NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 04. 2021 | 1 NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 04. 2021 | 2 NEW SPOTLIGHTFORTNIGHTLY Notes From The Editor Vol.: 13,14, No.-11,No.-18, January-June-04, 242021, 2020 (Jestha(Magh. 21. 10.2076) 2078) Price Price: NRs.100 NRs. 100 With allRequesting our support Indian and government medical supply to lift from the restriction neigh- Editor and Publisher borsput onand palm international oil export, Nepalfriends, government Nepal, haswhich shown has its Keshab Poudel facedweakness an unprecedented to traders who levelhave beenof human thriving catastrophe and making andprofits disaster through following the misuse the of second trade agreement’s wave of coronaloopholes.- Contributor virus,Instead is finallyof restricting able to this control kind ofthe short spread term of business,disease Sabine Pretsch andthis save request precious will boost human the morale life. The of traders recent and humani business- tariancommunity support who given has hardlyby the shown world interest community in sustained has Design/Layout shownand long-term that solidarity industrialization and cooperation of Nepal. are With highly this im kind- Sahil Mokthan, 9863022025 portantof backing, at the traders time ofoften major misused crises the like preferential coronavirus. treat - Onments the timecall andof the again Nepal to make government, individual gains.governments In the last Marketing Manager three decades, Nepal and India have signed several trade Madan Raj Poudel from different parts of the world responded quickly. agreements with preferential treatments to Nepalese prod- Tel: 9841320517 Of course, Nepal has navigated a most difficult peri- od.ucts However, with certain the percentagescountry is notof local out ofvalue danger added. from This Nabin Kumar Maharjan theaimed future to promotewaves given industrialization the nature in of Nepal. the virus. By misusing With Tel: 9841291404 lessthis than kind 2 of million preferential people treatments fully vaccinated, to generate shortcorona term- virusbenefits, can createNepal havochas neither at anyseen time.a long Ifterm there and willsustained be Editorial Office anyindustrialization lapses in following nor consistent the restrictions, export. This Nepalwas not will only Kathmandu, Nepal faceapplied more to Indiadevastating but with otherconsequences countries asin well. the Infuture 1990s, Tel: 977-1-4430250 andNepalese Nepal istraders now betterexploited prepared the markets in terms of Germany of medical and United States increasing the volume of export of carpet and E-mail supply and equipment. However, how Nepal uses the garment under preferential treatment. Once the period of [email protected] medical supply available from different parts of the P.O.Box: 7256 preferential treatment came to an end, they collapsed. In world1996, remains India opened to be allseen. the Formarkets generous to Nepalese medical products sup- Website port to fight COVID-19, Nepal is grateful. Learning www.spotlightnepal.com with preferential treatments for many products. Nepalese fromtraders the andsecond business wave, communities Nepal needs invested to walk in Vegetable tightly Kathmandu DAO Regd. 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Ltd., Dhapasi, Kathmandu Tel. : 977-1-4363624 Keshab Poudel Editor NEWNEW SPOTLIGHT | JuneJan. 04. 24. 2021 2020 | 1 1 CONTENT DIPLOMACY Successful Testing 3 BUSINESS BRIEF 4 OPINION Dipak Gyawali 6 GLOBAL VIEW COVERSTORY: COVID-19 CRISIS: Helping Hands 17 v 12 MCC-B NEPAL EIA Clearance 13 IFC Supporting SMEs 14 ENVIRONMENT Batu Uprety 15 DOCUMENT KIKUTA YUTAKA 29 NEW BUDGET: Health Focus 8 OBITUARY Ujjwal Thapa 30 REVIEW Prof. Bipin Adhikari 31 OBITUARY Hari Sharan Nepali ‘Kaji’ 34 FORUM Deepak Raj Joshi 35 ARITICLE Hemang Dixit 36 POLITICS: Left, Left, And Left 10 NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 04. 2021 | 2 DIPLOMACY Successful Testing Despite some hitches in early Upper Tamakoshi Successfully Completes Testing of Unit No 1 By A CORRESPONDENT aiting for a decade, 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydro-Elec- Wtricity Project has finally en- tered into a generation stage. With the successful wet test of first unit, the project is now ready to generate electricity within a few months. This is the second major break- through in Nepal to complete the national priority project started a decade ago. How a coincidence both the projects were suc- cessfully completed under the leadership of engineers graduated from Rurkee Uni- versity of India. Madhav Belbase, who retired as a secretary last week, led the completion of Melamchi Project. A