The Nepal Premier League (NPL) was organized this year to make the sports sector optimistic, even as the players who have played for the national team are going abroad one after the other. This brought world-class foreign players to Kathmandu to play cricket, and created an environment where the team bought regional players who had not been heard of for millions.

Nepalese cricket players, who were once in a situation where national team players had to ask for a bat to play, now playing in the league with millions of salaries is considered a big leap in the field of sports.

In the first edition of the NPL organized by the Nepal Cricket Association (CAN), Nepali businessmen paid up to 3.5 million rupees to buy the team. According to CAN, about 170 million has been invested in buying players. About 1 billion rupees were traded in the competition. The famous Indian television channel 'Star Sports' made the tournament global by broadcasting it live.

After the successful completion of NPL, cricket players like Dipendra Singh Airi, Rohit Paudel, Kushal Malla have joined the leagues of different countries. The 'brand endorsement' earnings of Nepali players have also increased. Paras Khadka, secretary of CAN, says that the goal is to institutionalize the development of Nepali cricket and establish it as a full-fledged industry. He mentioned that there is a desire to make Nepal a 'global hub' of sports in addition to creating a safe future for the players. "When I started playing Nepali cricket, I didn't even hope to reach the World Cup or the level of playing professional cricket like it is now," he said. He adds,  There is a plan to develop the sports sector as an industry in the future by organizing it,' he added, 'NPL has shown new hope.' According to Khadka, now is the best time for those who want to become cricketers in Nepal. He said, 'It is necessary to preserve this rhythm.' "If one sport does well, other sports also improve," he said, "there is no competition between sports."

Another sector that has expanded significantly in Nepal over the past few years is Information Technology (IT). IT services are the biggest export of Nepal. The report published by Nepal Rastra Bank last October showed that Nepal received 3.7 billion rupees from such exports in the first two months of the current financial year. This amount received from IT service export is Rs 568.4 million more than the same period last year.

Various studies have shown that the IT sector is giving good benefits to the country in recent years. About 66 thousand Nepalese youth are involved in the IT sector. The government of Nepal has recently indicated that it will help the expansion of this sector by adding facilities such as allowing Nepali IT companies to open branches abroad. Legislation to regulate electronic commerce has progressed. Nepali IT entrepreneurs say that the new generation is making Nepali IT products global.

Balkrishna Joshi, one of the pioneers of online shopping in Nepal through Thamel.com, says that the fact that the country is becoming a new hub for IT is a positive aspect. "The new generation has started globalizing Nepal's IT services," he said, "Young people who have studied in America have come to Nepal and started IT business."

Joshi mentioned that climate finance and crypto mining are new possibilities for Nepal. "Looking at the foreign exchange reserves and the economy, it is difficult for Nepal to open crypto, it should not be done, but mining can be opened," he believes, "If cryptowalla is allowed to have a server in Nepal, a business worth billions of dollars can be achieved." He is of the opinion that it is a virtual currency.

Nepali youth have started making careers in new and interesting fields in digital economy and sports sector. From being a content creator or influencer on social media to making good money, there has been an increase in the number of people making substantial income using streaming platforms. The attraction of online games like PUBG, Dota 2 has become a matter of profession and prestige along with hobby. Until recently, those who used to say that the internet was a waste or a waste of time for the youth are now surprised by the success of the latest generation in information technology.

During the by-elections of Kirtipur Municipality held last November, a statement of Congress General Minister Gagan Thapa became not only 'viral' in the language of social media, but became a part of trolls, memes and serious debates. The intention of Thapa's expression was that young leaders who have gone to Qatar, Israel and other countries should not come back with speeches or clench their fists, but should create attractive opportunities in Nepal. But only a part of the speech became famous Banda Thapa went viral. That was, 'Youth should be made able to earn 3/4 lakh per month by sitting on the hills of Kirtipur.' But was Gagan's expression completely impossible or irrelevant? Thapa remembers that representatives of the IT sector came to meet him excitedly after that statement.

Thapa, who has not forgotten the debacle in the case of Kirtipur Danda, laughs and says, 'Our local government, understanding that development means road construction, has also spent the limited resources it has on it. Thapa says that Nepal can be made a center of 'Knowledge Economy' and for that, adequate investment should be made in empowering young people.

