Nepal produces first billionaire

THE Himalayan republic of Nepal, where Maoist revolutionaries came to power in 2008, has produced its first billionaire, according to a new study by Forbes magazine.
Binod Chaudhary, the 57-year-old head of the Chaudhary Group, owns popular noodle brand Wai Wai, exports herbal medicines to India and operates schools, retail outlets, banks, hospitals and telecoms companies in Nepal.
The magnate, whose family has run businesses since the 1930s, was included among 1,426 billionaires from around the world on the latest list compiled by US-based business magazine Forbes which was published on Monday.
"I'm humbled. As a businessman, you don't get a Nobel. This is my Nobel," Chaudhary, who is ranked 1,342 on the Forbes list with an estimated $1 billion, told Nepalese newspaper The Kathmandu Post on Tuesday.
His grandfather was a textile trader who migrated from the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan to Kathmandu, opened a small shop, and soon began supplying goods to Nepal's erstwhile ruling family.
His father launched export operations to the US and Europe, and imported goods from Japan and Korea to Nepal.