Place-branding Nepal
by Prof. Dipak R. Pant
Among the poorest agro-pastoral countries in the world, with over half the population living below the poverty line, Nepal is in a painful transition after a decade-long Communist insurgency and instability. Past governments had been moving forward with economic reforms that encouraged trade and foreign investment; but the result so far has been quite meager. This is mostly due to the political and security situation, but the lack of a coherent national economic strategy also plays a part.
Tourism, handicrafts, tea, quality agro-food items, herbal products, infotech and hydropower can draw good investments if properly planned and propagated. Hydropower, the main source of electricity in Nepal , it has a huge potential as a cheap and clean source of energy given the number of Himalayan torrents and rivers that flow speedily down Nepal ’s ravines. So far many hydropower development plans are accumulating dust in the government’s shelves. Nepal has been largely unsuccessful in drawing investors.
Nepal is landlocked, isolated from most of the world’s transport routes and severely constrained in surface transport due to its topography. The difficult terrain, the remoteness, the backwardness, the Hindu-Buddhist traditions and the beauty of landscapes have produced a combined effect in Nepal ’s image as one of the most exciting tourism destinations. Tourism, a chief source of foreign currency (along with migrants’ remittances and international aid), has been hurt by the conflict and the poor law-and-order situation. Tourism can drive the growth of other sectors too, as many high quality agro-food products and large quantities of medicinal herbs, grown on the Himalayan slopes, are available. But a full development of their economic potential is having hampered as Nepal ’s products have neither competitive price (economy of scale, cost of transport) nor easy access to the world market due to the lack of investment in the production process, infrastructures, facilities and market services.
Reaching out to the world market is difficult and costly right now; so pulling in the buyers is more likely to have some success in the short and medium run. Nepal needs a quality tourism strategy aimed at pulling in long-haul travellers, holiday-makers, rest-seekers, culture and nature worshippers. So the top priority of Nepal ’s planners should be in the quality of ‘context’ (place-system).
In Nepal ’s case the ‘quality of context’ is the combination of safety with the beauty of natural ecosystems, preservation of traditional identity and historical (pre-industrial/pre-modern) landscapes. That means law and order, proper sanitation facilities and hygiene, minimalist non-invasive infrastructures and high socio-environmental standards – all well communicated and propagated within and outside the country in order to create a place-brand.
This strategy, based on the quality and distinction of the social context, makes good business sense for the place-systems that suffer from certain in-built disadvantages (rugged terrain, landlocked) and have a legacy of backwardness and instability. Nepal may have good chances with the ‘place-brand strategy’. Enforceable and verifiable environmental and social quality standards may prove to be crucial in order to draw visitors, buyers and investors. Even without a significant growth in trade of goods and services with the outside world this strategy may, at least, serve the basic purpose of improving the place-system, hence collective well-being. As a consequence, a human capital of high quality in a happier place-system is built up. The place-brand strategy is probably a win/win strategy for Nepal .
(Prof. Pant is the Head, Interdisciplinary Unit for Sustainable Economy, Università Carlo Cattaneo (LIUC), Italy )
Prefer Safety Over Speed
By Dr. J Ghosh
Road accidents are killing more 15 to 19-year-olds than any disease in the world including AIDS and cancer, reports WHO. What should you do? Read on to find out.
Performing artistes, actors and sportspersons in the West have long benefited from exotic covers that insure everything from body parts to sporting gear. Marlene Dietrich insured her voice for $1 million while a wine buyer’s taste buds came with a tag of $10 million. Pianist Richard Clayderman’s fingers are also insured for a huge sum.
Even if you’re not a famous artist or sportsman, your body parts carry a big price tag, too. There is payout from an accidental death and dismemberment insurance policy.
Road accidents are killing more 15 to 19-year-olds than any disease in the world including AIDS and cancer. Annually 1.2 million people die in road accidents, 40 per cent of whom are under 25, while millions more are seriously injured or disabled for life, reports WHO.
Experts tabulate that road accidents cost an estimated $518 billion globally in material, health and other expenditure while for many countries, the cost of road crashes represents between 1-1.5 per cent of the GNP.
Africa and South-east Asia account for over half of the fatalities from road accidents. So, WHO has recommendations which include : promote road safety among children from a very young age, encourage them to wear helmets and strap car seat belts, separate motorised traffic from other users; increase roundabouts to reduce traffic speed and improve police effort to enforce road safety law.
With the growth of the road network in Nepal in recent years there has been a rise in road accidents.
