Govt plans to facilitate software businesses

KATHMANDU, FEB 07: 

Secretary at the ministry of science, technology and environment Keshab Prasad Bhattarai has said that the government will bring a separate policy to facilitate software companies. 

The software business has huge potential but is still untapped. It will not only generate revenue but also create employment, he said at the inauguration of the Midas CAN InfoTech here in Kathmandu today. 

“The government should work on the regulation aspects to facilitate the business and make it a lucrative sector,” he said.

Outsourcing is a global phenomenon for business software development and design, he said, adding the country’s production of 3,000 graduates every year will benefit from software business. 

Nepal has transactions worth Rs 300 million of software products, according to general secretary of Computer Association of Nepal Narayan Neupane. 

Anti-virus software, upgrading software, banking software, and Management Information System software are some of the most popular products in the country, he said. 

The country has a huge potential for generating employment and revenue by stimulating services of software businesses, said 

Neupane, adding that the country earns around Rs 300 million through services provided by Nepali IT professionals. 

Outsourcing has created many opportunities for the country’s IT graduates, he claimed. 

Secretary Bhattarai also said that the ministry will develop a strategy paper to stimulate the Information and Technology sector in the country. 

“The government should utilise IT for public service delivery to ensure quick and quality service,” Bhattarai further added.

According to vice president of the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) Pradeep Jung Pandey, energy crisis has been a major obstacle to expanding the IT sector. 

The government should recognise the IT business as an industry, he opined. “The country can generate more revenue and can create more opportunities from IT businesses if appropriate policies are formulated.”

“The government should convert all its activities into electronic form, gradually,” said Pandey, adding that the IT business has good scope since the chances of expansion of IT products to the grassroots level of the country will help IT companies sustain.

Meanwhile, a six-day long Midas CAN InfoTech 2013 commenced today at the Exhibition Hall, Bhrikuti Mandap, Kathmandu. 

More than 200 companies, representing national and international brands, are participating in the exhibition, according to Neupane. The organisers expect 500,000 people to visit the CAN InfoTech 2013.

Source: THT