'Nepal's future is knowledge economy, it has created new opportunities around the world. If we cannot use this opportunity, we will be left behind," he said. "In the next 20/25 years, we have youth power, schools and infrastructure have been built. If we invest in education, early childhood development, nutrition and information technology, we can see the development we want.' According to Thapa, if we can bring improvements in science, mathematics, engineering and technology education, the global opportunities of IT can be utilized in Nepal.

Fitch rating's positive assessment, along with positive data from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, commercial growth in information technology, cinema, music and sports are promising signs for Nepal. Youth's activism has added enthusiasm to it. But with the growing interest of the youth in the economic, political, and social fields, the question of what is the next path has also become a challenge. This question seems to have become as complicated as it was when the constitution was promulgated nine years ago.

Sumana Shrestha, who returned to Nepal after studying at MIT in Massachusetts, America, is known as a youth leader who clearly raised the concerns of the youth even before joining politics and even after becoming an MP. Ex-minister Shrestha, who has a prepared opinion even in the parliament, says that the youth of Nepal have immense potential, but they are not given enough opportunities to reveal their talents. According to him, access to the Internet has made the youth smart and inquisitive, but society has yet to utilize their true potential.

"Our youth are very smart, they are clear about what they need, if we work with them, we will know the real potential," said Shrestha. She mentioned that the youth are not given the opportunity to become bright stars in various fields like sports, mathematics and science. "Young people are left stranded to move forward on their own initiative, we need to improve on this," she emphasized.

Member of Parliament Shrestha says that there is great potential for innovation in Fintech, Health-Tech and other fields in Nepal. "We don't have a system to support creative entrepreneurship," she said. She said that she aspires to create an environment where the matter of going abroad is not a compulsion for Nepali youth but a choice.

Shrestha, who became the education minister from RSVP at a young age, is just an example of the increasing participation of youth in politics. Almost 40 percent of those who won the local level elections held in 2079 were under 40 years of age, which reflects the significant participation and interest of the youth even though they are in small positions. Balendra Shah, who became the mayor after defeating the candidates of major parties who are much senior to him in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City elections, which is always a topic of discussion in Nepalese politics, has since then been constantly challenging major parties and leaders on various issues.

Vashisht Kumar of the Janata Samajwadi Party, who became the president of Kalikamai Rural Municipality of Parsa at the age of 29, or Ranveer Singh Mandal of Kamal Municipality of Dhanusha who became the ward president at the age of 21 and Sarjan Bahadur Thapa of Jayaprithvi Municipality of Bajhang, are recent examples of young people who are involved in local politics. Dinesh Kumar Thapalia, Chief Commissioner of the Election Commission, who has closely observed all this, says, 'If we can reduce the current abuse of youth in Nepali politics, there is a possibility that youth participation will increase further.' He suggested that everyone who has reached the age should vote in the elections and reach every school to increase the participation of the youth in democracy. "In political parties, people who have reached the age of 25 in the election of 2048 are ready to be candidates in 2084," he said, "How will such a trend inspire new youth to join politics?" "Those who had to prove that there is a future in this country, what will happen when most of them (including me) have children abroad?" He said, "The question is how can a country be built by those who don't have children in the country." Producer Vinod Paudel claims that the film 'Poorna Bahadurko Sarangi', which was released this year, earned around 80 crore rupees, of which 35 crore rupees came from abroad. This film was made at a cost of Rs 1 crore 30 lakh. Films like '12 Villages', 'Chakka Panja 5' which were released in the same year earned more than 30 crores.

Nepali films have started getting high demand abroad. Director Meen Bahadur Bham's 'Shambala' garnered attention from Bollywood to international cinema. Famous filmmakers like Indian actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui and director Anurag Kashyap attended the premiere of the film. Films like 'Mansara', 'Gaon Inya Bato', 'Pujaar Sarki', 'Gharzwain' and 'Behuli From Meghauli' also garnered good business and buzz. The filmmaker says that the latest success is possible due to the increasing presence of Nepali youth, whether it is film production or as an audience.

Nepal government's 16th plan has emphasized employment, productivity and technology with youth at the center. According to Shivraj Adhikari, Vice Chairman of the Planning Commission, although the resources are sufficient in the country, the economic growth has not been as expected due to the lack of proper utilization of human resources. He said that the policy was made to make employment dignified and productive. "In order to provide employment opportunities within the country, arrangements are being made to establish a center and keep a record of the labor force," he said. According to the