NEW PROLETARIAT
This is an interesting article ('The new proletariat', #478). I agree that living abroad widens people's horizons, and brings other positive and negative sociocultural changes besides. You mention the ethnic mix of the people travelling abroad: I would say a disproportionate number come from the Tarai. What does this suggest? Perhaps most manpower agents are based in the Tarai, or, due to the economic deprivation there, people are more eager to work abroad.

Rishav,
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POLITICS OF AID
Rabin Subedi's article ('Politics of aid', #478) has certainly opened up an interesting debate. While we respect his subjective opinions as to whether INGOs should raise funds and tap resources from Kathmandu country offices or not, there are some overgeneralisations - alluding to different entities under one head - and potentially misleading statements contained in the article that need to be clarified.

Eighty-eight INGOs working in Nepal are members of the Association of International NGOs in Nepal (AIN). Our members do not implement projects and programs directly. AIN also has strategic plan and partnership guidelines that encourage its partners to work with national organisations. Some AIN members have regional bases, which are not established for implementing programs directly - as implied by the writer - but rather to facilitate operations and provide technical assistance to partner NGOs. Others may have offices in some districts, on a short-term basis for emergency response purposes only. INGOs are registered with the Social Welfare Council (SWC) and not at the district headquarters.

AIN members are guided by internationally defined principles and standards of human rights, and we abide by our code of conduct based on principles of transparency and accountability, non-political party partisanship, legal compliance, performance-oriented culture, commitment to equity and diversity and a grounding in civil society.
INGOs normally raise funds from/through their home countries. They also bid for resources that are available internationally. What must not be forgotten is that many INGOs also have to provide matching funds on resources they raise for Nepal and these are usually done through global competitive processes.

Mohan Rai, Chair and Steering Committee,
Association of International NGOs in Nepal, email

BANKING BASICS
I echo your sentiment ('Banking basics', #478). Having worked in Nepal's banking industry and now pursuing a doctorate in economics, I have also witnessed how halfhearted R&D is in our banks. I sincerely doubt if they ever present a thoughtful assessment of the macroeconomic environment in their loan appraisals. They are driven more by cash flows and accounting statements without reflecting on how those projections can change with changes in the broader economy. On a separate note, I was quite taken aback when the pay limitation measure was announced. Apart from some hullabaloo, there wasn't even any attempt to present a newspaper article assessing the policy stance, let alone stand up to it.

Anjan,
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SILENT SOLDIERS
Wow, such an inspiring story ('Silent soldiers', #478)! People like Roshani Didi should be running the country not the idiotic politicians!

Rosh,
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