The world's least developed
countries including Nepal have availed themselves of the opportunity to rapidly
develop education, health, agriculture, tourism, trade and various other sectors
using information technology (IT). The extensive application of this technology
will engender economic consolidation, development of democratic norms and
values, proportional distribution of economic resources and enhancement of
public awareness, thereby raising living standards and eventually contribute
significantly to poverty alleviation. It is the information technology which
will turn out to be a strong infrastructure for mitigating Nepal's geographical
adversities.
In the coming years, globally, there will be a significant
difference in the economic conditions of the countries developed in the field of
information technology and of the countries lagging behind in this field. The
persistence of such disparities may not be congenial even for the developed
countries. In this context, there is a greater possibility that the
international community will extend its support to developing countries in the
promotion of information technology. Such assistance will certainly play a vital
role in the national development of a least developed country like Nepal. Hence,
it has become essential to formulate a policy at the earliest for developing
information technology with a view to boosting up national economy.
The following information technology strategies shall be adopted to
accomplish the above-mentioned objectives through rapid development and
extension of information technology in a fair and competitive manner.
The
government shall act as a promoter, facilitator and regulator.
High priority
shall be accorded to research, development and extension of information
technology with participation of private sectors.
Competent manpower shall be
developed with the participation of both the public and the private sectors for
the sustainable development and extension of information technology.
Domestic
and foreign investment shall be encouraged for the development of information
technology and the related infrastructures.
Nepal shall be placed on the
global map of information technology.
E-commerce shall be promoted with legal
provisions.
Information technology shall be used to assist e-governance.
Information technology shall be applied for rural development.
Information
technology industry shall be promoted.
Speedy and qualitative service shall
be made available at a reasonable cost by creating a healthy and competitive
atmosphere among information technology service providers.
Computer
education shall be incorporated in academic curriculum starting from the school
level.
Professional efficiency shall be enhanced through the use of information
technology.
Information technology network shall be extended to rural areas.
Nepal shall be placed on the international market through information
technology.
Export of services related to information technology (software
and hardware) shall be increased to 10 billion rupees within the next five
years.
The following policies shall be
followed up for the implementation of the aforesaid strategies :
To declare
information technology sector a priority sector,
To adopt one window system
for the development of information technology,
To prioritise research and
development in the field of information technology,
To create an atmosphere
conducive to attracting investment in the private sector, keeping in view the
private sector’s role in the development of information technology,
To
provide Internet facilities gradually to all Village Development Committees of
the country,
To assist educational institutions and encourage domestic and
foreign training to fulfil the requirement of appropriate manpower at various
levels pertaining to information technology,
To computerise the system in all
government offices and build their websites for the flow of information,
To
encourage the use of computers in private sectors,
To develop physical and
virtual information technology parks at various places with private sector’s
participation in the development of information technology,
To use
information technology to promote e-commerce, e-education, e-health, among
others, and to transfer technology in rural areas,
To establish a National
Information Technology Centre,
To establish a fund at the national level by
mobilising resources from His Majesty’s Government, donor agencies and private
sectors so as to promote research and development of information technology and
other related activities,
To establish a venture capital fund with joint
participation of public and private sectors,
To include computer education
in the curriculum starting from the school level and broaden its scope,
To
establish Nepal in the global market through the use of information technology,
To enact necessary laws for providing legal sanctions to the use of
information technology,
To use information technology gradually in all
government activities and provide legal sanctions to them.
The
following action plan shall be adopted to implement the national information
technology policy and fulfill its objectives :
Participation of private
sectors in infrastructure development : There may be up to cent percent foreign
investment in areas such as information technology park, research and
development, technology transfer and human resource development.
Infrastructure development : The following arrangements shall be made for
development of infrastructure related to information technology :
An
info-super highway and north-south info-highway shall be built taking into
account the rapidity of information flow, changes introduced through information flow and the gradual development of multimedia service.
Nepal shall be linked with other parts of the world through a broadband
information network.
An IT park shall be established at Banepa in
Kabhrepalanchok District. Such IT Parks shall be established also elsewhere as
required with private sector's participation.
Any company interested in
establishing an industry within the park shall be levied only 1% customs duty in
importing IT related equipments for the next five years.
Internet nodes shall
be established in all development regions by fiscal year 2058/059 (2001/2002)
and in district headquarters by fiscal year 2060/61 (2003/2004) with
participation of the private sector in order to make Internet facility available
throughout the Kingdom. In making telephone contact with such nodes, the
telephone charge shall be levied on par with local calls; and telephone contact
with a nearby node within the development region shall be deemed to be a local
call, so long as the node in that district is not established. The use of the
Internet shall be gradually extended to rural areas as well. The charge for
telephone calls to be used for the Internet shall be gradually reduced.
