संघीयता महँगो हो भने

अहिलेका प्रधान मंत्री सुशील कोइराला र आफुलाई भावी (next) प्रधान मंत्री भन्ठान्ने केपी ओली दुईटै बाहुनले संघीयता महँगो व्यवस्था हो, त्यसैले संघीयतामा जाने नै हो भने सकेसम्म कम राज्य बनाऊँ ताकि खर्च कम लागोस भन्ने तर्क अगाडि सारेका छन।

अहिले सरकार चलाउन २०० अरब लाग्छ र संघीयतामा गए ३०० अरब लाग्ने हो भने संघीयतामा जाने नै किन? संघीयतामा गएर यदि तीन राज्य बनाए ३०० अरब लाग्छ तर १० राज्यमा गए ६०० अरब लाग्छ भने त्यस्तो वाहियात काम किन गर्ने?

यदि खर्च त्यसरी बढ्छ भने संघीयता नेपालको माटो सुहाउँदो होइन रहेछ भन्ने थाहा हुन्छ। अनि, गरीब देश, संघीयतामा नजाने, अहिलेको नेपालको माटो सुहाउँदो एकात्मक व्यवस्था नै कायम राख्ने।

मैले यो महेन्द्रको पंचायती भाषा जानी जानी बोलेको। सुशीलले माला लगाउँछन् वीपीको तस्वीरमा तर नीति मान्छन् महेन्द्रको। अजब देश गजब नगरी। अहिलेको एकात्मक संरचना महेन्द्रको एक भाषा एक भेष एक धर्म नीतिमा आधारित छ। संघीयता भनेको त्यो गल्तीलाई ध्वस्त पार्ने बम नै हो। State restructuring मा संरचनात्मक तोड़फोड़ हुन्छ नै।

संघीयता महँगो हो भने पनि चाहिने कुरा हो। न्याय महँगो भो भनेर अन्याय कायम गर्ने?

तर संघीयता महँगो होइन। संघीय व्यवस्था एकात्मक व्यवस्थाभन्दा सस्तो व्यवस्था हो। किनभने संघीय व्यवस्थामा efficiency बढ्छ। स्थानीय स्तरमा अधिकांश काम हुन्छन्। त्यहाँ नहुने काम जिल्लामा हुन्छ। जिल्लामा नहुन सक्ने काम मात्र राज्य स्तरमा हुन्छ। र सरकारी काम राज्य स्तरमा नहुने एकदम कम हुन्छ। भनेको केन्द्रमा गएर गराउनु पर्ने काम अति नै कम हुन्छ।

विचार गर्नुस्। यदि जनताका अधिकांश काम राज्य स्तरमा नै हुन्छ भने सस्तो के हो? कम संख्याको राज्य कि बढ़ी संख्याको राज्य? यदि खर्च कम गर्नु छ भने नेपालमा २५ राज्य स्थापना गरेको सबै भन्दा राम्रो। २५ राज्य स्थापना गरेमा जिल्ला सरकार नचाहिने भो। जनताकालागि राज्यको राजधानी टाढा हुने भएन। खर्च घट्ने भो।

सुशील र केपी महेन्द्रपथका अनुयायी मात्र होइन, illogical बाहुन पनि रहेछन् भन्ने थाहा भो, सबैलाई चेतना भया।

नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति र न्यु यर्कका नेपाली (2)

English: Nepali sadhu performing a blessing. Français : Sadou à Kathmandu Nepal avril 2004 ‪Norsk (nynorsk)‬: Heilag mann i Katmandu i Nepal, med pannemerke, symbolmønstra klede, rosenkrans rundt halsen og handa forma i ein mudra. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Citizenship without political rights is an oxymoron. Dual citizenship without political rights for the Non Resident Nepalis (NRNs) is not an option. Such an arrangement would be crippling.

People complain about brain drain. Oh, the smart Nepalis left the country, what to do! Then why not work on brain gain!? Dual citizenship with full political rights is a brain gain concept. It is the single best policy decision the power brokers in Kathmandu can make for Nepal's rapid economic growth. Why are the smartest Nepalis on the planet pleading with those power brokers as if they were some kind of a persecuted minority!? Why are they not talking like people who have much to contribute? And all they are asking for is vehicles with which to contribute!

