Nepal, July 31 -- 'Supreme organic investor' sounds more like a high-grade crop fertiliser. Rather it is a prestigious status for the Nepali Diaspora community under the National Commitment. The 18-point governing plan was released by Prime Minister Balendra Shah's Cabinet weeks after assuming office. A promising gesture of annual investment bonds, guaranteed ancestral property, a path to the ballot, and protection and continuity of citizenship were listed in the commitment.

The instinct is understandable, as remittances equal roughly a quarter of Nepal's GDP-among the highest ratios in the world. More than 2.1 million Nepalis live outside the country, and closer to 4.5 million counting people of Nepali descent. The Non-Resident Nepali A...