A meeting of a team of officials from the Policy Research Institute with the Hon’ble Prime Minister, KP Sharma Oli

Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Singhdurbar

A team of officials from the Policy Research Institute met the Hon’ble Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Singhdurbar, on August 28, 2024. The Institute’s team included the Executive Chairman, Prof. Dr Lekhnath Sharma; the Head of the Research Department, Dr Hari Sharma Neupane; the Head of the Information and Knowledge Management Department, Dr Deepak Kumar Khadka; the Office Manager, Mr Laxman Prasad Bhattarai; and Senior Research Fellows, Dr Mukti Ram Rijal, Dr Khagnath Adhikari, and Dr Kalpana Khanal. In the office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Hon’ble Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli was accompanied by the Chief Secretary of the Government of Nepal, Ms Leeladevi Gadatoula; Secretary, Mr Raj Kumar Shrestha; and officials of the Hon’ble PM’s secretariat.

After introducing the team of the Policy Research Institute to the Hon’ble Prime Minister, the Executive Chairman briefly presented information about the planning and current needs of the Institute and accomplished activities, including research and policy dialogue by the Institute so far. He added that a collaborative work initiative with the National Planning Commission from this year in policy research and resource sharing has been taken. Finally, he made a request for suggestions and guidance from the Hon’ble Prime Minister regarding the direction of the institute’s work.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister stressed that the Policy Research Institute, regarding its knowledge capacity, should be Trikaladarshi – a knower of the past, present and future in policy matters. He emphasized that the studies conducted by the Institute should not only be informative for policymakers but also implementable, directly contributing to the achievement of policy goals.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister clarified that the National Planning Commission and the Policy Research Institute have different mandates. The Institute should follow its mandate to conduct research to produce policy recommendations aimed at helping the national aspirations of ’Prosperous Nepal, Happy Nepali’. He also emphasized that research should be done not in isolation but in connection with the Ministries and the Universities.

The Hon’ble Prime Minister reiterated that policy formulation should be solely based on the evidence generated by research, underscoring the critical role of research in policy-making. He further stated that the research agenda will now be given to the Institute by the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers itself, in coordination with all the ministries from the Council of Ministers,

The Institute team has felt inspired and more responsible by the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clear stance on the specific mandate of the Policy Research Institute, his suggestions and guidance on the role and functions of the Institute, and the expectations of the Government.

In the current context, where the Policy Research Institute’s specific mandate is becoming more apparent, and its justification is increasing, the team of the Institute has gained inspiration and a sense of responsibility from the suggestions and instructions received about the role, working style and expectations of the government.

Attendance

Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers
Hon’ble Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli
Ms Leela Devi Gadtaula (Chief Secretary)
Mr Raj Kumar Shrestha (Secretary)
Mr Binod Kunwar (Joint Secretary/ Hon’ble PM’s Personal Secretary)
Mr Kiran Poudel (Public Relations Advisor to Hon’ble PM)
Mr Rajesh Bajracharya (Hon’ble PM’s Chief Personal Secretary)
Ms Roshani Meche (Hon’ble PM’s Personal Secretary)

Policy Research Institute
Prof Dr Lekhnath Sharma (Executive Chairperson)
Mr Laxman Prasad Bhattarai (Office Manager)
Dr Deepak Kumar Khadka (Head of the Information and Knowledge Management Department)
Dr Hari Sharma Neupane (Head of the Research Department)
Dr Mukti Ram Rijal (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr Khaga Nath Adhikari (Senior Research Fellow)
Dr Kalpana Khanal (Senior Research Fellow)