Once a Nepali, always a Nepali -- pure and simple.

But once you do have that legal framework in place, the onus shifts to entrepreneurship. I think the best way to make concrete, positive impacts on the Nepal's economy when you are a Nepali living abroad is to first prove your mettle as an entrepreneur.

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1K Per Nepali: Crunching Some Numbers

Last week at a Diwali Party a great idea was floated. Nepali professionals in NYC should put 1K each into a pool which would be in the form of a company. There would be a small Executive Committee that would invest in early stage Nepali origin high tech startups following pre-approved guidelines. The company would also invest in startups based in Nepal.

Let's say 100 Nepalis got together and put in 1K each. You can't invest in every tech startup that comes along just because they are Nepali origin. And not all startups in which Nepalis are involved are looking for money, especially small money like this fund might have. At that event there were two Nepalis who were already working for tech startups. But neither were Founders. And both startups were well funded in their own right.

So with this startup you are looking for Nepali Founders.

Money invested in the stock markets grows at an average annual rate of 10%. Money invested in the US Treasury bonds gives you 5% or less. But the first 100K invested in Google became a billion and a half in about eight years. That is tens of thousands of percentage points in growth. That is wild. Never say never but let's assume, statistically speaking, that a Nepali Founder coming up with the next Google is not very likely. Statistically speaking.

The top VC firm in NYC has a success rate of 66%. As in, one third of the companies it invests in tend to fail. The best ones give them a 10X return. As in, every dollar invested becomes 10 dollars. A 10X return is considered excellent in the VC industry. So Google by that standard is out of the ballpark.

Let's say 100K is raised. And it is invested in three startups that have Nepali Founders, two in NYC/USA and one in Kathmandu. Let's say one NYC startup starts at a million dollar valuation and ends up with a billion dollar valuation in five years. Let's say one NYC startup goes bust, and the investment is lost. The Kathmandu startup starts at a million dollar valuation and goes on to a 100 million dollar valuation in five years.

So, it was 35K, 35K and 30K. 35K went bust. And this is an excellent scenario.

35K fetched 3.5% in equity, there was an anti-dilution clause. And so 3.5% of a billion is 35 million dollars. 30K fetched 3% and 3% of 100 million is three million dollars. So the 100K fund became $38 million in five years. And this is an excellent scenario.

A dud scenario is, 100K was raised, it was invested in three startups, all three went bust. The consolation was it only cost each person 1K each. A 10X scenario would be the 100K became a million dollars. In the VC industry that is considered to be excellent. As in, 100K becoming 35 million dollars is pretty much a wild case scenario.

When the money comes in, each 1K person would have the option to cash out. What is 1% of 35 million? 350K? Or the people could say, I want to take out 300K, and leave 50K in there. 50K times 100 is 5,000K, that is five million. And the Executive Committee now has five million to play with.

Or the fund could expand. It might start with 100K, and it might bring in 400 more people, or a thousand people, and be a 500K fund or a million dollar fund to start with. It is possible to show your companies are doing well before you actually get to cash out.

So far as I know I am the only Nepali in the city who is both a tech startup founder and is actively looking for round one money. My ask is in the 35K range. And my projection is that my startup should be a billion dollar company in five years.

Another great candidate would be the Amazon/Flipkart/Alibaba for the Nepal market that would also do Bitcoin based money transfer for near zero rates.

So my take would be, raise 100K right away, like today, invest in my startup, and start looking for that Kathmandu team. And then start looking for more 1K people. Maybe you want to come into my round 2 as well, as one of several investors.

In my particular case, I would be happy to offer to the fund what I have offered to some of my friends who have come into my round one at 5K each. I will make it risk free for the fund. Should the venture fail, from the day of the failure, I will have 12 months to return this 35K to the fund, as if it were a personal loan. Should the venture succeed, I will get 5% of the growth this investment might see. So if this 35K becomes seven million dollars in five years, I get 5% of that seven million, namely 350K, and the fund gets the rest.

