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Jeetendra Dev is a leader of the Nepali Congress. As a senior politician, he closely observes Nepal’s foreign policy and international relations. In this context, ApEx talked with him about the various aspects of Nepal-India relations.

How do you see the current state of Nepal-India relations?

Nepal and India have an age-old historic as well as civilizational relationship. This is the relation of emotion, daily life and shared destiny. We are interlinked with an umbilical cord towards shared destiny. Nowhere in the world could we see such a relationship between the two sovereign countries. On top of that we should never forget that this relation was not made by any government, parties or individuals; rather it was made by civilization, history and by the people itself and this bond is unbreakable.

After this we have the Peace and Friendship Treaty of 1950 and the international border is open as well as there is no passport and visa system. We have deep and fruitful political relations too. We have a wider range of dimensions and paraphernalia of socio-economic cooperation. For this purpose the Indian Aid Mission was set up in 1954 which was later transformed into Indian Cooperation Mission in 1966.

Nepal has been receiving socio-economic support and cooperation through this mission in the sector of connectivity, education, health, power generation, irrigation, flood control, empowerment of government agencies, and various community development projects. 

Overall, Nepal-India socio-economic cooperation is growing day by day and bilateral relationship is strengthening and getting deeper in mutual interest and advantages.

What is the current state of economic collaboration between the two countries ?

First of all, I believe that we are not distinguishing and differentiating between political and economic issues. Political issues should be tackled and resolved through political and diplomatic means and it must not be linked with economic issues. Nepal needs development and prosperity. For this we need investment and friend’s financial support. We cannot move forward without the support of our friends. Our public revenue is low, capital expenditure is low, economic activities are slow, investors are not attracting for investment, donors and friendly countries are becoming suspicious on our policies and dealings, we need employment generation activities to boost up the economy and to be graduated in middle income country in 2026 as well as to achieve SDG goals, among others. So the government and the political parties must bring the economic agenda to the forefront in the interest of the people and the country.

What should be our policy to enhance economic relationships?

It needs political trust and deep understanding between the political leadership of both countries and also the investment friendly environment in Nepal. We should be free from the mentality of skepticism and cynicism. In the present international order, bilateral economic relations can only be strengthened and made vibrant if there is a political trust. We only can garner maximum benefit from Indian economic powerhouse when we feel that India is our number one friend. When we enter this new thought, the whole bilateral scenario will move in a new positive direction.

Why are we failing to attract Indian investment?

As I explained above, I again say that for this, political trust and an investment friendly environment are needed. It is so nice that we are going to hold the Third Investment Summit at the end of April. For this purpose we have amended some Acts through ordinances to create an investment friendly atmosphere in the country. Now we have to strengthen inclusive democracy in the country as well as to bring good governance and maintain excellent relationships with our neighbor as well as other friendly countries.

What are your suggestions for the political parties to redefine bilateral relations in the changing context?

We have to review and reassess our whole political, socio-economic and foreign policies. Nepal needs inclusive and participatory democracy. Nepal should bring its socio-economic agenda on top priority. We need an employment generating economy and good governance. There is a need for a good and clean image of the political leadership.

We have to restructure and reorient our foreign policy. New priority should be drawn. We have to review our neighbor policy. I have the feeling that our India policy is not pragmatic and perfect. We have to keep in mind that India is our next door number one friend. If we take such a policy, the whole bilateral scenario will move to change in a new dimension and new vistas of economic cooperation will open and at the due course of time all our other bilateral unresolved issues will be solved.

Abinash Shrestha has been involved in the fashion industry for the past 12 years. With a Master’s in Business Management, he initially envisioned joining his father’s import and export business. However, his passion for fashion and style proved too strong to ignore. As the proprietor of Ariri Boutique, Shrestha has made a significant mark in the beauty pageant industry, having served as the official stylist for Miss Universe Nepal from 2020 to 2023. Recently, Shrestha was honored with the prestigious Fashion Stylist Award by Dream Search Agency. Ken Subedi converses with Shrestha on various dimensions of fashion.

What inspired you to join the fashion industry?

