ICT award 2020 surely made impact on me in terms of motivating me in reaching greater mass through social media, writing articles uploading in my website www.timilayamithapa.com for Facebook page and LinkedIn etc audiences. During early days of international head-hunting period in late 1980s and early 1990s I used to enjoy motivating students of IOE (Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk, Tribhuvan University and Ministry of Industry. After ICT award they started contacting me. In 1996 and 1997 in which I invested from my personal expenses (partially sponsored by Europe) in order to promote Nepal in international market. I succeeded in participating in CeBIT Hannover Germany in international exhibition with banner " Software solutions from TOP OF THE WORLD" when Nepal had not even opened any academic programs in ICT sector in Universities of Nepal. I convinced the secretary of ministry of industry Dr.Bhola Nath Chhalise and the president of FNCCI Mr. Padma Jyoti ( alumni of IIT Kanpur ) of Jyoti group in opening industry in ICT sector.
I mobilized IIT Kanpur in strengthening academic program of Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University. After academic program of Electronic Engineering started in 1994 I sent students to IIT Kanpur. I have also organized virtual interaction program between students of IOE and IIT K. From Ministry side Dr. Chiranjeevi Nepal was given role for this sector. The people in the ministry were totally unaware of this sector and I had tough time initiating policies in this new direction. I also went to AOTS Japan spending my personal expenses (partially sponsored by Japan) from own pocket also in order to provide input to the government.
I was also in the executive Committee member of Computer Association of Nepal in charge of the role of software industry (1996-1997). This was the first initiative taken by CAN. Students of Electronic Engineering 1994 gave me encouragement when I used to brief them about the great opportunity internationally which helped me in initiating Compute Engineering department at IOE. Converting three years academic degree to full four years B.E. in order to generate more human resources in IT sector in IOE- Thapa Thali, WRC Pokhara and Dharan was equally challenger. I must thank IIT Kanpur too for giving input in Maters degree programs of IOE too. The links below highlights more details of my remaining contributions in this field.
Last year I mentioned about inadequate investment of government in Human Capital Development sector in Nepal during 2020 ICT award ceremony for me. World is into technology convergence of Info, Cogno, Nano and Bio . Because of Technology convergence and digital acceleration worldwide there is need of accelerating Human Capital Acceleration to cope up with this disruption. Academic institutions urgently need to review the educational model to function in alignment with this rapid change of technology and reaping the benefit from new emerging technological advancement for better performances.
Working now focusing in Rural transformation and business transformation of organizations are emerging opportunities of world which can't be successful without active engagement of women from urban, rural and international communities. I am encouraging women communities, young girls to take full responsibilities without fail. If they don't act now the life of future generation will be in utter darkness.
l do see communities in ICT are engaged in one direction and the engagement of concerned stakeholders specially from government bodies not fully aligned with ICT communities making difficult to exploit the strengths of this industry. Covid 19 has accelerated growth of this industry internationally which has reflected in local scenario too. Government need to understand the trend of this market. 80 initiatives Digital ICT framework 2019 need to be speeded up with adequate funding to support the business model from government side and engaging local entrepreneurs along with international development partners including local think tank groups, local volunteers and international volunteers.
The ICT award winners of 2021 have more responsibilities ahead specially educating concerned government authorities and political leaders influencing in policy decisions. A forum of award winners should be created for helping in becoming strategic partners of National Planning Commission and concerned ministry.
Nepal also shouldn't forget contributions made by CBI Netherlands which coordinates business of 16 European countrifies which helped Nepal in promoting in international market in the mid 1990s.
After ICT award I wrote article in WIIT magazine in which I have announced about need of functionable Think Tanks engagements in coordinating all concerned stakeholders. Government should allocate sufficient budget for rolling out projects in order to drive DIGITAL NEPAL Framework. New potential ICT award winners have to take even greater responsibilities besides their professional areas. They should also be more focused and responsible in employment generation for the greater mass.
The award winners should emerge as national assets. They have also emerge as national strategic partners who should able to influence on strategic decisions of all concerned stake holders who are engaged in transformation of this country specially the transformation of rural areas where engaging communities have a big challenges in reaping benefit from technology. They should be able to influence on engaging Google, Microsoft, IBM etc for social deliveries. They should also try to get mobilize woman from NGOs, INGOs including communities who are promoting STEM areas, women entrepreneurs of FNCCI, Chambers of commerce, women's wing of CAN. They should be able to influence on curriculum development centers of schools, Colleges and Universities in reviewing for adoption of new courses in order to fit into new technology disruption. so that ICT adoption in rural areas gets accelerated which will also help in strengthening ICT industry.
The evolving new ideas sits at the center of the SDG framework as the fulcrum to lifting all the others. SDG is about the empowerment of women and girls worldwide. SDG-aligned movements are going global and becoming increasingly democratized. Forward-thinking international companies are taking note. Tech leader like IBM, for example, is recruiting 200,000 girls into STEM learning programs in India to help change the gender imbalance in the tech sector. Tata Trusts, the philanthropic arm of the Tata conglomerate, is spearheading solutions to the country’s water and sanitation crisis through PPPs encouraging SDG-focused social entrepreneurship model. If women and girls are empowered to lead campaigns for human flourishing, all the other SDGs will rise. Are the rural citizens of Nepal aware of this opportunity?
