KATHMANDU, Nov 16: Bikas Udhyami with the technical assistance of the Central Bureau of Statistics launched a series of videos to demystify different aspects of Nepal’s development by explaining them on the basis of officially available data in an easy to understandable manner on Monday. 

According to the press statement by Bikas Udhyami, the videos were launched during a program titled ‘Nepal in Data’ evening at Ashok Hall in Patan. Director General of Central Bureau of Statistics, Suman Raj Aryal, was invited as the chief guest at the event that aimed at contributing to promote the use of data among young Nepalis. 

 The videos feature contemporary topics, including poverty and inequality, the demographic dividend, the role of media as watchdog, energy, manufacturing, violence against women, and global warming. 

It added that the videos are inspired by the videos of Hans Rosling, world renowned statistician and founder of the Gapminder Foundation, who passed away earlier this year. The program also featured a guest lecture by Olof Granstrom and Fernanda Drumond as well as from the Sweden-based Gapminder Foundation on a fact-based world view. 

As part of the guest lecture, the audience was quizzed about their knowledge and perceptions on different aspects of Nepal’s development using electronic voting devices. The lecture provided the audience with new perspectives and insights based on available data regarding various issues related to Nepal’s development. The lecture was followed by an interactive exercise in which the audience were asked various questions about how people live in different parts of the world including Nepal based on Gapminder’swww.dollarstreet.org website.

Bikas Udhyami’s Nepal in Data Initiative has been seeking to increase the availability and accessibility of data on Nepal via its http://www.nepalindata.comwebsite as well as to enhance data literacy through its infographics, news and tools. The videos launched on November 13 were developed with the technical assistance of the Central Bureau of Statistics and are intended to generate more public interest around data and statistics enhance people’s understanding of key issues related to Nepal’s development. 

The event and videos were made possible through the ‘Data for Development in Nepal’ Program implemented by The Asia Foundation in partnership with Development Initiatives and funding from the UK Department for International Development to improve the sharing and use of data as evidence for development in Nepal, read the press statement.

One can visit www.nepalindata.com to get an access to more than 1,700 relevant data and statistics covering 12 different sections of society, daily infographs, news and resources on data and statistics.