Kathmandu, August 5
Not so long ago, then KP Oli government drew fire for not supporting social entrepreneur and Ramon Magsaysay award winner in his dream project — creation of a national innovation center.
Now, a minister in the Oli government has given a new twist to the whole saga. Outgoing Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel told Onlinekhabar: Punji said he wanted to register a hydropower project in his name. We offered him
Rs 50 million, but Pun said the amount is not enough and kept pressing for Rs 500 million.
Poudel said: The government told Pun it cannot give him such a huge amount at one go and asked him to accept
Rs 50 million, but he refused.
Oli government had courted controversy for doling out Rs 10 million in the name of ‘Google Boy’ Aditya Dahal and not donating to Pun for his dream project.
Poudel told Onlinekhabar he had invited the reputed scientist at the Ministry of Finance (to see how the government can help him). I also had a discussion with Prime Minister about this issue. Pun brought forth a proposal, for which the government needed to give away Rs 500 million. We were in no position to do that. The government tried to give Rs 50 million to Pun as grant, but the latter said the sum won’t be enough.
Pun had shared with Poudel that he wanted the government to invest Rs 500 million in a hydropower project. His plan was to invest the project’s profit for the development of science and technology in Nepal.
According to Poudel, the law of the land did not allow government to address Pun’s demand. Subsequently, Poudel asked Shiva Lal Thapa, Minister for Science and Technology, to see what they can do to assist Pun’s project.
The Ministry of Science and Technology had agreed to forward Pun’s proposal to the Ministry of Finance and get the Cabinet to sanction assistance of Rs 50 million for the same.
Thapa said: Pun insisted that he needed Rs 500 million, saying Rs 50 million was not enough. We could not oblige him. Poudel had proposed giving Rs 50 million in the first phase and said government will disburse the remaining sum in phases, based on the project’s progress.
Asked for comments, Pun told Onlinekhabar that his 15-page proposal has made all things clear.
