Dear Mr. Pandey
I found your question interesting. I had gone through an article by Karna Shakya in Kantipur publication entitled " Hami Garib Haina Murkha (We are not Poor but Stupid)"( sorry i am unable to mention the date currently at the time of writing this message) and I found that "if everbody in Nepal perform their assigned duty from their own stake, about 90% of the problem will be solved automatically and development of Nepal will be speeded up". I am very much impressed from that article and i also like to support his idea that the main cause of our underdevelopment is lack of good governance at macro- meso and micro level. But we must see the socio-political situation and international interest towards our nation when we analyse the causes of underdevelopment.

Gopal Ghimire
M.Sc. Student
Institute of Forestry, Pokhara, Nepal.

Dear Mr. Pandey,

Exactly difficult to claim but here is my opinion. Though a lot of development efforts have been taken since decades in Nepal, it is logical to say that satisfactory results have not been attained yet. Dependency on the outsiders (donors) to initiate development activities is the major cause as it usually increases the uncertainties esp. if the support is withdrawn. We can have some point of initiation with our sole efforts in conservation and development. So, developing long-term vision to carryout development activities even without external support may increase self-respect and local support in the present insurgency context.

Gandhiv Kafle
Graduate Fellow, IOF, Pokhara
www.gandhiv.uni.cc

I think, development outcomes in Nepal are the result of wider and historically embedded socio-political, economic and cultural processes and resulting struggles occuring at differnt scales and places. Development theorists have proposed different paradigms on why development or underdevelopment happens (such as Rostow's modernisation and Andre Gunder Frank's underdevelopment). However, in a pragmagtic level - yes, we are geographically contrained, natural reosurces are limited; these have certainly compromised developement outcomes in Nepal. However, the underlying barriers are embedded in historically entrenched oppressive power relations between different groups within our socieites (yes, which still stronly exist); who for the benefit of some people exploit the majority of people and resources. These struggles have led to "chronically diseased behaviour" of frustrations and lack of accountability, nepotism and conflicts (direct and indirect); killing the enthusiam and sense of doing and achiveing among the populace. We love our family so deadly, we love our friends, do we equally love our work? Do we equally feel the accountability and responsibility for the communal purpose? (simply, we don't, we have no such discipline; we are culturally so enmeshed that our priorites are not the national development; may be individual development!!!). Sense of communal doing (bahaviour aspect) has been never so low in Nepal; from individual to the family to the national scales. I think, among others, underdevelopment or lack of development is fundamentally a behaviour question; associated with political, social and other processes. What can we do about it? I think, if we know what is the problem - then, we need willingness, determination and resources towards change. I doubt, neither have we clearly identified the actual problems, nor we have any of the above to address them. Sadly, problems are being exacerbated; we are going to witness more underdevelopment if things continue as they are. Sorry for such a pessimistic observation; I am not anti-development; but critical reflections aim at further understanding on development issues.

Cheers
Krishna Shrestha
UQ Postdoctoral Fellow
The University of Queensland
Brisbane
Australia

Cultivation of development talks is profittable business in Nepal.
I do not believe Nepal failed to achieve developmment outcomes because when did we start development process? What was going on and still happening is not development paradigm and its not shifting in the near future.
At first we must me clear on what is development? Roads, buildings, schools, mobile phones etc.? or culture, knowledge and an ART OF LIVING?
Then it would be easier to find out the point to accelerate. One thing the quite sure is everything must be reshuffled before starting development intervention otherwise its not so difficult to talk for talk that you will see in your forum too.

Gyanendra Karki,
Joensuu, Finland.

I agree with Gopal Ghimire's view 100%. Good governance is the key to development. Good governance is not there in Nepal because the beaurocrats are grossly underpaid.

HELLO MR GHIMIREJI

I AM GLAD TO HAVE THIS SITE TO PUT MY OBSERVATIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. ACTUALLY I WORK IN FRANCE FOR TEN YEARS AND WANT TO DO SOMETHING IN NEPAL. I DONT MEAN THAT I HAVE MILLIONS OF EUROS TO INVEST BUT JUST FROM THE GROUND LEVEL SPECIALLY IN THE AGRICULTURE OR FORESTERY INDUSTRIES. I AM AGREE WITH YOU THE IN NEPAL WE HAVE MONEY BUT WE DONT KNOW THE GOOD AND 100% EFFICACITY USE.

I WANT TO GET YOUR ATTENTION THAT ALL THE NEPALIS IN THE FORIEGN COUNTRIES SENDS MILLIONS OF DOLLARS EVERY YEARS IN NEPAL BUT THEY ALL USED MAINLY IN THE CONSTRUCTION BUILDINGS AND CONSOMATION. NOBODY USE THEIR MONEY IN ANY LONG TERMS INDUSTRY. FOR THEM THE MOST EASY AND SAFE WAY TO SAVE MONEY IS THIS.

I THINK THIS IS THE MOST COMMON PROBLEM FOR ALL THE NEPALIS WORKING OUTSIDE BECAUSE THERE FAMILY WHO ARE LIVING IN NEPAL TOO DONT HAVE THE BUSINESS ATTITUDE OR INVESTMENT TRADITION. THIS IS BECAUSE OF THE GOVERNMENT POLICY AND LACK OF INFORMATION AND LACK EDUCATION.

