Kul Man Ghising
{{short description|Nepali government official (born 1970)}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Er. Kul Man Ghising
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| native_name = Er. कुलमान घिसिङ
| birth_name = Kulman Ghising
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|11|25}}
| birth_place = Bethan, Ramechhap, Nepal
| alma_mater = Regional Institute of Technology, Jamshedpur, India
Pulchowk Engineering College, Nepal
| known_for = Ending load-shedding in Nepal
| office = Managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority
| term_start = 11 August 2021
| term_end = 25 March 2025
| primeminister = Sher Bahadur Deuba
| president = Bidya Devi Bhandari
Ram Chandra Poudel
| predecessor = Hitendra Dev Shakya
| term_start1 = 14 September 2016
| term_end1 = 16 September 2020
| primeminister1 = KP Sharma Oli
| president1 = Bidhya Devi Bhandari
| predecessor1 = Mukesh Raj Kafle
| successor1 = Lekhnath Koirala (acting)
}}
Kulman Ghising ({{langx|ne|कुलमान घिसिङ}}, {{IPA|ne|ˈkulman ˈɡʱisiŋ|pron}}) is a former managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority He resolved the country's long-standing load-shedding (power outage) crisis, which had resulted in power cuts of up to 18 hours per day for decades after assuming office in his first term.{{Cite book |last=Olsen |first=William C. |url=https://www.google.ca/books/edition/Engaging_Evil/NxeUDwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=kulman%20ghising&pg=PA150&printsec=frontcover |title=Engaging Evil: A Moral Anthropology |last2=Csordas |first2=Thomas J. |date=2019-05-03 |publisher=Berghahn Books |isbn=978-1-78920-214-4 |language=en}}{{cite web |title=Duhu welcomes its proud son, Kulman ghising |url=http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-01-30/duhu-welcomes-its-proud-son-kulman-ghising.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170802032849/http://kathmandupost.ekantipur.com/news/2017-01-30/duhu-welcomes-its-proud-son-kulman-ghising.html |archive-date=2017-08-02 |access-date=2017-06-05 |publisher=}}{{cite web |title=The Man Who Turned The Lights On In Energy-Starved Nepal |url=http://www.ndtv.com/people/the-man-who-turned-the-lights-on-in-energy-starved-nepal-1661238 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316153024/http://www.ndtv.com/people/the-man-who-turned-the-lights-on-in-energy-starved-nepal-1661238 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |access-date=2017-06-05 |publisher=}}{{cite web |title="Power to the people" - Interview - Nepali Times |url=http://nepalitimes.com/article/interview/interview-with-Kulman-Ghising,3409 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170703005411/http://nepalitimes.com/article/interview/interview-with-Kulman-Ghising,3409 |archive-date=2017-07-03 |access-date=2017-06-06 |website=nepalitimes.com}}
Early life and education
Mr. Ghising was born in Bethan village of Ramechhap District in eastern Nepal, and went to Dahoo Secondary School as a child. He moved to Kathmandu and went to Balsewa Secondary School in Jhochhe, starting in the seventh grade. He graduated high school from Amar Adarsh Secondary School and went to Amrit Science College for the Intermediate degree. He received free scholarship from Regional Institute of Technology in Jamshedpur, India, to become an electrical engineer. He completed his post-graduate studies from Pulchowk Engineering College.
