Economic revolution to steer country to prosperity: Ex-PM Bhattarai

DHULIKHEL, KAVREPALANCHOK: Former Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai has stated that the countries achieving higher levels of progress through economic prosperity had first accomplished political revolution.

At the academia industry gathering hosted by the Kathmandu University (KU) in Dhulikhel on Friday, the former prime minister said Nepal's economic development agendas have been relegated while the political revolution did not steer to the right path.

He urged the new generation to engage their efforts in creativity rather than indulging in abusing political workers and party leaders.

Noting that instability of political and democratic system was the main cause behind Nepal's laggard status in development, Bhattarai said it was a matter of glory to come to the status of a federal democratic republic today through political revolution.

"Democratic stability is a must in today's context when capital, technology and labour among others have been globalised," he said.

Former Finance Minister Surendra Pandey said the education sector was the largest industry in Nepal and stressed the need for establishing academic institutions for progress and spurring the education sector budget.

Noting that the universities should elevate their existing quality, he recommended the universities actively expand their market reach.

KU's Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Bhola Thapa said the entire team of the university has engaged efforts for making wider publicity about the educational programmes being taught here.

Thapa stressed the need to change the tendency of putting pressure on student admission expressing surprise that no agency or actor has asked for the specific human resource in the job industry.

"The country can be taken to the pathway to prosperity through job creation which is possible only in collaboration among the educational institutions, industry and government," Thapa added.

On the occasion, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Vice President Sur Krishna Vaidya commented that the country could not move to the economic revolution due to policy problems. Economic revolution without an industrial revolution is not possible he argued and called for promoting the industrial sector and boosting the confidence of industrialists.

KU's Registrar Achyut Wagle said the political parties should also emphatically incorporate the idea of academia industry in their manifestoes. "Education, family life and nation's development are deeply interconnected", he said.

Director-General of the Department of Industry, Baburam Gautam said the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies was mooting measures such as software development, e-commerce-related policy and other laws drafting for reforms in the industrial sector.

Coordinator of KU Department of Academia Industry Collaboration, Ram Lama shared that the KU has implemented special research and innovation programmes in the areas of technology, green energy and employment promotion.