May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional…
May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional…
…
May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu,…
May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in…
May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private…
May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of…
May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung…
Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry…
May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC).…
The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on…
May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative…
May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry.…
May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an…
May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported…
May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development…
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional assistance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing the 57th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini asked for the provision of concessional assistance as large capital must be mobilized to address the economy and development aspirations that have weakened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">He urged all development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, to increase financial and technical support, saying that Nepal has moved forward with the concept of green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini pointed out the need for collective efforts to make South Asia an area of emerging economic development and said that emphasis should be given for the same. Pointing out the need for efforts, he said that emphasis should be placed on interdependence, innovation and digitization for the enhancement of interregional trade. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Nepal’s economy post Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by global economic challenges and the contraction in economic activities in recent days due to revenue deficit and increasing debt obligations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini shared that the third investment summit was organized in Kathmandu to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. He mentioned that ADB can play an important role in creating an environment for investment in areas of comparative advantage such as tourism, hydropower and information technology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Recalling that the ADB has been continuously supporting Nepal, Secretary Marasini expressed his gratitude for being a reliable partner in the development journey. He said that in the last decade, Nepal has advanced social inclusion and economic development together. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20630', 'image' => '20240506025508_20230723022857_hqdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:54:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20903', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Muktinath Development Bank Provides Financial Assistance to KU for Green Hydrogen Energy Research', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => '', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: Muktinath Development Bank has partnered with Kathmandu University for the research of green hydrogen energy with the objective of contributing to the sustainable development of this sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the bank said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with KU to provide financial assistance for research to the Green Hydrogen Lab of the university. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The signing ceremony was attended by CEO of Muktinath Development Bank Pradhyuman Pokharel, Vice Chancellor of KU Dr Bhola Thapa, chief of the Green Hydrogen Lab Dr Biraj Singh Thapa and other officials of the bank and the university.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Green Hydrogen Lab will conduct research on green hydrogen for thermal heat with the funding from the bank.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The bank expressed its belief that this initiative would help sustainable development of Nepal in the long run.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20629', 'image' => '20240506032514_Muktinath & KU green hydrogen lab (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:23:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20902', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PhonePe Showcases its Services Powered by UPI at a Special Event in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the company said that the event held on May 2 brought together key stakeholders from the Nepalese financial landscape, including senior representatives from the banking sector, Payment System Providers, UPI accepting merchants and representatives from business associations.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event was supported by Nepal’s payment system operator Fonepay payment Service Limited which is also NIPL’s counterpart for Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event saw a keynote address from Diwas Sapkota, CEO of FonePay Network, outlining the potential of UPI for Nepal's digital economy. This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the Influence of cross-border payments on Nepal’s economy and the financial landscape, the statement added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel included esteemed panelists like Anish Tamrakar, Chief Digital Banking Officer of Kumari Bank; Shradha Shrestha, manager of Nepal Tourism Board; Jagdish Khadka, CEO of eSewa, and Vivek Rana, ICT/MIS Consultant at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel discussion addressed a range of issues related to cross-border payments and their impact on Nepal's economy and financial landscape as well as regulatory hurdles and compliance demands in facilitating international transactions. The panelists highlighted the positive influence of UPI on Nepal's tourism sector, particularly by enhancing the overall tourist experience through convenient cashless payments. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, the discussion further explored how cross-border payments impact the revenue streams and business models of financial institutions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, panelists examined the influence of UPI on consumer experience in Nepal, focusing on factors like convenience, interoperability, security, and cost-effectiveness. The discussion als delved into the broader macroeconomic implications of cross-border payments through alternative payment methods impacting underserved small and medium scale entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The program culminated in a product showcase led by Ritesh Pai, CEO of PhonePe. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, his presentation provided a comprehensive overview of PhonePe's journey, highlighting its evolution. The presentation also delved into how PhonePe, powered by UPI fosters a thriving ecosystem, driving the democratization of payments across India. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This was followed by a demonstration of solutions that benefit both Indian tourists and Nepalese merchants. Drawing parallels with the Indian market success story, the presentation illustrated how PhonePe can replicate this success in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Nepal is a very popular destination among Indian visitors who can now use UPI to pay at various tourist spots, retail stores, religious sites, and other popular locations. Users simply need to scan QR codes from their preferred UPI-enabled app at merchant locations who are enrolled in Fonepay QR scheme in Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This is facilitated through Fonepay’s partnership with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL). Through this partnership, Fonepay has enabled QR-code-based payments across payment service providers, leading banks and wallets, allowing Indian travelers to use UPI for transactions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, going forward shortly, tourists and visitors from Nepal traveling to India will be enabled to utilize their financial instruments like wallet-based apps to scan the UPI QR code and make payments effortlessly.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ritesh Pai said, "We're thrilled to be showcasing services powered by UPI in Nepal. This gathering has brought together key players from Nepal’s financial landscape, including Fonepay, leading business figures, and representatives from hospitality and tourism. It's a testament to the collaborative spirit that will ensure UPI's success in Nepal. We are thankful for their presence and participation. Nepal is a popular tourist destination, particularly for travelers from India. With UPI, Indian tourists can now enjoy the same convenient cashless payment experience they're accustomed to back home, using UPI powered apps such as PhonePe. This will not only enhance their travel experience but also encourage digital transactions."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Addressing the event, Diwas Kumar, CEO Fonepay Nepal, said, “This is a moment of immense pride and joy for Fonepay Payment Service Ltd. Our 4 years of journey to bring cross border payments in Nepal is finally successful and UPI payment is Live in Nepal. As we introduce UPI payments in partnership with NPCI International, and welcome PhonePe to Nepal, we see a future where smooth digital transactions boost economic growth and financial inclusion, benefiting merchants and businesses. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the regulators, government agencies for their invaluable support, recognizing innovations and supporting private sector efforts in facilitating Nepal’s journey towards digital transformation. We urge authorities to foster an ecosystem that embraces and supports innovations, promote partnership with private sector players in technological advancements and bring state of art products and services to Nepalese consumers."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20628', 'image' => '20240506031307_JAN00188.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:10:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20900', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Task Force Recommends Monetisation of TIA to Raise Funds for Nijgadh Airport', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the study group, formed to provide suggestions regarding the operation and construction of Nepal's international airports in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has recommended monetization of the property of TIA as a second alternative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The first option suggested by the task force is to advance Tribhuvan International Airport and Nijgadh as a single project.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, who is the coordinator of the task force, proposed the option of monetization under the concept that a potential company would be entrusted with the operation of Tribhuvan International Airport and the government would take a certain percentage of the revenue to use that amount to build Nijgarh Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the task force suggests adopting the lease (rent), operation and transfer (LOT) model under the PPP and monetising the property of Tribhuvan Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, such a company should have experience in asset monetization, should have operated at least one international airport under the lease and transfer model, and the company's assets should be at least USD 1 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is mentioned in the report that even if the operation and management of the airport are given to a private company, the government should take responsibility for the airport’s security and immigration.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, India and other countries are also monetizing their airports. Officials of the task force say that it may be suitable for Nepal as well.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Ghan Shyam Ojha, an investment expert who is also a member of the task force, said that international airports such as Shivaji Chhatrapati Maharaj Airport in India were created through monetization of assets. Although airports in Nepal are still unable to generate sufficient income, it is recommended and suggested to make Nijgadh through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Currently, Tribhuvan Airport is the airport that generates the most revenue," said Ojha, "The amount that comes from asset monetization can be used for Nijgadh." </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report mentions that 25 airports in India under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are preparing to go for asset monetization from 2022 to 2025 in accordance to India's National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Udaipur, Dehradun, Rajahmundry airports are in this pipeline. The Airports Authority of India has identified 13 airports to be operated, managed and developed through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20627', 'image' => '20240506021008_20211202020506_2009-03_Kathmandu_10.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:09:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20899', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Minister Pun says Govt Committed to Creating Business-Friendly Environment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector. The active participation of the private sector in the recently held Nepal Investment Summit also demonstrated the government's friendly gestures to the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Speaking at a meeting with the representatives of the Revenue Advisory Committee and the umbrella organizations of the private sector at the Ministry of Finance on Sunday, Minister Pun said the government was committed to creating a business-friendly environment for the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun shared that eight different laws were revised through the ordinance to create an investment-friendly environment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The finance minister was of the view that a favorable situation can be created if the state and private sector collaborated to end the ongoing economic slowdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"A positive situation has been created from the amendments made in the laws targeting domestic and foreign investors. We have given the message to the entire world that the government is private sector- friendly," said the finance minister. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister Pun argued that the economy can become vibrant by enhancing productivity through the partnership with the private sector and added that the government has taken the policy to ensure competitiveness of the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun said that the change in the rate of tax would be done on the basis of need and relevance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20626', 'image' => '20240506010443_sustainability-3295757_1280.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 13:03:50', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20897', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Karnali Province has the Highest Life Expectancy in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">A report on demographic indicators published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Sunday shows that the people living in Karnali Province have a life expectancy of 72.5 years, the highest of all. This is even higher than the national average life expectancy, which according to the NSO, has reached 71.3 years. According to the report prepared on the basis of the recently conducted census in 2021, male life expectancy stands at 68.2 years while that of females is 73.8 years. The NSO records show that average life expectancy of Nepalis increased by 21.5 years in the past four decades. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Lumbini Province has the lowest life expectancy of 69.5 years. The life expectancy is 70.4 years in Koshi Province, 71.3 years in Sudurpaschim Province, 71.8 years in Madhesh Province, 72.1 years in Gandaki Province and 72.4 years in Bagmati Province.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“We are doing additional study to find out the factors behind the high life expectancy in Karnali Province,” said Dr Hemraj Regni, deputy chief of the NSO, during a press conference in the capital on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Probably it is due to various projects implemented by the government and its development partners in Karnali Province in the past ten to twenty years,” he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Regmi, Karnali Province has also made significant improvement in poverty alleviation. The Living Standard Survey conducted by the government in the last fiscal year shows that 26.69 percent of population in Karnali Province are below the poverty line. In average, 20.27 percent population of Nepal fall under the poverty line.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Human Development Index Report of Nepal prepared in 2020 by the National Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Human Development Index of Karnali Province is not good compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The HDI of Karnali Province is the second worst after Madhesh Province. According to the NSO, the infant mortality rate is also the second lowest in Karnali compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In 2021, the infant mortality rate went down to 17 per 1,000. The figure was 40 per 1,000 babies in 2011.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The reproductive rate has reduced to 1.94 children per woman. The average age of giving birth by a woman is 26.9 years in Karnali Province, while it is 28.4 years in Bagmati Province. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The study of five year data shows that the internal migration rate was the highest in Gandaki Province, which witnessed migration of 4,027 people per 100,000 during the review period. In Karnali Province, the internal migration rate was 3,700 per 100,000 of population, while it was the lowest in Bagmati Province that had 54 per 100,000 of population. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In five years, a total of 3,752 people out of 100,000 of the population migrated abroad. Sudurpashchim posted the largest figure of 7,359 people per 100,000 of population, which was followed by Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province in second and third positions, respectively. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Meanwhile, Nepal’s population growth rate stood 0.92 percent per annum in the past one decade, which was the lowest in 80 years, the NSO report stated.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the NSO, the population of the country is around 29.2 million at present. During mid-April 2011 and mid-April 2021, Nepal’s population grew by 2.7 million. The growth rate in Lumbini Province was the largest at 13.8 percent. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20624', 'image' => '20240506114451_20231215110529_agri maize (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:43:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20896', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Samsung's 'Good Lock' App Debuts on Google Play Store ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Previously exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy Store, the availability of Good Lock on the Play Store broadens its reach to a wider audience of Android users, confirmed GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The move comes as Samsung aims to offer its users more flexibility in accessing its suite of applications. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, it's important to note that the Good Lock app on the Google Play Store is currently labelled as 'Early Access,' suggesting that users should exercise caution, particularly if considering downloading it on their primary devices. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In addition to the Good Lock app, Samsung has also introduced the One Hand Operation+ module on the Google Play Store, further enriching the customization options available to Samsung device owners, reported GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This module, previously accessible only through the Galaxy Store, now provides users with the choice to download it from either platform. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While the expansion of Samsung's applications to the Google Play Store offers greater convenience for users, it's advised to approach the Early Access tag with prudence, considering potential bugs or stability issues that may arise in pre-release versions. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">For those interested in exploring these offerings, both the Good Lock app and the One Hand Operation+ module are now available for download from the Google Play Store and the Galaxy Store, providing Samsung users with enhanced customization options for their devices. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20623', 'image' => '20240506110315_gl.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:02:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20895', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Birgunj Records Rs 450 Billion Imports, Rs 23 Billion Exports in Nine Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> May 6: Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Birgunj Customs Office, both imports and exports have decreased compared to the previous fiscal year. When imports decreased by 14.61%, exports dropped by 21.84%.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the first nine months of the last fiscal year, goods worth Rs 527 billion were imported while the goods amounting to Rs 29 billion were exported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After India imposed a policy of zero duty on the import of refined and semi-refined cooking oil, export of cooking oil from Nepal to India has come to a standstill. