NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 19. 2020 | 1 NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 19. 2020 | 2 NEW SPOTLIGHTFORTNIGHTLY Notes From The Editor Vol.:Vol.: 13, 13, No.-11, No.-18, January- June-19, 24 2020, 2020 (Ashar(Magh. 05.10.2076) 2077) Price:Price NRs.100NRs. 100 If PharpingRequesting was the Indian first government hydropower to project lift the in restriction Nepal to Editor and Publisher generatedput on palm electricity oil export, over Nepal 150 years government ago, Solar has Plant shown in Tri its- Keshab Poudel shuliweakness is the firstto traders big project who have to generate been thriving electricity and to making supply toprofits national through grid. For the long misuse Nepal’s of trade energy agreement’s sector has loopholes. relied on Contributor hydropowerInstead of restrictingand diesel plants.this kind The of inauguration short term ofbusiness, a solar Sabine Pretsch plantthis inrequest Trishuli will has boost changed the morale the scenario. of traders For andthe firstbusiness time incommunity history of energy who has sector, hardly Nepal shown has alternativeinterest in sourcessustained to Design/Layout and long-term industrialization of Nepal. With this kind Sahil Mokthan, 9863022025 mix energy. At a time when 88 days of lockdown had bad- of backing, traders often misused the preferential treat- ly stalled major development works, Nepal Electricity Au- ments time and again to make individual gains. In the last Marketing Manager thoritythree decades,has made Nepal many and breakthroughs. India have signed With individual several trade ef- Madan Raj Poudel fortagreements and commitment, with preferential MD Kul treatments Man Ghising, to Nepalese added aprod new- Tel: 9841320517 dimensionucts with incertain Nepal’s percentages energy sector of local paving value a way added. for mixThis- Nabin Kumar Maharjan ingaimed the solarto promote into hydropower industrialization grid. inAlthough Nepal. By Kathmandu misusing Tel: 9841291404 Upatyakathis kind Khanepaniof preferential Ltd treatmentshad started toto generategenerate shortelectricity term frombenefits, solar twoNepal years has ago,neither the seen 700 kW-planta long term supplied and sustained just a Editorial Office smallindustrialization amount of energy nor consistent to national export. grid. This Nepal was and not Israel only applied to India but with other countries as well. In 1990s, Kathmandu, Nepal are in two different geographical locations, but both the Nepalese traders exploited the markets of Germany and Tel: 977-1-4430250 countries have something in common. Nepal and Israel United States increasing the volume of export of carpet and E-mail celebrated sixty years of establishment of their diplomatic [email protected] garment under preferential treatment. Once the period of relations. One of the successful partnerships with Israel in P.O.Box: 7256 preferential treatment came to an end, they collapsed. In Website the1996, agriculture India opened sector allis Learnthe markets and Earn to Nepalese program productswhich is www.spotlightnepal.com helpingwith preferential small farmers treatments of Sanakisan for many Laghubitta products. Sanstha Nepalese Ltd. traders Afterand business passing thecommunities bill through invested national in consensusVegetable Kathmandu DAO Regd. No. byGhee the withHouse very of nominal Representatives local components. (HoR), Lower Some House,traders 148/11/063/64 andmade National billions Assembly, individually the butupper it has house, not madepassed any a Conlong- term contribution to Nepal. Even recently, Nepalese trad- Central Region Postal Regd. stitutional Amendment Bill revising the Coat of Arms and No. 36/067/068 ers have started to increase export of palm oil using the amending the country’s map to incorporate Lipulekh, Ka- loopholes of preferential treatment. However, it came to US Library of Congress Catalogue lapanian end and following Laimpiyadhura the new areas.restrictions. Nepali This political is what leader the No. 91-905060, ISSN : 2091-0711 declaredcurrent coverthe day issue a day has of tried national to look unity. at. For the first time (Print), ISSN: 2091-0754 (Online) since the promulgation of new constitution in 2015, all the national political forces including Madhesh based parties Printing cast their vote in favor of the bill. Megha Offset Printing Press P. Ltd., Dhapasi, Kathmandu Tel. : 977-1-4363624 Keshab Poudel Editor NEWNEW SPOTLIGHT | JuneJan. 19.24. 20202020 | 11 CONTENT AMBASSADOR PARK YOUNG-SIK Enhanced Relations 3 NEWSNOTES 4 COVERSTORY: Kulman Ghising : Energy Mix 17 BUSINESS BRIEF 6 VIEWPOINT Dr. Tilak Rawal 8 NIBL Legal Win 10 OPINION Dipak Gyawali 12 PERSPECTIVE Binoj Basnyat 15 Nepali Politics: Unity After All 7 ARITICLE Shivaram Prasad Koirala, PHD 22 Nepal-Israel Relations Sixty Years Onwards 24 NEPAL-INDIA ENERGY Market Breakthrough 27 ARITICLE Hemang Dixit 28 NEW BUDGET: Packages Galore 14 NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 19. 