The grand finale of Nepal’s most prestigious ICT award fair InfoDevelopers ICT Award 2022 has successfully concluded on December 23, in Kathmandu with winners presented with their awards in 14 categories. At the lavish ceremony, the individuals and organizations were recognized for their tech and innovation.
The 7th edition of the ICT Award grand finale was hosted at Soaltee Hotel, Kathmandu with the enthralling participation of its audience.
The event was chaired by ICT Award coordinator Razan Lamsal. Shankardas Bairagi, the chief guest at the event and also the secretary of the Government of Nepal inaugurated the flagship award ceremony.
Likewise, members of the House of Representatives Thakur Gaire, Mahesh Bartaula, Manish Jha, Shishir Khanal, and others were present in the program as special guests. Secretary of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MoCIT) Dr. Baikunth Aryal and National Planning Commission Secretary Kewal Prasad Bhandari were also present.
Madhu Marasini, Secretary to the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, NAST Vice-Chancellor Sanil Babu Shrestha, IME Group Managing Director Hemraj Dhakal, Nepal Telecommunication Authority Chairman Purushottam Khanal, Former Minister Ganesh Shah, National Planning Commission Member Ram Kumar Phuyal, Rashtra Bank Deputy Governor Bam Bahadur Mishra and others as guests. was present.
Besides, the program had the presence of senior officials of government institutions, prominent figures from the ICT sector, representatives of cooperative organizations, information technology companies, journalists, and others from home and abroad.
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Razan Lamsal gives his welcome speech
Delivering his welcome speech at the event, ICT Award Coordinator Razan Lamsal said that he has been organizing the award for the past seven years to promote the digital ecosystem in Nepal. “After 6 months of tireless hard work and effort, we have successfully completed the ICT Award,” he said, “Our campaign to encourage new startups, ideas, and innovations and honor the pioneers will continue.”
The chief guest of the program Chief Secretary of the government Bairagi said that some progress has been made in the field of ICT but remarked that still there is a lot to be done.
“ICT has become a way of living,” he said, “It has played a leading role in every field.” ICT should play a leading role to develop the country.”
Likewise, the Secretary of MoCIT Dr. Aryal promised that the ministry is always ready to provide necessary support and cooperation for the development of the ICT sector.
Hemraj Dhakal, managing director of IME Group, said that the ICT award has inspired new innovations in the country. He also said that the government should invest in infrastructure to develop the digital ecosystem.
Similarly, Sanjib Raj Bhandari, Group President of InfoDevelopers, said that it is good that there were over 550 applications for the ICT Award this year. He says that Nepal should also work on intellectual property.
Kathmandu Metro deputy Mayor Sunita Dangol wishes for more digital initiatives at local levels
Similarly, the Deputy Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, Sunila Dangol, highlighted that the local level should move forward digitally. The Metro also informed that it has proceeded with digital services accordingly.
Thakur Gaire, a member of the HoR, called for an emphasis on the development of digital infrastructure. He added that he would take the initiative from the policy-making level.
Similarly, Hempal Shrestha, the jury coordinator of the award, said that the best winner was chosen after various stages of discussion and selection.
Concluding the program, Sushil Pokharel, Chairman of Susmit Group, informed that the ICT Award is getting better every year.
The much-anticipated grand finale was broadcast live from Kantipur Television, Kantipur Cineplace, Kantipur TV’s app, and website, and the Facebook page of the ICT Award. Similarly, Kantipur TV also aired special 4 series of awards.
This year, the awards received more than 550 online applications. Likewise, the organizers conducted the selection process for 5 months. This year, ICT Awards were presented in 14 categories, while the best 7 startups from all seven provinces have also been honored and certified.
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ICT Award 2022 Winners
This year’s Huawei Startup ICT Award has been presented to Monal Tech. Similarly, the Product ICT Award went to Galli Maps. Likewise, the Rising Star Innovation ICT Award is conferred on the Karobar app. Public voting was also conducted after various stages of selection in the startup, product, and rising star categories.
Many awards for individual categories were also included. Mangeshlal Shrestha won Entrepreneur ICT Award, and Dr. Ved Kafle won Nepali Diaspora ICT Award. Nepal Telecom Pioneer ICT Award went to Vijay Krishna Shrestha. Likewise, Sheela Kansakar Karki won the Ncell Woman Icon ICT Award.
Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector) went to Gyanodaya Madhyamik Vidyalaya of Bafal. On the other hand, Gyanodaya Bal Batika School of Khokna won the Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector).
Digital Services ICT Award FonePay won the Digital Services ICT Award, while and Foreign Employment Department won the Digital Governance ICT Award.
Similarly, Tigg, who got the most public votes, was given the Public Choice ICT Award. Chingari was awarded the Nominations Open for ‘South Asia Startup ICT Award 2022’South Asia Startup ICT Award. It is the first time the ICT Award included a regional South Asia regional award. Chingari won the award from the competition of more than 50 startups from SAARC countries.
Startup and idea fest, mentoring session, story sharing session, field visit, presentation, and speed dating were conducted this year in connection with the award.
What did the ICT Award 2022 winners get?
Receiving the ICT Award has become a matter of pride in Nepal’s information and communication technology sector. This year, the winners of the Startup ICT Award, Product ICT Award, and Rising Star Innovation ICT Award 2022 have received credits worth lakhs of rupees for cloud services from Microsoft and Huawei. Nepal Telecom has provided high-speed internet service to all the winners for one year. Leading private telco Ncell rewarded the Women Icon ICT Award winner with Rs 3 lakh cash.
Similarly, Silver Lining has provided a special support package in the digital services category. Other sponsors and supporting organizations have also offered free services in different ways. Different types of networking and meetings will be conducted to create an investment environment for startups and products.
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ICT Award 2022 Winners List
- Huawei Startup ICT Award: Monal Tech Pvt. Ltd.
- Product ICT Award: Galli Maps
- Rising Star ICT Award: Karobar app
- Digital Education ICT Award (Private Sector): Gyanodaya Bal Batika School
- Digital Education ICT Award (Public Sector): Gyanodaya Madhyamik Vidyalaya
- Nepal Telecom Pioneer ICT Award: Vijay Krishna Shrestha
- Entrepreneur ICT Award: Mangeshlal Shrestha
- Nepali Diaspora ICT Award: Dr. Ved Kafle
- Ncell Woman Icon ICT Award: Sheela Kankasar Karki
- Digital Services ICT Award: FonePay Payment Services Limited
- Digital Governance ICT Award: Citizen App
- South Asia ICT Award: Tech4Billion (Chingari)
- Public Choice ICT Award: Tigg
- Jury Mention ICT Award: Dikshant Pandey (Python Voice Assistant)
Seven best startups from seven provinces
From last Chaitra to Jestha, Living with ICT organized Startup and Idea Fest in all seven provinces across Nepal. In this program, organized to promote and encourage startups and ideas from all over the country, the best startups from all seven provinces were selected.
A 3-day boot camp was conducted by bringing the selected startups and ideas to Kathmandu and some of the biggest IT companies of Nepal were also visited. The best of each province has been selected from more than 35 startups and ideas selected from seven provinces.
According to this, Cura Health from Province 1, Ezze Eats from Madhesh Province, Knowledge Exchange from Bagmati Province, Swastik Group (Swastik Nutri Food) from Gandaki Province, Farid Dotcom from Lumbini Province, Surkhet Soft from Karnali Province and Pathibhara Sensor Solution Industry from Sudurpaschim Province have been honored as the best startups in the province.
