more than 24 cities in Nepal, including all the major areas such as Biratnagar, Pokhara, Chitwan. Such a large assortment of various products and nationwide delivery makes Daraz the go-to e-commerce app for many. Furthermore, with consumers worrying about the health risks of handling cash, payment via eSewa makes online shopping via Daraz even more convenient for its customers.
As the world tackles hurdles created by COVID-19, both digital payment and e-commerce limit in-person transactions and ensures consumers can buy anything they need from the comfort of their homes. As a result, digital payment and e-commerce have gone from being conveniences to necessities.
Preparations are underway to allow usage of apps and social media only after approval from the Government. Experts say it is ridiculous, impractical and irrational.
The Development and Technology Committee under the House of Representatives has directed the government to make arrangements for download applications only after the approval of the regulatory body. The committee gave such instructions to the government on a meeting held on Friday (June 26).
In the statement released by the committee, it clearly states that the directive is passed on to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Moreover, the regulatory body will test the apps based on factors like security, privacy, and usefulness.
Similarly, the directive indicates the use of social media apps and websites only after the government approves of it.
There are also instructions for a mandatory security audit of government websites and information technology service providers. Necessary arrangements are required for government domain names being registered by the private sector.
Instructions to the government from the Development and Technology Committee of the Parliament.
Experts have protested the committee’s directive on social media, highlighting its irrelevancy.
Former Chief of the Nepal Police Communications Directorate, DIG Rajiv Subba tweeted:
The suggestions from the Development and Technology Committee are good, but the directive to make it possible to download the app only with the permission of the government is not relevant.
Likewise, Advocate Baburam Aryal took on to social media commenting on the directive. He wrote that the directive of the committee is ridiculous, impractical, and irrational.
“This is a very ridiculous, impractical and irrational instruction. This directive has exposed the limited knowledge of our lawmakers, as well as how irresponsible they are. Downloading an app that provides social media or other services and information is regular and normal,” says Mr. Aryal.
He further adds that anyone who transmits malicious software is liable to be punished for cybercrime. However, the practice of verifying all apps by government bodies is unconstitutional, illegal, and against parliamentary dignity.
He raises a question asking, ‘What law is this instruction?’
“Not only it kills innovation, but it also neglects civil liberties,” adds Mr. Aryal, reflecting on the impossibility of following this instruction.
What are your views on this?
Should a government body be deciding what apps we should use or download?
Sastodeal is one of the leading e-commerce companies in Nepal. Sastodeal.com, along with other existing shareholders, raised $1 million from the Dolma Impact Fund as part of an ongoing fundraising session.
Founded in 2011, Sastodeal.com works with the vision to make Nepal the best example of the local customer experience. The online platform currently has millions of customers and thousands of suppliers/partners all over Nepal.
As the country is under lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, online shopping seems to be the only safe option.
Amun Thapa, CEO of Sastodeal, said the number of new customers increased over the period.
The investment growth will be used to achieve Sastodeal’s primary goal – to generate annual sales of one billion rupees over the next 18 months, the statement said.
Thapa said, “As the country is going under lockdown, the service should be limited to customers in the Kathmandu Valley. Therefore, this investment will help us reach consumers and businesses in and out of Kathmandu. In accordance with government policies, we have worked within the government to provide customers with the materials needed in lockdown.”
As the collapse eases, demand is even greater than before as new customers know more about shopping online.
“The situation will get worse in the coming days. At least two million people live there in the capital and we need to make sure they get their essentials.”
Thapa also said that concerns are growing about areas outside of Kathmandu, which are not accessible via online platforms.
Furthermore, Sastodeal plans to enter into a broad partnership with an external company in the coming days.
Dolma Impact Fund – First International Private Equity Fund to Invest in Nepal
Dolma Impact Fund is the leading international private equity fund in Nepal. The fund includes areas such as product classification, finding new talent, core activities, strengthening suppliers, and expanding services to other parts of Nepal.
The fund is already a shareholder of Sastodeal. With this significantly fresh investment of $1 million, it could be a game-changer for the Nepalese e-commerce industry.
CEO of Dolma Impact Fund, Tim Gocher spoke highly of the online platform and highlighted its vital role during the lockdown.
Tim Gocher, CEO of Dolma Impact Fund
“This new investment reflects our belief in the Sastodeal team and our continued investment in Nepal’s technology sector, alongside our healthcare and renewable energy investments,” said Gocher.
He also expresses his delight in this investment alongside local partners.
Sastodeal is further seeking out for various local and international investors before closing this fundraising round in a few months.
