For the prevention of the flow of Nepalese currency to foreign countries and for the development of Nepal’s Information Technology (IT) sector, a common gateway should be developed,” said Hari Prasad Caudhari, Minister of State for Information and Communication on Friday.

Speaking at a seminar organised by Internet Service Provider Association of Nepal (ISPAN) in Kathmandu, Chaudhari said, “The government will always back any endeavour done for the development of IT sector in Nepal.” He also commended the efforts of ISPAN for its work in the IT sector.

The one day seminar was organised by ISPAN on the occasion of World Telecommunication Day (WTD) 2002. The Day has been celebrated around the world for the past few years by International Telecom Union (ITU). This year’s theme for the WTD was “ICT for all, empowering people to cross the digital divide.”

Member of the National Planning Commission Dr. Minendra Raj Rijal said that much remains to be done for the growth of IT sector in Nepal.

“Prospects for boosting the economy of the country through IT and E-commerce, which seem feasible in a country like Nepal that has economically suffered on account of its geographical terrain,” said Rijal adding, “Nepal’s internet facility is very costly owing to the high telecom tariffs. Reducing the telecom rates has been a major challenge for the development of IT sector in Nepal.”

As stated in their agenda, all ISPAN members will provide 20 users at a time free login with maximum 30 minutes each for the whole day on 17 May 2002. “Our estimate is that at least 2000 persons will access the internet free of charge on this day,” said Rajiv Pradhan president of the ISPAN.

Minister of State Chaudhary awarded prizes to the winners of an essay competition held to mark the WTD by Institute of Engineering TU. Prasanna Raj Aryal, Chherig Shrestha and Raj Kumar Gaire were awarded first, second and third prizes respectively.