भोला पासवान: तराई मधेशमा मिटरब्याज पीडितको अवस्था र यसको समाधानका पहलहरु

09/02/23 • 50 min

#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 |

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#Ep.062

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!!

Previous Episode

Padmendra Shrestha On The Intricacies of Community Engagement in Nepal's Hydropower Development Projects

#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!!

Next Episode

Sixit Bhatta On the Past and the Future of Tech Entrepreneurship in Nepal

#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!!