The main objective of the webinar was to shed light on the opportunities and challenges for women in technological fields. Likewise, to aware, educate, and empower girls seeking a career in technology to achieve their personal and professional goals.
Webinar Kicks Off
The webinar kicked off with opening remarks from Mina Aryal of ICT Frame as she welcomed all the chief guests, guests, speakers, and participants. Similarly, the chief guest for the event also expressed their delight in getting a chance to speak at the event.
The moderator for the event, Ms. Dolma Sherpa is the coordinator at LBEF.
Ram Krishna Pariyar, ICANN SSR2 Review Team Member, said that there are many females occupying high-level positions internationally. However, the concept is a bit different in Nepal. Girls/women tend to incline towards household work or teaching or at least it is what’s expected from them, according to Mr. Pariyar. So, it is important to promote girls’ involvement in technology.
Senior Vice President at CAN Federation, Ratna Tara Baidya highlighted the roles of “Women in ICT committee” of CAN. “If there is a will, there is away. Technology is everywhere but still, the participation of girls is less everywhere,” said Ms. Baidya.
Prof. Dr. Subarna Shakya, President at Center For Cyber Security Research and Innovation (CSRI) shed light on the quotas in Tribhuvan University (TU) for girls. These quotas are for focusing their participation in ICT and making them aware of the opportunities. Similarly, it is seen that most girls/women who pursue a career abroad are vulnerable to cyber risks. So, proper awareness is necessary to maintain cybersecurity.
Managing Director at Nepal Telecom, Dilli Ram Adhikari made an appearance by taking time out from a board meeting. He said that women have a huge contribution to the transformation of society and the world. “The current pandemic has changed our lives and shifted us to digital platforms. Policy and behavior toward women should be improved to empower girls in technology.” – Mr. Adhikari. He further said that there are many women in top positions in Nepal Telecom.
Discussions from the Webinar
Leena Duwadi – Digital Content Specialist
Leena Duwadi reflected upon the vast presence of men in the ICT field. We need more girls in technology, not to end male dominance but, to empower the population of girls. There is an imbalance in our ecosystem, according to her.
“Women are more emotionally intelligent. Technology requires more soft-skills that women have in abundance. Technology is present and technology is the future. So, we need to provide opportunities to girls in ICT to make our country a better place for women,” she said.
There’s still room for improving the mindset that the current society has. Women often hesitate due to the restriction from family and society. In fact, educating girls is more of an investment in the middle class and lower-middle-class families. Plus, women don’t have any role models to look up to in the majority of fields in technology. However, this is eventually changing and hopefully, we can see a significant change.
59% of the world population is on the internet. In the last few years, social media has become a major source of income. The thought of hunting for jobs after education is slowly diminishing. Instead of people seeking out for jobs, employers are seeking employees and offering them jobs.
The digital aspect is very crucial for growth in today’s time and people are slowly realizing that. There are more opportunities than challenges. Ms. Duwadi urges girls and women to start using the internet and social media for social and professional development. “Make the best use of social media. Don’t wait for anyone to come and motivate you. Find motivation in yourself and start doing,” she said.
Smrita Mishra – Software QA Engineer
Reflecting on the importance of education for empowering women in IT, Smrita Mishra said that education is the pipeline to increase the number of girls in technology. Without education, we wouldn’t know the proper flow of work involved. There are many fields in technology for women to grab a career but without education, we wouldn’t be aware of such opportunities.
The theoretical knowledge gained through education can be then utilized for better practical output. Moreover, there are many private and public organizations that are providing scholarships, awareness, and opportunities for girls. They are doing all they can to encourage and motivate women in this field.
Talking about the challenges, she said that they are similar in all fields of technology. Inequality and discrimination are the major setbacks for women that want to pursue a career in IT. Due to such reasons, girls start doubting if they can fit into the job or field.
According to her, everyone requires a positive role model to look up to so that gender role can be broken.
Anu Shrestha – .NET Developer
Shedding lights on the opportunities for women in the technological field, Anu Shrestha said that there are a lot of career opportunities. The growing technology is also generating job opportunities in various fields. “Even after 33% quota for women, we are not being able to grab this opportunity”.
When asked to give opinions on the statement “Programming is not a girl’s cup of tea”, she said that she doesn’t agree with it. “The first programmer in the world was a girl – Lady Ada. In fact, in the ’60s, there were many girls in programming. So, I don’t think there’s any gender dependence in programming,” she said.