Rural transformation is a big global project in the world scenario for digital transformation. There is a serious requirement of engaging Think Tanks of the country to explore strategic opportunities to ensure that converging technologies are integrated into public policies, plans and programs in effective and equitable ways. The converging technology revolution comprises the synergistic combination of four groups of technology: Information technology, Bio technology, Nano technology and Cognitive technology. Data is the central to the converging technology revolution: a unique feature is the integration of data from human, physical, biological and cyber worlds. Nepal needs to prepare for Human Capital acceleration through strategic deployment of Conversing Technology. Engagement of NGOs and concerned authorities in educating on adaptation and implementing convergence of Info, Nano, Cogno and Bio at all levels of governing structures has become necessary for solution delivery.
There is a serious requirement of engaging Think Tanks of the country to explore strategic opportunities to ensure that converging technologies are integrated into public sector policies, plans and programs in effective and equitable ways. Some of these technologies are already being used by the private sectors, however, not extensively for human capital development. There is a further need to identify constraints that prevent the effective implementation at the ground level, including the sectoral silos that need to be opened up to incorporate these technologies to produce greater impact. And this is particularly pertinent in the context of implementing policies and programs in the relatively new (and fragile) federal structure, in which converging technologies could potentially offer more effective pathways to improve service delivery. IT forces of the nation should be integrated along with concerned stakeholders to strengthen better service delivery at the ground level of the fragile federal structure of Nepal.
Rural transformation is a big global project in the world scenario for meeting the need of ambitious digital transformation worldwide. Around 50% of the developing world’s population (Nepal: 80%; India: 66%; China: 40%) is living in the rural sector, mostly in agrarian sectors with lack of incentive and facilities for modern education system. A large percentage of them are impoverished and do not have access to latest electronic technology and digital transformation revolutionizing the urban world because of the availability of information. This is becoming a situation of a digital divide between rural sector and urban sector.
All the winners of ICT of the past and new winners of 2021 should join hands to create forum in order to educate policy makers and regulators to meet new complex challenges of Technology convergences (Nano, Cogno, Bio and Info) which has to be reflected at ward level, municipality level, provincial levels, central level, industry level and ministry level for creating functional eco systems thereby reaping the benefit of technology adoption by integrating functions at all levels. Country specific problem solution provider Emergency response department of Nepal has so far has not adequately engaged technocrats during disaster times in bigger scale in more responsive way exploiting technology. All corporate houses and government services delivery centres are in a phase of remodeling the business worldwide with the help of ICT. Nepalese corporate houses who continue to run in traditional way will phase away if they don't adopt technology and reskill the employees. Public enterprise models should be encouraged for effective service deliveries.
This one and half year of Covid 19 pandemic has accelerated Digital platform-based projects worldwide which provided lot of new opportunities for device manufacturers, equipment manufacturers, professionals and researchers specially in the sector of emergency response handlings. Women are affected the most during disasters and female students should be engaged more in generating the ICT products.
I am working towards engaging concerned stakeholders specially NGOs, INGOs working in the area of women empowerment sector to promote the issue of investment in the education sector which I strongly feel is the neglected sector. I have also raised very important issues like IT auditing, stopping duplication of work in It products and services which will help promote IT companies and their sustainability. In 1996 and 1997 when I was aggressively promoting Nepal in this sector in the international market, Nepal had not even started thinking of initiating the generation of Human Resources in this field. I worked almost in a vacuum facing difficulties in convincing the ministry and FNCCI. I would like to make the new youth forces in this area join hands and start demanding improvements in regulatory bodies from government agencies in order to remove bottlenecks.
Nepal has talents however the regulators are very slow in implementing good policies. I am also working with NGOs teaching them to work on mayors, ward leaders, provincial leaders etc specially on issues on how they view things which determines how they do things involving people to become a good leader during bad days and get through difficult crisis with coronavirus prioritizing on safety of the people encouraging budget allocation for integrating IT solution providers.
Digital framework Nepal implementation has been accelerated because of Covid 19 crisis. For full engagement of IT professionals and companies in such national programs, however, there are a lot of teething problems which need to be sorted out in order to develop companies and professionals who gain profile from such programs for winning international projects for improving country revenue from abroad. Think Tanks should co- create ECO system among concerned stakeholders. Engagement of IT auditors have become very important. There should be achieve of library of software products for reusing to save cost.
Award winners should promote the issue of investment on talents by stakeholders including government agencies. They have better chances of voices being heard by rural mass too. Hence award winners have to take the guardianship of rural and urban mass for creating better future for coming generations.
I am also coordinating Rotary Club of Mount Everest, WARN(Women Agency Research Nepal), IETE Nepal chapter (https://www.iete.org/), DHMA(http://www.dharmaheera.com/), Mahila Sahayogi Sansthan with 9000 members, Senior Citizen Societies, LCC, Nepal Engineering related various societies etc. through Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PROFtimilayami ), Website (www.timilayamithapa.com ), YouTube channel (Timila Yami Thapa) , LinkedIn etc to promote ICT industry. I am also getting my ICT related articles published through various print media channels to reach out greater mass.