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डोल्पा, सोलुखुम्बु र संघीयता

English: Dunai, Dolpo, Nepal (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

डोल्पामा यार्चागुम्बा छ। सोलुखुम्बुमा सगरमाथा छ, हिमाल चढ़न संसार भरिका मान्छे आउँछन्। ती दुवैबाट कमाइ हुन्छ। त्यस कमाइबाट स्थानीय जनतालाई फाइदा हुनु संघीयता हो। तर अहिले जे छ त्यसलाई उपनिवेश नै भन्नु पर्छ।

In a police state

After the newspapers reported Rahman’s detention, there was a lot of outrage in the social media. If the anger in those comments could be gauged with a thermometer, they would certainly beat Rahaman’s original post. But unlike Rahman, none of the people who posted those comments have been taken into custody. In fact, as far as this writer knows, none of Kathmandu’s enlightened social media warriors who routinely slam the entire Nepal government and ministers have had to face action so far. This is not to say they should face action; only that Rahman, too, is entitled to the same rights as them. Then why did he become an easy prey for the police whereas others did not? ......... None of the officials or administrators who have been ruling over the locals of Dho village and making decisions about how to use their resources can understand the local language. Shey Phoksundo National Park has formed a Buffer Zone Management Committee in Dho village, which falls in the Park’s buffer zone. The committee is responsible for managing the area’s natural resources. The chair of the committee is a Mahat. The chief of the Armed Police Force unit deployed there is a Malla. The locals cannot have meaningful dialogue with either of these men. They cannot explain their problems to them. Nor can they express their grievances to the Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Khanal. That’s why they say, “The police called us ‘bhote’ and beat us mercilessly.”

नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति र न्यु यर्कका नेपाली

• New York City is the capital city of the world. There are talented Nepalis all over the world. But NYC does have a pretty impressive collection of Nepali talent. 
• Nepal is a very poor country. The most important goal for Nepal for the next 30 years is rapid economic growth. An economic revolution would be double digit growth rates year in year out for 30 years. Any Prime Minister of Nepal who does anything less over the next 30 years is a failure. 
• A lot of talented Nepalis have left Nepal for educational opportunities and greener pastures abroad. But among them I have felt a universal desire to give back, to contribute. That has to be tapped. 
• The quality of organization is important. The depth of feeling is important. The nation of Israel is a great example of how a well organized people can make outsize contributions. 
• Once A Nepali, Always A Nepali is a key concept. Citizenship without political rights makes zero sense. Dual citizenship with full rights would be a brain gain concept, it is the single most important thing the country can do to bring in massive FDI. 
• There are 30 Nepali millionaires in Moscow. By that count there should be 100 Nepali millionaires in NYC. 
• High tech entrepreneurship is the best way to get there. 
• One idea that has been floated is to incorporate a company in which a few hundred Nepalis would invest a thousand dollars each. And that LLC would invest in Nepali origin high tech startups in the early stages. I think that's a great idea. 
• Unless you can be a successful entrepreneur in an environment like NYC, it would be hard to make concrete contributions to Nepal's economic growth. 

NYPNY Event At The Bhatta Law Firm Near Bryant Park Last Night

Diwali Party: My Prepared Remarks

सर्वप्रथम त सबै जनालाई तिहार को दिपावली को मंगलमय शुभकामना
डिल्ली भट्ट, अन्जन श्रेष्ठ र म परमेन्द्र भगत को तर्फ बाट
घर घरमा लक्ष्मीको वास होस्, आफ्नो घर देश छोडेर डलर को खेती गर्न निस्केका हामी सबैलाई आ आफ्नो लक्ष्य प्राप्त होस्

एक हप्ता अगाडी एका विहान हामी तीन जना डिल्ली भट्ट, अन्जन श्रेष्ठ र म अन्जनजीको गाडीमा चढेर शनिवार Rockaway Beach पुग्यौं, sunrise अथवा सुर्योदय हेर्नाले शक्ति प्राप्त हुन्छ भन्ने कुरा वेदमा भनिएको छ भनेर अन्जन जीले भन्नुभो। मलाई त हो जस्तो लाग्यो। मुड फ्रेश।