Telecommunications and electricity services shall be provided to the
entrepreneurs involved in information technology sector as per their need.
Human Resource Development : The following measures shall be adopted to develop
skilled manpower :
Necessary facilities shall be provided to the universities
in the country and graduate and postgraduate-level classes of international
standard shall be offered in computer science and computer engineering subjects.
A long-term programme with a slogan "Computer education to all by 2010
A.D." shall be formulated and computer education shall be offered as an
optional subject in some public secondary schools from the coming academic year
and shall be made a compulsory subject in phases.
IT shall be used to improve
the quality of education.
Private sector shall be encouraged to prepare
middle-level manpower required for the information technology sector. Assistance
shall be provided to the private sector to set up institutions for education,
research and development in the field of information technology in each
development region.
Computer knowledge shall gradually be made compulsory to
all newly- recruited teachers so as to introduce computer education in schools;
and computer education shall also be provided to all in-service teachers in
phases using various means including distant education.
Emphasis shall be
given to provide computer education from the school level. Internet facility
shall be made available free of cost to universities and public schools for four
hours a day within the next five years to provide computer education in a
systematic way.
His Majesty’s Government shall provide scholarships to
public and private sector technologists for higher study in information
technology.
Necessary scholarships shall be provided to poor and meritorious
students from remote areas to pursue higher studies in information technology.
Dissemination of Information Technology : The following measures shall be
followed up for the extensive dissemination of information technology :
Educational institutions and hospitals in the areas where
telecommunication and electricity services are already available shall be
encouraged to use IT enabled services. Even in places where electricity service
is not available, the development of information technology through solar power
system shall be encouraged.
Distant learning system shall be introduced
through the Internet and Intranet apart from radio and television. Networking
systems like school- net, research-net, commerce-net and multilingual computing
shall be developed.
A three-year programme shall be formulated and launched
to extend the use of computer in government offices. All ministries, departments
and offices shall be linked to the Internet; and other agencies shall also be
encouraged to be linked through the Internet.
Websites for all ministries,
departments and district offices shall be created within one year. Necessary
legal provisions shall be made to reduce the use of papers by using information
technology in all kinds of government activities in a phased manner.
An
action plan shall be devised and introduced to include computer education as a
subject for the examination of a specified rank and make it obligatory for the
applicants taking a written examination during recruitment. Provisions shall
also be made for prescribing basic computer training as a requirement for the
promotion of employees.
Content shall be prepared to enhance Nepali materials
on the Internet to preserve Nepali arts and culture as well as to develop rural
areas.
A public awareness-enhancing campaign on the utility of information
technology shall be launched extensively through the electronic media.
Provision shall be made for an information officer in each ministry in a phased
manner.
In view of the present development of information technology,
provisions shall be made to open voice-mail to talk point-to-point for one’s
own business without a link to the public switched telephone network.
Promotion of E-commerce, etc. : E-business, tele-medicine, tele-processing,
distant learning, and the like shall be promoted as follows :
Necessary
arrangements shall be made to encourage e-commerce.
Necessary legal
infrastructure shall be created for the promotion of tele- medicine, distant
learning, tele-processing and e-commerce.
Intellectual property right shall
be protected through the formulation of necessary laws in relation to the
development of information technology.
Provisions shall be made for the
export of software and IT–enabled services through IT in the following ways:
The person or organisation concerned shall submit certified copies of the
documents on agreements relating to export to the Nepal Rastra Bank.
Invoice
or bill of exportation made under the agreements referred to in clause (a) shall
be submitted to the Nepal Rastra Bank.
The Bank shall validate foreign
currency earned on the basis of such documents.
Facilities : The following
facilities shall be provided for the development of information technology
sector :
One percent (1%) customs duty shall be levied on hardware, software
and all kinds of computer spare parts imported by training institutions related
to information technology, albeit on the recommendation of the National Information Technology Centre on the basis of services rendered and
the achievements of such institutions.
As software development and services
based on software are operated twenty-four hours, such services shall be
declared essential services to guarantee regular production by employees working
in the companies related to such services, and arrangements shall be made
accordingly.
A venture capital fund shall be established by utilising capital
market with the joint investment of His Majesty’s Government and private
sector. His Majesty’s Government shall make an investment of 100 million
rupees initially for such a fund.
Domestic preference shall be given in
accordance with the prevailing law on computers, spare-parts and software
produced within the country.
Software may be directly depreciated for the
purposes of income tax, whereas equipment relating to information technology may
be allowed an accelerated depreciation in two years.
