Kathmandu, Sept. 6 -- When devastating floods struck Nepal on the morning of August 26, Niraj Bhusal was getting ready for a routine day at the Ministry of Finance.

When news arrived that the Rasuwagadhi customs office on the China-Nepal border had been swept away, Bhusal, like many Nepalis, was dumbfounded. Unified, reliable information about the unfolding crisis was scarce. Bhusal knew he had to act, and quickly. That was when he decided to put his training in 'AI and governance' to test. Bhusal, who is an IT engineer at the ministry, worked through the night and single-handedly developed an integrated, accessible, and AI-driven disaster response portal to track casualties, locate missing persons and coordinate government relief.

Bhus...