मेरो सांस्कृतिक पृष्ठभूमि मिथिला हो। मिथिलामा हिन्दुले पनि मुस्लिमले पनि छठ मनाउछन्। छठमा सुर्यास्त को र सुर्योदय को पुजा हुने हो। दिवाली को छैंठौं दिन छठ हो। सबैलाई छठको पनि शुभकामना।

यो दिवाली पार्टीको एउटा theme छ। त्यो theme हो नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति का लागि न्यु यर्क को नेपाली समुदाय को रोल, न्यु यर्क को नेपाली समुदायको आर्थिक क्रान्ति का लागि High Tech Entrepreneurship को रोल। त्यो High Tech Entrepreneurship मा न्यु यर्क नेपाली समुदाय का आम नेपालीले खेल्न सक्ने रोल।

नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति भनेको के? मेरो परिभाषामा नेपालमा आर्थिक क्रान्ति भनेको double digit growth rates year in year out for 30 years हो। यानि कि नेपालको अर्थतन्त्र वार्षिक १०% अथवा त्योभन्दा बढी का दरले वृद्धि हुनुपर्यो ३० वर्षकालागि। आगामी ३० वर्ष त्यति गर्न सक्ने प्रधान मन्त्री पास, नत्र भने फेल।

त्यसमा न्यु यर्क का नेपालीको मात्र होइन, सारा प्रवासी नेपालीको ठुलो र निर्णायक रोल छ। त्यो भनेको एक पटकको नेपाली, सधैंको नेपाली नै हो। राजनीतिक अधिकार बिनाको नागरिकता पनि नागरिकता हुन्छ कहीं! राजनीतिक अधिकार बिनाको नागरिकता त पन्चायती नागरिकता हो। प्रवासी नेपालीलाई पुर्ण नागरिकता नदिने हो भने नेपालको आर्थिक क्रान्ति disturb हुन्छ। द्वैध नागरिकता (dual citizenship) भनेको brain gain गर्ने सर्वोत्तम तरिका हो।

दुनियाको राजधानी न्यु यर्क। प्रवासमा न्यु यर्क को special स्थान छ। न्यु यर्क का नेपाली न तात्तिदा सम्म काठमानडुमा NRN movement लाई seriously लिइएन। तर न्यु यर्क का नेपाली ले आफुले आफुलाई नचिनेको अवस्था पनि छ। हनुमान नजागेको अवस्था छ। मस्को मा ३० जना नेपाली millionaire छन् भन्ने सुन्छु। न्यु यर्क मा त्यसो भए कमसेकम ५० जना नेपाली millionaire हुनुपर्ने। किन छैनन्? हामीले सोध्नुपर्ने प्रश्न हो यो।

High Tech Entrepreneurship को कुरा यस्तो छ। Receptionist को काम जहाँ पनि उस्तै उस्तै हो। तर Google मा स्थापना काल देखि काम गर्ने receptionist जब Google IPO भयो, त्यो receptionist रातारात millionaire भयो। सबै कम्पनी Google र Facebook होइनन। ती category A कम्पनी भए। तर category B कम्पनी पनि हुन्छन। बिलियन डलर सम्मको मार्केट value सम्म पुग्ने। Category C कम्पनी हुन्छन, 100 मिलियन मार्केट value सम्म पुग्ने। Category D कम्पनी हुन्छन, 10 मिलियन मार्केट value सम्म पुग्ने। Category E कम्पनी हुन्छन, एक मिलियन मार्केट value सम्म पुग्ने। मेरो tech team ले एउटा client कालागि बनाएको एउटा app December मा त्यो client ले मिलियन डलर मा बेच्यो।

मेरो team अहिले एउटा Augmented Reality Mobile Game मा काम गर्दैछ। यो हाम्रो अन्तरिक प्रोजेक्ट हो। आफैलाई गरेको, कुनै client का लागि होइन। We think we are in a strong position to end up a Category B company in a five year time frame. We are raising some seed money right now at a million dollar valuation. We are projecting 5,000 dollars invested in our company right now should become a million dollars in five years. But sometimes tech startups fail. Then what? I made it risk free for some of my friends who came in. I said, should the company fail, I will have 12 months to give your 5K back to you. But should it succeed, and your 5K does end up being a million dollars, I get 5% of that growth, I get 50K, you get 950K. Some of my friends took it.