My friend introduced me to Rihanna in my school days, and I was fascinated by two things: her voice and her fashion sense. It was then that I started decoding and understanding style, sensibility, and began linking people's personalities to how they dress up. The art of comprehending individuals, their fashion choices, and the unique voice reflected through their fashion fascinated me deeply. Hence, from the very early stage, I became involved in fashion shows, beauty pageants, and took on assignments as a stylist for actors, models, and even business personalities. My friend, Nagma Shrestha, Miss Earth 2012, and the first-ever Miss Universe Nepal, has also been a huge inspiration. She helped me navigate the fashion scene and understand the challenges and opportunities. Today, I own Ariri Boutique, which helps people get closer to their style, and we have been running for the past four years.

What do you think of the fashion scene in Nepal?

The fashion scene in Nepal is constantly evolving, and I find it exhilarating. I admire how today’s youngsters know what they want and have realized that fashion can be a means of rebellion against things they don’t believe in while also fostering alliances with causes that truly matter. Fashion serves as a unifier—it’s a language that connects people. However, I personally feel that our fashion is mostly borrowed, and we still need to find our unique voice, that edge that defines us. With our rich culture, textiles, and patterns, we have the potential to revolutionize the fashion industry. But for that, we need to make bold choices—not merely follow trends from elsewhere but market and revolutionize the fashion and style inherent to our culture.

Do you think you need to study fashion to be a fashion designer or stylist?

I studied business management, and here I am today, running a boutique and making a living out of fashion. While having a degree in fashion is beneficial, an understanding of fashion and style is essential. Observing how people react to fashion and style and finding the right balance between creativity and fashion are crucial. It’s also important to engage with diverse individuals, draw inspiration from them, and incorporate their stories into your work. For instance, every time I sketch, I consider the stories of my clients—their love stories, realities, challenges, and their go-getter attitude. These attributes and stories shape my designs.

Is the fashion industry profitable?

Yes, it is, and it will be if you find that unique entry point. For me, I dabble in both traditional and modern fashion. My boutique specializes in both traditional attire, and I don’t shy away from using creative textiles to design modern jackets and skirts. Additionally, I like to diversify and not limit myself to one theme or comfort fashion only. Thus, catering to both women’s and men’s wear. However, the initial days are always challenging. You may have great ideas, but you might not have a market. Hence, it’s essential to connect with people, understand the market, and ask yourself that one hard question, “if this idea doesn’t work, will you have the courage to wake up tomorrow and start anew?” I do that every single day, and for ideas that don’t work, I know tomorrow is a new day, and I will definitely try to make things happen.

Don McLain Gill is a geopolitical analyst, author, and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University in Manila, Philippines. Kamal Dev Bhattarai of ApEx talked with him about the changing geopolitical situation and regionalism. 

How do you see the history of regionalism in South Asia?

Following the Second World War, there has been a significant shift toward the formulation of trade and inter-state relations. As a result, states became eager for a new model that would not only promote and expand trade but would also contribute to peace by establishing international cooperative agreements and institutions to support them. Since the 1960s, there has been a noteworthy increase in regional cooperative projects all over the world. This pushed the developing world to explore the possibilities and opportunities of regional cooperation. However, it was important for states to recognize certain requirements in order to forge an effective regional group. One of these requirements was the need to look outward and limit self-centered interests that may hinder collective goals. However, this seems to be easier said than done, given the variation in every state’s history and priority, which may conflict with regional priorities.

Like elsewhere, the concept of regional cooperation gained attraction and acceptance in South Asia. South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was established in 1985 to enhance and promote intra-regional trade and economic cooperation. Later, South Asian Preferential Trading Arrangement (SAPTA) was signed in 1993. This was then followed by the South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA) agreement, which came into effect in 2006. However, Despite the enthusiasm brought by the spread of regional cooperation, the results have not been entirely praiseworthy.

While talking about regionalism in this area, SAARC obviously comes at the forefront, but it is in a state of limbo.  Do you see any chance of SAARC’s revival?

 It is crucial to understand that each region consists of its own dynamics and characteristics. Both external and internal factors must be taken into consideration when evaluating the success and effectiveness of regional cooperation. South Asian states have similar geographical, cultural, and societal features that are supposed to create a conducive environment for effective cooperation. Nevertheless, despite such advantageous factors, South Asia is one of the least integrated regions in the world. This can be attributed to both economic and non-economic factors ranging from tariff and non-tariff barriers and lack of comparative advantage to physical connectivity, divergent threat perceptions, and asymmetric power relations. 

