The government on Monday forged an agreement with Mahabir Pun, the chairman of the National Innovation Center, who had been protesting against the executive for the past four days.

Pun had started the agitation on Friday demanding that the government give priority to innovation and research in the country so as to create jobs and boost entrepreneurship in Nepal.

On the day, a number of youths joined Pun in the protest at Maitighar Mandala and marched up to New Baneshwar, where they converged into a sit-in. Since then, Pun and his supporters had slept in Maitighar road even during the night, to pressurise the government.

On Monday, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defense and Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Purna Bahadur Khadka and Pun signed the agreement.

“Based on the agreement, on the upcoming fiscal budget to be presented in the federal Parliament on May 29, the government will allocate at least one percent of the annual development budget to support innovation, and research work,” Pun told the Post immediately after signing the agreement with the government officials.

Point number 2 of the seven-point agreement states that the government shall prepare a bill and table it in the Parliament to manage and run a fund for the purpose. And the draft of the bill shall be prepared within 60 days in consultation with the stakeholders.

Pun said his team and officials at the ministry will be working together to prepare the draft as agreed on Monday.

The agreement has also called for the withdrawal of all protest programmes under the leadership of Pun with immediate effect.

Since Pun started his protest, a large number of people including civil society members, leaders from various political parties and the general public had reached Maitighar to express their solidarity to his agitation.

Before he sat for the protest, the 2007 Magsaysay Award winner had met leaders and top officials, including Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, and nearly half a dozen ministers in order to convince them to promote innovation in the country.

In an earlier conversation with the Post, he had accused the government and political leaders of not keeping their word, and said the indifference of government officials had led him to hit the streets.