यदि यो investment opportunity तपाईं लाई आकर्षक लाग्छ भने गफ गरौँ। मेरो सम्पर्क नम्बर हो 917 512 5445 र मेरो इमेल हो paramendra@gmail.com Tech startup गर्न खोजेको म एक्लो होइन। अन्जनजीको पनि एउटा दुइटा idea छ। Tech startup गर्न चाहने अरु पनि कोही हुनुहुन्छ भने हामीले तपाईं का लागि सक्दो गर्छौं, सम्पर्क गर्नोस्।

यस सन्दर्भमा मैले डिल्ली जीलाई एउटा कहानी सुनाएँ। When Oracle bought PeopleSoft a few years back for a few billion, Larry Ellison paid his lawyers $100 million in legal fees.

न्यु यर्क जस्तो ठाउँमा millionaire बन्न नसक्नेले नेपालको आर्थिक क्रान्तिमा ठुलो योगदान पुर्याउन सक्छ जस्तो मलाई लाग्दैन। तर यहाँ सफल entrepreneur बन्न सक्नेले नेपालमा FDI (Foreign Direct Investment) लाने बाटाहरु खुल्छन।

फेरि पनि सबै जनालाई तिहार को दिपावली को छठ को मंगलमय शुभकामना

(To be delivered at the Dilli Bhatta Law Firm, 18 East 41st Street, Suite 1105, New York, NY 10017, October 23, 2014, Thursday evening)

CK Raut Has To Be Released Unconditionally And Immediately

Gandhi Also Refused To Pay Bail

No ifs and buts. The arrest was wrong. And he has to be released unconditionally and immediately.

The courts could do it. The courts could release him unconditionally and immediately.

The Prime Minister could do it. The Prime Minister could release him unconditionally and immediately.

The Home Minister could do it. The Home Minister could release him unconditionally and immediately.

Accept that you made a mistake in arresting him. Apologize. And let him go.

That is my opinion. That is the opinion of all the top human rights organizations in the world.

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• Nepal: Drop Sedition Charges against Madhesi Activist
• Nepal: Drop Sedition Charges Against Madhesi Activist, Says HRW
• Drop sedition charges against activist, Nepal told

CK Raut Arrest Is Human Rights Blasphemy

Suman Khadka and Kanak Mani Dixit seem to have a disagreement of opinion with Dr. CK Raut ----- that is perfectly fine. CK is not, never has been, will never be, above criticism. But that he is behind bars for something he might have said, something he might have written is human rights blasphemy. Why don't the Pahadi "intellectuals," the Pahadi human rights activists, the Pahadi journalists get this basic, simple point!? Is the ethnic prejudice against Madhesis in the country soooooo deep!?

A lady and a witch

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• Right To Self Determination: Where CK Raut And The Madhesi Parties Meet
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The Big Six?

दक्षिण एशियाको आर्थिक एकीकरण

नेपालमा न्यायपुर्ण संघीयता र दक्षिण एशियाको आर्थिक एकीकरण ----  यी दुई कुराले मधेसीलाई समानता दिने हो। सार्कको आफ्नै संसद चाहिने हुन्छ पछि। दक्षिण एशिया को आर्थिक एकीकरण भएमा नेपाल भूपरिवेष्टित भएर बेहोर्नु परेको समस्या सब गायब हुन्छ।

सार्क ईयू मोडलमा जाने

दक्षिण एसियाली आर्थिक संघ (एसएईयू) का रूपमा स्थापित हुने महत्त्वाकांक्षी योजना