March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic.…
March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic.…
March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming.…
March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus.…
March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the…
March 30: The damage inflicted by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on…
March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus.…
March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour…
March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood.…
March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on…
March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients.…
March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday.…
March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27).…
March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection.…
March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sent to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn.…
March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by…
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The board has requested the youths, who have recently returned home from labour destination countries, to cooperate by staying in quarantine for 14 days, in the context of coronavirus infection so far found among only foreign returnees in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">It has also appealed to the foreign returnees to meet with their families, friends and relatives only after the quarantine period was over, and to immediately go to the health institution and have their health examined if they have sudden high fever, difficulty in breathing or continuous cough. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the board has urged the foreign-returnee youths wherever they are to be disciplined and follow the directive of the government in the present situation when the global community itself is under the risk of coronavirus. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11599', 'image' => '20200331103622_jet airways.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:35:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11849', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CNI Welcomes Central Bank's Initiative ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a press statement on Monday, CNI said that specific changes made in the monetary policy would help sustain the liquidity in the economy. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"Nepal's central bank has taken into account the various issues CNI had been raising at different times. We are of the belief that this would certainly help sustain the confidence of the private sector," the CNI stated. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Hailing the government's decision to make arrangements for relief to the economically poor families and the daily-wage earners, CNI said it was a positive step. It has expressed the confidence that the government would also bring medium term and long-term relief packages as well besides the present short-term relief. CNI said the government has announced the relief at a time when there was big expectation with the government to protect Nepal's economic system. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11598', 'image' => '20200331100846_20170815043736_CNI.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:07:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11846', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Announces Economic Relief Package ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday (March 29) decided to provide relief to the people and sectors affected by the pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has directed telecommunication service providers to provide 25 percent discount to their customers on internet and voice pack services during the lockdown period, informed Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who is also the government spokesperson.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government also announced that the local units would ensure the poor families would be distributed food supplies during this critical situation. But the local units have been instructed to verify that the people receiving support from the government are actually from poor families.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Finance Minister Khatiwada said that all industries and firms must pay the employees even if they are closed due to the lockdown. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The workers employed in the formal sector must be paid their daily wage or monthly salary by the employers,” said Khatiwada. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the cabinet decision, hotels and restaurants that have been closed due to the impact of coronavirus will also have to pay their workers full salary up to mid-April. Minister Khatiwada clarified that the employers can utilize the welfare fund to pay the workers as per the need during such time of crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has made it clear that the formal sector cannot give unpaid leave to the employees during the lockdown period while those working in the informal sector on daily wage basis will be provided food and support.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The daily wage labourers will receive food from the local units, according to minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also announced discount on electricity tariff. As per the government decision, consumers will get 25 percent discount on electricity bills for the months of Falgun and Chaitra (mid-February to mid-March) for consumption of less than 150 units of electricity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government will make food stuffs available to the general public through Nepal Food Corporation and the Salt Trading Corporation at 10 percent discount rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also barred private schools from taking one month’s fees while the landlords have been instructed to waive the rent of a month due to the current crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government has banned the import of vehicles more than US$ 50,000 while it has also limited the import quota of gold considering the fragile economy. Until now, the government used to allow the import of 20 kg gold per day, which has now been reduced to 10 kg per day.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Another decision of the government is to extend the deadline for the payment of income tax and value added tax.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi says that the relief package announced by the government is a positive step to support people with low income and those working in the private sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“It is essential to strongly monitor whether the government’s relief package is implemented or not,” he added. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Economist Bishwambher Pyakurel said that the relief package announced by the government at a time of crisis is helpful to some extent. He, however, said that the government should have collected proper details of the sectors affected by coronavirus and the effects it might have in the future.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Such short-term package announced by the government without proper study will cause financial strain to the state coffers,” he said. “The government should have announced the relief package by studying the impact for at least six months,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has also decided to insure health workers and provide them compensation in case of fatality.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Those companies which have been contributing to the social security fund will receive one month’s salary of the workers from the government’s side,” said minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also decided to accept international support and seek funds from donor agencies in its fight against the crisis created by coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In this regard, the government has accepted the World Bank’s offer of concessional loan of Rs 3.48 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11597', 'image' => '20200330114558_1585535625.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 11:45:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11845', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prolongs Lockdown by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday (March 29) took a decision to this effect.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada informed that the cabinet decided to extend the lockdown by a week until April 7 as the country continues to record new cases of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government had initially imposed the lockdown on March 24 to contain the deadly virus after a Nepali girl returning from France tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, three more cases have been recorded, taking the tally to five. One patient who tested positive for COVID-19 in January has already recovered while others are receiving treatment at various government hospitals.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government decided to impose the lockdown as per the suggestion of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that limiting mobility of people helps to significantly reduce the transmission of the deadly disease, that has claimed almost 34,000 lives and infected more than 700,000 people worldwide. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Minister Khatiwada also said that Nepal's international borders will remain closed until April 7.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11596', 'image' => '20200330102039_1585495886.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:19:38', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11847', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three Months that Shook Global Markets', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The damage inflicted by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 30: The damage inflicted</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the news agency, the numbers have been staggering. $15 trillion has been wiped of world stock markets. Oil has slumped 60 percent as Saudi Arabia and Russia have started a price war and emerging markets like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have seen their currencies plummet more than 20 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Volatility and corporate borrowing market stress has spiked on worries that whole sectors could go bust, airlines have had half their value vaporized, while cratering economies risk a new wave of government debt crises,” the news report states.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Chris Dyer, director of global equity at Eaton Vance, “It has been like a train wreck. You could see it coming and coming and coming, but you just couldn’t stop it happening.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Stocks in China, where the virus hit first, have faired relatively well in comparison with only an 11 percent drop in dollar terms, but the impact on other major emerging markets has been devastating as their main commodity markets, and currencies, have also collapsed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Russian stocks, which topped the tables last year, have been routed 40 percent in dollar terms. South Africa, which was stripped of its last investment grade credit rating on Friday, has fallen by the same percentage, though Brazil has been the worst, plunging 50 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Brent crude oil has fallen by 62 percent in the quarter to just $25 a barrel. This was not only because of the coronavirus crisis, but also the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which is putting their public finances at risk.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Industrial metals like copper, aluminum and steel have all dropped 15-22 percent and some agricultural staples like coffee and sugar are down 17 percent and 10 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“These are truly historical moments in the history of financial markets. 2020 will go alongside 1929, 1987 and 2008 in the text books of financial market panics,” Reuters quoted Deutsche Bank’s strategist, Jim Reid, as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">So are they any places to shelter? Yes, but not many, according to the news report. Sit-on-your-sofa-suited stocks like Netflix and Amazon have risen 10 percent and 2.5 percent respectively and some specialist medical equipment companies have surged.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Ultra-safe US government bonds have returned 13 percent as the Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates to effectively zero, leading a charge of around 62 interest rate cuts globally. The dollar has rocketed against emerging market currencies. It had also shot up against the majors too, but has eased back over the last two weeks and will end the quarter only 2 percent up against those bigger currencies.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">JPMorgan reckons the coronavirus will have pushed the world economy into a 12 percent contraction in Q1 and with pandemic still spreading rapidly and keeping large parts of the global economy shuttered it is unlikely to get much easier in Q2, according to the report.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, the G20 governments have promised a $5 trillion revival effort, major central banks have cut rates and restarted asset purchases. Markets bounced big last week until Friday came and may still end Q1 on a relative high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Stephane Monier, chief investment officer of Lombard Odier, is looking to see whether infection rates in Europe and elsewhere peak as they did in Asia. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“If they do, markets could see a V-shaped 30 percent recovery, although if they do not and cases jump in Asia again as lockdowns are lifted, it could be akin to a “war” situation which would impact the economy for 1-1/2 years.”