In case an investment
has been made in foreign currency either as a loan or share capital required to
build and operate infrastructure, the investor shall be allowed to repatriate
the principal amount and interest of the loan and dividends in accordance with
the prevailing laws.
The foreign currency earned from exporting information
technology software and services shall be granted facilities on par with
facilities provided to other export-oriented industries earning foreign
currency.
An information technology development fund shall be established to
create public awareness about information technology, assist rural networking,
develop information technology with market management, generate required
manpower for this sector and make social services easily accessible where such
technology is used. Arrangements shall be made for financial contributions
towards this fund from His Majesty’s Government, private sector, donor
agencies and others. The National Information Technology Centre (NITC) shall
operate this fund. A feasibility study shall be carried out to mobilise
additional financial resources by establishing information technology bond.
Export of software shall be subjected to an additional service charge of 0.5 %
for the information technology fund, in addition to customs duties. The amount
obtained from that charge shall be deposited in the fund referred to in clause
6.6.8.
As Nepali nationals working abroad can play an important role in the
technology transfer and market promotion in this sector, they shall be
encouraged to invest their foreign currency earnings in this sector.
Institutional Provisions
The National Information Technology Development
Council, consisting of the following members, shall be constituted under the
chairmanship of the Rt. Honourable Prime Minister.
Rt. Honourable Prime
Minister Chairman
Honourable Minister, Ministry of Science and Technology
Vice-chairman
Honourable Minister, Ministry of Information and Communications
Member
Honourable Vice-chairman, National Planning Commission Member
Hon'ble Member, National Planning Commission (Information Technology Sector)
Member
Secretary, Ministry of Finance Member
Secretary, Ministry of Law,
Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Member
Secretary, Ministry of Water
Resources Member
Secretary, Ministry of Science and Technology Member
Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports Member
Secretary, Ministry
of Information and Communications Member
Computer specialist representatives,
University/ RONAST (three persons) Members
Chairman, Computer Association of
Nepal Member
President, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and
Industries Member
Persons involved in Information Technology in Private
Sector (three persons) Member
Chairman, Telecommunications Authority Member
Executive Director, NITC Member-Secretary
The National Information
Technology Council shall review and revise information technology policy,
appraise annual progress and solve problems that may arise and carry out such
other activities as it may deem necessary for the development and extension of
the information technology sector.
To carry out research on and develop
information technology, develop manpower required for this sector and a
curriculum for information technology, improve the quality of computer training
operated by the private sector, ascertain the norms and monitor these and
co-ordinate such activities of establishing relations with foreign educational
institutions, a National Information Technology Co-ordination Committee, shall
be constituted as follows:
Honourable Minister, Ministry of Science and
Technology Chairman
Honourable Member, National Planning Commission
(concerned sector) Vice-Chairman
Vice-chancellors of any two universities
Members
Secretary, Ministry of Finance Member
Secretary, Ministry of
Industry, Commerce and Supplies Member
Secretary, Ministry of Science and
Technology Member
Secretary, Ministry of Education and Sports Member
Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications Member
Two information
technologists Members
Representative, Computer Association of Nepal Member
Representative, Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industries Member
Executive Director, NITC Member-Secretary
National Information Technology
Centre : This Centre shall be set up under the Ministry of Science and
Technology. As per requirements, its regional and district-level offices shall
be established. It shall carry out the following functions :
Act as a data
bank of information and assist in computerisation of records in government
offices and in developing and expanding contents,
Act as the Secretariat of
the National Information Technology Development Council and the National
Information Technology Co- ordination Committee, implement or get implemented
the policy and plan on information science and information technology, monitor
and supervise the same and regulate the activities carried out by the private
sector and submit reports on these activities to the council,
Render
assistance in all kinds of computer-related services of His Majesty’s
Government. Also, render assistance in designing, updating and operating
websites of all the agencies of His Majesty’s Government and serve as a data
depository by collecting all types of data at the national level,
Act as a
regulator for the healthy development of information technology,
Arrange for
coding and standardisation required to bring about uniformity with respect to
information technology and implement and monitor it.
Information Technology Park Development Committee : This committee shall
function as a separate body under the Ministry of Science and Technology. It
shall manage and co-ordinate parks to be built in various places in the country
and co-ordinate the construction and implementation of info-cities and
info-villages.
Legal Provisions : Necessary laws shall be enacted to regulate
transactions to be carried out through information technology as well as other
necessary arrangements pertaining to this technology and to protect intellectual
property right.
Amendment to the Policy : This policy may be reviewed and
amended every two years in view of technological development and expansion of
services resulting from rapid developments in the information technology sector.
Nonetheless, at the suggestion of various sectors, it may be reviewed and
amended if necessary even prior to this period.
