Thanks for the Information Technology Special (#27) and Mark Turin's "The Internet on the roof of the world". However, the article gives an impression that the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) report is the sole important assessment and that there has been no further development since then. Actually, IT in Nepal has taken a big leap since January 2000 and the report does not reflect these developments in the past year:

-This fiscal year budget is the most IT-friendly since it has removed the service tax on ISPs

-The government has resolved the frequency dispute positively

-The Ministry of Science and Technology released its landmark IT Policy 2000

-The Policy and Strategy work by the National Planning Commission on six different aspects of IT is comprehensive.

The infotech community in Nepal has also given Surendra Prasad Chaudhary, Minister of Science and Technology, the title of "IT friendly Minister" for his active role in promoting the industry.

Rajib Subba
Secretary General
Computer Association of Nepal