PODS by PEI

#Ep.065 The National Identity Card Project, an effort to digitize nationality through the distribution of a biometric-informed electronic card, began as part of Nepal’s e-Governance mission back in 2008. After years of delay, the NID is now in full swing, with almost 10.3 million individual data collected so far. Although the government initially touted the project for upholding Good Governance, many critics are now pointing out the gaps in implementation surrounding inclusion, data security, and more. In this episode, PEI’s Khushi Hang sits with researcher and activist Neha Gauchan to explore Nepal's National ID program within the context of digitization in governance. They trace the development of the project, highlighting key actors and events that have come under scrutiny. They then evaluate risks and vulnerabilities in the project and digitization of governance in general, with a particular focus on inclusion, data security, data justice, and tech solutionism. Neha Gauchan is a feminist indigenous human rights activist. She currently coordinates the Knowledge Generation program at Body & Data, where she is involved in research on Digitizing Identity in Nepal. Previously, she worked in the field of digital rights with a primary focus on children. Neha has a Master's in Human Rights and Democratization from Manila University. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics , and click here to support us on Patreon!!

Bishal Thapa, an energy trade expert in Nepal, joins the podcast to discuss the potential and pitfalls of energy trade for Nepal. They explore the scope of electricity trade between Nepal and its regional counterparts, including opportunities, risks, and implications on energy security, economy, and geopolitics. They also discuss accessing the energy market in India and the challenges and complexities of Nepal's energy trade.

#Ep.063 Thanks to its youthful workforce and cost-effective labor, Nepal's appeal as an emerging tech destination is evident. The country harbors aspirations of becoming a global IT hub but faces a formidable obstacle course. Various policy roadblocks and a dearth of state support have held back the tech industry from ascending beyond its infancy, preventing it from evolving into a research-based powerhouse capable of pioneering new technological frontiers. In today’s episode, we have PEI's Hridesh Sapkota in conversation with Sixit Bhatta on Empowering Nepal’s Tech Revolution. Sixit Bhatta, the founder behind the ride-sharing platform "Tootle," established in 2017, shares his personal odyssey, recounting the challenges he confronted while navigating Nepal's nascent tech landscape. Bhatta paints a compelling vision for Nepal's tech future. He passionately advocates for a transformation from a service export-oriented industry to a research-driven one, poised to fuel groundbreaking technological innovations over the long term. Now more than ever with the rise of technologies like AI, he emphasizes that Nepal must embrace a long-term vision of becoming a research-based tech innovation hub. He underscores that Nepal has laid the foundation for tech innovation but needs to take the next step by focusing on integrated platforms in sectors like unified payment gateways, fostering robust funding avenues for startups, and addressing policy bottlenecks. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.062 २०७९ आषाढ देखी काठमाडौँमा शुरु भएको मिटर ब्याज तथा ठगी विरुद्धको किसानहरुको आन्दोलन काठमाडौँमा शुरु हुदा यसलाई कसैले गम्भीरताले लिएकै थिएनन् | पछि देशभरिबाटै मीटर ब्याजबाट पीडितहरु जुट्दै गएपछि बल्ल यसलाई सार्वजनिक सरोकारको मुद्दाको रुपमा हेरियो | आषाढमा शुरु भएको यो आन्दोलनका पिडितहरुसंग आश्विन २, २०७९ मा सरकारले ५ बुँदे सहमति गरेपछि मिटर ब्याज तथा ठगीविरुद्ध किसान मजदुर संघर्ष समितिले आन्दोलनका कार्यक्रम स्थगित गरेको थियो । झट्ट हेर्दा मीटर ब्याजबाट गरिब किसानहरु पिडित रहेको देखिए पनि यसको अन्तर्यमा आम नागरिक र आर्थिक रुपमा विपन्न जनताहरुको वित्तीय पहुच अझै पनि हुन् नसकेको यथार्थलाई कतै बाट पनि सम्बोधन गर्न नसकेको देखिन्छ | तराई मधेसमा मिटर ब्याजी र ठगीको कारण र यसका समाधानका पहलहरुको सेरोफेरोमा आजको हाम्रो संवाद केन्द्रित रहने छ | If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics , and click here to support us on Patreon!!  

