The NRN leadership must not forget hundreds of thousands of Nepali workers who send money back home but do not have access, or are not able to, make investment.

As we have known, Non-resident Nepalese Association (NRNA) was conceived in Russia, born in UK and baptized in Nepal, aiming to network non-resident Nepalis worldwide and invest the foreign-earned capital and skills for economic development of Nepal.

Aimed at reducing unemployment and creating opportunities back in home country, NRNA’s declared aim has been to find permanent solutions of our problem and believed significant contribution to build nation.

As we saw the scenario in fifth global conference held on October 2011, NRNA was criticized heavily for doing nothing. An executive committee was formed under the chairmanship of Jiba lamichhane. In response public criticism, the concept of collective investment project was brought forth.

Unnecessary debates and criticism must stop. The NRNA president has floated a project worth approximately Rs 500 million, aiming at large scale energy generation and creating employment opportunities, which will contribute to reducing dependency on foreign employment to some extent. Using the wide NRNA network and inviting NRNs individually in large scale projects is an admirable move. The investment, which is proposed as a pilot project, could attract potential investors. The criticism and public blaming will die down only when the project goes into operation. This will also create an environment to towards getting addressed the genuine demands raised by NRNA such as dual citizenship, political rights and right to keep property.

In the meantime, remittance flowing to Nepal, which has now emerged as a backbone of Nepali economy in these times of global recession, could be a bargaining point for NRNs. While doing so, however, the NRN leadership must not forget hundreds of thousands of Nepali workers who send money back home but do not have access, or are not able to, make investment. NRNA therefore should not only emphasize on investments, but it should also show some activism for the rights of this section of Nepalis working abroad.

NRNA must not be the forum of a few rich and well-connected NRNs. The NRNA leadership must be mindful of this.

In the case of the Rs 500 million project, as Lamichhane has said, NRNA is not officially involved in it and that all the NRNA is doing is to use its network to encourage possible investors.  The 100 MW hydropower project is an ambitious one and complications are likely to surface because of unfavorable and politically unstable environment.

NRNA president’s genuine effort to lunch large scale hydropower project by collecting mobilizing capital from Nepali investors around is a welcome move. Apart from attracting major investors, the NRNA leadership must also apply transitional strategies implementing some package and campaign to boost its prestige and bring mainstream of investment spectrum to all layers of NRNs.

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