Kathmandu. Finance Minister Dr. With Swarnim Wagle announcing the establishment of a government IT company under the Prime Minister’s Office and the development of an integrated government messaging platform, a new and serious debate has started in Nepal’s technology sector.

The government says the move is aimed at centralizing government software projects, strengthening cybersecurity and accelerating digital transformation. How practical is it for the state to come out as a businessman in a market where there is a strong private sector and innovative startups? This question is also being raised.

Acting President of Federation of Computer Association Nepal and Information Technology Policy Coordinator Chiranjibi Adhikari said that the government should create a policy environment for those doing business and not doing business.

“When the state opens its own IT companies and comes to the market, it pulls the feet of Nepali software companies and start-ups that are struggling, pouring investments and proving to be excellent within the country,” he said. Where the government itself has gotten down into business, innovation has slowed and the market has collapsed further. ‘

There are highly skilled manpower and capable companies that can make world-class software in Nepal. The dream of ‘Digital Nepal’ can never be realized by bypassing the private sector or creating government monopoly. The public-private partnership model is the only option for a secure and prosperous digital ecosystem. According to him, the government should not produce the software itself, but the best technology produced by the private sector should be procured through the right process and put it to use.

He demanded that the government should set strict standards and regulate which software or cyber security should be of good quality, such as the ‘National Minimum Security Standard’. He said that the process of purchasing Nepali technology should be made transparent and relaxed by improving the cumbersome provisions of the Public Procurement Act.

The government should focus on building secure national infrastructure for data sovereignty. “It is the responsibility of the state to give first priority to Nepali IT products and start-ups to establish them in the domestic market and provide policy concessions to make them competitive in the global market,” he said.

Under the slogan of strengthening cyber security and digital transformation, it will be counterproductive to create government companies and compete with the private sector. He suggested that the government should play the role of a strong platform and facilitator rather than a regulator or competitor.