Bikalpa: Changing The Discourse From Politics To Political Economy

Basanta Adhikari
Director, Bikalpa – an Alternative

Poverty, populism, illiberal policies and bad governance are the biggest problems of this country, which has hindered the growth of the nation and forced people to leave the country to seek opportunities elsewhere. Poverty is the biggest problem here and no single country on the planet has achieved prosperity without creating a conducive environment for trade and entrepreneurship. With the objective to solve these existing problems and create a discourse for a free and prosperous Nepal, Basanta Ahikari founded Bikalpa – an Alternative. 

The story dates back to 2011 when Nepal was on the verge of making a new constitution. The individual and economic liberties of Nepali citizens were restricted by frequent political shutdowns. Students were deprived from going to schools and colleges, factories and workplaces were forcefully closed, private properties were vandalised and damaged, livelihood was badly affected, and the country was facing a state of anarchy.

When Adhikari returned from South Korea in 2011 after completing his Master’s degree from Sungkonghoe University, he was frustrated by the situation and decided to speak out against it. He started promoting ‘Gari Khana Deu’, a campaign initiated by Samriddhi Foundation in eastern Nepal that promotes three fundamental values of ‘Security of Life and Property’, ‘Rule of Law’, and ‘Freedom to Enterprises’. He came to the realisation that these values were crucial for human survival and economic growth of the country and felt someone like him needed to work for the livelihood and ease of doing business issues which ensure prosperity.

In July 2013, he left Biratnagar for Kathmandu to do an internship with Samriddhi Foundation and to learn about how think tanks work. There he met Robin Sitoula, Executive Director of Samriddhi Foundation, who inspired and encouraged him. “He also helped me to network with like-minded people and organisations which has been greatly helpful to me till date,” says Adhikari. In January 2014, he started Bikalpa from a one-room office in Biratnagar to work for the values of Freedom, Entrepreneurship and Public Policy that encompasses common people. There were many organisations who were working on many different issues in eastern Nepal, but hardly any of them were working to reduce poverty through entrepreneurship. 

Bikalpa is doing policy research, advocacy and educational programmes to amplify its mission and bring change at the local level. As a grassroots organisation, it is engaging local and provincial government stakeholders, including business agencies and civil society members on the reform agendas in eastern Nepal. Throughout the year, Bikalpa organises different activities like entrepreneur talk programmes, training, workshops, camps, discussions and campaign activities to educate and engage young people on the values of freedom and entrepreneurship.

Bootcamp is one of the activities of Bikalpa’s educational strategy. Every year it directly reaches over 2,000 youths and works through them to amplify its mission. It creates compelling messages on public policy issues and reaches a large Nepali audience with their regular visual and media contents. Many of its videos have been very successful and have helped to create the needed discourse in the region. This also has helped to enhance Bikalpa’s visibility and reputation both inside the country and outside of it. 

As per the Heritage Foundation Index of Economic Freedom 2023, Nepal ranks 142 out of 184 countries, which suggests the country is not a good destination for doing business. “If Nepal wants to prosper economically, we need more economic freedom that ensures individual and economic growth of the country,” says Adhikari. Through the Campaign for Economic Freedom, Bikalpa identifies poverty as Nepal’s primary problem and envisions a prosperous Nepal through the policies of economic freedom. The campaign aims to change the conversation from politics to political economy and start discussions about the need to create a business-friendly environment within the country. To ensure economic freedom, the campaign advocates for four key areas – Freedom to Enterprise; Rule of Law and Security of Life and Property; Freedom of Choice, and Competition; and Accountable and Limited Government.

Starting or running a think tank in Nepal is not easy, says Adhikari. Being a local organisation and working with limited resources is always a challenge. Getting qualified human resources and retaining them is another big issue. Being an economically backward society, local fundraising and organisation sustainability always remain a challenge.

Working with policy makers, businesspeople, civil servants and civil society and bringing them together to consensus on reform agendas is also never easy. “As Bikalpa is a mission and value-based organisation which works to promote the values of freedom and prosperity, there are very few like-minded people and organisations to align with,” he adds. However, he states that Bikalpa’s efforts have not gone unnoticed.  Bikalpa won the 2019 and 2023 Asia Liberty Award. It was also the finalist for 2021 Think Tank Shark Tank in Miami, USA, finalist for Smart Bets in 2022 in New York, and finalist for Light Camera Liberty Award in 2017 and in 2020. 

“However, it was not an easy journey. Registering the organisation itself was a lengthy process. I had to rely on a third party for compliance documents and organisation registration. I had to travel to Kathmandu to register my organisation as there was no registration office in Biratnagar,” he shares. “Additionally, before I got into the ‘Gari Khana Deu’ campaign and Bikalpa, I was influenced by populist and left-wing political views. Marx, Mao, Lenin, Stalin were my role models,” he says, adding that things changed when he started reading alternative sources and libertarian values. 

“I believe it is never late; when I started this organisation, I was already 36 years old. I was very new to the idea of individual, economic freedom, entrepreneurship, and policy issues. I was not certain if my ideas would work because I came from a different background. But my teammates and hard work helped to build the organisation and reach the stage where we are at now. We do not have to limit ourselves with our past, we humans can create our circumstances with our choices,” Adhikari reflects.

Despite the numerous challenges, Bikalpa has been able to bring policy revolutions that have actually brought exemplary changes. In July 2022, Bikalpa’s advocacy effort helped to ease the service delivery of the motorbike licence in Biratnagar. Prior to that, it was very difficult to obtain a motorbike licence due to red tape and procedural hurdles. Now riders can obtain their licence within two weeks. Similarly, in 2016, when the municipal authorities of Biratnagar imposed a registration quota for e-rickshaws, it took away the livelihood opportunities of many e-rickshaw drivers. Bikalpa’s continuous advocacy helped to increase the registration quota in Biratnagar which made it possible for many e-rickshaw drivers and their families to pursue their livelihood.

To augment the mission, Bikalpa has started its media outlet called Bikalpa Khabar. Some months back, Bikalpa Khabar’s media advocacy helped provide justice to Lal Bahadur BK who was detained in jail for eight months on false charges since January 5.