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">From this border point, mainly petroleum products, vehicles, and industrial raw materials are imported. Items like edible oil, juice, cloth, yarn, and pineapples are exported from Birgunj border point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">While Birjgunj Customs Office reported total transaction of worth Rs 473 billion, the trade deficit reached 427 billion. With the fall in imports and export, the trade deficit has slumped by 14.18% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Following the decrease in imports and exports, the revenue collected by the Birgunj Customs Office has been affected. The Customs Office has collected only 62.73% of its revenue target in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The customs office has collected 114 billion in revenue against its total target of 181 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20622', 'image' => '20240506061550_collage (73).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 06:13:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20894', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'KMC's Skill Fair gets 10,000 Plus Applications for Vocational Training', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). KMC organized the fair with the goal of training 2,081 individuals but more than 10,000 people applied for the training. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Bimala Koirala, acting head of KMC’s Social Development Department, all those who have filled the application forms will be provided the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Koirala said that the applicants who filled the forms before May 1 will be allowed to participate in the skill fair. Koirala said that there is a plan to provide them with the training schedule by Friday, May 10. She further said that training will be provided at various stages in collaboration with various campuses and community schools for those who fill the forms after May 2.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">She shared that 2,081 of those who filled the forms will be trained immediately and others will be trained for the next three years based on their needs. The skill fair has been started under the KMC's Gaurav Yojana (Pride Project) under 'Increase in Employment and Income, Prosperity of Kathmandu'.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">KMC has collaborated with the Nepal Training and Employment Association to organize the fair. According to the KMC, the aim is to provide training in 36 occupations in 10 areas. The KMC believes that the fair will help people with skills reach employers. Koirala further stated that people who have completed 18 years of age and are not above 58 years of age can participate in the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">For those who find it difficult to fill the details online, arrangements were made to fill the form on paper at the ward offices of the KMC as well. The participants who came to Tundikhel on the opening day could fill the forms from that venue as well, KMC said. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20621', 'image' => '20240505090233_BBB-KTM-23silaikataitalim(1)copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 21:01:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20893', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NEPSE Plummets by Double Digits, Closes at 1974.37', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">May 5: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During today’s trading session, 316 different stocks were traded on the NEPSE through 60,523 transactions. A total of shares traded amounted to 9,762,803 with a total turnover of Rs. 3.79 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepal Finance Limited(NFS) led the turnover amount with the total transaction of Rs 12 crores. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dolti Power Company Limited (DOLTI) showed the highest gain of 9.56%, followed by Sadhana Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SDLBSL) and Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA) with a gain of 8.72% each.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the contrary, People's Power Limited (PPL) incurred the maximum loss of 9.92%, closing at a market price of Rs. 554 per share. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of sector indices, all sectors closed in the negative territory except Microfinance Index and Non-Life Insurance. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The "Microfinance Index" experienced the gain of 0.16%, while the "Development Bank Index" witnessed the highest decline of 2.65%.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20620', 'image' => '20240505041155_collage (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 16:10:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20892', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM Dahal Hints at Investigating Co-operative Fraud Case Involving Ravi Lamichhane', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), while addressing the party's parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday, indicated that a parliamentary inquiry committee would be formed, a party leader informed New Business Age.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“The problem of cooperatives has become serious,” a leader of the party said quoting the prime minister. According to the Maoist leader, the prime minister said that a concrete step in this regard will be taken through another cabinet meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Discussions on forming a parliamentary inquiry committee to solve the overall problem will be taken forward," he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the leader, the prime minister is in a state of mind not to let the budget session be affected by the fact that the Nepali Congress blocked the winter session by demanding a parliamentary inquiry. Amidst the obstruction created by the Nepali Congress, the government decided to end the winter session with effect from the midnight of the April 14.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After ending the winter session, it was decided to bring an ordinance to amend various laws targeting the investment summit held on April 28 and 29. The budget session of the House of Representatives has been called again on May 10.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During this session, the government will present the policies and programs and the budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2081/82. However, the Nepali Congress has been repeating its stance that it will not allow the Parliament to run without an investigation into Lamichhane, suspected to be involved in cooperative fraud. In particular, a study report of Pokhara Metropolitan City showed that Ravi Lamichhane, who is not a member of Suryadarshan Cooperative, took Rs 10 million from the cooperative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A person who is not a member of the cooperative is not eligible to take a loan. However, documents show that Lamichhane took the loan but did not repay it. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lamichhane claimed that a fake account was opened in his name and maintained his stance that he did not take the loan.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">GB Rai was the president of Suryadarshan Cooperative when Lamichhane allegedly took the loan. Rai had partnered with Lamichhane to open Galaxy 4K Television, operated by Gorkha Network Pvt Ltd. Now the television has been shut down. It is mentioned in the report that Lamichhane took the loan of Rs 300 million from Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative for this media.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pokhara Metropolitan City formed a study committee last year after receiving many complaints about Suryadarshan Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Auditor Anil Lamichhane, was a member of the committee, the loan was sanctioned in the name of Ravi Lamichhane. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Not only Lamichhane but also Rastriya Swatantra Party's Vice President and Labor Minister DP Aryal was also involved in cooperative fraud cases. He was accused of cheating while he was the vice president of Hamro Naya Krishi Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Maoist Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that the Prime Minister agreed to call an all-party meeting to end the impasse in Parliament. According to him, the same meeting will also discuss about the investigation of Home Minister Lamichhane, who has been accused of being involved in cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20619', 'image' => '20240505032321_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 15:21:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20891', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Most of the Projects Seeking Start-up Loans are Related to Agriculture', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. A total of 1,658 projects were registered for startup ventures with the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), an autonomous body established by the government which is dedicated to developing human and knowledge resources for entrepreneurship and business promotion in Nepal through a number of impact-generating quality tools such as training, research, consultancy, enterprise education, and management development programmes. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The IEDI has listed 394 projects as eligible for the startup enterprise loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">More than half of the eligible list, that is roughly about 200 projects, pertain to agriculture and animal husbandry businesses. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Most of the startup projects eligible for startup enterprise loans are from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. There are 119 projects from these three districts. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from these, some projects are also related to food processing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The productivity of this sector is very low as most of the agriculture and animal husbandry in the country are subsistence oriented. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published last December regarding Nepal’s food security and agricultural commercialization program, supported by the Asian Development Bank, the productivity of Nepal's agricultural sector was found to be the lowest in South Asia. The report pointed out that the major obstacles for the commercialization of agriculture were widespread fragmentation of land, lack of appropriate cultivation and cropping techniques, lack of timely supply of chemical fertilizers and seeds, and limited financial and agricultural infrastructure.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Juna Mathema, chairperson of the Startup and Innovation Forum of FNCCI, says that it is positive that there are many projects related to this sector in the context of the challenges of commercialization of agriculture in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Neighboring India has already taken a leap in agriculture startups. There are startups related to agriculture in India's AG hub. It seems that the same kind of ecosystem has been developed by starting agro in a different way in Nepal,” said Mathema.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Stakeholders say that startups related to agriculture will also bring new technologies related to agriculture, which will help in the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. For example, China has succeeded in increasing productivity rapidly in 2023 through the use of technology, according to Chinese international television CGN. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published in December last year, despite extensive damage to agriculture due to natural calamities, agricultural production increased widely. Nepal is also implementing the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project for the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. Its purpose is to maintain food security, reduce import of agricultural products and increase exports. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The government has also announced the youth startup grant program in the budget of the current financial year to attract young manpower in agriculture and livestock business and develop entrepreneurship. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The implementation of this program under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Program has already started in nearly two dozen districts as per Dr. Jit Bahadur Chand. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> “Under this programme, we give a maximum of Rs 400,000 to a youth. But, those proposals should be innovative. We have also been instructing our offices in different districts to support innovative programs,” he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Mathema, there is plenty of room for innovation in the agricultural sector. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">She said, “The criteria set by the government for giving loans to start-up enterprises must include innovation. Incubation center is the link of startup.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chand says that educated youth now want to engage in agriculture with the help of technology. Various technologies are being used in agriculture, including artificial intelligence. This will help increasing Nepal's agricultural production, make it competitive and sustainable. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry, proposals for restaurants, spice processing industry, bakery, cafe, small scale industry, chemicals, thangka/handicraft related businesses are also in the eligible list. In the current fiscal year 2080/81, the IEDI is planning to provide start-up enterprise loans to 200 projects and has fixed the date for the project presentation to the applicants who are in the list of eligible projects from April 29 to May 16. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the annual national accounting estimates of the current year 2080/81 published by the National Statistics Office a few days ago, the growth rate of this sector is estimated to be 3.05 percent.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20618', 'image' => '20240505021223_20240208011240_startup.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 14:11:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20890', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supreme Court Orders Government to Limit Climbing Permits for Everest', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The revelation comes just as climbers prepare for the spring climbing season.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm, the French news agency reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the verdict was issued in late April but a summary was only published last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Advocate Deepak Bikram Mishra, who had filed a petition urging permits to be curtailed, told AFP that the court had responded to public concerns about Nepal's mountains and its environment.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It has ordered a limit to the number of climbers... and also given measures for waste management and preservation of the mountain's environment," AFP quoted Mishra as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The verdict's summary said that the mountains' capacity "must be respected" and an appropriate maximum number of permits should be determined.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The full text of the verdict has not been published and the summary does not mention any specific limit to the number of permits issued, added AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply and are willing to pay $11,000 to scale Everest, the world's highest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) above the sea level.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Last year, the country issued 478 permits for Everest, a record high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A massive human traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced teams to wait hours at the summit in freezing temperatures, risking depleted oxygen levels that can lead to sickness and exhaustion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, at least four of the 11 deaths on the peak that year were blamed on overcrowding.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"We are pressuring the mountain too much and we need to give it some respite," Mishra told AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The court decision also orders restrictions on the use of helicopters, which the court said should be used only for emergency rescues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Helicopters have in recent years been frequently used to airlift mountaineering teams to base camps and across hazardous terrain.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal Mountaineering Association president Nima Nuru Sherpa told AFP that such decisions need to be made after a proper study and consultation with the stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It is not clear right now how it will impact the industry. We don't know on what basis the limits will be made and how will this be divided among expedition operators," Sherpa said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"Our focus should instead be on how we can make the mountains safer."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal has issued permits to 945 climbers for its mountains so far this year, including 403 for Everest.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20617', 'image' => '20240505122737_20240401075430_SubhasDarnal_KalapatharSolukhumbu_RSS_IMG_20240308_200422.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 12:27:05', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20889', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'World Food Prices Continue to Rise in April: FAO ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday. It was the first time they rose in consecutive months in more than two years, FAO said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A significant increase in prices for meat, along with modest rises in prices for grains, cereals and vegetable oil offset larger declines in prices for dairy products and sugar. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The overall FAO Food Price Index gained 0.3 percent in April compared to March. A month ago, the broad index was 1.1 percent higher than in February, while previously it had declined for seven months in a row. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The last time the Food Price Index climbed in consecutive months was in February and March 2022, when higher energy prices pushed the index to its all-time high of 160.2 points. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Despite the increases over the last two months, the broad index only reached 119.1 points, far below its record high. The FAO said the biggest increase in April was for meat prices, which climbed 1.6 percent. This was due in part to higher demand for poultry in the Middle East. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Grains and cereals, the largest component in the Food Price Index, saw 0.3 percent gains due to production worries in Europe and transportation disruptions caused by the situation in Ukraine. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Vegetable oil quotations inched higher because of unfavorable weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, the FAO said. The increase came after a dramatic 8.0 percent rise a month earlier. Meanwhile, sugar prices were 4.4 percent lower, pushed by strong production levels in India and Thailand and good weather in Brazil. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Dairy prices slipped 0.3 percent after increasing in each of the previous six months. The FAO said currency valuations were one factor behind the decline. -- Xinhua/RSS<br /> </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20616', 'image' => '20240505114421_inflationnnnnn.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 11:43:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20886', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM says New Budget will Focus on Underprivileged Class, Region ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) on Saturday, the Maoist Centre Chairman and Prime Minister Dahal shared that the new budget would be prepared by taking lessons from past experiences. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Policies and programme, and budget will be brought keeping the agendas of good-governance, social justice and prosperity in the centre, and to uplift the underprivileged ones," Maoist Centre's chief whip Hitraj Pandey quoted the PM as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM directed the ministers from the Maoist Centre to interact with the Maoist Centre's lawmakers and take their feedback in preparing the budget. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM asked the lawmakers to offer their feedback for production growth and employment generation and share the recommendations from the experts of diverse sectors to the government through the party. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the meeting, the Maoist Centre lawmakers suggested that the new budget should address the people's expectations amid the ongoing status of limited resources. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Chief Whip Pandey said that the meeting decided to make the upcoming parliamentary session systematic and effective and pass the bills from the thematic committees. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20613', 'image' => '20240505104723_budgetttttt.