PODS by PEI

#Ep.059 Nepal's energy discourse has largely been centered around its immense hydropower potential. However, experts are now talking about Nepal's potential for green hydrogen and its role in the country's commitment to sustainable energy. With International collaborations, such as the partnership between the Green Hydrogen Lab, Kathmandu University , Nepal Team Hydrogen, and NTNU, Nor...

#Ep.058 The economic performance of emerging markets in the post-COVID-19 world has been a mixed landscape of growth, vulnerability, and resilience. Driven by rebounding commodity prices and supportive fiscal policies, many economies experienced robust recovery, but this revival has been uneven across regions. Factors such as varying global trade impacts, and differences in exposure to external fi...

#Ep.057 आप्रवासनका कारकहरु सामाजिक, आर्थिक, राजनीतिक, वातावरणीय, आदि विभिन्न हुन सक्छन् | दशकौंदेखि आप्रवासनलाई केन्द्रमा राखेर नीतिगत तहमा गरिएका अनुसन्धान, बहस र पैरवीहरूले आर्थिक र राजनीतिक आयामलाई बढी ध्यान दिएका थिए भने, चार दशकयता मूल रूपमा समाजविज्ञानका अध्येताहरूले सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयामलाई पनि आप्रवासन विधाको आफ्नो अनुसन्धानको दायरामा गहकिलो रूपमा ल्याएको पाइन्छ | सामाजिक–सांस्कृतिक आयाम...

#Ep.056 World Tiger Day 2022 was a special day for Nepal. The country announced that it had raised its tiger population to a solid 355, making it the frontrunner in tiger conservation in the world. Conservationists and big-cat enthusiasts worldwide were enthralled as the endangered feline population tripled from when it was last rounded up in 2009. In this episode, PEI colleague Dheeraj Gurung sit...

#Ep.055 Foreign employment from Nepal to South Korea has emerged as a prominent and distinct migration corridor in recent years. It gained popularity as an attractive destination for Nepali migrant workers due to the government’s formal agreement under the Korea Employment Permit System (EPS), which allows for legal work opportunities in various sectors, primarily in manufacturing, agriculture, an...

#Ep.054 Energy, climate change, and regional integration are interconnected and interdependent in many ways. The production and consumption of energy significantly contribute to climate change, with fossil fuels being major culprits. Transitioning to cleaner and renewable energy sources is crucial for mitigating climate change. In this regard, regional integration is vital in addressing energy and...

#Ep.053 With the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015 and the transition into the Federal system in 2017 elections for 3-tiers of the government, there were high hopes from the citizens with regard to service delivery. However, the road to prosperity, as promised by the constitution, has been anything but smooth. The main actors responsible for effective service delivery have faced many ch...

#Ep.052 Last week, the Supreme Court issued an order enabling the temporary registration of marriages for same-sex couples, citing its ignorance so far as unconstitutional. While the order is definitely one in the direction of progress for the LGBTQ community, the gesture pales when one realizes that the struggle for marriage equality has a stagnant history of over 15 years in Nepal. The Supreme C...

नेपालमा बिगत दुई-तिन दशकमा ठुला राजनीतिक र सामाजिक परिवर्तनहरु भएI यस्तो आमुल परिवर्तन बाट गुज्रेको हाम्रो समाजको आज मूल चरित्र कस्तो छ? बर्तमान राजनीति कुन अवस्थामा छ? हाम्रो बदलिदो समाज र राजनीतिको अन्तर-सम्बन्ध के हो? यसका ओरिपरिका पात्रको भूमिका र ध्येय के रहेको छ?     आजको भागमा पी. ई. आई.का अनुराग आचार्यले, विश्लेषक हरि शर्मा संग नेपाली समाज र राजनीति का यिनै पक्ष बारे संवाद गरेका छन् | आफ्न...

Ep#050 When the world took itself indoors and online during the pandemic, a unique virtual movement bubbled in the Nepali social media sphere, one that identified multitudes of Nepal’s cultural objects in the unnatural glass cases of foreign museums and mobilized, in thousands, for their repatriation. For the first time, the Nepali masses collectively denounced cultural trafficking, pressuring wit...

Ep#049: The current rise in temperature is a cause for concern for everyone, everywhere. In recent years, the April temperatures in the Terai region have consistently crossed the 40+ degree centigrade mark. But this pattern of record-high temperatures is not confined to just the Terai region. It's also happening in places like Kathmandu, which is known for having much milder weather conditions...

#Ep.048 Nepal has recently made significant progress in sustainable transportation, particularly electric mobility. As it strives to reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality, electric vehicles are becoming an increasingly important part of its climate action plan. This has also generated a lot of interest in the energy and transportation sectors. But despite the government's targets of 25%...

#Ep.047 Last Monday, the 29th of May, Finance Minister Dr. Mahat took the parliamentary podium for three grueling hours to announce the national budget for the Fiscal Year 2023/ 24. Besides the typical significance of the policy document for the State, this year’s Budget gathered more anticipation as word about a looming economic crisis was spreading fervently among experts and citizens alike. The...

