The government has put forward an ambitious plan in the field of information technology and digital economy. The government has set an ambitious goal of ‘transforming Nepal into a country that exports artificial intelligence and computing power within the next five years’ through a 100-point agenda and commitment. 

However, the management or regulation of social media, which has been influencing the common man and the government from time to time, has not been mentioned. The 100-point agenda on governance reform that the government had previously made public also included plans ranging from AI to cutting-edge digital technology, but the social media aspect was left out. The current leadership, which came to power on the basis of the ban imposed by the then government on social media and the subsequent Gen-G rebellion, does not seem to have given space to the issue of networks in its official documents. 

When Prime Minister Balendra Shah was the mayor of Kathmandu, he stood up against the then government’s attempts to stifle freedom of expression in the name of regulating networks. The draft commitment letter released by the government on Monday includes goals such as developing information technology as a national strategic industry, developing its own 'sovereign large language model' and making 'digital' literacy mandatory up to grade 12. However, the lack of a roadmap for the management and legal regulation of social networks, which are used daily by more than one million Nepalis and consume 70 percent of the country's 'bandwidth', has raised questions. According to the latest data from the

data report, the number of active users of social networks in Nepal was 14.8 million in October last year. All of them use Facebook and Facebook's advertising reach in Nepal increased by 950,000 within a year after 2024. The data report stated that Facebook has reached 50 percent of the total population. 

The commitment letter also mentions issues such as 'content moderation' and including digital literacy in the curriculum and closing betting apps and websites through the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. The work to close betting apps is ongoing. However, there is no official information on the listing of global platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp and their operations in Nepal. 

Aiming to make Nepal an AI and computing powerhouse in five years

The government aims to widely use information technology in service delivery. Under this, the commitment letter includes plans such as developing the Nagarik app as a 'super app', creating a digital health profile for each citizen, and implementing 'time cards' in government services. From declaring the information technology sector as a national strategic industry to making the digital economy and artificial intelligence (AI) the mainstay of the country's economic transformation, the government has put forward plans. 

‘We will transform Nepal into a country that exports artificial intelligence and computing power within the next five years,’ the commitment states, ‘We will build a domestic industry of data centers, AI computing and digital services in Nepal and connect it to the global economy.’ The government is determined to launch the ‘From Nepal to the World’ campaign to make Nepali IT companies competitive in the global market. According to various studies, currently, information technology services worth about one billion US dollars are being exported abroad from Nepal every year. 

The government has also adopted a policy of developing and using its own ‘Sovereign Large Language Model’. ‘Sovereign LLM’ or AI sovereignty is an AI system developed by any country itself. Since there is a risk of our personal and other important data reaching the servers of other countries when using AI tools from foreign companies like ChatGPT and Gemini, some countries have recently started developing ‘Sovereign LLM’ to keep the data of their citizens safe with themselves. 

The government aims to integrate information technology into every aspect of good governance, economy and service delivery. It has been stated that a simplified digital system will be implemented to make all processes from industry registration to renewal ‘paperless and hassle-free’. Plans such as making the capital market technology-friendly, fully digitalizing the monitoring system of cooperatives, and ensuring good governance through technology by implementing ‘time cards’ in government service delivery are mentioned in the commitment letter. The government plans to develop the digital economy as a major sector of high productivity and employment and legally promote ‘remote work, digital employment and cross-border service exports’.

The government is committed to implementing ‘one citizen, one digital health profile’ in health services and expanding telemedicine to provide quality services in rural areas. According to the plan to use technology in forest and environment protection as well, it is claimed that forest fires will be monitored in ‘real time’ using drones and satellite technology. Similarly, it is mentioned that an early warning system based on digital technology will be developed along with the use of AI to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural disasters.

The government plans to establish Nepal's own satellite to provide telecommunication access to remote areas. The previous government had been repeating the issue of establishing its own satellite for years. The Balen government has stated that the Nagarik app, which was launched during the KP Oli government in 2077 Magh, will be expanded as a 'super app'. 'The Digital Nepal Framework will be revised in a timely manner and the Nagarik app will be developed as a super app,' the commitment says, 'Investment in digital skills will be increased, and digital literacy including AI and content moderation will be made mandatory up to grade 12.' 

The government is committed to reforming the public procurement policy to encourage the development of software and applications required for government and public purposes in Nepal. It is said that all digital infrastructure will be developed to international standards. 'Multinational technology companies will be attracted to establish development and innovation centers in Nepal,' the commitment says, 'Tax incentives will be provided to information technology companies.' 

The national commitment states that skills such as 'coding, data, AI and cyber security' will be included in the curriculum from the school level. It has been said that digital literacy will be made mandatory up to grade 12. 'Doctors, nurses, engineers, technical human resources in the agriculture, forestry and information technology sectors will be encouraged to stay in the country and do jobs and businesses,' the commitment says, 'Employment will be increased by making full use of science and technology and innovation.' It is mentioned that employment-oriented IT programs will be run in collaboration with universities, CTEVT and the private sector. STEM education has been emphasized.