Prashant Khadka

August 11:   After graduating in food technology, Pratibha Parajuli, who is currently pursuing her master's degree in nutrition, is working on adding nutrients in chocolates. Since chocolate contains a lot of sugar and carbohydrates and does more harm than good for the human body, she is working on adding nutrients such as vitamins and minerals necessary for human health.

She has already produced one lot of such chocolates and tasted them with her close relatives and friends. After getting a good response from her relatives, she is now planning to open a company to add nutrients to chocolate and other food products. She informed that she has recently registered a company named Healthway Foods Pvt Ltd. Parajuli says that she registered the company to commercialize the work of adding nutritional value to chocolates and other food products.

“We are eating chocolate almost every day. It increases the amount of sugar in our bodies. Therefore, I have ensured that vitamins, minerals, and other elements reach our bodies through chocolate,” she told New Business Age.

She also went to the National Innovation Center opened by Mahabir Pun to learn more ideas for this work. She says that she got more information from there.

At present, Prarjuli is getting more knowledge about entrepreneurship by joining the Nabil School of Social Entrepreneurship organized by Nabil Bank. Nabil Bank has launched this programme targeting students under 50 years of age who are studying or have completed their studies at Tribhuvan University. Currently, 20 students are taking entrepreneurship training under this programme.

Nabil School of Social Entrepreneurship supports entrepreneurs in solving complex social problems using social entrepreneurship. Students who are involved in professional work that positively impacts society get an opportunity here.

Narrating her experience after participating in this programme of Nabil Bank, she said, 'I wanted to become an entrepreneur, but I had no knowledge of how to become an entrepreneur, where to start, how to market the products I made, and what to do to reach out to more people. After coming here, I got the opportunity to gain knowledge about these things. So now I have just opened a company, thinking I should not delay starting work.”

In addition, she says there is a plan to add nutrients to traditional Nepali food as well. Along with chocolate, she is also working on adding nutrients to mustard.

She says that with the help of Nabil Bank she got more energy and courage in the work she wanted to do.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Nabil Bank Gyanendra Prasad Dhungana also said that it is a matter of happiness for Nabil Bank to teach entrepreneurship skills to students who are aware of doing something in society in collaboration with Tribhuvan University. He says that these students have the potential to become successful entrepreneurs tomorrow.