In the policy and program for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84, the government has put forward a plan to make the country's economy modern, transparent and technology-friendly. Digital transformation, information technology and online services have been made the main basis of the economy and good governance. The 'borderless and weightless economy' based on information technology and knowledge, which has been discussed for a few years, is going to be assimilated by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-led government as a national economic strategy.  

The government aims to develop Nepal as an 'IT hub' by developing digital parks, high-capacity data centers and public digital infrastructure. Presenting the policy and program at a joint meeting of the Federal Parliament on Monday, President Ram Chandra Poudel mentioned that all economic transactions will be linked to a digital platform and a cashless, transparent and revenue leakage-free economy will be formalized.

‘Information technology-based service exports, hydropower, tourism, and high-value agriculture and green industrialization will be developed as key base sectors for economic transformation,’ Poudel said, ‘The economy dependent on labor exports will be transformed into a service-oriented economy with knowledge, services, digital trade, remote work, and value-added.’ 

For this, it has been said that foreign exchange earnings and tax management will be facilitated by giving legal recognition to the international payment system (gateway). Point 11 of the policy and program states that the information technology sector will be declared a ‘national strategic industry’ and software, digital services, cloud services, cybersecurity, and AI computation exports will be encouraged.

The government aims to develop Nepal as an ‘IT hub’ by developing digital parks, high-capacity data centers, and public digital infrastructure. 

‘A legal provision will be made for a remote work policy that allows people to work for foreign employers while staying in Nepal,’ the policy and program states, ‘A new national employment policy will be formulated and skills, education, labor market information, social security, and employment service systems will be integrated. A ‘National Apprenticeship Program’ based on the concept of learning while earning will be operated.’ The skills of youth returning from foreign employment will be documented through a digital skill passport and international professional certification will be provided.’

The government aims to establish a national digital infrastructure and implement ‘G-Cloud’ and data policies. The policy and program states that a national digital strategy, digital procurement, data policy, interoperability standards, and government cloud infrastructure will be developed. ‘A knowledge-based economy will be developed by promoting innovation and startups using data, artificial intelligence, digital technology, and cybersecurity,’ point 74 states, ‘Digital access to remote areas will be expanded and digital discrimination will be reduced.’

It is said to make the implementation of support price in agriculture and digitalize the payment system so that the amount is deposited directly into the bank account of the farmer. The government is committed to providing services such as company registration, tax exemption and seed capital to startups in a single day. For this, it is said to create a 'Startup Nepal Portal'. It is said to develop productive and innovation-based industrial areas such as Green Garment Village, Information Technology Park, Agricultural Production Center and others, and link such areas with industrial tourism. For convenience, the government plans to implement the e-KYC system and implement digital verification in banking, telecommunications and public services.

In addition, it is said to provide at least 100 government services integratedly through the Nagarik app next year to make public service delivery technology-friendly. ‘A government database will be developed based on the principle of one-time use for all,’ it is stated in point 93, ‘The e-governance system will be strengthened through an integrated digital platform based on an interconnected system to promote good governance and make transparent public service delivery faster, more transparent and citizen-friendly.’ 

The government has stated that early warning services in the agriculture, transport, tourism and aviation sectors will be expanded through the Nagarik app. It has been said that the implementation of support price in agriculture and the payment system will be made digital so that the amount will be deposited directly into the bank account of the farmer. 

Plans have been presented such as linking the national identity card with maximum public services and integrating citizenship, banking, health, education and social security services, expanding access to concessions and technology through identity cards and central accounts by listing farmers, making digital signatures and online services mandatory in government work and freeing citizens from queues and hassle. It is mentioned that facial recognition and automatic surveillance infrastructure will be established at border checkpoints. The traditional postal service has also been modernized and digitally transformed.

The government is said to be implementing modern technology in the economy, revenue, and financial sectors, as well as agriculture and land administration. It is said that GPS tracking and AI-based traffic cameras for road safety will be expanded to schools, virtual classrooms, and AI-based learning systems. There are also plans to establish a special investigation unit to control digital fraud and cybercrime, and to use technology like drones and satellites for disaster management for real-time monitoring. But how will skilled manpower be managed for all this?