BEFORE THE NEPALIS WHO WORKED IN BRITISH SINGAPORE INDIA USA JAPAN KOREA CANADA OR EUROPE DID THERE BEST TO EARN MONEY. THEY SEND ALL THEIR INCOME TO NEPAL FOR THEIR FAMILY AND AFTER THE END OF CONTRACT CAME BACT TO NEPAL. THEY NEVER THINK TO STAY ABOARD FOR THERE WHOLE LIFE. BUT NOW THE SITUATION IS CHANGING BECAUSE THESE NEPALI FORIEGNERS DONT WANT TO COME BACK TO NEPAL. THEY BUY PROPERTY AND SETTLE THERE WITH THER CHILDREN AND EVEN THEIR PARENTS LEFT NEPAL. I DONT SAY THEY ARE WRONG BUT THIS IMMIGRATION IS NATURAL BECAUSE THE SITUATION IN NEPAL IS NOT FAVORABLE AS COMPARE TO OUTSIDE EVEN IN INDIA WHERE I SPENT 20 YEARS THIS IMMEGRATION IS COMMON. THIS IS NOT ONLY A LOST OF CITIZENS BUT ALSO LOST OF ECONOMY, FORIEGN CURRENCY AND BRAIN.

THE NEPALI GOVERNMENT DONT HAVE THE POLICY LIKE IN INDIA FOR THE NON RESIDENT NEPALI. JUST I HEARD THAT THEY JUST BEGINS TO GIVE 10 YEARS MULTIPLE VISA. I DONT THINK THIS IS ENOUGH.

I WANT TO INVEST IN A PROGRESSIVE WAY IN SOME KIND OF AGRO FOREST INDUSTRY THROUGH WHICH THE LOCAL PEOPLE CAN GET A SUR JOB WITHOUT LEAVING THERE VILLAGE AND TO GO SMOOTHLY IN A LONG AND DURABLE BSINESS. MY REAL INTENTION IS TO DEVELOP SOMETHING LAST LONG IN THE BENEFIT OF NEPAL AND NEPALIS. I AM SURE THAT WITHOUT PERSONNEL PROFIT NOTHING WILL STAY FOR LONG AND LSAT TIME THIS IS TRUE IN WAR LOVE AND BUSINESS.

SO MR GHIMIRE IF YOU CAN HELP ME IN TO DEVELOP MY PROJECT I SAHLL BE VERY GREATFUL AND WHO KNOW THAT YOU WILL BE ONE OF OUR PARTNER IN THE FUTURE.

GBGURUNG

GBGURUNG72@YAHOO.COM

Dear Raj Kumar Dai

I am somehow agree with Gopal Dai. But the ground realities are quite different what we think and do. We shall take the development as a fundamental right and therefore establishing rights is the most for the development. We all need to go through the fundamental principles of human rights, international decleration on human right ( December 10, 1948)and other international conventions, trities, declarrations and laws.

In my view power (property, position and personality) is the key which affects development. Who have power and how he/she utilizes is important. People (who are right holders) need to join hands for peaceful campaigns and movements for the development. Unless they do so state and others who are supposed development organizations (who are deuty bearers, will do nothing to establish the rights of right holders. Lack of processes and practices of organizing right holders to ask WHY and NO is the cause that the country is far from real development. According to physical science: power(energy?) can nither be built nor be created but it can be changed from one form to other. It is really impossible to do real or human development withing breaking or changing the power relation of our circumtances (family, society, organization and state)

Development is relative. But we must concentrate to the human development. The other lacking factor fot real development is taking physical development as an ends. It could not be a development but could be a means of development (real development?)

Policy (either legal or social) is fundamental aspect for the realhuman development. The lack is in policy as well. We first need to do campaigns and movements to establish rights in policy (both in policy and social level) and then development will happen smothly, continiously, sustainably and really

Suman Ghimire
suman.ghimiray@gmail.com

Dear Mr. Gurung
I appreciate your comments and suggestation regarding the development problem, prospects and current scenario ( especially from NRN perspective). Its true NRN has become major development supporter for Nepal and Govt. should give priority to this sector for effective development support.
I also like to support your idea regarding your investment related to agroforestry based industry. It is relevant for Nepal because most of the hill farming system in Nepal is agroforestry based ( thouth it is difficult to define exact agroforestry system in that area). I am sure it must be due to your wide experience on that field.
Further, I would like to accept the idea you put forward for the development. Since I am student of Natural Resource Management and Rural Development, I assure you that i can support you by any means I can, to work with that Ideas. Lets join hands for this innovative approach.I am seeking this sorts of idea to work for the benefit of Nepal and Nepali.

Regards
Gopal Prasad Ghimire
M.Sc. student ( Second Year)
Institute of FOrestry
Department of Natural Resource Management and Rural Development
P.O.Box No: 203
Pokhara Nepal
email: ghimiregp@yahoo.com