The Policy Research Institute’s 6th Anniversary Ceremony was held with the Hon’ble House of Representatives Speaker, Mr. Devraj Ghimire, as the chief guest.
Kathmandu
The Policy Research Institute has celebrated its sixth anniversary by organizing a ceremony to mark the completion of six years of its establishment. Prof. Dr. Lekhnath Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Institute, made a presentation on the activities and planning of the Institute at the ceremony held with Hon’ble Speaker Mr. Devraj Ghimire and the Hon’ble Chairpersons of the Parliamentary Committees as distinguished guests. Two keynote speeches were delivered by Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, Academician and Senior Advisor of the Institute, and Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, former Finance Minister and Economic and Development Advisor to the Hon’ble Prime Minister.
The ceremony honored three excellent employees of the Institute. The organizations that have made special contributions to policy research and promotion in Nepal were given policy honors and certificates. Two publications from the institute’s ten publications this year were also released.
Prof. Dr. Lekhnath Sharma, Executive Chairman of the Institute, presented a welcome address and a presentation on the activities and planning of the Institute. Dr. Khagnath Adhikari, Senior Research Fellow of the Institute, read out the message of the Right Hon’ble Prime Minister, Mr. KP Sharma Oli.
The Right Hon’ble Prime Minister has thanked the leadership, advisors, researchers, and staff who have contributed to the development and expansion of the Institute while conveying the message that policy research should focus on the country’s development priorities and that rapid, evidence-based quality research will make the Policy Research Institute an indispensable and effective body of the state.
In his presentation, the executive chairman of the foundation discussed the Institute’s achievements in policy research, including research publications, policy feedback, and consultations, the increasing demand and need for research, and the lack of the Act of the Institute.
Ms. Rija Manandhar, who was chosen as the Employee of the Year of the Institute for this year, was given a cash award of Rs. 25,000 and a certificate. Certificates were awarded to Mr. Dipendra Pant and Mr. Padam Bahadur Jirel, who were selected as outstanding employees.
As another special annual celebration event, there was a program to honor organizations making notable contributions to policy research and promotion in Nepal. Under this, Nepal Development Research Institute (NDRI) was honored with “Neeti Samman 2081” with a cash award of Rs 1 lakh and “Neeti Prashamsaapatra” to the other two institutions, Samriddhi Foundation and the Institute for Strategic and Socio-Economic Research (ISSR). Prof. Dr. Mana Prasad Wagle, a Neeti Sammaan Recommendation Committee member, announced the results, outlining the selection process for the institutions. An independent committee consisting of Dr. Somlal Subedi, Prof. Dr. Mana Prasad Wagle, and Dr. Shyamu Thapa made the final selection of institutions based on indicators developed by the committee and the information provided by the institutions themselves on the activities, including policy research, policy feedback, policy advocacy, policy capacity development activities, and digital presence. The Chief Guest Honourable Speaker presented the institutions with letters of honour.
A keynote speaker, Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma, said that the main problem in Nepal is the lack of employment, which means problems in all sectors. He expressed the opinion that if education is good, all areas will be good. There should be general and technical education as per the need, and foreign aid and loans should be reconsidered. It is ironic that there is no policy and law for the Policy Research Institute itself.
Another keynote speaker, Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada, recalled the birth of the Policy Research Institute when he was the Finance Minister. He said one should apologize if the institution’s budget is too small for such an important responsibility. He spoke about re-engineering Nepal’s socioeconomic policies, saying that some policies require only re-orientation and some must be redesigned. Along with a long list of our economic and social needs, challenges, and opportunities, he explained the diverse contexts to highlight that our goal is human-centered, equitable, and sustainable prosperity. Topics in these contexts were: circular economy, e-economy, e-business, e-finance, fin-tech, the new normal, the new social contract, government and market midway, proportional poverty reduction, balance of trade and industry, restructuring of production systems, sustainability of social achievements, structural reforms in education, development with social justice and environmental protection included.
The Chief Guest, Hon’ble Speaker Mr. Devraj Ghimire, thanked all the office bearers and staff who contributed to the progress of the Policy Research Institute and said that the policy research is different from other research. He said that the Institute should work to reform the policy and support innovation and the national aspirations of Happy Nepali and Prosperous Nepal. He suggested that the institute collaborate with ministries and universities and use experts and technology. He said that at present when there is an emotional debate on a subject like federalism, the Institute’s rigorous research and recommendations on this subject are also expected. Stating that cooperation and participation with the Institute were indispensable even when the Parliament drafted the law, he expressed happiness over the cooperation of the Federal Parliament, the Parliament Secretariat, and the Policy Research Institute. He said the Institute, which has an essential and profound responsibility to help formulate the country’s policy, should not be considered a financial burden. Finally, he said that in the ironic current situation where the Policy Research Institute does not have legislation, it is necessary to introduce its bill in Parliament as soon as possible and make an Act and have its role in helping policymaking.
The Special Guest, the Chairman of the Infrastructure Development Committee, Hon’ble Dipak Bahadur Singh, spoke about the need for policy implementation ability, uniform interpretation and adherence to the policy, equitable distribution of budgets, education with National Development Service, national dignity and structure that the country can afford.
Another special guest, Hon’ble Kusum Devi Thapa, Chairman of the Committee on Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources, spoke on issues including the use of barren land, agricultural self-sufficiency, and modernization and commercialization of agriculture.
Similarly, another special guest, Hon’ble Bimala Subedi, Chairman of the Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights, spoke about the auditing of law and policy, society-friendly policy, and policy collaboration and cooperation.
The last special guest, the Chairman of the Public Policy and Delegated Legislative Committee, Hon’ble Maya Prasad Sharma, said that public policy is within the committee’s remit, and currently, the committee is studying 141 policies. He explained that the Committee and the Policy Research Institute meet frequently and discuss issues.
Concluding the program, the Executive Chairman of the Institute said that the Institute has received a valuable orientation from today’s speakers and that as policy research employs the scientific method, cooperation and collaboration with all experts and institutions are indispensable, and policy can be innovated through collective efforts.
The event was attended by 131 guests, including representatives of ministries, universities, research institutions, government and non-government think tanks, independent experts, and all Policy Research Institute employees.
Speaker Guests:
Right Hon’ble Devraj Ghimire (Speaker, House of Representatives)
Hon’ble Dipak Bahadur Singh (Chairman, Infrastructure Development Committee, House of Representatives)
Hon’ble Kusum Devi Thapa (Chairman, Committee on Agriculture, Cooperatives and Natural Resources, House of Representatives)
Hon’ble Bimla Subedi (Chairman, Committee on Law, Justice and Human Rights, House of Representatives)
Hon’ble Maya Prasad Sharma (Chairman, Public Policy and Delegated Legislative Committee, National Assembly)
Dr. Yuba Raj Khatiwada (Economic and Development Adviser to the Right Hon’ble Prime Minister)
Prof. Dr. Suresh Raj Sharma (Former Vice Chancellor, Kathmandu University)