2020 | 2 AMBASSADOR PARK YOUNG-SIK Enhanced Relations Ambassador of Republic of Korea Park Young-sik’s three-year tenure in Nepal had many important highlights that strengthened Nepal-Korea relations By A CORRESPONDENT mbassador Park Young-sik Managing Director of Nepal Ambassador Park also organ- has completed his three years Electricity Authority Kul Man Ghis- ized various programs during his ten- Ain Nepal. His tenure will be ing has played a catalytic role to move ure to share the highlights. remembered for a long time as a pe- these things forward. From next year, Nepal will riod of major breakthrough in deep- With a total investment of have surplus electricity. Known for its ening friendship, economic collabora- USD $647 of IFC, Upper Trishuli-1 high-level electric vehicle technology, tion and Korean investment in Nepal. Hydropower Project is the first project South Korea can help transform Ne- He is leaving Nepal with col- in Nepal involving many multi-lat- pal’s transport sector from fossil de- lections of many good memories and eral agencies including IFC, ADB, pendence to clean energy based trans- his encounters with mountains, culture AIIB, K-EXIM, KDB, CDC, FMO, portation. and people. Although Ambassador As Nepal is look- Park, a gentle career diplomat, had ing for opportunities for some grievances about the governance Nepali youth to find work, process, he was able to deal with it. Korea has agreed to increase His predecessor, career vet- the Nepali workers under eran diplomat Choe Young-Jin, who the Employment Permit came to Nepal in the most unstable System (EPS). political period, had laid the founda- As the Govern- tion to move the stalled work forward; ment Republic of Korea has Ambassador Park Young-sik pushed it appointed Park Chong-suk towards completion. as the new ambassador to Faced with one or the other Nepal, one can expect new local issue for almost 10 years, the 30- heights in the bilateral rela- MW Chameliya Hydropower Project tions between Nepal and Korea. He and 132kV Blanch-Attariya transmis- PROPARCO and OFID with Nepal previously served as the dean of Plan- sion line went to create one of the im- Korea Joint venture private company. portant milestones of Park’s tenure. Nepal Water and Energy ning and Assessment at the Korea Na- Constructed under the soft Development Company, whose key tional Diplomatic Academy, Yonhap loan of Korean Exim Bank, the com- owners are Korea South-East Power, News Agency Reported. pletion of the project was a game Daelim Industrial, Kyeryong Con- Diplomatic relations be- changer for far-western province of struction Industrial, and IFC, is con- tween Nepal and the Republic of Ko- Nepal. Along with the project, 132 kV structing 216MW run-of-the-river hy- rea (RoK) were established on 15 May transmission line is opening new op- dropower project. 1974. The Republic of Korea opened portunity to explore more hydropower Similarly, the completion of its Embassy in Kathmandu in 1974. projects in far west. technical school in Butwal and hos- Nepal established its Embassy in Signing Power Purchase pitals in Tikapur, Jumla and Nuwakot Seoul in 2007. The relations between Agreement and Financial Closure under the support of Korean govern- the two countries are based on good- of Trishuli 3 A project made another ments were other memorable works of will, friendship and mutual coopera- milestone of Park’s tenure in Nepal. his time in Nepal. tion. Stalled for almost a decade due to PPA Although Nepal and Korea As ambassador Park Young- and other issues, the first Nepal-Korea have very different levels of economic sik is returning home to take his new joint private sector hydropower project development and prosperity, they do position in the ministry, Nepal-Korea signed financial closure last month and have some common geographical re- relations will move further under the entered into the construction phase. alities. leadership of his successor. NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 19. 2020 | 3 NEWSNOTES Israel Embassy Hands Over Medical Supplies cess. The Prime Minister assured him of full support of the Benny Omer, Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, hand- Government of Nepal in fulfilling his mandate as the Secretary ed over medical supplies to General. Bhanu Bhakta Dhakal, Min- The Secretary General expressed his gratitude to ister for Health and Popula- the Government of Nepal for endorsing his nomination as the tion. The medical supplies Secretary General of SAARC. While appreciating the valuable are meant to support the fight support given to the SAARC Secretariat by the Government against COVID-19. of Nepal, the Secretary General expressed the hope that the The Embassy of Government of Nepal would also lend similar support and Israel provided 550 units of guidance to him in the accomplishment of his responsibility as Personal Protective Equip- the Secretary General. ment (PPEs), 10,000 units of Masks, 50 units of Infrared Israel Sharing Learning Experiences During And Post Digital Thermometers and COVID Pandemic 5,000 pairs of surgical gloves. The Embassy of Israel in Kathmandu is facilitating a Additionally, hand sanitizers, hand sprayers and disinfectant series of webinars with an aim solutions were also donated amidst a function at the Ministry to share global experiences of of Health and Population.