October 12: Stakeholders say that the current salary scale cannot sustain the manpower in the Information Technology (IT) and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sectors in the country. They said that although there is great potential in the field of information technology there is a problem in keeping the IT young experts in the country.

Anil Kumar Dutta, joint secretary at the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology, said that the current facilities cannot sustain the workforce in Nepal, and that the ministry is planning to hold discussions with the Ministry of Finance, among others, with a focus on 'where is Nepal's situation in the field of information technology, and what are the possibilities and challenges of this sector.

"When the government appoints consultants, there is a situation that requires foreigners in the IT services by paying huge salaries," Dutt said, adding "To minimize this, we are working on the issue of getting services through Nepalese manpower and non-resident Nepalis as well." 

He added the government is working on Digital Nepal Framework-2019, Digital Signature, Data Center etc. The government has announced in the budget of the current fiscal year that 1 per cent of the development expenditure will be spent on the IT sector. 

Dutt said that the government is creating a curriculum together with the industry, providing financial support to startups and creating an environment to learn from the skilled manpower of multinational companies.

IT expert Manohar Kumar Bhattarai said that it is important to be clear about the agenda of the country related to the IT sector.

Similarly, the stakeholders also emphasized that intensive discussions should be held to explain the emerging technology of AI (Artificial Intelligence) and blockchain.