Season 2

#Ep.107 Purushottam Ojha is the former Commerce Secretary of Nepal and has extensive expertise in trade, transit, investment, private sector, and institutional development. Mr. Ojha has held key roles in public service since 1979 and has also served as a Trade Facilitation Consultant for The World Bank and Global Training Institute Development & Research, providing strategic advice on trade...

PEI- Modi 3.0: Is neighborhood still first? Unpack the evolving India-South Asia dynamic as Modi enters his third term as Prime Minister. PEI brings a curated panel of experts from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh to dissect the regional shifts for a can't-miss panel discussion. The conversation is a part of the PEI Webinar Series on Managing India, China, and the US. If you liked ...

Shradha is the Research Coordinator at the Centre for Social Change (CSC) focusing on Nepal's natural resources, climate governance, and environmental peacebuilding. Recently, she co-authored an article titled "Understanding the Interrelations Between Natural Resources and Development Governance in Federal Nepal." She has a Master’s in Humans and Natural Resources from Kathmandu Uni...

The practice of preparing an annual budget dates back to 1951, right after Nepal’s political transition that led to the end of the Rana regime in the country. Subarna Sumsher, the finance minister then, had publicly announced an outlay of NPR 50.25 million. The political context of the country then was such that the budget was not presented in the Nepali parliament but announced via Radio Nepal. ...

#Ep.100 Sudeshna Thapa is a human rights lawyer and holds an LLM in International Human Rights Law from Lund University, Sweden. She is currently working as Research Coordinator at Social Science Baha, where she is involved in research on a range of issues including gender and social inclusion, minority rights and labour migration. She has previously worked as Research Assistant to the UN Speci...

With: Host Deependra Chaulagain and guests Dipendra Jha and Khim Lal Devkota Despite the significant achievement of federalism in Nepal's political transition, it faces criticism for its financial costs, perceived inefficiencies, and corruption. Reflecting on these challenges, Project Sambaad hosted Khim Lal Devkota and Dipendra Jha in a panel discussion moderated by Deependra Chaulagain. T...

#Ep.098 Riya Sinha is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) in New Delhi, where she coordinates the Sambandh Regional Connectivity Initiative and co-manages the Sambandh Policy Dialogue. Her research focuses on regional economic connectivity in South Asia, covering trade, logistics, infrastructure, and border management. In 2022, she was a Visiting Fellow at ...

#Ep.097 Shabda is the Investment Director and a partner at Dolma Impact Fund, the largest private equity fund focused on Nepal. He leads the investment team at Dolma, overseeing deal origination, transaction execution, regulatory approvals, and post-investment management. He is actively involved in sectors such as healthcare, renewable energy, and technology​ . He holds a B.A. in Economics from...

With: Host Anup Upreti and guests Samikshya Rai and Shabda Gyawali  The difficulties are endless for doing business in Nepal but every entrepreneur present in the session spoke of the untapped potential in Nepal. There are opportunities for growth and to take Nepali products to a global market. However, there are impediments for growth. In this session moderated by Anup Upreti, corporate lawy...

#Ep.095 Nirjan is a researcher with over 20 years of experience of designing, managing, and leading analytical studies in Nepal and the United States. He specializes in political economy analysis and has examined critical reforms in the electricity sector, water governance, and geopolitics. Nirjan is the primary author of the recent PEI report “Pen, Power, Politics: How China and India wield soft ...