The Government of Nepal has awarded the Commercially Important Person (CIP) honors to 30 individuals and institutions in recognition of their significant contributions to the country’s export trade and private sector development. This year’s CIP list, for the first time, includes startup entrepreneurs and presidents of commodity associations, reflecting the government's efforts to broaden the scope of recognition in Nepal’s evolving business landscape.

The CIP program was first introduced in the year 2019, when 25 individuals and firms were honored. Although it was originally intended to be a biennial award, this year marks only the second time the government has resumed the initiative—after a gap of six years. The Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies hosted the award ceremony in Kathmandu on Wednesday, where Industry Minister Damodar Bhandari, FNCCI President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, and Trade and Export Promotion Center (TEPC) Executive Director Sharad Bikram Rana jointly conferred the honors.

Among this year’s recipients are 21 business firms and companies, along with nine presidents of private sector institutions who were granted honorary CIP status. These honorees were recognized for their outstanding performance in export volume, product specialization, and institutional leadership.

Addressing the ceremony, Minister Bhandari highlighted the critical role of the private sector in achieving economic growth and national prosperity. He stressed that the government intends to strengthen its collaboration with the business community and is committed to making the CIP award more than just symbolic. “This honor is not just ceremonial. We want to be more generous in recognizing the private sector. Without their morale and active participation, economic development is not possible,” he said. The minister also acknowledged existing bureaucratic hurdles in the industrial sector and assured that efforts are being made to reduce administrative bottlenecks and improve regulatory efficiency.

TEPC Executive Director Rana remarked that when the CIP honor was launched six years ago, many recipients used the designation primarily for access to government offices. However, over time, the perception of the honor has shifted, with recipients now leveraging their CIP status more strategically. Rana also pointed out that Nepal’s total exports have increased significantly—from Rs 86 billion at the time of the first CIP awards to Rs 280 billion by the end of fiscal year 2023/24.

FNCCI President Dhakal argued that Nepal could realistically scale its exports to Rs 1 trillion annually, considering its current capacity and potential. He also proposed establishing a formal “CIP Day” every two years to institutionalize and promote the recognition.

This year’s CIP honors were conferred on the presidents of key business organizations including FNCCI President Chandra Prasad Dhakal, Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) President Rajesh Kumar Agrawal, and Nepal Chamber of Commerce President Kamlesh Kumar Agrawal. Honorary CIP titles were also awarded to the presidents of commodity associations whose sectors exported over Rs 5 billion to third countries in the last two fiscal years. These included Ravi Shakya (handicrafts), Govinda Prasad Ghimire (exports), Resham Bahadur Pokharel (chhurpi-hardened cheese), Balram Gurung (carpets), Pashupati Dev Pandey (garments), and Naresh Lal Shrestha (felt products).

The government also recognized top individual exporters by product and market. Chewang Dandul Lama of Third Eye International was honored for woolen carpets; Hari Prasad Bhatt of Nepal Fashion Pvt. Ltd. for garments; Chandra Bahadur Thapa of National Exports Pvt. Ltd. for felt products; Suman Kumar Shrestha of Manaram Himalayan Handicrafts for chhurpi; and Shakti Kumar Goyalan of Tricot Industries for pashmina. Top exporters to India included Harkirat Singh Bedi of Dabur Nepal, Divya Raj Sapkota of Aarti Stripes, and Akshay Goyalan of Reliance Spinning Mills. For China, the top exporters were Pasang Sherpa of Chomen Traders, Karma Chodup Gurung of Finjo Sonam Enterprises, and Urgen Lama of Ashtamangal.

Exporters with over Rs 1 billion in export value to third countries in the last two years also received honors. These included Dorje Gyaltzen Lama of The Shangrila Carpet and Handicraft Industries, Maheshwar Shrestha of Everest Fashion, and Ram Chandra Sanghai of Triveni Spinning Mills Ltd.

In a historic first, the government recognized a startup under the CIP program. Kuber Sapkota, Managing Director of Mindful Craft Pvt. Ltd., was honored for exporting over Rs 40 million worth of goods and services over two fiscal years.

Special category honors included Padma Ratna Dhakhwa of Giftland Enterprises, recognized for the highest revenue from handicrafts reflecting Nepal's traditional art and culture. Om Krishna Bimali of Nepal Everest Cardamom Production and Janak Raj Awasthi of AB Herbal Traders & Suppliers were honored for leading exports in agriculture and herbs, respectively. Raisa Tibdewal of Janakpur Refineries was recognized as the top female exporter in terms of export value.

Hem Raj Dhakal, Chairman of IME Ltd., received recognition for bringing in the highest volume of foreign currency through formal remittance channels. Gaurav Agrawal of Everest Hospitality Hotel Ltd. was honored as the leading foreign currency earner in Nepal’s tourism sector.