#Ep.046 Nepal's current state of infrastructure financing plays a critical role in shaping the country's development and prosperity. Adequate infrastructure is crucial for Nepal's economic growth, job creation, and overall socio-economic advancement. However, Nepal faces various challenges in securing sustainable infrastructure financing for long-term development. Limited fiscal resour...

#Ep.045 मिडिया जनतालाई विश्वसनीय सुचना दिएर शुसुचित बनाउने माध्यम हो | तर आजको दिनमा नेपाली मिडियाको विश्वसनीयता माथि नै प्रश्न उठेका छन् | मिडिया हाउसहरु आफुलाई व्यवसायिक भन्छन् । तर व्यावसायिक रुपमा संगठित हुने नाममा त्यहाँ काम गर्ने पत्रकारहरुले राजनीतिक पार्टीका भ्रातृ संघठनका च्याप्टर खोलेका छन् , र त्यस अन्तर्गत चुनाव समेत लड्दछन् । यस्तो अवस्थामा ति मिडियाले प्रकाशित/प्रसारित गर्ने समाचारमा...

#Ep.044 Due to its novelty, Cyberspace is an obscure topic for most people. While individual ignorance of cyberspace and its threats might be a considerable vulnerability, the stakes are significantly higher when the same ignorance is seen among States. Yet, most Governments still do not pay attention to building up their cybersecurity, and the situation is worse for developing countries like Nepa...

#Ep.043 Nepal aims, ambitiously, to reach net zero emissions by 2045. Doing so requires it to extensively curb emissions from its energy sector, which accounts for 54% of its total emissions. One of its action plans to that end was a push to use green renewables through alternative cooking practices, where electric cooking has massive potential. It aims to ensure that electric stoves are used as t...

#Ep.042 The global energy landscape is changing due to factors such as the Russia-Ukraine War, the rise of renewable technology, and the impending climate crisis. Oil and gas have historically been the primary sources of energy, but the impending climate crisis has highlighted the need for humanity to shed its reliance on fossil-intensive fuels. Furthermore, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has shown t...

#Ep.041 In this enlightening episode of the PEI podcast, we delve into the intricate dynamics of international labor migration. Join our host, Anuj Tiwari , as he engages in a riveting conversation with Rebekah Smith , a renowned expert in labor mobility and public policy. They unpack the multi-layered economic and social impacts of labor migration on the host nations, migrant workers, and countri...

Ep#040 नागरिकता विधेयक (पहिलो संशोधन) २०७२ ले वैवाहिक अंगिकृत महिला र जन्मको आधारमा नागरिकता लिएका सन्तानहरुलाई वंशजको आधारमा नागरिकता दिने प्रावधान पारित गरेको छ । तर एकसमुहमा रहेका कतिपय राजनीतिक दलहरुले नेपालमा वैवाहिक अंगिकृत महिलालाई सात वर्ष पछि नागरिकता दिनुपर्ने र यसअघि वितरण भएको जन्मसिद्ध नागरिकता छानबिन नभएसम्म उनीहरूका सन्तानलाई वंशजको नागरिकता दिन नहुने तर्क गर्छन। त्यस्तै दोस्रो समुह...

#Ep.039 The recently concluded “ Power Summit 2023 ”, the largest power sector event in Nepal, took place on the 18th and 19th of April 2023. The need to expand Nepal's green energy market to South Asia and beyond is urgent given the country's quick transition to an energy surplus, the worldwide shift to green energy, and its enormous potential. The Power Summit 2023 examined the opportuni...

#Ep.038 More than 15 years have passed since the end of the armed conflict between the Maoists and the Government of Nepal with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord. While the country has done a remarkable job not recoiling back into the violent conflict with which it grappled for a decade, the years after have been slow and painful for the thousands of survivors who keep waiting for a ju...

#Ep.037 Adopted in 2015, the Paris Agreement was hailed as a leap for humankind to achieve climate change mitigation, adaptation, and establish effective mechanisms for climate finance. The agreement set the long-term temperature goal to keep the rise in mean global temperature to well below 2 °C (3.6 °F) above pre-industrial levels, and preferably limit the increase to 1.5 °C (2.7 °F), recognizin...

#Ep.036 Kathmandu has evolved drastically in the past few decades. A bird’s eye view of the valley would find aggregates of concrete where the lush canopy once domineered. While Kathmandu’s urbanization gave way to socio-economic development, its native wildlife has been increasingly marginalized. This has been reflected, among other things, in the sharp decline of migratory birds visiting Kathman...

#Ep.035 नदी किनार खोतल्ने र ढुङ्गा, गिट्टी, बालुवा झिकेर बिक्री गर्ने कारोबार पछिल्ला दुई दशकमा देशैभरि उल्लेख्य बढेको छ। कारोबार, व्यापार भन्दा पनि प्राकृतिक श्रोतको दोहन भैरहेको र त्यसमा पनि यसबाट सिर्जित लाभ सिमित व्यक्ति/समूहहरुको पोल्टोमा मात्र जाने गरेको छ | २०७२ सालमा संबिधान निर्माण भइ संघिय गणतान्त्रिक लोकतन्त्रको नयाँ व्यवस्थामा देश गैसकेपछि, यो र अन्य धेरै अवस्थामा सुधार आउने आशा सम्पूर...