Conference Schedule

Day 1: 04 July 2019


Inaugural (Pritihvi Hall, NASC - 09:00-10:00 )

Welcome and conference highlights - Narayan Gopal Malego, Senior Director and Chair, Conference Organizing Committee, NASC

Remarks -     Ajaya Dixit, ISET - Nepal

          Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, Professor, North South University, Bangladesh

           Ram Kantha Makaju Shrestha, Vice Chancellor, Kathmandu University, Nepal

          Bhim Prasad Subedi, University Grant Commission, Nepal

          Hon'ble Pushpa Raj Kadel, Vice Chair, National Planning Commission, Nepal

Opening remarks – Hon’ble Lal Babu Pandit, Minister for Federal Affairs and General Administration, Government of Nepal

Remarks and vote of thanks - Punya Prasad Neupane, Executive Director, Nepal Administrative Staff College


Tea Break (10:00 - 10:15)


Keynote speech: Expanding Public Choices and Market Opportunities 

Chair: Deependra Bahadur Kshetry, Former Vice Chairman, National Planning Commission

Keynote Speaker: Hon'ble Yubaraj Khatiwada, Minister of Finance

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 10:45 - 11:45


Tea Break (11:45 - 12:00)


Technical Session 1: Public Sector Governance

Chair: Shishir Kumar Dhungana, Secretary, GoN

Discussant: Uddhab Pyakurel, Associate Professor, Kathmandu University  

Venue: Rara Hall | Time: 12:00 - 13:30

PSG-1001: Improving public sector performance: Managing competency in civil service of Nepal - Basanta Raj Sigdel & Rajendra Adhikari

PSG-1002: Accountability in Nepali bureaucracy: What matters? - Anil Kumar Gupta

PSG 1003: Governance in Nepal: An overview of state functioning - Dileep K Adhikary

PSG 1004: Public sector integrity in Nepal: Transparency, corruption and accountability - Hari Dhungana, Trilochan Pokharel, Tulasi Sharan Sigdel, Achala Dahal & Geetanjali Upadhyaya 


Technical Session 2: Sustainable Development Goals

Chair: Bishnu Lamsal, Secretary, Government of Nepal

Discussant: Hari Dhungana, Associate Professor, Nepal Open University

Venue: Janaki Hall | Time: 12:00 - 13:30

SDG-1001: Be ancient for sustainable modernization idea generation from Bundelkhand Region (Sagar District) of MP India - Neha Mathur & Tarun Kumar Singh

SDG-1002: Does social connectivity influence tap water access? Evidence from India - Prasenjit Sarkhel & Subhalkshmi Paul

SDG-1003:  Accountability and learning outcomes within poverty framework: A theoretical critique - Satyajeet Nanda

SDG-1004: Quality of public service in Nepal: An agenda for sustainable development goals - Trilochan Pokharel, Bhim Prasad Subedi, Rajendra Adhikari, Shiva Hari Adhikari & Anil Kumar Gupta


Technical Session 3: Inclusion in Growth and Governance 

Chair: Jagadish Chandra Pokharel, Former VC, National Planning Commission, Nepal

Discussant: Biswo Poudel, Economist

Venue: Prithivi Hall | Time: 12:00 - 13:30

IG-1001: Public policies and social exclusion: A literary analysis - Sumit Haluwalia

IG-1002: e-Governance in Land Administration of Karnataka: A key milestone in inclusive growth - Shivaraju C D

IG-1003: People’s politics and governance in the countryside - Kasi Eswarappa

IG-1004: Gender responsive budgeting: Commitments and implementation in Nepal- Anita Poudel & Shilu Pradhan

IG-1005: Inclusive governance at periphery and use of ICT: Myth and reality- Salahuddin Aminuzzaman


Technical Session 4: Issues in Public Governance 

Chair: Srikrishna Shrestha, Prof, Tribhuvan University  

Discussant: Bishnu Dev Pant, Executive Director, IIDS 

Venue: Lumbini Hall | Time: 12:00 - 13:30

IPG-1001: Social justice education in STEM: A curricular framework for development and social well-being - Sameer Kapar

IPG-1002: Public engagement and public policy-synergies and diversions: Perceptions from think tanks in South Asia - Varsha Pillai & Annapoorna Ravichander

IPG-1003: Rural-urban linkages through incentive-based water management: A case from Dhulikhel Nepal - Tikeshwari Joshi

IPG-1004: Governance imperatives on strategic management of higher educational institutions in Nepal - Kedar Prasad Acharya


Lunch Break (Dinning Hall, NASC, 13:30 – 14:30 )


Policy Dialogue 1: Creating Investment Environment

Chair: Maha Prasad Adhikari, CEO, Investment Board Nepal 

Speaker: Min Bahadur Shrestha, Former VC, National Planning Commission  

Panelist: Anukool Bhatnagar, MD, SBI Bank Nepal 

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 14:30 - 15:45  


Tea Break (15:45-16:05)