A fact to note here is that of the total vehicles registered throughout the country, over two-thirds are in the Bagmati zone and more than 52 per cent are in the Kathmandu valley alone. It means about 300,000 vehicles are registered in Nepal plying on 1,345 km long roads of the Valley. So road accidents due to vehicular traffic are increasing at an alarming rate. Incidentally, there is a significant rise in the loss of life.
Do you work in a dangerous occupation?
You can judge risks status in your profession from the following risk categorizations.
Normal Risks : Bureaucrats, doctors, lawyers, accountants, architects, bankers, consulting engineers, teachers, persons engaged in administrative foundations, persons primarily engaged in occupations with similar hazards.
Medium Risks : Builders, contractors, engineers engaged in superintending functions only, veterinarians, paid drivers and persons engaged in occupations involving similar hazards.
Heavy Risks: Persons working in underground mines, explosives, magazines, workers involved in electrical installation with high-tension supply, jockeys, circus personnel, persons engaged in activities like racing on wheels or horse back, big game hunting, mountaineering, winter sports, skiing, ice-skating, ballooning, hand-gliding, river rafting polo playing and persons engaged in occupations/activities with similar hazards.
Do you have the Personal Accident insurance protection you need?
It's a fact that some occupations are riskier than others. But no matter what you do for a living, take a look at your personal accident (PA) insurance needs. Insurance can help you financially protect your loved ones even after you die. If you're single, and you don't have dependents, you probably don't need PA insurance. But if any of the following is true, consider buying insurance:
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You're married and your spouse depends on your income.
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You have children
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You have an aging parent or disabled relative who depends on your income.
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Your retirement savings, pension, or other cash accounts won't adequately support your loved ones after your death.
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You have a large estate and expect to owe estate taxes.
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You own a business.
You may want to contact an insurance agent or insurer who can help you determine what type of insurance is best for you and the amount of coverage you need.
Do you have the disability insurance you need?
If you work in a high-risk job, you probably know how important it is to have disability insurance coverage. In insurance there are categorised three types of disabilities: Permanent Total Disablement (PTD), Permanent Partial Disablement (PPD) and Temporary Total Disablement (TTD). But you should not rely on government programmes such as social security and workers' compensation as your main source of protection. In reality, government programmes pay only limited benefits under restrictive terms. Your employer may offer group disability insurance at low or no cost to you. But you may also want to consider purchasing an individual disability insurance policy. Although you'll pay more for individual coverage than for a group policy, you often get more benefits. And keep in mind that if you leave your job or otherwise terminate your relationship with a group, you can't take your disability policy with you, and you usually can't convert it to an individual disability policy. This means that you may be left without disability coverage when you need it the most.
Major Road Accidents in Nepal in 2006
Mar 6, 2006 : 11 die, 24 go missing after bus plunges into the Trishuli River after veering off Prithivi Highway near Krishna Bhir in Dhading.
May 8, 2006 : 13 children die and nine are injured after a three-wheeler crammed with 26 students veers off the road and plunges in to Jhuka-Chatara section of Sunsari-Morang irrigation canal at Bhadgaon Sinuwari VDC in Sunsari.
July 23, 2006 : 23 pasengers die in a passenger bus accident in Chanaute area of Sindhupalchok district after plunging in to Jalbire River ,300 meters down the road.
Oct 7, 2006: 10 die, 73 are hurt after a bus from Baitadi en route to Mahendranagar meets with an accident at Khasarekhan area.
Oct 11, 2006 : Ten people, including two children, die and more than 50 are injured after a passenger bus en route to KTM from Katari of Udaypur dristrict.
Oct 28, 2006 : Forty-two people were killed and 43 injured when a passenger bus skidded off the road and plunged into River at Triveni VDC-7 in Salyan district. |
Why is a thumb worth more than a finger?
A Personal Accident (PA) insurance policy designed for permanent total disability typically pays out a percentage of the policy's limit according to a schedule of lost body parts. For instance, the loss of sight in one eye pays only 50 per cent of the PA policy because you can effectively see with the other one. The loss of two limbs or both eyes or one limb or one eye results in a 100 per cent payout. Using this reasoning, the loss of your thumb usually entitles you to more compensation because it prevents you from grasping, a motion needed to perform most occupations. In today's body-parts market, an arm might now have a higher value than a leg, although historically this hasn't been the case. While legs might have been more important to the majority of our forefathers performing manual labour, in today's society - with its emphasis on keyboarding and/or assembly line skills - arms are at least as important as legs.
So choose a reputed insurer that can give you a comprehensive package at a reasonable premium and provide excellent claim service when you really need the support.
(Dr. Ghosh is Manager for Nepal of National Insurance Co. Ltd.)
