NASC bid farewell to Mr. Punya Prasad Neupane, Executive Director of NASC on 4 Ashad 2077 (18 June 2020), Thursday. A formal program was organized in the presence of Deputy Executive Director, Mr. Narayan Gopal Malego, Senor Directors Ms. Kamal Nayan Pradhan and Mr. Bishnu Prasad Lamsal, Directors and staff members to honor the golden era of his leadership. Mr. Neupane having completed two five-year tenures of his service successfully at NASC was accompanied by his wife Ms. Anju Neupane during the ceremony.
Director of Studies Mr. Trilochan Pokharel shared about the major milestones achieved by NASC during the leadership of Mr. Neupane. He listed more than 50 major achievements in the areas of training, research, consulting, and institutional development. He pointed the initiatives such as the redesign of the flagship programs at NASC such as Senior Executive Development Programme (SEDP), Advanced Course on Management and Development (ACMD), Professional Course on Management and Development (PCMD) and Basic Administration Training (BAT). He highlighted institutional accomplishments such as the development of HR bylaws, Strategic Plan, Performance-Based Incentive System, e-platforms such as HRIS, Inventory, Intranet, and physical facilities including preparation of DPR to extend the facility at Namobuddha Municipality. He also expressed that NASC was able to showcase its research strength through major actions such as organizing South Asian level conferences, conducting nation-wide survey 'Nepal National Governance Survey (NNGS)', the role of NASC as a chair in Association of Management Development Institutions in South Asia (AMDISA) among others. He also applauded the alliances developed by NASC with both national and international communities during his tenure. He shared about the successful execution of two-day Secretarial Colloquium for the Secretaries of Nepal Government and association with prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Georgia State University, Chinese Academy of Governance to name a few. He also commended Mr. Neupane's commitment towards the development of HR through the introduction of Best Performer award and the creation of faculty development forums. He also said that the establishment of the Centre for Federalism Studies at NASC is a pioneering move in itself.  He expressed that his leadership was able to achieve online training even during the ongoing pandemic. He concluded his speech by thanking Mr. Neupane and stating that NASC has become the 'State of Art' organization in the 10 year period due to his extraordinary leadership.
Senior Director of Studies, Mr. Bishnu Prasad Lamsal thanked Mr. Neupane for his motivation and suggestions while working together. He said that during exceptional times noteworthy history is created and Mr. Neupane has been able to create notable history through his unique leadership.
Senior Director of Studies, Ms. Kamal Nayan Pradhan appreciated the uncommon leadership of Mr. Neupane which catapulted NASC from being a stagnant organization to a vibrant one. She compared the yesteryears of NASC with the current dignified stage and shared that Mr. Neupane is a Role-Model who will be valued and regarded highly.
Deputy Executive Director of NASC, Mr. Narayan Gopal Malego shared about his meeting experiences with Mr. Neupane before joining NASC. He then acknowledged the opportunity to work closely under his supportive leadership. He said that Mr. Neupane is a Change Agent who provided good direction for successful execution of many new plans into actions. He appreciated his regular monitoring and participative decision making and shared that NASC should learn and adapt to become as energetic and untiring like him while executing tasks. He expressed his gratitude to Ms. Neupane for understanding the work nature of NASC and supporting Mr. Neupane to contribute at NASC wholeheartedly. He wished them for a blissful future.
Deputy Executive Director Mr. Narayan Gopal Malego honored Executive Director Mr. Punya Prasad Neupane by putting on 'Tika', 'Topi', 'Mala' and 'Dosalla' which was followed by Senior Directors Ms.Kamal Nayan Pradhan and Mr. Bishnu Prasad Lamsal. Mr. Malego handed over the memento of 'Goddess Saraswati' to Mr. Neupane as a symbol of education. A letter of appreciation was also handed on behalf of NASC staffs for his valuable contributions. Senior Director Ms. Pradhan also honored Ms. Anju Neupane by putting on 'Tika' and 'Dosalla'.
Executive Director Mr. Punya Prasad Neupane spoke about his recruitment at NASC and shared that he was committed to work hard early on to change the face of NASC and rebrand it as an ideal institution. He said that the aggressive intervention in early stages of the overall system transformed NASC eventually. The development of a standardized system, team spirit and most importantly the 'culture' to work towards excellence drove NASC to this current stage. He credited all success to the dedicated workforce. He expressed that it wouldn't have been possible without each one adding steps towards achieving success. He said that he always supported outstanding performance and constructive changes proposed by staffs. He also said that he understood the importance of career progression and thus, created HR policy to balance the gap. He shared that he was always determined to bring positive newness in every aspect of the institution which was then executed together. He said that we all are the makers of history and thanked the Governing Council, government, development partners and staffs for being supportive throughout his endeavors. He said that the values created at NASC is prestigious and encouraged NASC officials to preserve and promote them. He concluded his speech by expressing his gratitude towards staffs and stakeholders for supporting and walking by his side to transform NASC and achieve 'Center of Excellence'.
Staff members also shared about their best experiences with Mr. Neupane and his leadership during the program. The staffs shared wonderful incidents and events, dedicated poems and songs, along with words of appreciation and wishes for future success and prosperity.
Director of Studies Mr. Basanta Raj Sigdel hosted the farewell ceremony. Sharing his experiences, he admired Mr. Neupane's open-mindedness, trust towards employees, effective decision making and farsightedness; making it possible for NASC to achieve the unthinkable. He spoke highly of the outstanding leadership of Mr. Neupane which enabled in the transformation of NASC into 'Center of Excellence' in true sense. He also iterated that NASC will always follow the footprints set by Mr. Neupane and will always be connected with him in a different role for future undertakings. He also shared about the preparation to produce a book in the coming year by compiling the experiences of Mr. Neupane at NASC as an initiative to 'profiling institutional memory'.
Mr. Neupane is the second Executive Director to have been granted two terms of service i.e. 10-year tenure at NASC. The first Executive Director to achieve this was Mr. Goraksha Bahadur Nuchhe Pradhan.