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 10:46:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional assistance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing the 57th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini asked for the provision of concessional assistance as large capital must be mobilized to address the economy and development aspirations that have weakened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">He urged all development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, to increase financial and technical support, saying that Nepal has moved forward with the concept of green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini pointed out the need for collective efforts to make South Asia an area of emerging economic development and said that emphasis should be given for the same. Pointing out the need for efforts, he said that emphasis should be placed on interdependence, innovation and digitization for the enhancement of interregional trade. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Nepal’s economy post Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by global economic challenges and the contraction in economic activities in recent days due to revenue deficit and increasing debt obligations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini shared that the third investment summit was organized in Kathmandu to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. He mentioned that ADB can play an important role in creating an environment for investment in areas of comparative advantage such as tourism, hydropower and information technology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Recalling that the ADB has been continuously supporting Nepal, Secretary Marasini expressed his gratitude for being a reliable partner in the development journey. He said that in the last decade, Nepal has advanced social inclusion and economic development together. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20630', 'image' => '20240506025508_20230723022857_hqdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:54:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20903', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Muktinath Development Bank Provides Financial Assistance to KU for Green Hydrogen Energy Research', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => '', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: Muktinath Development Bank has partnered with Kathmandu University for the research of green hydrogen energy with the objective of contributing to the sustainable development of this sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the bank said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with KU to provide financial assistance for research to the Green Hydrogen Lab of the university. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The signing ceremony was attended by CEO of Muktinath Development Bank Pradhyuman Pokharel, Vice Chancellor of KU Dr Bhola Thapa, chief of the Green Hydrogen Lab Dr Biraj Singh Thapa and other officials of the bank and the university.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Green Hydrogen Lab will conduct research on green hydrogen for thermal heat with the funding from the bank.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The bank expressed its belief that this initiative would help sustainable development of Nepal in the long run.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20629', 'image' => '20240506032514_Muktinath & KU green hydrogen lab (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:23:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20902', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PhonePe Showcases its Services Powered by UPI at a Special Event in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the company said that the event held on May 2 brought together key stakeholders from the Nepalese financial landscape, including senior representatives from the banking sector, Payment System Providers, UPI accepting merchants and representatives from business associations.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event was supported by Nepal’s payment system operator Fonepay payment Service Limited which is also NIPL’s counterpart for Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event saw a keynote address from Diwas Sapkota, CEO of FonePay Network, outlining the potential of UPI for Nepal's digital economy. This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the Influence of cross-border payments on Nepal’s economy and the financial landscape, the statement added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel included esteemed panelists like Anish Tamrakar, Chief Digital Banking Officer of Kumari Bank; Shradha Shrestha, manager of Nepal Tourism Board; Jagdish Khadka, CEO of eSewa, and Vivek Rana, ICT/MIS Consultant at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel discussion addressed a range of issues related to cross-border payments and their impact on Nepal's economy and financial landscape as well as regulatory hurdles and compliance demands in facilitating international transactions. The panelists highlighted the positive influence of UPI on Nepal's tourism sector, particularly by enhancing the overall tourist experience through convenient cashless payments. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, the discussion further explored how cross-border payments impact the revenue streams and business models of financial institutions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, panelists examined the influence of UPI on consumer experience in Nepal, focusing on factors like convenience, interoperability, security, and cost-effectiveness. The discussion als delved into the broader macroeconomic implications of cross-border payments through alternative payment methods impacting underserved small and medium scale entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The program culminated in a product showcase led by Ritesh Pai, CEO of PhonePe. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, his presentation provided a comprehensive overview of PhonePe's journey, highlighting its evolution. The presentation also delved into how PhonePe, powered by UPI fosters a thriving ecosystem, driving the democratization of payments across India. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This was followed by a demonstration of solutions that benefit both Indian tourists and Nepalese merchants. Drawing parallels with the Indian market success story, the presentation illustrated how PhonePe can replicate this success in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Nepal is a very popular destination among Indian visitors who can now use UPI to pay at various tourist spots, retail stores, religious sites, and other popular locations. Users simply need to scan QR codes from their preferred UPI-enabled app at merchant locations who are enrolled in Fonepay QR scheme in Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This is facilitated through Fonepay’s partnership with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL). Through this partnership, Fonepay has enabled QR-code-based payments across payment service providers, leading banks and wallets, allowing Indian travelers to use UPI for transactions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, going forward shortly, tourists and visitors from Nepal traveling to India will be enabled to utilize their financial instruments like wallet-based apps to scan the UPI QR code and make payments effortlessly.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ritesh Pai said, "We're thrilled to be showcasing services powered by UPI in Nepal. This gathering has brought together key players from Nepal’s financial landscape, including Fonepay, leading business figures, and representatives from hospitality and tourism. It's a testament to the collaborative spirit that will ensure UPI's success in Nepal. We are thankful for their presence and participation. Nepal is a popular tourist destination, particularly for travelers from India. With UPI, Indian tourists can now enjoy the same convenient cashless payment experience they're accustomed to back home, using UPI powered apps such as PhonePe. This will not only enhance their travel experience but also encourage digital transactions."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Addressing the event, Diwas Kumar, CEO Fonepay Nepal, said, “This is a moment of immense pride and joy for Fonepay Payment Service Ltd. Our 4 years of journey to bring cross border payments in Nepal is finally successful and UPI payment is Live in Nepal. As we introduce UPI payments in partnership with NPCI International, and welcome PhonePe to Nepal, we see a future where smooth digital transactions boost economic growth and financial inclusion, benefiting merchants and businesses. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the regulators, government agencies for their invaluable support, recognizing innovations and supporting private sector efforts in facilitating Nepal’s journey towards digital transformation. We urge authorities to foster an ecosystem that embraces and supports innovations, promote partnership with private sector players in technological advancements and bring state of art products and services to Nepalese consumers."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20628', 'image' => '20240506031307_JAN00188.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:10:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20900', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Task Force Recommends Monetisation of TIA to Raise Funds for Nijgadh Airport', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the study group, formed to provide suggestions regarding the operation and construction of Nepal's international airports in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has recommended monetization of the property of TIA as a second alternative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The first option suggested by the task force is to advance Tribhuvan International Airport and Nijgadh as a single project.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, who is the coordinator of the task force, proposed the option of monetization under the concept that a potential company would be entrusted with the operation of Tribhuvan International Airport and the government would take a certain percentage of the revenue to use that amount to build Nijgarh Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the task force suggests adopting the lease (rent), operation and transfer (LOT) model under the PPP and monetising the property of Tribhuvan Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, such a company should have experience in asset monetization, should have operated at least one international airport under the lease and transfer model, and the company's assets should be at least USD 1 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is mentioned in the report that even if the operation and management of the airport are given to a private company, the government should take responsibility for the airport’s security and immigration.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, India and other countries are also monetizing their airports. Officials of the task force say that it may be suitable for Nepal as well.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Ghan Shyam Ojha, an investment expert who is also a member of the task force, said that international airports such as Shivaji Chhatrapati Maharaj Airport in India were created through monetization of assets. Although airports in Nepal are still unable to generate sufficient income, it is recommended and suggested to make Nijgadh through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Currently, Tribhuvan Airport is the airport that generates the most revenue," said Ojha, "The amount that comes from asset monetization can be used for Nijgadh." </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report mentions that 25 airports in India under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are preparing to go for asset monetization from 2022 to 2025 in accordance to India's National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Udaipur, Dehradun, Rajahmundry airports are in this pipeline. The Airports Authority of India has identified 13 airports to be operated, managed and developed through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20627', 'image' => '20240506021008_20211202020506_2009-03_Kathmandu_10.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:09:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20899', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Minister Pun says Govt Committed to Creating Business-Friendly Environment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector. The active participation of the private sector in the recently held Nepal Investment Summit also demonstrated the government's friendly gestures to the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Speaking at a meeting with the representatives of the Revenue Advisory Committee and the umbrella organizations of the private sector at the Ministry of Finance on Sunday, Minister Pun said the government was committed to creating a business-friendly environment for the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun shared that eight different laws were revised through the ordinance to create an investment-friendly environment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The finance minister was of the view that a favorable situation can be created if the state and private sector collaborated to end the ongoing economic slowdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"A positive situation has been created from the amendments made in the laws targeting domestic and foreign investors. We have given the message to the entire world that the government is private sector- friendly," said the finance minister. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister Pun argued that the economy can become vibrant by enhancing productivity through the partnership with the private sector and added that the government has taken the policy to ensure competitiveness of the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun said that the change in the rate of tax would be done on the basis of need and relevance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20626', 'image' => '20240506010443_sustainability-3295757_1280.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 13:03:50', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20897', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Karnali Province has the Highest Life Expectancy in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">A report on demographic indicators published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Sunday shows that the people living in Karnali Province have a life expectancy of 72.5 years, the highest of all. This is even higher than the national average life expectancy, which according to the NSO, has reached 71.3 years. According to the report prepared on the basis of the recently conducted census in 2021, male life expectancy stands at 68.2 years while that of females is 73.8 years. The NSO records show that average life expectancy of Nepalis increased by 21.5 years in the past four decades. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Lumbini Province has the lowest life expectancy of 69.5 years. The life expectancy is 70.4 years in Koshi Province, 71.3 years in Sudurpaschim Province, 71.8 years in Madhesh Province, 72.1 years in Gandaki Province and 72.4 years in Bagmati Province.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“We are doing additional study to find out the factors behind the high life expectancy in Karnali Province,” said Dr Hemraj Regni, deputy chief of the NSO, during a press conference in the capital on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Probably it is due to various projects implemented by the government and its development partners in Karnali Province in the past ten to twenty years,” he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Regmi, Karnali Province has also made significant improvement in poverty alleviation. The Living Standard Survey conducted by the government in the last fiscal year shows that 26.69 percent of population in Karnali Province are below the poverty line. In average, 20.27 percent population of Nepal fall under the poverty line.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Human Development Index Report of Nepal prepared in 2020 by the National Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Human Development Index of Karnali Province is not good compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The HDI of Karnali Province is the second worst after Madhesh Province. According to the NSO, the infant mortality rate is also the second lowest in Karnali compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In 2021, the infant mortality rate went down to 17 per 1,000. The figure was 40 per 1,000 babies in 2011.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The reproductive rate has reduced to 1.94 children per woman. The average age of giving birth by a woman is 26.9 years in Karnali Province, while it is 28.4 years in Bagmati Province. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The study of five year data shows that the internal migration rate was the highest in Gandaki Province, which witnessed migration of 4,027 people per 100,000 during the review period. In Karnali Province, the internal migration rate was 3,700 per 100,000 of population, while it was the lowest in Bagmati Province that had 54 per 100,000 of population. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In five years, a total of 3,752 people out of 100,000 of the population migrated abroad. Sudurpashchim posted the largest figure of 7,359 people per 100,000 of population, which was followed by Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province in second and third positions, respectively. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Meanwhile, Nepal’s population growth rate stood 0.92 percent per annum in the past one decade, which was the lowest in 80 years, the NSO report stated.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the NSO, the population of the country is around 29.2 million at present. During mid-April 2011 and mid-April 2021, Nepal’s population grew by 2.7 million. The growth rate in Lumbini Province was the largest at 13.8 percent. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20624', 'image' => '20240506114451_20231215110529_agri maize (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:43:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20896', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Samsung's 'Good Lock' App Debuts on Google Play Store ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Previously exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy Store, the availability of Good Lock on the Play Store broadens its reach to a wider audience of Android users, confirmed GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The move comes as Samsung aims to offer its users more flexibility in accessing its suite of applications. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, it's important to note that the Good Lock app on the Google Play Store is currently labelled as 'Early Access,' suggesting that users should exercise caution, particularly if considering downloading it on their primary devices. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In addition to the Good Lock app, Samsung has also introduced the One Hand Operation+ module on the Google Play Store, further enriching the customization options available to Samsung device owners, reported GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This module, previously accessible only through the Galaxy Store, now provides users with the choice to download it from either platform. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While the expansion of Samsung's applications to the Google Play Store offers greater convenience for users, it's advised to approach the Early Access tag with prudence, considering potential bugs or stability issues that may arise in pre-release versions. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">For those interested in exploring these offerings, both the Good Lock app and the One Hand Operation+ module are now available for download from the Google Play Store and the Galaxy Store, providing Samsung users with enhanced customization options for their devices. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20623', 'image' => '20240506110315_gl.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:02:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20895', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Birgunj Records Rs 450 Billion Imports, Rs 23 Billion Exports in Nine Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> May 6: Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Birgunj Customs Office, both imports and exports have decreased compared to the previous fiscal year. When imports decreased by 14.61%, exports dropped by 21.84%.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the first nine months of the last fiscal year, goods worth Rs 527 billion were imported while the goods amounting to Rs 29 billion were exported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After India imposed a policy of zero duty on the import of refined and semi-refined cooking oil, export of cooking oil from Nepal to India has come to a standstill. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">From this border point, mainly petroleum products, vehicles, and industrial raw materials are imported. Items like edible oil, juice, cloth, yarn, and pineapples are exported from Birgunj border point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">While Birjgunj Customs Office reported total transaction of worth Rs 473 billion, the trade deficit reached 427 billion. With the fall in imports and export, the trade deficit has slumped by 14.18% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Following the decrease in imports and exports, the revenue collected by the Birgunj Customs Office has been affected. The Customs Office has collected only 62.73% of its revenue target in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The customs office has collected 114 billion in revenue against its total target of 181 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20622', 'image' => '20240506061550_collage (73).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 06:13:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20894', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'KMC's Skill Fair gets 10,000 Plus Applications for Vocational Training', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). KMC organized the fair with the goal of training 2,081 individuals but more than 10,000 people applied for the training. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Bimala Koirala, acting head of KMC’s Social Development Department, all those who have filled the application forms will be provided the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Koirala said that the applicants who filled the forms before May 1 will be allowed to participate in the skill fair. Koirala said that there is a plan to provide them with the training schedule by Friday, May 10. She further said that training will be provided at various stages in collaboration with various campuses and community schools for those who fill the forms after May 2.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">She shared that 2,081 of those who filled the forms will be trained immediately and others will be trained for the next three years based on their needs. The skill fair has been started under the KMC's Gaurav Yojana (Pride Project) under 'Increase in Employment and Income, Prosperity of Kathmandu'.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">KMC has collaborated with the Nepal Training and Employment Association to organize the fair. According to the KMC, the aim is to provide training in 36 occupations in 10 areas. The KMC believes that the fair will help people with skills reach employers. Koirala further stated that people who have completed 18 years of age and are not above 58 years of age can participate in the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">For those who find it difficult to fill the details online, arrangements were made to fill the form on paper at the ward offices of the KMC as well. The participants who came to Tundikhel on the opening day could fill the forms from that venue as well, KMC said. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20621', 'image' => '20240505090233_BBB-KTM-23silaikataitalim(1)copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 21:01:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20893', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NEPSE Plummets by Double Digits, Closes at 1974.37', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">May 5: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During today’s trading session, 316 different stocks were traded on the NEPSE through 60,523 transactions. A total of shares traded amounted to 9,762,803 with a total turnover of Rs. 3.79 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepal Finance Limited(NFS) led the turnover amount with the total transaction of Rs 12 crores. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dolti Power Company Limited (DOLTI) showed the highest gain of 9.56%, followed by Sadhana Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SDLBSL) and Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA) with a gain of 8.72% each.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the contrary, People's Power Limited (PPL) incurred the maximum loss of 9.92%, closing at a market price of Rs. 554 per share. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of sector indices, all sectors closed in the negative territory except Microfinance Index and Non-Life Insurance. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The "Microfinance Index" experienced the gain of 0.16%, while the "Development Bank Index" witnessed the highest decline of 2.65%.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20620', 'image' => '20240505041155_collage (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 16:10:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20892', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM Dahal Hints at Investigating Co-operative Fraud Case Involving Ravi Lamichhane', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), while addressing the party's parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday, indicated that a parliamentary inquiry committee would be formed, a party leader informed New Business Age.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“The problem of cooperatives has become serious,” a leader of the party said quoting the prime minister. According to the Maoist leader, the prime minister said that a concrete step in this regard will be taken through another cabinet meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Discussions on forming a parliamentary inquiry committee to solve the overall problem will be taken forward," he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the leader, the prime minister is in a state of mind not to let the budget session be affected by the fact that the Nepali Congress blocked the winter session by demanding a parliamentary inquiry. Amidst the obstruction created by the Nepali Congress, the government decided to end the winter session with effect from the midnight of the April 14.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After ending the winter session, it was decided to bring an ordinance to amend various laws targeting the investment summit held on April 28 and 29. The budget session of the House of Representatives has been called again on May 10.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During this session, the government will present the policies and programs and the budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2081/82. However, the Nepali Congress has been repeating its stance that it will not allow the Parliament to run without an investigation into Lamichhane, suspected to be involved in cooperative fraud. In particular, a study report of Pokhara Metropolitan City showed that Ravi Lamichhane, who is not a member of Suryadarshan Cooperative, took Rs 10 million from the cooperative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A person who is not a member of the cooperative is not eligible to take a loan. However, documents show that Lamichhane took the loan but did not repay it. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lamichhane claimed that a fake account was opened in his name and maintained his stance that he did not take the loan.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">GB Rai was the president of Suryadarshan Cooperative when Lamichhane allegedly took the loan. Rai had partnered with Lamichhane to open Galaxy 4K Television, operated by Gorkha Network Pvt Ltd. Now the television has been shut down. It is mentioned in the report that Lamichhane took the loan of Rs 300 million from Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative for this media.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pokhara Metropolitan City formed a study committee last year after receiving many complaints about Suryadarshan Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Auditor Anil Lamichhane, was a member of the committee, the loan was sanctioned in the name of Ravi Lamichhane. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Not only Lamichhane but also Rastriya Swatantra Party's Vice President and Labor Minister DP Aryal was also involved in cooperative fraud cases. He was accused of cheating while he was the vice president of Hamro Naya Krishi Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Maoist Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that the Prime Minister agreed to call an all-party meeting to end the impasse in Parliament. According to him, the same meeting will also discuss about the investigation of Home Minister Lamichhane, who has been accused of being involved in cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20619', 'image' => '20240505032321_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 15:21:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20891', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Most of the Projects Seeking Start-up Loans are Related to Agriculture', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. A total of 1,658 projects were registered for startup ventures with the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), an autonomous body established by the government which is dedicated to developing human and knowledge resources for entrepreneurship and business promotion in Nepal through a number of impact-generating quality tools such as training, research, consultancy, enterprise education, and management development programmes. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The IEDI has listed 394 projects as eligible for the startup enterprise loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">More than half of the eligible list, that is roughly about 200 projects, pertain to agriculture and animal husbandry businesses. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Most of the startup projects eligible for startup enterprise loans are from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. There are 119 projects from these three districts. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from these, some projects are also related to food processing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The productivity of this sector is very low as most of the agriculture and animal husbandry in the country are subsistence oriented. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published last December regarding Nepal’s food security and agricultural commercialization program, supported by the Asian Development Bank, the productivity of Nepal's agricultural sector was found to be the lowest in South Asia. The report pointed out that the major obstacles for the commercialization of agriculture were widespread fragmentation of land, lack of appropriate cultivation and cropping techniques, lack of timely supply of chemical fertilizers and seeds, and limited financial and agricultural infrastructure.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Juna Mathema, chairperson of the Startup and Innovation Forum of FNCCI, says that it is positive that there are many projects related to this sector in the context of the challenges of commercialization of agriculture in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Neighboring India has already taken a leap in agriculture startups. There are startups related to agriculture in India's AG hub. It seems that the same kind of ecosystem has been developed by starting agro in a different way in Nepal,” said Mathema.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Stakeholders say that startups related to agriculture will also bring new technologies related to agriculture, which will help in the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. For example, China has succeeded in increasing productivity rapidly in 2023 through the use of technology, according to Chinese international television CGN. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published in December last year, despite extensive damage to agriculture due to natural calamities, agricultural production increased widely. Nepal is also implementing the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project for the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. Its purpose is to maintain food security, reduce import of agricultural products and increase exports. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The government has also announced the youth startup grant program in the budget of the current financial year to attract young manpower in agriculture and livestock business and develop entrepreneurship. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The implementation of this program under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Program has already started in nearly two dozen districts as per Dr. Jit Bahadur Chand. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> “Under this programme, we give a maximum of Rs 400,000 to a youth. But, those proposals should be innovative. We have also been instructing our offices in different districts to support innovative programs,” he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Mathema, there is plenty of room for innovation in the agricultural sector. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">She said, “The criteria set by the government for giving loans to start-up enterprises must include innovation. Incubation center is the link of startup.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chand says that educated youth now want to engage in agriculture with the help of technology. Various technologies are being used in agriculture, including artificial intelligence. This will help increasing Nepal's agricultural production, make it competitive and sustainable. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry, proposals for restaurants, spice processing industry, bakery, cafe, small scale industry, chemicals, thangka/handicraft related businesses are also in the eligible list. In the current fiscal year 2080/81, the IEDI is planning to provide start-up enterprise loans to 200 projects and has fixed the date for the project presentation to the applicants who are in the list of eligible projects from April 29 to May 16. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the annual national accounting estimates of the current year 2080/81 published by the National Statistics Office a few days ago, the growth rate of this sector is estimated to be 3.05 percent.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20618', 'image' => '20240505021223_20240208011240_startup.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 14:11:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20890', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supreme Court Orders Government to Limit Climbing Permits for Everest', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The revelation comes just as climbers prepare for the spring climbing season.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm, the French news agency reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the verdict was issued in late April but a summary was only published last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Advocate Deepak Bikram Mishra, who had filed a petition urging permits to be curtailed, told AFP that the court had responded to public concerns about Nepal's mountains and its environment.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It has ordered a limit to the number of climbers... and also given measures for waste management and preservation of the mountain's environment," AFP quoted Mishra as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The verdict's summary said that the mountains' capacity "must be respected" and an appropriate maximum number of permits should be determined.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The full text of the verdict has not been published and the summary does not mention any specific limit to the number of permits issued, added AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply and are willing to pay $11,000 to scale Everest, the world's highest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) above the sea level.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Last year, the country issued 478 permits for Everest, a record high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A massive human traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced teams to wait hours at the summit in freezing temperatures, risking depleted oxygen levels that can lead to sickness and exhaustion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, at least four of the 11 deaths on the peak that year were blamed on overcrowding.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"We are pressuring the mountain too much and we need to give it some respite," Mishra told AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The court decision also orders restrictions on the use of helicopters, which the court said should be used only for emergency rescues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Helicopters have in recent years been frequently used to airlift mountaineering teams to base camps and across hazardous terrain.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal Mountaineering Association president Nima Nuru Sherpa told AFP that such decisions need to be made after a proper study and consultation with the stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It is not clear right now how it will impact the industry. We don't know on what basis the limits will be made and how will this be divided among expedition operators," Sherpa said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"Our focus should instead be on how we can make the mountains safer."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal has issued permits to 945 climbers for its mountains so far this year, including 403 for Everest.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20617', 'image' => '20240505122737_20240401075430_SubhasDarnal_KalapatharSolukhumbu_RSS_IMG_20240308_200422.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 12:27:05', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20889', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'World Food Prices Continue to Rise in April: FAO ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday. It was the first time they rose in consecutive months in more than two years, FAO said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A significant increase in prices for meat, along with modest rises in prices for grains, cereals and vegetable oil offset larger declines in prices for dairy products and sugar. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The overall FAO Food Price Index gained 0.3 percent in April compared to March. A month ago, the broad index was 1.1 percent higher than in February, while previously it had declined for seven months in a row. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The last time the Food Price Index climbed in consecutive months was in February and March 2022, when higher energy prices pushed the index to its all-time high of 160.2 points. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Despite the increases over the last two months, the broad index only reached 119.1 points, far below its record high. The FAO said the biggest increase in April was for meat prices, which climbed 1.6 percent. This was due in part to higher demand for poultry in the Middle East. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Grains and cereals, the largest component in the Food Price Index, saw 0.3 percent gains due to production worries in Europe and transportation disruptions caused by the situation in Ukraine. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Vegetable oil quotations inched higher because of unfavorable weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, the FAO said. The increase came after a dramatic 8.0 percent rise a month earlier. Meanwhile, sugar prices were 4.4 percent lower, pushed by strong production levels in India and Thailand and good weather in Brazil. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Dairy prices slipped 0.3 percent after increasing in each of the previous six months. The FAO said currency valuations were one factor behind the decline. -- Xinhua/RSS<br /> </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20616', 'image' => '20240505114421_inflationnnnnn.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 11:43:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20886', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM says New Budget will Focus on Underprivileged Class, Region ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) on Saturday, the Maoist Centre Chairman and Prime Minister Dahal shared that the new budget would be prepared by taking lessons from past experiences. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Policies and programme, and budget will be brought keeping the agendas of good-governance, social justice and prosperity in the centre, and to uplift the underprivileged ones," Maoist Centre's chief whip Hitraj Pandey quoted the PM as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM directed the ministers from the Maoist Centre to interact with the Maoist Centre's lawmakers and take their feedback in preparing the budget. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM asked the lawmakers to offer their feedback for production growth and employment generation and share the recommendations from the experts of diverse sectors to the government through the party. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the meeting, the Maoist Centre lawmakers suggested that the new budget should address the people's expectations amid the ongoing status of limited resources. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Chief Whip Pandey said that the meeting decided to make the upcoming parliamentary session systematic and effective and pass the bills from the thematic committees. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20613', 'image' => '20240505104723_budgetttttt.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 10:46:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20901', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepal Appeals to World Community to Increase Concessional Aid ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional assistance. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional assistance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing the 57th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini asked for the provision of concessional assistance as large capital must be mobilized to address the economy and development aspirations that have weakened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">He urged all development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, to increase financial and technical support, saying that Nepal has moved forward with the concept of green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini pointed out the need for collective efforts to make South Asia an area of emerging economic development and said that emphasis should be given for the same. Pointing out the need for efforts, he said that emphasis should be placed on interdependence, innovation and digitization for the enhancement of interregional trade. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Nepal’s economy post Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by global economic challenges and the contraction in economic activities in recent days due to revenue deficit and increasing debt obligations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini shared that the third investment summit was organized in Kathmandu to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. He mentioned that ADB can play an important role in creating an environment for investment in areas of comparative advantage such as tourism, hydropower and information technology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Recalling that the ADB has been continuously supporting Nepal, Secretary Marasini expressed his gratitude for being a reliable partner in the development journey. He said that in the last decade, Nepal has advanced social inclusion and economic development together. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20630', 'image' => '20240506025508_20230723022857_hqdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:54:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20903', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Muktinath Development Bank Provides Financial Assistance to KU for Green Hydrogen Energy Research', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => '', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: Muktinath Development Bank has partnered with Kathmandu University for the research of green hydrogen energy with the objective of contributing to the sustainable development of this sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the bank said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with KU to provide financial assistance for research to the Green Hydrogen Lab of the university. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The signing ceremony was attended by CEO of Muktinath Development Bank Pradhyuman Pokharel, Vice Chancellor of KU Dr Bhola Thapa, chief of the Green Hydrogen Lab Dr Biraj Singh Thapa and other officials of the bank and the university.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Green Hydrogen Lab will conduct research on green hydrogen for thermal heat with the funding from the bank.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The bank expressed its belief that this initiative would help sustainable development of Nepal in the long run.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20629', 'image' => '20240506032514_Muktinath & KU green hydrogen lab (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:23:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20902', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PhonePe Showcases its Services Powered by UPI at a Special Event in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the company said that the event held on May 2 brought together key stakeholders from the Nepalese financial landscape, including senior representatives from the banking sector, Payment System Providers, UPI accepting merchants and representatives from business associations.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event was supported by Nepal’s payment system operator Fonepay payment Service Limited which is also NIPL’s counterpart for Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event saw a keynote address from Diwas Sapkota, CEO of FonePay Network, outlining the potential of UPI for Nepal's digital economy. This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the Influence of cross-border payments on Nepal’s economy and the financial landscape, the statement added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel included esteemed panelists like Anish Tamrakar, Chief Digital Banking Officer of Kumari Bank; Shradha Shrestha, manager of Nepal Tourism Board; Jagdish Khadka, CEO of eSewa, and Vivek Rana, ICT/MIS Consultant at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel discussion addressed a range of issues related to cross-border payments and their impact on Nepal's economy and financial landscape as well as regulatory hurdles and compliance demands in facilitating international transactions. The panelists highlighted the positive influence of UPI on Nepal's tourism sector, particularly by enhancing the overall tourist experience through convenient cashless payments. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, the discussion further explored how cross-border payments impact the revenue streams and business models of financial institutions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, panelists examined the influence of UPI on consumer experience in Nepal, focusing on factors like convenience, interoperability, security, and cost-effectiveness. The discussion als delved into the broader macroeconomic implications of cross-border payments through alternative payment methods impacting underserved small and medium scale entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The program culminated in a product showcase led by Ritesh Pai, CEO of PhonePe. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, his presentation provided a comprehensive overview of PhonePe's journey, highlighting its evolution. The presentation also delved into how PhonePe, powered by UPI fosters a thriving ecosystem, driving the democratization of payments across India. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This was followed by a demonstration of solutions that benefit both Indian tourists and Nepalese merchants. Drawing parallels with the Indian market success story, the presentation illustrated how PhonePe can replicate this success in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Nepal is a very popular destination among Indian visitors who can now use UPI to pay at various tourist spots, retail stores, religious sites, and other popular locations. Users simply need to scan QR codes from their preferred UPI-enabled app at merchant locations who are enrolled in Fonepay QR scheme in Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This is facilitated through Fonepay’s partnership with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL). Through this partnership, Fonepay has enabled QR-code-based payments across payment service providers, leading banks and wallets, allowing Indian travelers to use UPI for transactions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, going forward shortly, tourists and visitors from Nepal traveling to India will be enabled to utilize their financial instruments like wallet-based apps to scan the UPI QR code and make payments effortlessly.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ritesh Pai said, "We're thrilled to be showcasing services powered by UPI in Nepal. This gathering has brought together key players from Nepal’s financial landscape, including Fonepay, leading business figures, and representatives from hospitality and tourism. It's a testament to the collaborative spirit that will ensure UPI's success in Nepal. We are thankful for their presence and participation. Nepal is a popular tourist destination, particularly for travelers from India. With UPI, Indian tourists can now enjoy the same convenient cashless payment experience they're accustomed to back home, using UPI powered apps such as PhonePe. This will not only enhance their travel experience but also encourage digital transactions."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Addressing the event, Diwas Kumar, CEO Fonepay Nepal, said, “This is a moment of immense pride and joy for Fonepay Payment Service Ltd. Our 4 years of journey to bring cross border payments in Nepal is finally successful and UPI payment is Live in Nepal. As we introduce UPI payments in partnership with NPCI International, and welcome PhonePe to Nepal, we see a future where smooth digital transactions boost economic growth and financial inclusion, benefiting merchants and businesses. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the regulators, government agencies for their invaluable support, recognizing innovations and supporting private sector efforts in facilitating Nepal’s journey towards digital transformation. We urge authorities to foster an ecosystem that embraces and supports innovations, promote partnership with private sector players in technological advancements and bring state of art products and services to Nepalese consumers."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20628', 'image' => '20240506031307_JAN00188.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:10:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20900', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Task Force Recommends Monetisation of TIA to Raise Funds for Nijgadh Airport', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the study group, formed to provide suggestions regarding the operation and construction of Nepal's international airports in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has recommended monetization of the property of TIA as a second alternative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The first option suggested by the task force is to advance Tribhuvan International Airport and Nijgadh as a single project.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, who is the coordinator of the task force, proposed the option of monetization under the concept that a potential company would be entrusted with the operation of Tribhuvan International Airport and the government would take a certain percentage of the revenue to use that amount to build Nijgarh Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the task force suggests adopting the lease (rent), operation and transfer (LOT) model under the PPP and monetising the property of Tribhuvan Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, such a company should have experience in asset monetization, should have operated at least one international airport under the lease and transfer model, and the company's assets should be at least USD 1 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is mentioned in the report that even if the operation and management of the airport are given to a private company, the government should take responsibility for the airport’s security and immigration.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, India and other countries are also monetizing their airports. Officials of the task force say that it may be suitable for Nepal as well.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Ghan Shyam Ojha, an investment expert who is also a member of the task force, said that international airports such as Shivaji Chhatrapati Maharaj Airport in India were created through monetization of assets. Although airports in Nepal are still unable to generate sufficient income, it is recommended and suggested to make Nijgadh through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Currently, Tribhuvan Airport is the airport that generates the most revenue," said Ojha, "The amount that comes from asset monetization can be used for Nijgadh." </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report mentions that 25 airports in India under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are preparing to go for asset monetization from 2022 to 2025 in accordance to India's National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Udaipur, Dehradun, Rajahmundry airports are in this pipeline. The Airports Authority of India has identified 13 airports to be operated, managed and developed through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20627', 'image' => '20240506021008_20211202020506_2009-03_Kathmandu_10.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:09:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20899', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Minister Pun says Govt Committed to Creating Business-Friendly Environment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector. The active participation of the private sector in the recently held Nepal Investment Summit also demonstrated the government's friendly gestures to the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Speaking at a meeting with the representatives of the Revenue Advisory Committee and the umbrella organizations of the private sector at the Ministry of Finance on Sunday, Minister Pun said the government was committed to creating a business-friendly environment for the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun shared that eight different laws were revised through the ordinance to create an investment-friendly environment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The finance minister was of the view that a favorable situation can be created if the state and private sector collaborated to end the ongoing economic slowdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"A positive situation has been created from the amendments made in the laws targeting domestic and foreign investors. We have given the message to the entire world that the government is private sector- friendly," said the finance minister. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister Pun argued that the economy can become vibrant by enhancing productivity through the partnership with the private sector and added that the government has taken the policy to ensure competitiveness of the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun said that the change in the rate of tax would be done on the basis of need and relevance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20626', 'image' => '20240506010443_sustainability-3295757_1280.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 13:03:50', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20897', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Karnali Province has the Highest Life Expectancy in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">A report on demographic indicators published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Sunday shows that the people living in Karnali Province have a life expectancy of 72.5 years, the highest of all. This is even higher than the national average life expectancy, which according to the NSO, has reached 71.3 years. According to the report prepared on the basis of the recently conducted census in 2021, male life expectancy stands at 68.2 years while that of females is 73.8 years. The NSO records show that average life expectancy of Nepalis increased by 21.5 years in the past four decades. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Lumbini Province has the lowest life expectancy of 69.5 years. The life expectancy is 70.4 years in Koshi Province, 71.3 years in Sudurpaschim Province, 71.8 years in Madhesh Province, 72.1 years in Gandaki Province and 72.4 years in Bagmati Province.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“We are doing additional study to find out the factors behind the high life expectancy in Karnali Province,” said Dr Hemraj Regni, deputy chief of the NSO, during a press conference in the capital on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Probably it is due to various projects implemented by the government and its development partners in Karnali Province in the past ten to twenty years,” he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Regmi, Karnali Province has also made significant improvement in poverty alleviation. The Living Standard Survey conducted by the government in the last fiscal year shows that 26.69 percent of population in Karnali Province are below the poverty line. In average, 20.27 percent population of Nepal fall under the poverty line.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Human Development Index Report of Nepal prepared in 2020 by the National Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Human Development Index of Karnali Province is not good compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The HDI of Karnali Province is the second worst after Madhesh Province. According to the NSO, the infant mortality rate is also the second lowest in Karnali compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In 2021, the infant mortality rate went down to 17 per 1,000. The figure was 40 per 1,000 babies in 2011.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The reproductive rate has reduced to 1.94 children per woman. The average age of giving birth by a woman is 26.9 years in Karnali Province, while it is 28.4 years in Bagmati Province. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The study of five year data shows that the internal migration rate was the highest in Gandaki Province, which witnessed migration of 4,027 people per 100,000 during the review period. In Karnali Province, the internal migration rate was 3,700 per 100,000 of population, while it was the lowest in Bagmati Province that had 54 per 100,000 of population. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In five years, a total of 3,752 people out of 100,000 of the population migrated abroad. Sudurpashchim posted the largest figure of 7,359 people per 100,000 of population, which was followed by Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province in second and third positions, respectively. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Meanwhile, Nepal’s population growth rate stood 0.92 percent per annum in the past one decade, which was the lowest in 80 years, the NSO report stated.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the NSO, the population of the country is around 29.2 million at present. During mid-April 2011 and mid-April 2021, Nepal’s population grew by 2.7 million. The growth rate in Lumbini Province was the largest at 13.8 percent. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20624', 'image' => '20240506114451_20231215110529_agri maize (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:43:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20896', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Samsung's 'Good Lock' App Debuts on Google Play Store ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Previously exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy Store, the availability of Good Lock on the Play Store broadens its reach to a wider audience of Android users, confirmed GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The move comes as Samsung aims to offer its users more flexibility in accessing its suite of applications. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, it's important to note that the Good Lock app on the Google Play Store is currently labelled as 'Early Access,' suggesting that users should exercise caution, particularly if considering downloading it on their primary devices. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In addition to the Good Lock app, Samsung has also introduced the One Hand Operation+ module on the Google Play Store, further enriching the customization options available to Samsung device owners, reported GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This module, previously accessible only through the Galaxy Store, now provides users with the choice to download it from either platform. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While the expansion of Samsung's applications to the Google Play Store offers greater convenience for users, it's advised to approach the Early Access tag with prudence, considering potential bugs or stability issues that may arise in pre-release versions. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">For those interested in exploring these offerings, both the Good Lock app and the One Hand Operation+ module are now available for download from the Google Play Store and the Galaxy Store, providing Samsung users with enhanced customization options for their devices. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20623', 'image' => '20240506110315_gl.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:02:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20895', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Birgunj Records Rs 450 Billion Imports, Rs 23 Billion Exports in Nine Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> May 6: Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Birgunj Customs Office, both imports and exports have decreased compared to the previous fiscal year. When imports decreased by 14.61%, exports dropped by 21.84%.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the first nine months of the last fiscal year, goods worth Rs 527 billion were imported while the goods amounting to Rs 29 billion were exported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After India imposed a policy of zero duty on the import of refined and semi-refined cooking oil, export of cooking oil from Nepal to India has come to a standstill. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">From this border point, mainly petroleum products, vehicles, and industrial raw materials are imported. Items like edible oil, juice, cloth, yarn, and pineapples are exported from Birgunj border point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">While Birjgunj Customs Office reported total transaction of worth Rs 473 billion, the trade deficit reached 427 billion. With the fall in imports and export, the trade deficit has slumped by 14.18% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Following the decrease in imports and exports, the revenue collected by the Birgunj Customs Office has been affected. The Customs Office has collected only 62.73% of its revenue target in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The customs office has collected 114 billion in revenue against its total target of 181 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20622', 'image' => '20240506061550_collage (73).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 06:13:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20894', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'KMC's Skill Fair gets 10,000 Plus Applications for Vocational Training', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). KMC organized the fair with the goal of training 2,081 individuals but more than 10,000 people applied for the training. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Bimala Koirala, acting head of KMC’s Social Development Department, all those who have filled the application forms will be provided the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Koirala said that the applicants who filled the forms before May 1 will be allowed to participate in the skill fair. Koirala said that there is a plan to provide them with the training schedule by Friday, May 10. She further said that training will be provided at various stages in collaboration with various campuses and community schools for those who fill the forms after May 2.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">She shared that 2,081 of those who filled the forms will be trained immediately and others will be trained for the next three years based on their needs. The skill fair has been started under the KMC's Gaurav Yojana (Pride Project) under 'Increase in Employment and Income, Prosperity of Kathmandu'.