#Ep.061 An Environmental Assessment (EA) is a recognized mechanism to assess and predict an infrastructure project's potential environmental, social, and economic impacts. In the context of hydropower development, EAs are conducted to identify, evaluate, and mitigate the project's impact on both the natural environment and the communities. Nepal started EAs in 1997. However, their effectiveness has been in question. In almost all cases, EAs are conducted as a formality rather than to mitigate environmental impacts. Some have even highlighted that developers use political patronage. Similarly, others have argued that since EAs don’t have scientific and practical considerations, their actual implementation and monitoring fall short. Recently, in the new budget, the finance minister announced plans to expedite the EA processes, to speed the development of infrastructure projects for economic growth, potentially risking the effectiveness of the tool. In this episode, we have PEI Colleague Shreeya in conversation with Padmendra Shrestha on the intricacies of community engagement in Nepal’s Hydropower Development Projects. Shreeya and Padmendra discuss the community engagement processes undertaken by project proponents while developing hydropower projects, and they evaluate how they communicate the environmental, social, and financial risks, responsibilities, and opportunities to community stakeholders. Padmendra is currently pursuing his Ph.D in the School of Geography and Development at the University of Arizona. Padmendra is an urban and regional planner with expertise in community-based planning and conflict resolution with a concentration on natural resource, environment, and infrastructure-related disputes. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics , and click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.060 Nepal is a multi-linguistic country with over 130 national languages recognized by the State. However, debates on multilingualism keep resurfacing, particularly concerning the State’s preference for khas kura (Nepali), a remnant of the Panchayat regime’s monolingual ‘Ek Desh, Ek Bhasa’ policy. The country has multilingual provisions, but the gaps within such provisions are quite visible; for example, even with a multilingual policy like the first-language-based multilingual education (MLE) program, most schools in the country explicitly focus on using Nepali or English as the sole language as the medium of instruction. In this episode, PEI colleague Sonia Jimee sits in conversation with Prem Phyak to explore multilingualism and multilingual policies in Nepal with a specific focus on Nepal’s education sector. The two analyze the gap between constitutional provisions and their real-world implementation, exploring the potential cultural implications of multilingual policies in governance and education as well as the growing societal perception of the English language being correlated with ‘quality’ education. Prem Phyak is currently an Associate Professor at Columbia University, Faculty of International and Comparative Studies. Previously, he was an assistant professor and associate professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and Tribhuvan University, Nepal, respectively. His research focuses on social justice, critical pedagogy, multilingualism and multilingual education, decolonial turn and language policy. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics , and click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.059 Nepal's energy discourse has largely been centered around its immense hydropower potential. However, experts are now talking about Nepal's potential for green hydrogen and its role in the country's commitment to sustainable energy. With International collaborations, such as the partnership between the Green Hydrogen Lab, Kathmandu University, Nepal Team Hydrogen, and NTNU, Norway, a significant interest in advancing green hydrogen research and development in Nepal is growing. In this episode, guest host Saurab Lama sits with Biraj Thapa to uncover the complexities and promises of Nepal's journey towards a sustainable energy future through green hydrogen. They navigate the recent collaborations among key institutions and explore the historical evolution of this green energy. They also discuss the global hydrogen landscape, its applications beyond mobility, challenges, and recent developments in Nepal. Biraj Singh Thapa is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Kathmandu University and is also the team leader of the Green Hydrogen Lab there. His area of specialization is hydropower and green hydrogen. At present, he is focusing on the energy ecosystem for the transition towards a low-carbon society in the Himalayan region. He is leading several projects to implement hydropower as the means for introducing green hydrogen as an alternative future fuel in Nepal. He holds a Ph.D. degree from NTNU, Norway. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.058 The economic performance of emerging markets in the post-COVID-19 world has been a mixed landscape of growth, vulnerability, and resilience. Driven by rebounding commodity prices and supportive fiscal policies, many economies experienced robust recovery, but this revival has been uneven across regions. Factors such as varying global trade impacts, and differences in exposure to external financial conditions have contributed to this disparity. Additionally, challenges such as high debt levels, inflationary pressures, and structural weaknesses persist. While some nations, notably in Asia, have adapted strongly, others, particularly in Latin America and Africa, face external vulnerabilities, leading to a multifaceted and inconsistent picture of economic performance across emerging markets. In this episode, Nirjan Rai and Satyam Panday sit down to unpack S&P Global's Recent Emerging Markets Outlook Report. They begin by discussing the key global takeaways from the report, then focus on the economic performances of China and India, especially in the context of post-pandemic recovery and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Satyam also offers his take on the short- and long-term projections for these two countries. They end the conversation with a discussion on why Nepal has failed to exploit the economic performances of its two neighbors and present some thoughts on what Nepal should do to leverage its future growth. Satyam is the Chief US Economist at S&P Global Ratings. Until just recently, he was the Chief Emerging Markets Economist for S&P. He has also taught at Boston College and Brandeis University and has been a research fellow at the US Congressional Budget Office. Satyam holds a Ph.D. in International Economics and Finance and specializes in macroeconomics, development economics, and applied econometrics. He is also a Non-Resident Senior Fellow at PEI. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!