Moreover, the evident historic dilemma between India and Pakistan poses a critical challenge for SAARC’s revival. Most especially since Pakistan’s consistent support for terror activities throughout the region serves as a major impediment to attaining a conducive environment for regional growth and cooperation. Moreover, Pakistan’s desire to involve extra-regional powers like China to undermine India’s territorial integrity, security, and sovereignty presents a deep-rooted challenge for the regional organization to come out of.

Can BIMSTEC become an alternative to SAARC?

With the rise of the Indo-Pacific construct, South Asia has become a sub-region to a greater Indo-Pacific. This creates more opportunities for South Asian states to expand the scope and boundaries of cooperation beyond the immediate neighborhood and into the other subregions of the Indo-Pacific. Thus, the utility of interregional frameworks like BIMSTEC must be maximized by its members to explore more opportunities for economic and security cooperation amidst the deadlock faced in SAARC. 

BIMSTEC serves as an important sub-regional arrangement where both South and Southeast Asian states can diversify and strengthen alternative economic options at a time when the Indo-Pacific is facing critical shifts brought by the unfolding US-China power competition. This provides an opportunity for BIMSTEC to regain its significance, given the vital economic and security linkages between Bay of Bengal and the Western Pacific. For South Asian states, this presents an important avenue to offset the strategic losses faced from SAARC and reinvest in alternative inter-regional platforms such as BIMSTEC.

Can countries of this region consider creating another regional bloc?

I believe it is unlikely for South Asian states to devote resources again to establish another regional organization. This contradicts the emerging trend in the Indo-Pacific of forging loose and area-specific arrangements between states that share common interests, concerns, and goals. Such arrangements can be in the form of minilateral groupings. I believe there is more potential for like-minded South Asian states to cooperate on key issue areas of mutual interest and concern through such a framework rather than reinvesting in traditional forms of regional cooperation.

Why did South East Asia succeed in embracing a robust regional body like ASEAN, but South Asia failed to do so?

ASEAN and SAARC are two regional organizations that were formed during the Cold War Era amidst the emerging trend toward regionalism and regional economic cooperation. However, ASEAN's function as a regional bloc is far more successful than that of SAARC. While the former is often considered as the benchmark for regional cooperation in the developing world, the latter is known for being the least integrated region in the world. There are several reasons behind this vast operational gap. Unlike SAARC, ASEAN has invested in enhancing connectivity projects between its member countries. Moreover, ASEAN’s intra-regional trade, despite its limitations, remains quite praiseworthy at 25 percent compared to SAARC, which is barely at five percent. 

However, aside from economic evaluations, it is more important to highlight the geopolitical differences between both organizations. Unlike ASEAN, the power dynamics in SAARC is far more asymmetrical. Moreover, the intersectional historical, cultural, and political dynamics of SAARC members are also significantly different from ASEAN members. The nature of protracted intra-regional conflicts, ongoing land boundary tensions, and cross border terrorism in South Asia is also more complicated than that of Southeast Asia. Thus, these are some of the important factors that need to be acknowledged in better understanding why SAARC continues to trail behind when it comes to regional integration.

How do the major powers like the US and China see regionalism in South Asia?

The US-China power competition centers on either strengthening or revising the established order in the Indo-Pacific. For the past few years, China has been seeking to present an alternative order in the form of the Global Security Initiative, which aims to push its role in Asia at the expense of US leadership. This may lead Beijing to exploit loopholes in key regional organizations to turn it against the West. We have seen attempts from China to turn the BRICS and SCO as anti-West groupings, but it has been unsuccessful. 

Similarly, the US and China are also competing for influence within ASEAN. However, such a scenario is unlikely for SAARC, given the lack of influence the organization has on South Asian politics. Therefore, it is likely for the US and China to directly engage with regional states for the purpose of deepening their respective strategic footprints in the vital sub-region of the Indo-Pacific.

Rubik Joshi, Shreyas K Shrestha, and Keyush Shrestha co-founded Zapp Services Pvt Ltd, a delivery service, amid the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. The company grew with leaps and bounds, and continues to do so. Zapp has recently expanded its portfolio to include Tootle, a pioneering ridesharing app in Nepal. Pratik Ghimire of ApEx talked with Joshi, executive chair of Tootle and managing director of Zapp, to know about Tootle, Zapp and more. Excerpts:

Tootle experienced its share of ups and downs since its inception and has recently undergone a rebranding. How is Tootle faring these days?

