Akash Shrestha

Samriddhi Foundation (समृद्धि फाउण्डेशन)

Samriddhi Foundation is an independent economic policy think tank that facilitates a discourse on pragmatic market based solutions for a free and prosperous Nepal. Samriddhi is based in Kathmandu, Nepal and was established in 2007. For the creation of a prosperous Nepal, Samriddhi believes in the power of private entrepreneurs as key to economic development and engages in fostering democracy and building a more conducive environment for economic growth. All of Samriddhi's research and advocacy efforts are focused on: A. Enabling market mechanism and entrepreneurship In order to facilitate regulatory reforms such that an ordinary Nepali citizen is able to participate in and reap the benefits of a market economy in order to improve his/her living standards, Samriddhi focuses on the following thematic areas: Taxation and Tariff Regimes Industrial Relations Competition Policy and Institutions Investment Policies and Institutions Market entry and exit policies Contract Enforcement Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Non – formal economy B. Improving governance Here, the focus is on improving governance is to make policies work for Nepal where the themes are: Federalism Public Service Delivery Transparency and Accountability Incentives Institutions and Structures C. Fostering values for a free society It is only in a free society that people with different value systems can freely contest their ideas in the public sphere and public policy can be robustly formed without any undue influence from any one value system. Samriddhi was listed in the University of Pennsylvania's Global GoTo Think Tank Index Report 2015 in multiple categories including the category Best Independent Think Tanks.