Parishrama Bhusal – Database Administrator
According to Parishrama Bhusal, the challenges for girls start at home. The tech field is something that requires 24/7 support. The main challenge for women is the lack of flexibility and expectations of society. In fact, unconscious biasedness arises in office when there is a fewer number of girls. Thus, the confidence level goes down due to time management issues.
Reflecting on the challenges and opportunities in the database field, she added, “technology changes overnight and we have to be prepared and stay updated.”
Problems start early for girls. At an early age, girls get lost in the fairy world whereas boys engage in problem-solving and logical games. Even, the toys are different. So, from early on a mindset is developed for everyone. “When we talk about a nurse, we imagine girls but when we talk about an engineer, we imagine a guy in a suit.”
Answering a question from the QA, she said that there is no need to go anywhere else for role models. “We can find it around us and we can define our role models ourselves. Similarly, we can also take Mina Aryal, the Editor-in-Chief of ICT Frame magazine as our role model as she is the first woman leading an online magazine in Nepal.”
DIG of Police, Dr. Rajib Subba posted on Facebook expressing the optimism he felt after listening to the speakers. However, he was also surprised to realize that even after 20-25 years, we are still raising the same issues.
“We should be more focused on the specific bone of contention in culture, upbringing, pedagogy on STEM education, and inclusiveness,” he said on the post.
He also posted an article published in 1998 on the issue which was titled “Let Barbie doll out, Keyboard in”.
Girls in Technology: Challenges and Opportunities. Technology is everywhere but where are the girls?
Females seem to count under a minority group when it comes to the technology industry. According to the World Bank in 2018, the female population of Nepal was reported 54.54 % in which the representation of girls and women in the IT sector was estimated at 5-10%. Similarly, their participation in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields is considerably low. Lack of encouragement, awareness, and role models, social biasness are some of the causes of low participation of girls in the field. This week on 13th June 2020 the ICT FRAME Magazine to host an open discussion on the topic “Girls in Technology: Challenges and Opportunities”. We hope this open discussion will not only aware of people but help girls and women to better understand their role in technology and encourage them to pursue technology as their career.
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) drives growth and innovation worldwide, infiltrating all aspects of our lives. These ongoing advances in ICTs effectively make digital literacy a prerequisite for employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and are leading to a projected shortage of ICT employees worldwide. Thus, in order to encourage and expand the participation of girls and women in technology, ICT skills and knowledge play a vital role. As motivation plays a prime role, the need to boost their confidence is crucial. Furthermore, the girl’s participation is further encouraged to improving technical innovation, honing their skills, and maintaining gender balance, and ensuring a competitive workforce. Therefore, we hope these types of webinars would make girls aware of the challenges and opportunities in technological fields.
Objective:
The main objective of the webinar is to shed light on the opportunities and challenges in technological fields
To aware, educate, and empower girls seeking a career in technology to achieve their personal and professional goals
Key Takeaways:
The webinar shall help girls to stand up for themselves in the field of technology.
It shall help them to tackle possible challenges in the ICT field.
It shall help them to know about possible opportunities in the area.
It shall help to create possible frameworks and structures to enhance the participation of girls in ICT education.
Resource Person/ Speakers
Leena Duwadi
Digital content specialist having more than 5 years of experience in digital media, with a total of 15 years of media experience. Former content and marketing head of WittyFeed, India’s one of the popular digital media company.
Smrita Mishra
She is a new energetic learner in the IT field. She has completed her Bachelor’s degree (B.sc.hons.IT) from Lord Buddha Education Foundation (LBEF), affiliated with Asia Pacific University (APU). She works as Associate Software QA Engineer at Braindigit IT Solution, based in Kathmandu, Nepal. Ms. Mishra working in the IT company, her works include testing applications like – web, mobile, and responsive, using both manual and automation techniques. Where she has to identify the bugs including all level testing like – functionality, load & performance, browser & device compatibility, security, etc. and make the developed application error-free before its release.
Parishrama Bhusal
She is working as a DBA in eSewa Fonepay Private Limited for a year. Enthusiastic and self-motivated student, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in BSC.IT (Final Year) from Lord Buddha Education Foundation.
Anu Shrestha
She has completed a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology (B.Sc.IT(Hons.)) from Lord Buddha Education Foundation Campus affiliated with Asia Pacific University, Malaysia. She is currently working at Next Nepal Pvt. Ltd as junior .net developer, Tinkune, Kathmandu. Her main work is to develop web applications along with the design database.
The Program is Moderated By Dolma Sherpa (Holymo), the Program Coordinator at LBEF