Policy Dialogue 2: Devolving Opportunities – Reaching to People

Chair: Hon'ble Balananda Poudel, Chair, National Natural Resource and Fiscal Commission, Nepal

Speaker: Hon'ble Md. Lalbabu Raut, Chief Minister, Province 2, Nepal

Panelist: Mohan Das Manandhar, Executive Director, Niti Foundation

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 16:05 - 17:20


Day 2: 05 July 2019


Technical Session 5: Sub-national Governance

Chair: Reshmi Raj Pandey, Secretary, GoN 

Discussant: Dinesh Paudel, SIAS

Venue: Janaki Hall | Time: 09:30  - 11:00

SNG-1001: Fiscal decentralization effectiveness and regional disparities: A case study on India - Swati Jain

SNG-1002: Transboundary disaster governance between India and Nepal: An opportunity to include communities for leveraging benefits of policies - Rajkumar Gade

SNG-1003: Politicians and bureaucrats’ relation in local governance of Nepal - Anil Kumar Gupta, Trilochan Poudyal & Sundar Shrestha

SNG-1004: Governance landscape in Federal Republic Nepal: Citizenship and practicing local autonomy at sub-national scale - Tulasi Sharan Sigdel


Technical Session 6: Investment Environment and Market Expansion

Chair: Yam Kumari Khatiwada, Secretary, GoN

Discussant: Puspa Sharma, Deputy Executive Director, SAWTEE 

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 09:30 - 11:00

IEME-1001: Tourism entrepreneurs’ expectation from the Federal Government in touristic city of Nepal: A cross-sectional analysis - Niranjan Devkota, Udaya Raj Paudel & Udbodh Bhandari

IEME-1002: Creating investment environment for sustainable development:  A study of Indian investment policies - Vaishali Pagaria

IEME-1003: Changing political economy of regional integration: A case study of Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan - Monica Verma

IEME-1004: Public choice and equitable access to market opportunities: Rethinking regulatory approach to community owned business selling Himalayan natural products - Shyam Kumar Thapa

IEME-1005: Impact of Double Taxation Avoidance Agreements (DTAA) on Foreign Direct Investment in Nepal - Umesh Raj Rimal & Bishal Kumar Chalise


Technical Session 7: Contemporary Policy Issues in South Asia    

Chair: Ajaya Dixit, Policy Analyst

Discussant: P Geeta, Professor, Institute of Public Enterprises, India 

Venue: Rara Hall | Time: 09:30 - 11:00

CPI-1001: Sport policy and governance in Bangladesh: In search of sustainable development - Saidur Rahman

CPI-1002: Gender gaps and citizen’s confidence in South Asia - Narendra Raj Paudel & Srijana Pahari

CPI-1003: Paradoxes of development projects in Bangladesh: A case study on managing at the Top 2 (MATT2) - Mohammad Rezaul Karim

CPI-1004: The new policy regime of Nepal: Priorities and opportunities - Ojeshwini Singh


Tea Break (11:00 – 11:20)


Policy Dialogue 3: Sustainable Development Goals- Where is South Asia

Chair: Hon'ble Usha Jha, Member, National Planning Commission, Nepal

Speaker: Patrick Duong, Regional Advisor, UNDP

Panelist: Sultan Hafeez Rahman, Professor, BIGD Bangladesh

Panelist: Akhilesh Kumar, Director, Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation, Government of India 

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 11:20 - 12:45


Lunch Break (Dinning Hall, NASC, 12:45 – 13:45 )


Policy Dialogue 4: Governance Reform

Chair: Hon'ble Bimala Rai Poudyal, Member, National Assembly, Nepal

Speaker: Trilochan Pokharel, Director of Studies, NASC

Panelist: Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, Professor, North South University, Bangladesh

Panelist: Sanjay Pullipaka, Political Analyst, India

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 13:45 - 15:00


Tea Break (15:00 -15:20)


Plenary: Expanding opportunities - Integrating South Asia

Chair: Rajan Bhattarai, Foreign Affairs Advisor to the Prime Minister of Nepal

Speaker: Arjun Bahadur Thapa, Former Secretary General, SAARC 

Panelist: R.K. Mishra, Director, Institute of Public Enterprises, India

Panelist: Hari Sharma, Political Analyst

Venue: Prithvi Hall | Time: 15:20 - 16:30


Closing (Prithivi Hall, 16:40 – 17:20)

Key learning: Mehnaz Rabbani, BRAC Institute of Governance and Development, Bangladesh

Remarks: Mohan Das Manandhar, Niti Foundation

Remarks: Swayam Sampoorna Panigrahi, Professor, Institute of Public Enterprises, India  

Closing remarks and vote of thanks: Punya Prasad Neupane, Executive Director, NASC


Note: Conference schedule may be amended for technical reasons.