United States: The 11th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) National Coordination Council (NCC) US Chapter kicked off at Raleigh Marriott City Center in North Carolina on Sunday.
The first day of the two-day event started after the host read out a congratulatory message sent by the Prime Minister of Nepal Sher Bahadur Deuba, according to the NRNA NCC.
“The Nepali diaspora since the establishment of NRNA has been investing in different sectors of Nepal. And lately, the effort of NRNA NCC to link the knowledge, skills, and experience of Nepali diaspora with Nepal is really appreciable,” said Prime Minister Deuba in his congratulatory message.
Addressing the event, Bishwa Prakash Sharma, general secretary of the Nepali Congress, who is currently visiting the US, said, “The Nepali diaspora is committed to the development and prosperity of Nepal. Nepal needs the support of its citizens in the foreign land for its development, and all the Nepalis–in Nepal and overseas–should join hands for the same,” said Sharma.
Likewise, speaking at the event, Buddhi Subedi, president of NRNA NCC USA said that the ‘unequal’ laws in Nepal deprive Non-Resident Nepalis of their citizenship of Nepal. “We [Nepali diaspora] acquire foreign passports, but when traveling to Nepal we are compelled to apply for tourist visas,” he said, urging the government to change the policy so that the Nepali diaspora is treated equally at the airports in Nepal.
According to Kul Acharya, president of the NRNA ICC, the constitution of Nepal has ensured NRNA citizenship for the Nepali diaspora, but there are no laws in place for the same. “The government should solve the citizenship issue of NRNA at the earliest,” he said, urging the Nepali diaspora to open a dollar account in Nepal.
“Nepali community in the United States has a capacity to invest millions of dollars in Nepal, but the government should treat the people of Nepali origin equally on the matters of investment,” he added.
Dr Keshab Paudel, general secretary of the NRNA ICC, also said that the government should solve the citizenship issues of the Nepali diaspora at the earliest.
On the second day of the event, the NRNA NCC US is organizing the National Knowledge Convention, where the organizers are bringing experts and professionals from both Nepal and the United States to share their expertise.
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