FACE-TO-FACE
KATHMANDU, MAY 16
Former minister for environment, science, and technology, Ganesh Shah, has welcomed the establishment of the new Science, Technology, and Innovation Ministry (MoSTI) but believes it will only succeed if it is transformed into a truly cross-cutting institution linked to entrepreneurship, science diplomacy, and the Nepali diaspora.
The government on May 14 decided to add a new Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation that has drawn appreciation and new challenges both for the new government led by Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah. Prime Minister Shah currently holds the ministry's portfolio.
In an interview with The Himalayan Times, former minister Shah not only supported the ministry, but argued that it must be practical, coordinated, and adequately funded to avoid becoming another symbolic bureaucracy.
According to him, for this ministry to be effective, it must bring together key government institutions. This should include organisations such as the National Academy of Science and Technology (NAST), the Nepal Health and Research Council (NHRC), and the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM). These organisations should be affiliated with the economy and entrepreneurship. Science and technology must be linked to entrepreneurship; otherwise, the ministry will not serve society.
"Unless science and technology are linked to entrepreneurship, they will not benefit society," he told THT.
"Previously, [the separate ministry] was established not to promote science, but to give ownership to one party in order to make them minister... It was done to accommodate political parties. However, this government has taken the initiative to establish a science ministry in which other parties will not be required to provide seats."
Shah also stated that the ministry should help unite Nepal's scientific community and serve as a political and institutional bridge to connect people through science. Another major role, he stated, is to actively engage with the diaspora because Nepal has experienced brain drain, which this ministry could help reverse [brain gain] by connecting with skilled Nepalis abroad.
"This ministry must play a significant role in connecting the diaspora... We need their investment, knowledge, and technology. We need to turn scientific brain drain into brain gain."
Former minister Shah described the ministry as cross-cutting, stating that science must collaborate with multiple sectors. In foreign affairs, it should promote science diplomacy; in education, it should focus on science education. He stressed the need for strong interministerial linkage.
Reflecting on previous iterations of a science ministry (under prime ministers such as Madhav Kumar Nepal and Baburam Bhattarai), Shah argues that previous models failed because they were used as political tools to appease coalition partners rather than genuinely promoting innovation.
"What has happened in the past is that sometimes we have the budget but not the working procedures (Karyabidhi), so the budget has been frozen... The first task for this ministry is to determine which government departments will fall under it, allocate budgets, and create an environment in which to spend that budget."
He stated that Nepal has had issues with frozen or unspent science budgets because the spending process was not well designed. Research funding is insufficient, and inadequate allocations undermine the quality of scientific research.
"Research scientists are not receiving enough support for quality research," he noted, emphasising that a portion of the Ministry of Industry should be incorporated into the new ministry to support startups and industrial entrepreneurship.