We were offered ownership of the Tootle brand, which is a pioneer, home-grown, and beloved brand. We were excited about this opportunity. Upon taking over Tootle, we revamped the app with new technology, features, and services. The relaunch of the app has met some of our expectations. Given its already established reputation, it was relatively easy for us, and both our riders and customers were thrilled to see their favorite ride-sharing app back in the market. Many take pride in Tootle as a homegrown app. Consequently, we witnessed a significant number of downloads, rider and user registrations, and orders from the first day of the relaunch. Presently, we boast over 30,000 registered riders, more than 80,000 user registrations, and fluctuating daily order volumes. However, our numbers continue to grow daily, showing promising signs for the future.

What strategies do you have in place to compete in the ride-sharing app market?

All ride-sharing apps typically offer a straightforward service: getting from one point to another. However, we’ve aimed to infuse our app with vibrancy. Within the Tootle experience, customers encounter a variety of engaging in-app services. For instance, our ‘Around You’ section features a curated selection of locally made Nepalese businesses partnered with us. This not only promotes local brands but also encourages users to discover new experiences. Additionally, Tootle offers both riders and customers the option to select their preferred gender, allowing them to specify whether they prefer a male, female, or both-gendered service. This feature aims to accommodate the comfort levels of both riders and customers.

We’re actively encouraging female riders to join our platform, and we’re proud to say that they’ve embraced it, with a ratio of approximately 100:5 compared to male riders. This reflects positively on the level of female participation in this market.

In the near future, we plan to integrate our delivery service, which was the foundation of our startup, directly into the Tootle app. This expansion will provide users and riders with a comprehensive, all-in-one service experience.

We’ve also partnered with organizations focused on empowering women, where they provide training for females to obtain driving licenses. Upon completion, we offer them employment and a platform to earn through our service. While we typically don’t provide training for riders, in the case of female riders, we make an exception. We offer training tailored to their needs and also provide self-defense training to ensure their safety and confidence on the road.

What has the business of Zapp been like? What is its market share?

In the delivery service sector, one of the major challenges is establishing trust with partner companies. I’m proud to say that we’ve successfully made Zapp one of the most trusted companies in the industry. Acting on behalf of vendors, we handle cash payments in cash-on-delivery cases, steadily building trust with each transaction. Remarkably, many of our partner companies have been with us since our inception, a testament to the trust we’ve cultivated with them over time. We prioritize prompt settlement of cash payments, ensuring vendors receive their dues within a day. I can confidently assert that we are the leading delivery service provider in the market, a position earned through our relentless dedication and hard work. Starting the company from scratch provided us with invaluable lessons that laid a solid foundation for our growth and success.

We prioritized cash handling, product safety, and customer service by tying insurance to the packages and educating riders on proper parcel handling. In the ride-sharing and on-demand delivery sector, profit margins are notoriously slim. Nevertheless, our emphasis remains on delivering exceptional service, ensuring customer satisfaction, and both retaining and expanding our customer base. We strive to strike a balance between maintaining quality and achieving quantity.

The surge in digital delivery and mobility services have provided employment opportunities for many Nepali youths, thereby slightly mitigating the trend of Nepalis seeking employment abroad. How can these youths be encouraged to remain in the Nepali market? Are they remunerated adequately to sustain a comfortable standard of living?

We’re committed to retaining our riders, especially the younger ones, recognizing that losing this demographic is not just a loss for the country, but for us personally, as we strive to contribute to our nation. Until April 14, we didn’t charge any commissions to Tootle riders. However, to ensure our sustainability, we’ve now implemented a minimal commission fee—12 percent for cabs and 15 percent for bikes. Additionally, we’ve partnered with NIU Electric Scooters to empower our riders. For those who can’t afford two-wheelers but wish to work with us, Tootle will provide Rs 50,000 to assist in purchasing an NIU electric scooter. This initiative is aimed at retaining our youth within the country and fostering their growth domestically. We’ve also introduced rental schemes, allowing riders to rent bikes and kickstart their Tootle journeys. Furthermore, we prioritize rider safety and security by providing insurance coverage.

What advice do you have for young entrepreneurs and youths looking to establish startups in Nepal?

I recommend that newcomers adopt a long-term perspective. Merely entering and exiting the market yields little benefit. Setting a clear direction and committing to it for the long haul is crucial. While many startups face challenges, maintaining a never-give-up attitude is essential, as businesses rarely turn a profit from day one. It takes time to see returns on your investment. If initial plans falter, adjustments can be made, but adherence to your long-term vision and objectives is key.