Rorkee graduate Belbase led the ministry of Drinking Wa- ter for almost 2 month. CEO of the Upper Tamakoshi Company Bigyan Shrestha, who is also testing and commissioning last months. events.” graduate of the Rorkee, has been leading “Despite some problem in Adit gates, we Earlier in April end, the reser- the company for over 6 years. are utilizing water head of 700+ m and voir of the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hy- The project has started the 4000+ m tunnel water to start Unit no 1’s dropower Project – a national pride pro- mechanical wet test of Upper Tamakoshi ject—had been filled and water from the HEP (UTKHEP),” writes reservoir had been released in the tunnel. Bigyan Shrestha in his face The project had filled the dam with water book wall. for the main tunnel and penstock test. “This wet test The project has started prepa- started from 29 May 2021 rations to generate 76 MW of electricity by worshiping Viswakarma from the first unit by mid-May. Success- Baba and this evening we ful technical testing of hydro-mechanical could able to spin at its rated equipment such as dams, intakes and other speed @600 rpm. Yes, it is civil structures including gates and stop- one of the successful events lugs has been successfully completed in of testing and hope to con- the reservoirs and descender ponds. tinue with our successful en- The project will generate 2.28 deavors. “ billion units of electricity annually. The “Thanks to all An- project will earn Rs 9 billion annually dritz’s Testing and Commis- from the sale of electricity. The project sioning Team, our consultant was estimated the initial cost of Rs. 35 bil- team JV Norconsult As- Lah- lion but due to various factors, including meyer Int and off course to earthquake, border blockade, among other entire UTK team. Hope to have tend to increase the project cost to see you soon with successful nearly Rs. 80 billion. NEW SPOTLIGHT | June 04. 2021 | 3 BUSINESS BRIEF Israeli Ambassador To Nepal Hanan Goder Visited B.P. ter the merger the banks will be known with the unifying Koirala Museum name of “Himalayan and Nepal Investment Bank Ltd.”. Hanan Goder, Ambassador of Israel to Nepal, vis- Mr. Prithvi Bahadur Pandé will be retained as the Chairman ited B.P. Museum at Sun- of the bank while Mr. Ashoke Shamsher Rana will be the darijal. Shrayesh Koirala, Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Similarly, the Board mem- grandson of B.P. Koirala bers’ post- merger will be comprised of 3 members each joined Ambassador God- from both banks while also accommodating an independent er for the visit to the Mu- member thus making a total of 7 members on the Board. seum. Nepal Investment Bank and Himalayan Bank are Parsuram two A class commercial banks, therefore the mouthwater- Pokharel, director at B.P. ing prospect of a merger between the two will make it the Koirala Museum talked biggest bank in the history of Nepalese banking industry. At about the time B.P. spent present the paid up capital of Nepal Investment Bank stands in the prison there. Am- at 16.26 billion whereas Himalayan Banks paid up capital bassador Goder expressed amounts to 10.68 billion. his appreciation to B.P. Spanish Delegation Called On Foreign Secretary Bharat Koirala as a great leader and as a good friend of Israel. Is- Raj Paudyal rael will never forget that Nepal was the first and the only The Spanish delegation called on Bharat Raj Paudyal, country from this part of the world that kept relations with Foreign Secretary, later this afternoon. During the meeting, the Israel at the time. two sides exchanged views on bilateral relations, internation- Since the establishment of ties, the two coun- al cooperation and post-pandemic economic recovery, among tries have enjoyed deep friendship, demonstrated by many others. high-level visits, and many mutually benefitting coopera- The visiting Director of the Spanish Development Aid tion. Agency discussed the matters relating to #Nepal-#Spain rela- Nepal and Israel are working together to further tions, #COVID19 situation and international cooperation were strengthen this already strong bond not only at the govern- discussed during the meeting. ment to government level but at the people to people level. Foreign Secretary Paudyal stated that Spain’s timely support reflects the profound Israel and Nepal celebrate 61 years of the estab- Nepal-Spain friendship. Di- lishment of diplomatic relations on 1 June 2021. The re- rector Soliman, conveying lations were established at the initiation of the two great Spain’s solidarity to Nepal’s leaders and Prime Ministers of their respective countries, fight against the pandemic, B.P.