Lalitpur will be turned into ‘Silicon Valley’: Mayor Chiribabu

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has urged foreign investors to invest in Nepal’s science and technology sector, highlighting the development of roads, electricity, and other infrastructure in the country.

Speaking at anevent organised by the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) in Kathmandu to mark National Information and Communication Technology Day on May 2, PM Oli called on the public to embrace the concept of “one step forward every day” to modernise Nepal and advance its technological sector.

PM Olistressed the importance of expanding access to information and communication technology to enhance good governance, development, and efficient service delivery.  

“Our nation is fertile and life-supporting. There is immense potential for investment here. Let us work with the confidence that we can achieve something within our lifetime, and our journey will undoubtedly move towards progressive steps,” Oli said, adding that the use of IT is growing in all sectors, including education.

On the same occasion, Minister for Communications and Information Technology PrithviSubbaGurung, said “Nepal is in urgent need of IT park. We’re planning for it.” He further said, featuring the ministry works on new laws and policies, establishment of data centre, introduction of Artificial Intelligence Policy, expansion of 4G, and strengthening integrated data centre, among others. there was urgency of infrastructure for thriving information and communication technology (ICT) in Nepal. 

Minister Gurung said investment is another essential in ICT sector to augment good governance, prosperity and development. He, however, shared that the ministry had focused on timely legal reform, infrastructure development and competent workforce.   

On the occasion, member of the National Planning Commission, Dr Prakash Kumar Shrestha, said although increased use of ICT was positive, digital literacy needs special focus. Creation of jobs and revenue generation from ICT should be equally emphasized, he added.     

National ICT Awards in different categories were conferred on the occasion. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Minister Gurung distributed the awards to various persons and local levels for their significant role in promoting ICT in Nepal.     

Prof DrSashidhar Ram Joshi was provided the ‘National ICT Excellence Award, while the ‘National ICT Award’ was presented to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology from the public sector.     

Lalitpur Metropolitan City was honoured with the ‘National ICT Award’ from among the local levels. Bandana Sharma was recognized with the same award for her contribution, especially in digital banking.

Mayor of LMC, ChiribabuMaharjan, accepting the National ICT Award under the category Public Sector-Province/Local Level, said he aims to transform Lalitpur into the Silicon Valley of Nepal. The mayor stated that the metropolis has intensified the use of information technology in service delivery and urged IT companies for collaboration towards this.

The mayor has stated that the metropolis has intensified the use of information technology in service delivery, he said, adding that the use of IT has improved public service delivery. Under the smart city concept, the metropolis has made significant achievements in terms of nature conservation and traffic management, Maharjan said.

In terms of emergency services, Maharjan said: Our recently-launched LMC alert system allows the residents of the metropolis to avail themselves of emergency assistance within four minutes by calling the toll-free number 1131.

Full implementation of electronic building permit system (e-BPS) and installation of intelligent traffic lights, among others, reflect our long-term vision regarding technology infrastructure, he said: No one has to visit the LMC office to get approval for building designs, but this does not mean we are trying to snap ties between the government and the citizenry.

Lalitpur metropolis is already known in Nepal as an education hub, hence the plan to turn it into Nepal’s Silicon Valley, the mayor said: Most of the ICT award recipients are from Lalitpur, so I don’t think the vision for transforming the city into the Silicon Valley is an impossible ask.

The metropolis stands ready to work together with interested parties in the field of IT, he said, pledging to roll out the red carpet for the interested parties.