Views of a Nepali Economist

. Nepal PM to seek $1bn loan during India trip

The 57-year-old, who will be heading a 34-member entourage including his wife Hisila Yami and six ministers, said though there is no fixed agenda for the visit, the Nepal side is keen to have free and frank discussions on a wide gamut of issues which will focus on economic development, greater investment in Nepal, infrastructure, improved border management and review of past bilateral agreements between the two countries.

WB to give $400m over next two years

The assistance will come mainly on 15 major areas, including roads and power transmission and development projects, education, micro-finances, poverty reduction, agricultural sector and climate change and disaster mitigation, among others.

Nepali folk sensation Kutumba will play benefit concert in Madison, Wisconsin this Thursday

Kutumba is a six-person ensemble that marries indigenous Nepali music with more contemporary sounds. The group was founded after its members recognized the impacts of the caste system on traditional music in Nepal. Each caste primarily focuses on a single instrument, but the traditional folk music that had been passed down from generation to generation was slowly being replaced by modern music. Kutumba wanted to find a way to preserve traditional Nepali folk music, but also attract a younger generation by integrating modern influences.

Google helps track Nepal typhoid

Researchers say they have used GPS signalling and the latest DNA sequencing techniques to plot the course of the disease -- and have discovered the source of outbreaks is usually communal water spouts....Health workers visited typhoid patients' homes and used GPS technology to capture the exact location, which was then plotted onto Google Earth, which maps the Earth by superimposing images from satellites and aerial photography....They took blood samples from hospitalised patients to isolate the organism -- which mutates as it spreads -- and allow analysis of its genetic make-up to identify where the disease had started....The researchers found that people living near communal water spouts and those living at a lower elevation were at by far the greatest risk of contracting the disease.

Brokeback Everest: Nepal's Film Industry Embraces Gay Romance

From the end of a bloody armed conflict, to major political reform that turned the country into one of the world's youngest republics, to a massive social movement that formally recognized lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights, the country of 26 million has moved ahead of many of its South Asian and Western counterparts.

US appreciates progress in Nepal's peace process

The US officials said that they are keen to see Nepal develop a close partnership with the US in economic development, and specifically pointed out that Nepal and US can cooperate in hydropower and civil aviation sectors.

Nepal to put Mount Everest experience online

Nepal is preparing to launch a website allowing users to make a virtual tour of the country's popular tourist spots, including the world's highest mountain, officials said Wednesday. The site will contain computer-generated graphics of monuments and places of interest, allowing the web visitor to guide the viewpoint through a virtual tour, the Nepal Tourism Board said.

Labels: Everest, India, Kutumba, LGBT, Madison, typhoid, US, world bank

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Cash grants for food incentivize birth registrations
Honda to start selling its compact model Brio in Nepal and Bhutan starting next year
Nepalese activists against the slaughter of animals during the festival of Dashain
Nepal's gays say 'cheated' in census count
Minnesota couple receive National Adoption Award in the United States for their adoption of a Nepali girl, Maya
Nepal Telecom’s deal with Chinese firms worries India

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The Himalayan Times ran a very short piece on IIDS' women scholarship:

IIDS scholarship

KATHMANDU: Institute for Integrated Development Studies (IIDS) had announced a scholarship for female scholars in June of this year. The organisation provides scholarship for female students pursuing degree of MA, MPhil or PhD in any discipline in a Nepali university with research topic related to Economics. The scholarships have been distributed by IIDS beginning in 2004 using an endowment fund provided by the Ford Foundation. 

 Below is the list of "Scholarship for Women Scholars" winners for 2011:


MA Scholars
Sujata Simkhada
Shristi Sharma
Manisha Bhattarai
Sujata Shrestha
Binu Thapa
Madhavi Lamichchhane
Samjhana G.C.

MPhil Scholars
Parbati Karki
Anjeela Gorkhali

PhD Scholar
Rashmee Rajkarnikar

Labels: himalayan times, IIDS, women scholarship