Career
Ghising was appointed the managing director of NEA on 14 September 2016 by a cabinet decision. He had been associated with NEA for over two decades prior to the appointment. At the time of the appointment, he was serving as the project chief of Rahughat Hydroelectricity Project, having been managing director of the Chilime Hydropower Company before that. Experienced in power trade and distribution, he said eliminating load shedding would be one of his main focus, in an interview following his appointment.{{cite web|url=http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/kulman-ghising-appointed-nepal-electricity-authority-managing-director/|title=Kulman Ghising appointed NEA managing director|date=15 September 2016|publisher=|access-date=24 December 2016|archive-date=25 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161225080140/http://thehimalayantimes.com/business/kulman-ghising-appointed-nepal-electricity-authority-managing-director/|url-status=live}}
Scheduled daily power-cuts called load-shedding, extending up to 18 hours in the dry winter months,{{Cite web|title=Kulman Ghising: The man who gave us light|url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2019/02/15/kulman-ghising-the-man-who-gave-us-light|access-date=2020-08-30|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=2021-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811175705/https://premiumbros.com/lp_wp.html?cid=uLNHClD1-y7k8K_hXLrj61Z7PRTw3X50|url-status=live}} had been a persistent problem in Nepal for decades. When Ghising was appointed to lead the NEA, he emphasized better management and more equitable power distribution. By ending the policy of providing 24 hours uninterrupted power supply to a few large industries at the expense of the general public, he immediately eliminated power cuts in the major cities, and reduced power cuts to other parts of the country to around two hours every other day.{{Cite journal |last=Acharya |first=Chet Narayan |date=2019-02-18 |title=Clean Energy Policy, Planning and Management: Gearing up the Rapid Economic Growth and Sustainable Development in Nepal |journal=Journal of Economic Info |volume=6 |issue=1 |pages=19–25 |doi=10.31580/jei.v6i1.483 |issn=2313-335X|doi-access=free }} He overhauled the hydropower generation system storing water during low demand hours, and bringing online power plants that had been inoperative due to poor maintenance. He launched a public awareness campaign to discourage the use of high-power domestic equipment during peak hours. Load-shedding was eliminated across the country, for both residential and industrial sectors by May 2018.{{Cite web|title='Entire country is now free of loadshedding'|url=https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/14/entire-country-is-now-free-of-loadshedding|access-date=2020-08-30|website=kathmandupost.com|language=English|archive-date=2020-09-21|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921022506/https://kathmandupost.com/money/2018/05/14/entire-country-is-now-free-of-loadshedding|url-status=live}}
On August 11, 2021, Kulman Ghising was reappointed for his second term.{{Cite web |date=2021-08-11 |title=Kulman Ghising reappointed as Managing Director of NEA |url=https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/kulman-ghising-reappointed-as-executive-director-of-nea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811045718/https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/kulman-ghising-reappointed-as-executive-director-of-nea |archive-date=2021-08-11 |access-date=2021-08-11 |website=The Himalayan Times |language=en}}{{Cite web |title=Kul Man Ghising appointed managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2021/08/11/kul-man-ghising-appointed-managing-director-of-nepal-electricity-authority |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210811081412/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2021/08/11/kul-man-ghising-appointed-managing-director-of-nepal-electricity-authority |archive-date=2021-08-11 |access-date=2021-08-11 |website=The Kathmandu Post |language=English}} However, he was removed from his position on March 24, 2025, despite his tenure being scheduled to end on August 9, 2025.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=After long standoff, government sacks Kulman Ghising |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/24/government-sacks-kulman-ghising-as-nea-chief |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328210614/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/24/government-sacks-kulman-ghising-as-nea-chief |archive-date=28 March 2025 }} The government decision to remove him caused widespread criticism and protests.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-27 |title=Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250327030707/https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |archive-date=27 March 2025 }}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-28 |title=Ghising's grit, Khadka's fall |url=https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/03/28/ghising-s-grit-khadka-s-fall |access-date=2025-03-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328211736/https://kathmandupost.com/columns/2025/03/28/ghising-s-grit-khadka-s-fall |archive-date=28 March 2025 }}
Kul Man Ghising's dismissal as managing director of the Nepal Electricity Authority on March 24, 2025, sparked protests across Nepal. Supporters criticized the government's decision, viewing it as unjust given his success in eliminating load-shedding. The protests revealed divisions within the ruling coalition, with even Nepali Congress leaders opposing the move, raising concerns about potential unrest. {{Cite web |title=Ghising's dismissal as power utility chief sparks political outcry, street protests |url=https://kathmandupost.com/national/2025/03/26/ghising-s-dismissal-as-power-utility-chief-sparks-political-outcry-street-protests |access-date=2025-03-31 |website=kathmandupost.com |language=English}}
References
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Category:People from Ramechhap District