It is not bad to dream about becoming rich but such dreams should be based on reality. Nepal can generate a huge quantity of hydropower, and our intellectuals, academicians, and political leaders are found lecturing innocent and naive citizens, saying that Nepal can become rich by exporting its electricity to India, the only consumer country. We don’t have the choice to sell our electricity fixing the price by ourselves but we are compelled to sell the electricity at the price set by India. Thus far, our conclusion is that we will never become rich by exporting electricity to India.  

Immediately after the 1990 People’s Movement, the Mahakali deal was endorsed. During that time, our leaders were saying that the sun was going to rise from the West. Some other leaders were calculating that Nepal’s currency would get double the price compared to the Indian currency. Unfortunately, the dream never came true. India doesn’t need electricity, however, it needs water and wants to occupy Nepal’s rivers. Every time, along with a change in the government, India is occupying one after another Nepali rivers. India is using Nepal’s water free of cost due to the shortsightedness of the Nepali leaders. 

Every time, we have been cheated. Therefore, we should be pragmatic. Instead of dreaming about exporting electricity to India, we should be able to produce electricity at low prices and increase domestic consumption also supplying electricity to local industries at subsidized prices. If local industries get electricity at subsidized prices, the country’s local production will become cheaper and they can compete in the international market. Such a plan will contribute to industrialising the country. On the other hand, if we sell electricity at a low price to India, it will supply power to the industries and produce goods at a low price exporting them to Nepal at a higher price. We need to understand India’s profit-making business strategy, therefore, all our concentration should be optimum use of electricity in the domestic market, along with the use of water for irrigation and other purposes.

Let’s give up the dream of Nepal becoming prosperous and rich by exporting electricity to India.