Charikot, the capital of Dolakha, was devastated by the earthquake in 2015, but it’s coming back to life – also when it comes to the local tourism sector. Situated just five kilometres from the epicentre of the second massive tremor, most hotels and guesthouses in this scenic town collapsed and were turned into rubbles. Indeed, […]
It’s no surprise but now the numbers are out. This fiscal year was extremely tough on almost everybody! The earthquake aftermath, months of blockade, and widespread draught created the worst economic climate ever since the height of the Maoist conflict. The government spent a mere 20 percent of its capital budget, as against 60 percent in some previous years, and economic growth took a steep fall. Growth this fiscal year was below 1 percent, not least due to a staggering 10 percent drop in manufacturing, and in the agricultural and non-agro sectors the growth rate fell from 4.72 and 5.43 percent, respectively, to just 1.14 and 0.62 percent! Only fish farming and a few other sectors saw real growth. Can the economy rebounce? Well, recent data suggests it is already. But it is from a much lower level than before the downturn in 2015/16 began.
Here’s more:
Economic growth to slump to 14-year low at 0.77 pc.
IMF lowers Nepal’s economic growth
ADB report projects Nepal’s GDP growth lowest in South Asia
Nawalparasi is already firmly established on the map as one of Nepal’s most industrialised rural districts. Located between Rupandehi to the west and Chitwan to the east, it’s exactly on the half-way mark along the Mahendra East-West Highway. Major industries like Chaudhary Udhyog Gram (CUG), Bhrikuti Pulp and Paper Factory, and Lumbini Sugar Industry and Triveni Distilleries, are already there. But above all, the district is known for its large cement production sector – and that’s just about to grow bigger!
Nepal’s economy is becoming steadily more urbanised, according to the government’s Economic Survey for 2014-15. Indeed, cities and towns make up 33.1 pct. of the national economy – Kathmandu Valley a staggering 23.4 pct. alone – and VDCs adjacent to the urban areas account for an additional 30 pct. of the economy. In other words, […]
The Mid-hill Highway is flanked by a series of roads that lead north and south, known as the North-south Corridors. These “corridor roads” came on the drawing board several decades ago as a major key to economic growth and development in the Mid-hills. Construction work began in the 1990s, and by the mid-2000s several roads […]
Kunda Dixit from Nepali Times went up to Jomsom and Lo Montang to examine the new road and its effects on the local community. What he found? Well, both winners and losers. Indeed, the mule drivers were not all that happy for the road which was quickly undermining their business! Truck drivers, on the other […]
