Dorjee Khando
Computers came into use in Nepal sporadically since the mid-1980s. But, Nepal has not yet been able to manufacture and export one of its own computers. There is a high rate in the import of computers and peripherals.
The development of ICT in Nepal is not considered satisfactory as it still lags behind its minimum ICT infrastructures but the telecom sector, with an exception, has excelled since 2005 and is still developing rapidly with a penetration of above 50%.
With the increase in a number of computers and mobile phone users, there has been an internet penetration of 63% as of Kartik 2074 reported by Management Information system(MIS) which is considered a good number for an underdeveloped country.
One in two Nepalis uses the internet.
Mahabir Pun has played an important role in the penetration of internet to the remote areas of Nepal formulating a Nepal Wireless Networking Project in 2002. It has maximised the use of ICT and improved the social and economic condition of people in rural areas.
One of the remarkable achievements of Nepal is that it has been able to stand on the 22nd position among emerging economies of the world and 1st position among the South Asian countries in the 2018 Inclusive Development Index (IDI) of World Economic Forum (WEF). IDI is based on three pillars – Growth and Development, Inclusion, and Equity- sustainable stewardship of natural and financial resources.
The number of startups in Nepal has significantly grown over past decade with a number of more than a hundred excelling in national as well as international level. To name, a few of them are CloudFactory, F1Soft, Paaila etc. Paaila has been manufacturing service robots in the hospitality industry with its products being Pari, Ginger and many more.
Nepal has also been able to produce capable candidates for outsourcing which is one of the fast-growing exports in Nepal.
Recently, a team from Nepal, RARA BioTech has been able to win the day 1 startup competition in World innovation forum. RARA BioTech is a company currently working on developing an effective prototype of a pregnancy detection kit for cattle.
Despite, these few developments in the technological field in Nepal, Nepal lags far behind the technological research. We consume technology but do no research on it. The public and private sectors are passive in terms of making an investment in the research fields. Thus, we are not able to make any manufacture or invention but making lots of imports.
