Lisbon. Former Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kulman Ghising, who is on a visit to Europe, has said that nrIs should be welcomed by laying a red carpet at the airport when they return home.

Addressing a civic reception organized in his honour by the Federation of Indigenous Peoples of Nepal Portugal, Ghising said the country has high expectations from the Nepali diaspora. He said that the country’s economy is running with remittances sent by Nepalis from gulf countries and all over the world, but the same migrant Nepalis are suffering from the airport itself.

“Nepalis living abroad are sending more than Rs 100 billion to Nepal every month, so the country has been divided, but they have not been able to get the honor accordingly,” he said. According to him, there is a need for a comprehensive change in the policy and leadership to bring economic change in the country as soon as possible and to bring back the Nepalis who have gone abroad.

Ghising said that he has come to the Gulf countries, America, Britain and European countries, adding that no one’s honor will increase until Nepal prospers. Sharing his experience of working as the chief of Chilime Hydropower Project, Ghising said, “After i was transferred from Chilime, the local people protested for a month and closed the road for a week. That’s when I got to know what people’s love is like. ’

He stressed the need to work for socio-economic transformation by keeping the people at the centre. The NEA is currently making a profit of Rs 12.15 billion annually despite reducing the electricity tariff by 25 percent to give concessions to the general public. “Our experts had said that load shedding will not end for 10 years, but now we are exporting electricity to India and Bangladesh. Projects of 7,000 MW are under construction,” he said.

Ghising said nepal could earn Rs 30-4 trillion annually by selling electricity if it produces 50,000 MW of electricity. “Within 25 to 30 years, all these projects will come under the government’s ownership. The income from electricity can be spent on education, health and infrastructure development,” he said.

He said that he has started the ‘Ujjal Nepal Campaign’, saying that all areas of Nepal should be illuminated and not just by looking at electricity. “In Nepal, the right person is not in the right place at the right time, which creates problems. In politics too, it applies to every field,” he said.

“It’s also a campaign that political leadership should be good. Political leadership should be good for the development of the country,” he said. When the time comes, you should also contribute to change the country. ’

He said nepalis living abroad should be allowed to vote while staying abroad as per the constitution of Nepal and the order of the Supreme Court. Similarly, there have been complaints that NRNA citizenship is now unusable, he said, stressing the need to implement NRNA citizenship by enacting a law as soon as possible.

“Nrns should easily create an environment to invest in Nepal. It is our responsibility to make Nepal bright and prosperous. It’s a campaign to connect everyone. I would like to urge you to support the Ujjal Nepal campaign,” Ghising said.

He also pledged to dedicate the rest of his life to the light of the entire country. On the occasion, Ghising was honoured with a letter of appreciation.