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">KMC has collaborated with the Nepal Training and Employment Association to organize the fair. According to the KMC, the aim is to provide training in 36 occupations in 10 areas. The KMC believes that the fair will help people with skills reach employers. Koirala further stated that people who have completed 18 years of age and are not above 58 years of age can participate in the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">For those who find it difficult to fill the details online, arrangements were made to fill the form on paper at the ward offices of the KMC as well. The participants who came to Tundikhel on the opening day could fill the forms from that venue as well, KMC said. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20621', 'image' => '20240505090233_BBB-KTM-23silaikataitalim(1)copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 21:01:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20893', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NEPSE Plummets by Double Digits, Closes at 1974.37', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">May 5: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During today’s trading session, 316 different stocks were traded on the NEPSE through 60,523 transactions. A total of shares traded amounted to 9,762,803 with a total turnover of Rs. 3.79 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepal Finance Limited(NFS) led the turnover amount with the total transaction of Rs 12 crores. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dolti Power Company Limited (DOLTI) showed the highest gain of 9.56%, followed by Sadhana Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SDLBSL) and Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA) with a gain of 8.72% each.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the contrary, People's Power Limited (PPL) incurred the maximum loss of 9.92%, closing at a market price of Rs. 554 per share. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of sector indices, all sectors closed in the negative territory except Microfinance Index and Non-Life Insurance. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The "Microfinance Index" experienced the gain of 0.16%, while the "Development Bank Index" witnessed the highest decline of 2.65%.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20620', 'image' => '20240505041155_collage (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 16:10:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20892', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM Dahal Hints at Investigating Co-operative Fraud Case Involving Ravi Lamichhane', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), while addressing the party's parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday, indicated that a parliamentary inquiry committee would be formed, a party leader informed New Business Age.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“The problem of cooperatives has become serious,” a leader of the party said quoting the prime minister. According to the Maoist leader, the prime minister said that a concrete step in this regard will be taken through another cabinet meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Discussions on forming a parliamentary inquiry committee to solve the overall problem will be taken forward," he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the leader, the prime minister is in a state of mind not to let the budget session be affected by the fact that the Nepali Congress blocked the winter session by demanding a parliamentary inquiry. Amidst the obstruction created by the Nepali Congress, the government decided to end the winter session with effect from the midnight of the April 14.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After ending the winter session, it was decided to bring an ordinance to amend various laws targeting the investment summit held on April 28 and 29. The budget session of the House of Representatives has been called again on May 10.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During this session, the government will present the policies and programs and the budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2081/82. However, the Nepali Congress has been repeating its stance that it will not allow the Parliament to run without an investigation into Lamichhane, suspected to be involved in cooperative fraud. In particular, a study report of Pokhara Metropolitan City showed that Ravi Lamichhane, who is not a member of Suryadarshan Cooperative, took Rs 10 million from the cooperative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A person who is not a member of the cooperative is not eligible to take a loan. However, documents show that Lamichhane took the loan but did not repay it. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lamichhane claimed that a fake account was opened in his name and maintained his stance that he did not take the loan.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">GB Rai was the president of Suryadarshan Cooperative when Lamichhane allegedly took the loan. Rai had partnered with Lamichhane to open Galaxy 4K Television, operated by Gorkha Network Pvt Ltd. Now the television has been shut down. It is mentioned in the report that Lamichhane took the loan of Rs 300 million from Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative for this media.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pokhara Metropolitan City formed a study committee last year after receiving many complaints about Suryadarshan Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Auditor Anil Lamichhane, was a member of the committee, the loan was sanctioned in the name of Ravi Lamichhane. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Not only Lamichhane but also Rastriya Swatantra Party's Vice President and Labor Minister DP Aryal was also involved in cooperative fraud cases. He was accused of cheating while he was the vice president of Hamro Naya Krishi Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Maoist Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that the Prime Minister agreed to call an all-party meeting to end the impasse in Parliament. According to him, the same meeting will also discuss about the investigation of Home Minister Lamichhane, who has been accused of being involved in cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20619', 'image' => '20240505032321_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 15:21:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20891', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Most of the Projects Seeking Start-up Loans are Related to Agriculture', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. A total of 1,658 projects were registered for startup ventures with the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), an autonomous body established by the government which is dedicated to developing human and knowledge resources for entrepreneurship and business promotion in Nepal through a number of impact-generating quality tools such as training, research, consultancy, enterprise education, and management development programmes. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The IEDI has listed 394 projects as eligible for the startup enterprise loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">More than half of the eligible list, that is roughly about 200 projects, pertain to agriculture and animal husbandry businesses. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Most of the startup projects eligible for startup enterprise loans are from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. There are 119 projects from these three districts. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from these, some projects are also related to food processing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The productivity of this sector is very low as most of the agriculture and animal husbandry in the country are subsistence oriented. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published last December regarding Nepal’s food security and agricultural commercialization program, supported by the Asian Development Bank, the productivity of Nepal's agricultural sector was found to be the lowest in South Asia. The report pointed out that the major obstacles for the commercialization of agriculture were widespread fragmentation of land, lack of appropriate cultivation and cropping techniques, lack of timely supply of chemical fertilizers and seeds, and limited financial and agricultural infrastructure.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Juna Mathema, chairperson of the Startup and Innovation Forum of FNCCI, says that it is positive that there are many projects related to this sector in the context of the challenges of commercialization of agriculture in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Neighboring India has already taken a leap in agriculture startups. There are startups related to agriculture in India's AG hub. It seems that the same kind of ecosystem has been developed by starting agro in a different way in Nepal,” said Mathema.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Stakeholders say that startups related to agriculture will also bring new technologies related to agriculture, which will help in the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. For example, China has succeeded in increasing productivity rapidly in 2023 through the use of technology, according to Chinese international television CGN. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published in December last year, despite extensive damage to agriculture due to natural calamities, agricultural production increased widely. Nepal is also implementing the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project for the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. Its purpose is to maintain food security, reduce import of agricultural products and increase exports. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The government has also announced the youth startup grant program in the budget of the current financial year to attract young manpower in agriculture and livestock business and develop entrepreneurship. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The implementation of this program under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Program has already started in nearly two dozen districts as per Dr. Jit Bahadur Chand. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> “Under this programme, we give a maximum of Rs 400,000 to a youth. But, those proposals should be innovative. We have also been instructing our offices in different districts to support innovative programs,” he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Mathema, there is plenty of room for innovation in the agricultural sector. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">She said, “The criteria set by the government for giving loans to start-up enterprises must include innovation. Incubation center is the link of startup.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chand says that educated youth now want to engage in agriculture with the help of technology. Various technologies are being used in agriculture, including artificial intelligence. This will help increasing Nepal's agricultural production, make it competitive and sustainable. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry, proposals for restaurants, spice processing industry, bakery, cafe, small scale industry, chemicals, thangka/handicraft related businesses are also in the eligible list. In the current fiscal year 2080/81, the IEDI is planning to provide start-up enterprise loans to 200 projects and has fixed the date for the project presentation to the applicants who are in the list of eligible projects from April 29 to May 16. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the annual national accounting estimates of the current year 2080/81 published by the National Statistics Office a few days ago, the growth rate of this sector is estimated to be 3.05 percent.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20618', 'image' => '20240505021223_20240208011240_startup.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 14:11:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20890', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supreme Court Orders Government to Limit Climbing Permits for Everest', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The revelation comes just as climbers prepare for the spring climbing season.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm, the French news agency reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the verdict was issued in late April but a summary was only published last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Advocate Deepak Bikram Mishra, who had filed a petition urging permits to be curtailed, told AFP that the court had responded to public concerns about Nepal's mountains and its environment.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It has ordered a limit to the number of climbers... and also given measures for waste management and preservation of the mountain's environment," AFP quoted Mishra as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The verdict's summary said that the mountains' capacity "must be respected" and an appropriate maximum number of permits should be determined.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The full text of the verdict has not been published and the summary does not mention any specific limit to the number of permits issued, added AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply and are willing to pay $11,000 to scale Everest, the world's highest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) above the sea level.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Last year, the country issued 478 permits for Everest, a record high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A massive human traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced teams to wait hours at the summit in freezing temperatures, risking depleted oxygen levels that can lead to sickness and exhaustion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, at least four of the 11 deaths on the peak that year were blamed on overcrowding.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"We are pressuring the mountain too much and we need to give it some respite," Mishra told AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The court decision also orders restrictions on the use of helicopters, which the court said should be used only for emergency rescues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Helicopters have in recent years been frequently used to airlift mountaineering teams to base camps and across hazardous terrain.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal Mountaineering Association president Nima Nuru Sherpa told AFP that such decisions need to be made after a proper study and consultation with the stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It is not clear right now how it will impact the industry. We don't know on what basis the limits will be made and how will this be divided among expedition operators," Sherpa said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"Our focus should instead be on how we can make the mountains safer."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal has issued permits to 945 climbers for its mountains so far this year, including 403 for Everest.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20617', 'image' => '20240505122737_20240401075430_SubhasDarnal_KalapatharSolukhumbu_RSS_IMG_20240308_200422.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 12:27:05', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20889', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'World Food Prices Continue to Rise in April: FAO ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday. It was the first time they rose in consecutive months in more than two years, FAO said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A significant increase in prices for meat, along with modest rises in prices for grains, cereals and vegetable oil offset larger declines in prices for dairy products and sugar. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The overall FAO Food Price Index gained 0.3 percent in April compared to March. A month ago, the broad index was 1.1 percent higher than in February, while previously it had declined for seven months in a row. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The last time the Food Price Index climbed in consecutive months was in February and March 2022, when higher energy prices pushed the index to its all-time high of 160.2 points. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Despite the increases over the last two months, the broad index only reached 119.1 points, far below its record high. The FAO said the biggest increase in April was for meat prices, which climbed 1.6 percent. This was due in part to higher demand for poultry in the Middle East. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Grains and cereals, the largest component in the Food Price Index, saw 0.3 percent gains due to production worries in Europe and transportation disruptions caused by the situation in Ukraine. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Vegetable oil quotations inched higher because of unfavorable weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, the FAO said. The increase came after a dramatic 8.0 percent rise a month earlier. Meanwhile, sugar prices were 4.4 percent lower, pushed by strong production levels in India and Thailand and good weather in Brazil. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Dairy prices slipped 0.3 percent after increasing in each of the previous six months. The FAO said currency valuations were one factor behind the decline. -- Xinhua/RSS<br /> </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20616', 'image' => '20240505114421_inflationnnnnn.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 11:43:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20886', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM says New Budget will Focus on Underprivileged Class, Region ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) on Saturday, the Maoist Centre Chairman and Prime Minister Dahal shared that the new budget would be prepared by taking lessons from past experiences. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Policies and programme, and budget will be brought keeping the agendas of good-governance, social justice and prosperity in the centre, and to uplift the underprivileged ones," Maoist Centre's chief whip Hitraj Pandey quoted the PM as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM directed the ministers from the Maoist Centre to interact with the Maoist Centre's lawmakers and take their feedback in preparing the budget. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM asked the lawmakers to offer their feedback for production growth and employment generation and share the recommendations from the experts of diverse sectors to the government through the party. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the meeting, the Maoist Centre lawmakers suggested that the new budget should address the people's expectations amid the ongoing status of limited resources. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Chief Whip Pandey said that the meeting decided to make the upcoming parliamentary session systematic and effective and pass the bills from the thematic committees. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20613', 'image' => '20240505104723_budgetttttt.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 10:46:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Nepal has appealed to the international community to provide concessional assistance. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing the 57th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) held in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia, Finance Secretary Madhu Kumar Marasini asked for the provision of concessional assistance as large capital must be mobilized to address the economy and development aspirations that have weakened due to the Covid-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">He urged all development partners, including the Asian Development Bank, to increase financial and technical support, saying that Nepal has moved forward with the concept of green, resilient and inclusive development (GRID). </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini pointed out the need for collective efforts to make South Asia an area of emerging economic development and said that emphasis should be given for the same. Pointing out the need for efforts, he said that emphasis should be placed on interdependence, innovation and digitization for the enhancement of interregional trade. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Nepal’s economy post Covid-19 pandemic has been affected by global economic challenges and the contraction in economic activities in recent days due to revenue deficit and increasing debt obligations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Secretary Marasini shared that the third investment summit was organized in Kathmandu to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. He mentioned that ADB can play an important role in creating an environment for investment in areas of comparative advantage such as tourism, hydropower and information technology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Recalling that the ADB has been continuously supporting Nepal, Secretary Marasini expressed his gratitude for being a reliable partner in the development journey. He said that in the last decade, Nepal has advanced social inclusion and economic development together. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20630', 'image' => '20240506025508_20230723022857_hqdefault.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:54:37', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20903', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Muktinath Development Bank Provides Financial Assistance to KU for Green Hydrogen Energy Research', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => '', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: Muktinath Development Bank has partnered with Kathmandu University for the research of green hydrogen energy with the objective of contributing to the sustainable development of this sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the bank said it has signed a memorandum of understanding with KU to provide financial assistance for research to the Green Hydrogen Lab of the university. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The signing ceremony was attended by CEO of Muktinath Development Bank Pradhyuman Pokharel, Vice Chancellor of KU Dr Bhola Thapa, chief of the Green Hydrogen Lab Dr Biraj Singh Thapa and other officials of the bank and the university.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Green Hydrogen Lab will conduct research on green hydrogen for thermal heat with the funding from the bank.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The bank expressed its belief that this initiative would help sustainable development of Nepal in the long run.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20629', 'image' => '20240506032514_Muktinath & KU green hydrogen lab (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:23:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20902', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PhonePe Showcases its Services Powered by UPI at a Special Event in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">May 6: PhonePe India recently showcased its services powered by the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) platform at a special event held in Kathmandu, Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Issuing a statement, the company said that the event held on May 2 brought together key stakeholders from the Nepalese financial landscape, including senior representatives from the banking sector, Payment System Providers, UPI accepting merchants and representatives from business associations.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event was supported by Nepal’s payment system operator Fonepay payment Service Limited which is also NIPL’s counterpart for Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The event saw a keynote address from Diwas Sapkota, CEO of FonePay Network, outlining the potential of UPI for Nepal's digital economy. This was followed by an engaging panel discussion on the Influence of cross-border payments on Nepal’s economy and the financial landscape, the statement added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel included esteemed panelists like Anish Tamrakar, Chief Digital Banking Officer of Kumari Bank; Shradha Shrestha, manager of Nepal Tourism Board; Jagdish Khadka, CEO of eSewa, and Vivek Rana, ICT/MIS Consultant at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The panel discussion addressed a range of issues related to cross-border payments and their impact on Nepal's economy and financial landscape as well as regulatory hurdles and compliance demands in facilitating international transactions. The panelists highlighted the positive influence of UPI on Nepal's tourism sector, particularly by enhancing the overall tourist experience through convenient cashless payments. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, the discussion further explored how cross-border payments impact the revenue streams and business models of financial institutions. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, panelists examined the influence of UPI on consumer experience in Nepal, focusing on factors like convenience, interoperability, security, and cost-effectiveness. The discussion als delved into the broader macroeconomic implications of cross-border payments through alternative payment methods impacting underserved small and medium scale entrepreneurs.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">The program culminated in a product showcase led by Ritesh Pai, CEO of PhonePe. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">According to the company, his presentation provided a comprehensive overview of PhonePe's journey, highlighting its evolution. The presentation also delved into how PhonePe, powered by UPI fosters a thriving ecosystem, driving the democratization of payments across India. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This was followed by a demonstration of solutions that benefit both Indian tourists and Nepalese merchants. Drawing parallels with the Indian market success story, the presentation illustrated how PhonePe can replicate this success in Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Nepal is a very popular destination among Indian visitors who can now use UPI to pay at various tourist spots, retail stores, religious sites, and other popular locations. Users simply need to scan QR codes from their preferred UPI-enabled app at merchant locations who are enrolled in Fonepay QR scheme in Nepal. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">This is facilitated through Fonepay’s partnership with NPCI International Payments Limited (NIPL). Through this partnership, Fonepay has enabled QR-code-based payments across payment service providers, leading banks and wallets, allowing Indian travelers to use UPI for transactions.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Additionally, going forward shortly, tourists and visitors from Nepal traveling to India will be enabled to utilize their financial instruments like wallet-based apps to scan the UPI QR code and make payments effortlessly.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Speaking on the sidelines of the event, Ritesh Pai said, "We're thrilled to be showcasing services powered by UPI in Nepal. This gathering has brought together key players from Nepal’s financial landscape, including Fonepay, leading business figures, and representatives from hospitality and tourism. It's a testament to the collaborative spirit that will ensure UPI's success in Nepal. We are thankful for their presence and participation. Nepal is a popular tourist destination, particularly for travelers from India. With UPI, Indian tourists can now enjoy the same convenient cashless payment experience they're accustomed to back home, using UPI powered apps such as PhonePe. This will not only enhance their travel experience but also encourage digital transactions."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif"">Addressing the event, Diwas Kumar, CEO Fonepay Nepal, said, “This is a moment of immense pride and joy for Fonepay Payment Service Ltd. Our 4 years of journey to bring cross border payments in Nepal is finally successful and UPI payment is Live in Nepal. As we introduce UPI payments in partnership with NPCI International, and welcome PhonePe to Nepal, we see a future where smooth digital transactions boost economic growth and financial inclusion, benefiting merchants and businesses. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the regulators, government agencies for their invaluable support, recognizing innovations and supporting private sector efforts in facilitating Nepal’s journey towards digital transformation. We urge authorities to foster an ecosystem that embraces and supports innovations, promote partnership with private sector players in technological advancements and bring state of art products and services to Nepalese consumers."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Arial,"sans-serif""> </span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20628', 'image' => '20240506031307_JAN00188.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 15:10:46', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20900', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Task Force Recommends Monetisation of TIA to Raise Funds for Nijgadh Airport', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 6: A high-level government task force has suggested that the property of Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) should be monetized for the construction of an international airport in Nijgadh.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the study group, formed to provide suggestions regarding the operation and construction of Nepal's international airports in the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, has recommended monetization of the property of TIA as a second alternative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The first option suggested by the task force is to advance Tribhuvan International Airport and Nijgadh as a single project.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Former secretary Shankar Prasad Adhikari, who is the coordinator of the task force, proposed the option of monetization under the concept that a potential company would be entrusted with the operation of Tribhuvan International Airport and the government would take a certain percentage of the revenue to use that amount to build Nijgarh Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report of the task force suggests adopting the lease (rent), operation and transfer (LOT) model under the PPP and monetising the property of Tribhuvan Airport.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, such a company should have experience in asset monetization, should have operated at least one international airport under the lease and transfer model, and the company's assets should be at least USD 1 billion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">It is mentioned in the report that even if the operation and management of the airport are given to a private company, the government should take responsibility for the airport’s security and immigration.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the report, India and other countries are also monetizing their airports. Officials of the task force say that it may be suitable for Nepal as well.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Ghan Shyam Ojha, an investment expert who is also a member of the task force, said that international airports such as Shivaji Chhatrapati Maharaj Airport in India were created through monetization of assets. Although airports in Nepal are still unable to generate sufficient income, it is recommended and suggested to make Nijgadh through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Currently, Tribhuvan Airport is the airport that generates the most revenue," said Ojha, "The amount that comes from asset monetization can be used for Nijgadh." </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report mentions that 25 airports in India under the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are preparing to go for asset monetization from 2022 to 2025 in accordance to India's National Monetization Pipeline (NMP). Bhubaneswar, Varanasi, Amritsar, Trichy, Indore, Calicut, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Patna, Madurai, Udaipur, Dehradun, Rajahmundry airports are in this pipeline. The Airports Authority of India has identified 13 airports to be operated, managed and developed through the PPP model.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20627', 'image' => '20240506021008_20211202020506_2009-03_Kathmandu_10.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 14:09:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20899', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Minister Pun says Govt Committed to Creating Business-Friendly Environment ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Finance Minister Barshaman Pun has said the government has succeeded in giving the message of being friendly to the private sector. The active participation of the private sector in the recently held Nepal Investment Summit also demonstrated the government's friendly gestures to the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Speaking at a meeting with the representatives of the Revenue Advisory Committee and the umbrella organizations of the private sector at the Ministry of Finance on Sunday, Minister Pun said the government was committed to creating a business-friendly environment for the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun shared that eight different laws were revised through the ordinance to create an investment-friendly environment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The finance minister was of the view that a favorable situation can be created if the state and private sector collaborated to end the ongoing economic slowdown. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"A positive situation has been created from the amendments made in the laws targeting domestic and foreign investors. We have given the message to the entire world that the government is private sector- friendly," said the finance minister. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Minister Pun argued that the economy can become vibrant by enhancing productivity through the partnership with the private sector and added that the government has taken the policy to ensure competitiveness of the private sector. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">On the occasion, Minister Pun said that the change in the rate of tax would be done on the basis of need and relevance. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20626', 'image' => '20240506010443_sustainability-3295757_1280.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 13:03:50', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20897', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Karnali Province has the Highest Life Expectancy in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 6: Karnali Province, which is often considered as the most backward province in several fronts, ironically has the highest life expectancy among all provinces of Nepal.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">A report on demographic indicators published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Sunday shows that the people living in Karnali Province have a life expectancy of 72.5 years, the highest of all. This is even higher than the national average life expectancy, which according to the NSO, has reached 71.3 years. According to the report prepared on the basis of the recently conducted census in 2021, male life expectancy stands at 68.2 years while that of females is 73.8 years. The NSO records show that average life expectancy of Nepalis increased by 21.5 years in the past four decades. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Lumbini Province has the lowest life expectancy of 69.5 years. The life expectancy is 70.4 years in Koshi Province, 71.3 years in Sudurpaschim Province, 71.8 years in Madhesh Province, 72.1 years in Gandaki Province and 72.4 years in Bagmati Province.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“We are doing additional study to find out the factors behind the high life expectancy in Karnali Province,” said Dr Hemraj Regni, deputy chief of the NSO, during a press conference in the capital on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Probably it is due to various projects implemented by the government and its development partners in Karnali Province in the past ten to twenty years,” he added.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Regmi, Karnali Province has also made significant improvement in poverty alleviation. The Living Standard Survey conducted by the government in the last fiscal year shows that 26.69 percent of population in Karnali Province are below the poverty line. In average, 20.27 percent population of Nepal fall under the poverty line.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Human Development Index Report of Nepal prepared in 2020 by the National Planning Commission in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Human Development Index of Karnali Province is not good compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The HDI of Karnali Province is the second worst after Madhesh Province. According to the NSO, the infant mortality rate is also the second lowest in Karnali compared to other provinces.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In 2021, the infant mortality rate went down to 17 per 1,000. The figure was 40 per 1,000 babies in 2011.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The reproductive rate has reduced to 1.94 children per woman. The average age of giving birth by a woman is 26.9 years in Karnali Province, while it is 28.4 years in Bagmati Province. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The study of five year data shows that the internal migration rate was the highest in Gandaki Province, which witnessed migration of 4,027 people per 100,000 during the review period. In Karnali Province, the internal migration rate was 3,700 per 100,000 of population, while it was the lowest in Bagmati Province that had 54 per 100,000 of population. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In five years, a total of 3,752 people out of 100,000 of the population migrated abroad. Sudurpashchim posted the largest figure of 7,359 people per 100,000 of population, which was followed by Gandaki Province and Lumbini Province in second and third positions, respectively. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Meanwhile, Nepal’s population growth rate stood 0.92 percent per annum in the past one decade, which was the lowest in 80 years, the NSO report stated.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the NSO, the population of the country is around 29.2 million at present. During mid-April 2011 and mid-April 2021, Nepal’s population grew by 2.7 million. The growth rate in Lumbini Province was the largest at 13.8 percent. </span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20624', 'image' => '20240506114451_20231215110529_agri maize (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:43:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20896', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Samsung's 'Good Lock' App Debuts on Google Play Store ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 6: Samsung's popular customization app, Good Lock, has made its debut on the Google Play Store, marking a significant expansion in accessibility for Samsung users. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Previously exclusive to Samsung's Galaxy Store, the availability of Good Lock on the Play Store broadens its reach to a wider audience of Android users, confirmed GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The move comes as Samsung aims to offer its users more flexibility in accessing its suite of applications. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">However, it's important to note that the Good Lock app on the Google Play Store is currently labelled as 'Early Access,' suggesting that users should exercise caution, particularly if considering downloading it on their primary devices. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">In addition to the Good Lock app, Samsung has also introduced the One Hand Operation+ module on the Google Play Store, further enriching the customization options available to Samsung device owners, reported GSM Arena. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">This module, previously accessible only through the Galaxy Store, now provides users with the choice to download it from either platform. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">While the expansion of Samsung's applications to the Google Play Store offers greater convenience for users, it's advised to approach the Early Access tag with prudence, considering potential bugs or stability issues that may arise in pre-release versions. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">For those interested in exploring these offerings, both the Good Lock app and the One Hand Operation+ module are now available for download from the Google Play Store and the Galaxy Store, providing Samsung users with enhanced customization options for their devices. – ANI/RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20623', 'image' => '20240506110315_gl.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 11:02:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20895', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Birgunj Records Rs 450 Billion Imports, Rs 23 Billion Exports in Nine Months', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> May 6: Goods worth Rs 450 billion were imported via Birgunj entry point in the past nine months of the current fiscal year 2023/2024.Similarly, goods worth Rs 23 billion were exported via the same entry point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the Birgunj Customs Office, both imports and exports have decreased compared to the previous fiscal year. When imports decreased by 14.61%, exports dropped by 21.84%.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">In the first nine months of the last fiscal year, goods worth Rs 527 billion were imported while the goods amounting to Rs 29 billion were exported.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After India imposed a policy of zero duty on the import of refined and semi-refined cooking oil, export of cooking oil from Nepal to India has come to a standstill. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">From this border point, mainly petroleum products, vehicles, and industrial raw materials are imported. Items like edible oil, juice, cloth, yarn, and pineapples are exported from Birgunj border point. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">While Birjgunj Customs Office reported total transaction of worth Rs 473 billion, the trade deficit reached 427 billion. With the fall in imports and export, the trade deficit has slumped by 14.18% compared to the same period in the previous fiscal year. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Following the decrease in imports and exports, the revenue collected by the Birgunj Customs Office has been affected. The Customs Office has collected only 62.73% of its revenue target in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The customs office has collected 114 billion in revenue against its total target of 181 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year.</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-06', 'modified' => '2024-05-06', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20622', 'image' => '20240506061550_collage (73).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-06 06:13:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20894', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'KMC's Skill Fair gets 10,000 Plus Applications for Vocational Training', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: More than 10,000 people have applied for the 'Skill Fair 2081 BS' organized since May 1 by Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC). KMC organized the fair with the goal of training 2,081 individuals but more than 10,000 people applied for the training. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Bimala Koirala, acting head of KMC’s Social Development Department, all those who have filled the application forms will be provided the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Koirala said that the applicants who filled the forms before May 1 will be allowed to participate in the skill fair. Koirala said that there is a plan to provide them with the training schedule by Friday, May 10. She further said that training will be provided at various stages in collaboration with various campuses and community schools for those who fill the forms after May 2.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">She shared that 2,081 of those who filled the forms will be trained immediately and others will be trained for the next three years based on their needs. The skill fair has been started under the KMC's Gaurav Yojana (Pride Project) under 'Increase in Employment and Income, Prosperity of Kathmandu'.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">KMC has collaborated with the Nepal Training and Employment Association to organize the fair. According to the KMC, the aim is to provide training in 36 occupations in 10 areas. The KMC believes that the fair will help people with skills reach employers. Koirala further stated that people who have completed 18 years of age and are not above 58 years of age can participate in the training.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">For those who find it difficult to fill the details online, arrangements were made to fill the form on paper at the ward offices of the KMC as well. The participants who came to Tundikhel on the opening day could fill the forms from that venue as well, KMC said. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20621', 'image' => '20240505090233_BBB-KTM-23silaikataitalim(1)copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 21:01:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20893', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NEPSE Plummets by Double Digits, Closes at 1974.37', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">May 5: The Nepal Stock Exchange (NEPSE) Index saw a loss of 1.23%, or 24.58 points, closing at 1,974.37 points on the first trading day of the week on Sunday. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">During today’s trading session, 316 different stocks were traded on the NEPSE through 60,523 transactions. A total of shares traded amounted to 9,762,803 with a total turnover of Rs. 3.79 billion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Nepal Finance Limited(NFS) led the turnover amount with the total transaction of Rs 12 crores. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Dolti Power Company Limited (DOLTI) showed the highest gain of 9.56%, followed by Sadhana Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SDLBSL) and Samata Gharelu Laghubitta Bittiya Sanstha Limited (SMATA) with a gain of 8.72% each.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">On the contrary, People's Power Limited (PPL) incurred the maximum loss of 9.92%, closing at a market price of Rs. 554 per share. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In terms of sector indices, all sectors closed in the negative territory except Microfinance Index and Non-Life Insurance. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The "Microfinance Index" experienced the gain of 0.16%, while the "Development Bank Index" witnessed the highest decline of 2.65%.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20620', 'image' => '20240505041155_collage (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 16:10:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20892', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM Dahal Hints at Investigating Co-operative Fraud Case Involving Ravi Lamichhane', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has indicated that a committee will be formed to investigate the issue of cooperative fraud amid the demand of main opposition party Nepali Congress for parliamentary inquiry against Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane regarding cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Prime Minister Dahal, who is also the chairman of the CPN (Maoist Centre), while addressing the party's parliamentary party meeting held on Saturday, indicated that a parliamentary inquiry committee would be formed, a party leader informed New Business Age.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">“The problem of cooperatives has become serious,” a leader of the party said quoting the prime minister. According to the Maoist leader, the prime minister said that a concrete step in this regard will be taken through another cabinet meeting.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">"Discussions on forming a parliamentary inquiry committee to solve the overall problem will be taken forward," he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to the leader, the prime minister is in a state of mind not to let the budget session be affected by the fact that the Nepali Congress blocked the winter session by demanding a parliamentary inquiry. Amidst the obstruction created by the Nepali Congress, the government decided to end the winter session with effect from the midnight of the April 14.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">After ending the winter session, it was decided to bring an ordinance to amend various laws targeting the investment summit held on April 28 and 29. The budget session of the House of Representatives has been called again on May 10.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">During this session, the government will present the policies and programs and the budget for the next fiscal year (FY) 2081/82. However, the Nepali Congress has been repeating its stance that it will not allow the Parliament to run without an investigation into Lamichhane, suspected to be involved in cooperative fraud. In particular, a study report of Pokhara Metropolitan City showed that Ravi Lamichhane, who is not a member of Suryadarshan Cooperative, took Rs 10 million from the cooperative.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A person who is not a member of the cooperative is not eligible to take a loan. However, documents show that Lamichhane took the loan but did not repay it. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Lamichhane claimed that a fake account was opened in his name and maintained his stance that he did not take the loan.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">GB Rai was the president of Suryadarshan Cooperative when Lamichhane allegedly took the loan. Rai had partnered with Lamichhane to open Galaxy 4K Television, operated by Gorkha Network Pvt Ltd. Now the television has been shut down. It is mentioned in the report that Lamichhane took the loan of Rs 300 million from Pokhara's Suryadarshan Cooperative for this media.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Pokhara Metropolitan City formed a study committee last year after receiving many complaints about Suryadarshan Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">According to Auditor Anil Lamichhane, was a member of the committee, the loan was sanctioned in the name of Ravi Lamichhane. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Not only Lamichhane but also Rastriya Swatantra Party's Vice President and Labor Minister DP Aryal was also involved in cooperative fraud cases. He was accused of cheating while he was the vice president of Hamro Naya Krishi Cooperative. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Maoist Chief Whip Hitraj Pandey said that the Prime Minister agreed to call an all-party meeting to end the impasse in Parliament. According to him, the same meeting will also discuss about the investigation of Home Minister Lamichhane, who has been accused of being involved in cooperative fraud.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20619', 'image' => '20240505032321_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 15:21:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20891', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Most of the Projects Seeking Start-up Loans are Related to Agriculture', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">May 5: Most of the projects that are eligible for start-up enterprise loans pledged by the government are projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry. A total of 1,658 projects were registered for startup ventures with the Industrial Enterprise Development Institute (IEDI), an autonomous body established by the government which is dedicated to developing human and knowledge resources for entrepreneurship and business promotion in Nepal through a number of impact-generating quality tools such as training, research, consultancy, enterprise education, and management development programmes. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The IEDI has listed 394 projects as eligible for the startup enterprise loans.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">More than half of the eligible list, that is roughly about 200 projects, pertain to agriculture and animal husbandry businesses. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Most of the startup projects eligible for startup enterprise loans are from Kathmandu, Bhaktapur and Lalitpur. There are 119 projects from these three districts. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from these, some projects are also related to food processing. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The productivity of this sector is very low as most of the agriculture and animal husbandry in the country are subsistence oriented. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published last December regarding Nepal’s food security and agricultural commercialization program, supported by the Asian Development Bank, the productivity of Nepal's agricultural sector was found to be the lowest in South Asia. The report pointed out that the major obstacles for the commercialization of agriculture were widespread fragmentation of land, lack of appropriate cultivation and cropping techniques, lack of timely supply of chemical fertilizers and seeds, and limited financial and agricultural infrastructure.</span></span></p> <p> </p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Juna Mathema, chairperson of the Startup and Innovation Forum of FNCCI, says that it is positive that there are many projects related to this sector in the context of the challenges of commercialization of agriculture in the country. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">“Neighboring India has already taken a leap in agriculture startups. There are startups related to agriculture in India's AG hub. It seems that the same kind of ecosystem has been developed by starting agro in a different way in Nepal,” said Mathema.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Stakeholders say that startups related to agriculture will also bring new technologies related to agriculture, which will help in the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. For example, China has succeeded in increasing productivity rapidly in 2023 through the use of technology, according to Chinese international television CGN. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to a report published in December last year, despite extensive damage to agriculture due to natural calamities, agricultural production increased widely. Nepal is also implementing the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Project for the modernization and commercialization of agriculture. Its purpose is to maintain food security, reduce import of agricultural products and increase exports. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The government has also announced the youth startup grant program in the budget of the current financial year to attract young manpower in agriculture and livestock business and develop entrepreneurship. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The implementation of this program under the Prime Minister's Agriculture Modernization Program has already started in nearly two dozen districts as per Dr. Jit Bahadur Chand. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""> “Under this programme, we give a maximum of Rs 400,000 to a youth. But, those proposals should be innovative. We have also been instructing our offices in different districts to support innovative programs,” he said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to Mathema, there is plenty of room for innovation in the agricultural sector. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">She said, “The criteria set by the government for giving loans to start-up enterprises must include innovation. Incubation center is the link of startup.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Chand says that educated youth now want to engage in agriculture with the help of technology. Various technologies are being used in agriculture, including artificial intelligence. This will help increasing Nepal's agricultural production, make it competitive and sustainable. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Apart from projects related to agriculture and animal husbandry, proposals for restaurants, spice processing industry, bakery, cafe, small scale industry, chemicals, thangka/handicraft related businesses are also in the eligible list. In the current fiscal year 2080/81, the IEDI is planning to provide start-up enterprise loans to 200 projects and has fixed the date for the project presentation to the applicants who are in the list of eligible projects from April 29 to May 16. </span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to the annual national accounting estimates of the current year 2080/81 published by the National Statistics Office a few days ago, the growth rate of this sector is estimated to be 3.05 percent.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20618', 'image' => '20240505021223_20240208011240_startup.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 14:11:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20890', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Supreme Court Orders Government to Limit Climbing Permits for Everest', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">May 5: The Supreme Court has ordered the Government of Nepal to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, AFP reported on Friday citing an advocate.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The revelation comes just as climbers prepare for the spring climbing season.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal is home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks and welcomes hundreds of adventurers each spring, when temperatures are warm and winds are typically calm, the French news agency reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, the verdict was issued in late April but a summary was only published last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Advocate Deepak Bikram Mishra, who had filed a petition urging permits to be curtailed, told AFP that the court had responded to public concerns about Nepal's mountains and its environment.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It has ordered a limit to the number of climbers... and also given measures for waste management and preservation of the mountain's environment," AFP quoted Mishra as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The verdict's summary said that the mountains' capacity "must be respected" and an appropriate maximum number of permits should be determined.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The full text of the verdict has not been published and the summary does not mention any specific limit to the number of permits issued, added AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal currently grants permits to all who apply and are willing to pay $11,000 to scale Everest, the world's highest peak at 8,850 metres (29,035 feet) above the sea level.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Last year, the country issued 478 permits for Everest, a record high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A massive human traffic jam on Everest in 2019 forced teams to wait hours at the summit in freezing temperatures, risking depleted oxygen levels that can lead to sickness and exhaustion.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to AFP, at least four of the 11 deaths on the peak that year were blamed on overcrowding.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"We are pressuring the mountain too much and we need to give it some respite," Mishra told AFP.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The court decision also orders restrictions on the use of helicopters, which the court said should be used only for emergency rescues.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Helicopters have in recent years been frequently used to airlift mountaineering teams to base camps and across hazardous terrain.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal Mountaineering Association president Nima Nuru Sherpa told AFP that such decisions need to be made after a proper study and consultation with the stakeholders.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"It is not clear right now how it will impact the industry. We don't know on what basis the limits will be made and how will this be divided among expedition operators," Sherpa said.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"Our focus should instead be on how we can make the mountains safer."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Nepal has issued permits to 945 climbers for its mountains so far this year, including 403 for Everest.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20617', 'image' => '20240505122737_20240401075430_SubhasDarnal_KalapatharSolukhumbu_RSS_IMG_20240308_200422.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 12:27:05', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20889', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'World Food Prices Continue to Rise in April: FAO ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Global food prices rose for the second consecutive month in April, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported Friday. It was the first time they rose in consecutive months in more than two years, FAO said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A significant increase in prices for meat, along with modest rises in prices for grains, cereals and vegetable oil offset larger declines in prices for dairy products and sugar. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The overall FAO Food Price Index gained 0.3 percent in April compared to March. A month ago, the broad index was 1.1 percent higher than in February, while previously it had declined for seven months in a row. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The last time the Food Price Index climbed in consecutive months was in February and March 2022, when higher energy prices pushed the index to its all-time high of 160.2 points. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Despite the increases over the last two months, the broad index only reached 119.1 points, far below its record high. The FAO said the biggest increase in April was for meat prices, which climbed 1.6 percent. This was due in part to higher demand for poultry in the Middle East. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Grains and cereals, the largest component in the Food Price Index, saw 0.3 percent gains due to production worries in Europe and transportation disruptions caused by the situation in Ukraine. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Vegetable oil quotations inched higher because of unfavorable weather conditions in the Northern Hemisphere, the FAO said. The increase came after a dramatic 8.0 percent rise a month earlier. Meanwhile, sugar prices were 4.4 percent lower, pushed by strong production levels in India and Thailand and good weather in Brazil. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Dairy prices slipped 0.3 percent after increasing in each of the previous six months. The FAO said currency valuations were one factor behind the decline. -- Xinhua/RSS<br /> </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20616', 'image' => '20240505114421_inflationnnnnn.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 11:43:44', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20886', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'PM says New Budget will Focus on Underprivileged Class, Region ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">May 5: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahalhas said that the government’s policies and programme as well as budget for the upcoming fiscal year would focus on the concerns of underprivileged classes and regions lagging behind in national development indicators. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Addressing a parliamentary party meeting of the CPN (Maoist Centre) on Saturday, the Maoist Centre Chairman and Prime Minister Dahal shared that the new budget would be prepared by taking lessons from past experiences. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">"Policies and programme, and budget will be brought keeping the agendas of good-governance, social justice and prosperity in the centre, and to uplift the underprivileged ones," Maoist Centre's chief whip Hitraj Pandey quoted the PM as saying. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM directed the ministers from the Maoist Centre to interact with the Maoist Centre's lawmakers and take their feedback in preparing the budget. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Likewise, the PM asked the lawmakers to offer their feedback for production growth and employment generation and share the recommendations from the experts of diverse sectors to the government through the party. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the meeting, the Maoist Centre lawmakers suggested that the new budget should address the people's expectations amid the ongoing status of limited resources. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Chief Whip Pandey said that the meeting decided to make the upcoming parliamentary session systematic and effective and pass the bills from the thematic committees. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-05-05', 'modified' => '2024-05-05', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20613', 'image' => '20240505104723_budgetttttt.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-05-05 10:46:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
