Aarthik Abhiyan’s Humagain Honoured with Economic Journalism Award

Yadav Humagain, Senior Reporter at Aarthik Abhiyan Daily, has been honoured with the Economic Journalism Award established in memory of the late Dr Harihar Dev Pant, widely recognised as the father of microfinance in Nepal.

The award, instituted by the Dr Harihar Dev Pant Foundation, was presented Saturday, September 6, marking the 10th anniversary of Dr Pant’s passing. Foundation Chair Janardan Dev Pant handed Humagain a cash prize of Rs 100,000 along with a certificate of honour.

Humagain has been active in economic journalism for more than 15 years and has previously received over half a dozen awards, including the National Cooperative Journalism Award from the Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation.

Each year, in addition to the Economic Journalism Award, the foundation honours seven individuals—one from each province—with the Dr Harihar Dev Pant Micro-Entrepreneurship Award, and two Tribhuvan University master’s graduates in Economics and Rural Development with the Educational Excellence Award. Both awards carry a purse of Rs 50,000. The foundation also organises provincial programmes to recognise outstanding entrepreneurs.

At Saturday’s programme in Kathmandu, Sita Maya Kami of Bhandara, Chitwan, was named best entrepreneur from Bagmati Province. Under the Educational Excellence Award, Srija Kafle was recognised in Economics and Ruksana Achhami in Rural Development. The foundation also launched Samriddhiko Marga ma 2082, a collection of success stories of micro-entrepreneurs.

Former Nepal Rastra Bank governor Ganesh Bahadur Thapa, Centre for Microfinance Chair Dr Rewat Bahadur Karki, and Nirdhan Utthan Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Chair Hari Krishna Pant were among the speakers highlighting Dr Pant’s pivotal role in advancing Nepal’s microfinance sector.

Foundation Chair Janardan Dev Pant noted that while nearly half of Nepal’s population lived below the poverty line four decades ago, the figure has now fallen to about 20 percent—progress in which microfinance has played a decisive role.

Former presidents of the Nepal Microfinance Bankers’ Association, Ram Chandra Joshi and Prakash Raj Sharma, acknowledged the sector’s challenges but argued it has been unfairly maligned. They stressed that shortcomings must be addressed, but cautioned against misleading propaganda that undermines the sector’s achievements.