#Ep.057 आप्रवासनका कारकहरु सामाजिक, आर्थिक, राजनीतिक, वातावरणीय, आदि विभिन्न हुन सक्छन् | दशकौंदेखि आप्रवासनलाई केन्द्रमा राखेर नीतिगत तहमा गरिएका अनुसन्धान, बहस र पैरवीहरूले आर्थिक र राजनीतिक आयामलाई बढी ध्यान दिएका थिए भने, चार दशकयता मूल रूपमा समाजविज्ञानका अध्येताहरूले सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयामलाई पनि आप्रवासन विधाको आफ्नो अनुसन्धानको दायरामा गहकिलो रूपमा ल्याएको पाइन्छ | सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयामबाट पनि अघि बढेर आप्रवासनलाई जलवायु परिवर्तनसंग पनि जोडेर हेर्नुपर्छ भनेर सन् १९९० को दशकदेखि हुन थालेको देखिन्छ | जसको पुष्टि राष्ट्रसंघीय आप्रवासी संगठनद्वारा १९९२ मा आयोजित एउटा महत्त्वपूर्ण अध्ययनले गरेको पाइन्छ जसले प्रस्ट रूपमा भनेको छ— “पछिल्ला वर्षहरूमा वातावरणमा आएको ह्रासले गर्दा ठूलो संख्यामा मानिसहरू बसाइँ सरेका छन् र यो क्रम बढ्दो छ” । ३१ बर्ष पछि, सन् २०२३ मा आइपुग्दा जलवायु परिवर्तन सिर्जित आप्रवासनको आवस्था कस्तो रहेको छ त ? यसका मुख्य मुख्य चुनौतीहरु के के हुन्? अनि नेपाल जस्तो भुपरिवेस्थित र भौगोलिक र जैविक विविधता भएको देशमा, जहाँ आज पनि लगभग ६६ % जनसंख्या कृषिमा निर्भर छन् र त्यसको पनि दुई- तिहाई त निर्वाहमुखी कृषि गर्दछन, यहाँ जलवायु परिवर्तनको असर कस्तो रहेको छ र यसलाई आप्रवासनसंग कसरी जोड्न सकिन्छ ? जलवायु परिवर्तन बाट सिर्जित आप्रवासनका सन्दर्भमा, यो बाट उत्पन्न हुने समस्याको समाधानका निम्ति के के पहल हरु भएका छन् ? वातावरणीय आप्रवासनको समस्या र त्यस बाट सिर्जित चुनौती र समस्याहरु संग लड्न वा ति अनुकुल आफुलाई ढाल्न के के अल्पकालीन र दिर्घकालिन उपाय हुन सक्छन्? यिनै बिषयहरुलाई समेट्दै, आजको भागमा पी. ई. आई. का जनक पोख्रेल, आप्रवासनबिद् र समाजशास्त्री मिना पौडेलसँग उहाँको गत असार ३ गते, कान्तिपुर दैनिकमा “आप्रवासन र जलवायु परिवर्तनको सम्बन्ध” नामक शिर्षकमा लेखिएको लेखको अन्तरङ्गमा रहेर संवादमा बस्दैछन् | पौडेलले जलवायु परिवर्तन र आप्रवासनको सम्बन्धलाई उजागर गर्दै, वतावरणीय आप्रवासनको समस्यालाई समाधान गर्न वा त्यस अनुकुल रहेर त्यसको प्रभावलाई न्यूनीकरण गर्न के के अल्पकालीन र दिर्घकालिन कदमहरु चाल्न सकिन्छ भनेर विश्लेषण गर्नुभएको छ | मीना पौडेल एक नेपाली समाजशास्त्री हुनुहुन्छ | उहाँले त्रिभुवन विश्वविद्यालयबाट स्नातकोत्तर र बेलायतको न्युकासल विश्वविद्यालयबाट बिद्यावारिधि गर्नुभएको छ | उहाँ सँग नेपालसंगै, दक्षिणपूर्व र मध्य एशिया, पश्चिमी यूरोप र उत्तर अफ्रिकाका अन्य देशहरूमा सामाजिक रूपमा बहिष्कृत र राजनीतिक रूपमा सीमान्तकृत समूहहरूको जीवनलाई असर गर्ने मुद्दाहरूमा विकास कार्य, अनुसन्धान र नारीवादी सक्रियताको लामो अनुभव छ। उहाँले Oxfam GB, USAID, UN प्रणाली र एकेडेमिया सहित विभिन्न राष्ट्रिय तथा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय संस्थाहरूमा संलग्न भएर काम गरिसक्नु भएको छ । विगत २० वर्षदेखि उहाँ दक्षिण एसिया (अफगानिस्तान, पाकिस्तान), मध्य एसिया (उज्बेकिस्तान, ताजिकिस्तान, तुर्कमेनिस्तान) र उत्तर अफ्रिका (लिबिया) मा आप्रवासनको जोखिममा परेका महिला, पुरुष र बालबालिकाको जीवनका विभिन्न पक्षहरू - जलवायु परिवर्तन सहितको, अनुसन्धानमा संलग्न हुनुहुन्छ। उहाँले यी विषयहरूमा अन्तर्राष्ट्रिय र राष्ट्रिय रूपमा व्यापक रूपमा अनुसन्धान र नीति पत्रहरू समेत लेख्नु भएको छ | Patreon मा हामीलाई समर्थन गर्न यहाँ क्लिक गर्नुहोस् !!

#Ep.056 World Tiger Day 2022 was a special day for Nepal. The country announced that it had raised its tiger population to a solid 355, making it the frontrunner in tiger conservation in the world. Conservationists and big-cat enthusiasts worldwide were enthralled as the endangered feline population tripled from when it was last rounded up in 2009. In this episode, PEI colleague Dheeraj Gurung sits with Kanchan Thapa to celebrate Nepal's remarkable achievements in tiger conservation. They delve into the past anxiety surrounding the depleting tiger population and explore the conservation efforts that turned the tables, including the Terai Arc Landscape. They also discuss the challenges ahead as the wildcats grow in limited terrains. Kanchan Thapa is an environmentalist turned wildlife biologist. He is the Head of Wildlife Programs at WWF Nepal. His contributions to Nepal’s tiger conservation efforts have been crucial and include designing Nepal’s first tiger monitoring protocol in 2008 and undertaking the country’s first non-invasive genetic survey of tiger populations. If you liked the episode, hear more from us through our free newsletter services, PEI Substack: Of Policies and Politics, and click here to support us on Patreon!!