Every year Nepal marks May 2 as the National Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Day. This year the National ICT Day 2025 was celebrated under the theme of ‘Campaign for Information Technology: Building a Digital Nepal’.

In line with this theme, Bagmati Province Office of Communication Registrar organized a discussion program on ‘Digital Bagmati: Opportunities, Priorities and Challenges’ in collaboration with Freedom Forum on May 7 in Kathmandu.

The program gathered 43 (including eight female) technology experts and enthusiasts from civil society, academia, government authorities, and media. The program was chaired by Communication Registrar Rewati Sapkota along with dignified guests including Minister for Internal Affairs and Law, Suraj Chandra Lamichhane; Province Assembly Member, Chhiring Dorje Lama; Province Policy and Planning Commission’s Vice-President Dr Ganga Datta Nepal; and Political Advisor for Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Binod Sah.

Communication Registrar Rewati Sapkota welcomed all the participants and initiated the program, highlighting the importance of ICT Day and objective of the program. He shared the latest updates on ICT in the province. The province has been successful to include online journalism into the syllabus of higher education. Startup programs involving Gen Z and drafting laws on information technology are few progress towards digital space in Nepal. Digital Bagmati is a vision of the province, he said, expecting cooperation from all the sectors to this end.

The discussion was also aimed at receiving more feedbacks on the province government and communication registrar office to make the vision a reality, Sapkota underscored.

Freedom Forum (FF) Executive Chief Taranath Dahal shared a presentation on existing legal provisions on ICT and possible interventions by the government to realize the Digital Bagmati concept. The presentation jointly prepared by Dahal and FF’s General Secretary Advocate Sanjeeb Ghimire highlighted a multi-stakeholder dialogue and partnership approach as essential for implementation of the province government’s vision.

Executive Chief Dahal shared that existing Information and Communication Policy, Broadband policy and recently drafted Digital Nepal Framework 2025 were not clear on scope and roles of three tiers of government, especially for the province government. He also informed that according to Government’s Policy and Program for fiscal year 2024/25, industries related to information technology will be developed as employment sectors with service delivery in coordination with the federal government. Moreover, a suitable provincial information technology work station will be operated for this purpose.

The presentation Dahal shared pointed out strategies for ‘Digital Bagmati’ as – policy-level preparations, strong institutional structure, digital infrastructure, skilled human resources, appropriate resource mobilization and investment attraction, and smart government. Through his presentation, Dahal also called the government to identify the province government’s priorities, limitations and challenges and act accordingly to make this vision successful.

On the occasion, IT expert Binod Dhakal extended wishes on the occasion of National IT Day and said that a shift in mindset and corruption free environment is necessary for effective intervention to make Digital Bagmati successful. He requested the government to allocate sufficient budget, create more opportunities and collaborate with multi-stakeholders to make the province technology friendly. He also committed that all 77 district branches of Computer Association of Nepal Federation was ready to cooperate government in this movement.

Seconding Dhakal, Computer Engineer Dr Sameer Kharel suggested to prioritize STEM in education at all levels. Moreover, while developing infrastructure, it is essential to consider the broader ecosystem. Also, developing chatbots tailored to provinces’ needs and available budgets is feasible.

Another ICT expert Hempal Shrestha commented that the concept of Digital Bagmati sounded good but practical implementation might be challenging. While developing an action plan, existing policies of provinces should be consulted, compared, problems identified and acted accordingly. Coordination between federal and provincial government is vital, he marked.

Executive Director at Samudayik Sarathi Tara Bahadur Bhandari shared that many government websites lack digitally skilled staffs; websites are rarely updated; and responsiveness is poor. To realize this digital dream, one should be committed and prompt.

Dovan Rai, Executive Director at Body and Data, appreciated the Digital Bagmati concept and suggested the government that it worked in collaboration with the Gen Z, trusted them and motivated for building digital infrastructures.

Advocate Sribha Shrestha mentioned that technology had become a cross-cutting agenda. Hence, it should also be included in the law curricula for better collaboration in future.

Chief Executive Officer at Open Knowledge Nepal Nikesh Balami stressed on research and laws favourable to digital ecosystem. He urged the government to interact with the academia, tech-savvy youths, host innovative programs like hackathons to generate ideas on digital transformation.

According to Ananda Gautam, Co-Founder of Open Internet Nepal, implementing agencies must be strong for its successful intervention. He said, “While the federal government discusses banning platforms like TikTok, provincial government’s aim for digital transformation is a welcome step.” Development is possible if the government invests in skilled human resources and allocates necessary budget.

Rajan Lamsal, Chairperson at ICT Foundation Nepal, highlighted the importance of digital governance and capacity building of all the concerned sectors to overcome implementation challenges. Further, collaboration among youth, government and private sectors is essential.

Journalist Anujraj Dhungel recommended the government to initiate Information Bank concept with usable and shareable data formats at the provincial level to boost efficiency. “Digital Bagmati is feasible because there are various positive examples of online transformation of government service delivery. For this, STEM education must be prioritized, and policy-level intervention is essential to attract Gen Z,” he added.

Advisor from the OCMCM Bagmati Province, Binod Sah, shared government’s positive initiatives in digital service delivery, for instance in travel license renewal, Nagarik app, etc. He proposed that in future application processes at schools and local-levels’ services should also be digitized. This will be a milestone. Sah also expressed commitment that Bagmati Province government will incorporate the suggestions furnished by the discussion into the upcoming 2082/83 program with a commitment to proper budgeting.

Vice Chairman of the Policy and Planning Commission, Dr Gangadutta Nepal, informed that the Commission was focusing on data synchronization and IT management. “Moving forward, we will prioritize these points in upcoming policies and budgets. To a positive note, project bank has been launched where ministries submit plans as per standard manuals. Inclusion of ICT into all the curricula should also be a priority,” he mentioned.

Similarly, lawmaker Chhiring Dorje Lama stated that till date no MP has proposed any program on technology in the province assembly. Many MPs have limited understanding on IT that is why, technology development is of less priority. He viewed development priorities must now shift toward employment from infrastructure development. Government’s focus on budget allocation should shift towards policy formulation and implementation, he underlined.

Bagmati Province Government’s Spokesperson Suraj Chandra Lamichhane mentioned about the presence of Generation Alpha beyond Generation Z. He discussed positive evolution of technology from the age of TV, radio to digital platforms like YouTube, Netflix, etc. Furthermore, integrated data management, telemedicine, and distance learning are few progresses made so far.

“To develop technology along with governance, public trust should also be prioritized. Today, digital literacy is vital – at least 80% of the population should be literate. We value suggestions furnished here and will act accordingly. For a holistic development, collaboration with the private sector and civil society is necessary”, he remarked.

Lastly, Registrar Sapkota committed that despite 47% budget cut to the Office of the Communication Registrar, they remain dedicated to fulfilling their responsibilities. The suggestions will be noted and implemented accordingly, he vowed.