Birendra Raj Pandey elected president of CNI

KATHMANDU: Birendra Raj Pandey has been elected president of the Confederation of Nepalese Industries at the body’s 22nd annual general meeting (AGM), held in Kathmandu on Wednesday. As senior vice president, he automatically succeeded to the presidency under CNI’s statutes.

Outgoing president Rajesh Kumar Agrawal administered the oath of office and formally handed over responsibility to Pandey.

Pandey has served on CNI’s national council and various committees for a decade, and was appointed vice president in 2018. A native of Kathmandu, he has worked in the construction industry for 30 years and is executive director of Nepal Adarsha Nirman Company, with expertise in civil engineering, housing and urban development, roads and bridges, water resource management and structural strengthening. He is also active in green materials manufacturing, agriculture and education.

The AGM concluded the election of 60 new national council members. They include Gopal Kumar Agrawal, Milan Babu Malla, Parasi Agrawal, Rahul Kumar Agrawal, Varun Kumar Todi, Deepak Kumar Agrawal, Rohit Gupta, Hitesh Golchha, Amit More, Ashrayata Karki, Nirwan Kumar Chaudhary, Akash Golchha, Bikash Dugad, Bikram Singhania, Amit Kumar Begani, Gaurav Sharda, Dilip Agrawal, Yash Agrawal, Sandeep Sharda and Rajiv Gupta; Sanjeev Neupane, Hem Raj Dhakal, Anurag Goyal, Dhruba Rizal, Sanjay Golchha, Barsha Shrestha, Raj Bahadur Shah, Bidushi Rana, Laxmi Prasad Subedi, Ashish Jajodia, Pampha Dhamala, Manish Kumar Khemka, Ashish Garg and Sewa Pathak; and Gokul Bhandari, Basanta Bahadur Chand and Chandra Tandan.

Provincial presidents Bhim Ghimire (Koshi), Pramod Sah (Madhesh), Lekhraj Pokhrel (Bagmati), Binod Neupane (Gandaki), Ejaz Alam (Lumbini), Chhatra Shahi (Karnali) and Ramanchandra Shrestha (Sudurpashchim) also secured national council seats. Ex-officio members include Badrinath Sharma (Makwanpur Udyog Sangh), Madan Ghimire (acting president, Chitwan Udyog Sangh), K. B. Rana (Nawalpur Udyog Sangh), Dilip Sapkota (Rupandehi Udyog Sangh) and Rudra Shrestha (Pokhara Industrial Area Udyog Sangh).

Seven vice presidents were unanimously elected from among the council members. Nirvana Chaudhary was chosen senior vice president, with Raj Bahadur Shah, Hem Raj Dhakal, Rohit Gupta, Amit More, Bhim Ghimire and Gokul Bhandari as vice presidents. Sandeep Kumar Sharda, Bidushi Rana and Prachi Agrawal were nominated permanent invited members.

President Pandey then administered the oath of office to his vice presidents and newly elected council members. Upon assuming office, he pledged to institutionalise CNI’s past achievements and elevate the organisation to new heights, and he congratulated his predecessor on a successful tenure.

At Tuesday’s AGM inauguration, former CNI president Satish Kumar More was honoured with the CNI President Award. Export-contributing companies were also recognised: under SAFTA—RMC Foods, Ganapati Vanaspati and Narayani Oil Refinery Udyog; to third countries—Nepal Express Parcel & Logistic, Ascent Exports and Smooth Cargo Movers; and under Indo-Nepal arrangements—Aarti Strips, Reliance Spinning Mills and Shivam Plastic Industries.

Additional distinctions went to Gopal Agrawal (most active national council member), the Information Technology Council (most active committee), Bagmati Udyog CNI (most active provincial body) and Himal Paudel (best employee). The awards were presented by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Supplies, Damodar Bhandari.