</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11595', 'image' => '20200330121400_global-market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 12:13:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11844', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Extends Deadline for Loan Repayment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. The central bank made such announcement on Sunday (March 29) to bail out the sectors reeling under crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has directed banks and financial institutions to extend the deadline of repayment of all kinds of loans by at least three months. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As per the directive of the NRB, individuals and businesses affected by the impact of COVID-19 can now repay their loan for mid-April by until July without having to pay any interest or fines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a circular, the central bank has clearly ordered the BFIs not to charge any kind of interest till mid-July. However, if anyone pays the loan within mid-April, they will get 10 percent discount on the interest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Acting Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Chintamani Shivakoti said that the central bank took such measures due to the inconvenience in repayment of loan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has also ordered BFIs not to include the loan that they fail to recover within mid-April in the bad loan section.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank's announcement will be applicable for all kinds of loans including home loans, auto loans, educational loans or loans taken by firms and businesses from any BFI. The rule even applies to credit card dues as the banks have been instructed not to fine any borrower for the stipulated time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Executive Director at the Banks and Financial Institutions Regulatory Department of NRB, Dev Kumar Dhakal, informed New Business Age that the relief package will not affect the country’s economy adversely.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“These measures will make the country’s economy more vibrant. We expect that the package will provide relief to the borrowers,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11594', 'image' => '20200330100450_1585536702.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:03:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11842', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown Renders Hundreds of Thousands Jobless: Labour Organisations', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The labourers involved in construction works and transportation sector, daily-wage earners, self-employed people, street vendors, small shop owners and those working in workshops and industries have been jobless since last Tuesday after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) say that hundreds of thousands of labourers working in different sectors have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although people working in the formal sector have got paid leave, those involved in the informal sector as well as daily wage earners have been badly affected by the shut down.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Chairman of GEFONT Binod Shrestha informed that basically those who work in the informal sector have been rendered jobless while the daily wage earners are having a hard time making their ends meet.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The labourers working in the informal sector do not have any reliable source of income. In such situation, the private sector and the government must work hand in hand to support them,” said Shrestha, adding that the government must announce relief package for those affected by the shutdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Shrestha argued that the private sector cannot fire its employees during such crisis but instead needs to give additional wage of 15 days as per the labour act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">GEFONT has also urged all the offices not to lay off their staff at such critical situation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, FCAN President Rabi Singh informed that around 3 million people are involved in the construction sector which has come to a complete halt.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the contractors are facing problem of supplying food to the workers stationed in remote areas and also in transporting those who want to take leave during the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Immediate past president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Khilnath Dahal said that the current crisis has pushed the people living below the poverty line into further trouble while predicting that those who were a little better off will now fall into abject poverty.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, NCP leader Brinda Pandey said that it was unfortunate that the government didn’t have any records of people working in the informal sector. She argued that lack of data has made it difficult for the concerned authorities to provide relief to the family of the workers who have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11593', 'image' => '20200329020636_1*NkJiwlwHU-rOgHgIlt1mGA.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:05:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11843', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Announce Relief Package for People with Low Income', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Ministry of Finance, such package will be presented in the next cabinet meeting. The ministry informed that it is all set to announce special package for the workers involved in tourism, industries and construction sectors which have been the most affected by the impact of coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministry is preparing to announce the special package in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, said Labour Minister Rameshwar Raya Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the minister, his ministry has already requested the finance ministry to announce relief package targeting people with low income.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government is sensitive toward the hardship faced by people earning minimum wages. We have already identified those who are struggling to make their ends meet and informed the finance ministry about their problems,” said Minister Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The Council of Ministers will take a decision within two to three days,” he told New Business Age on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A high-ranking official at the finance ministry confirmed that the government was planning to announce relief package for labourers but did not reveal anything about the nature of the package.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11592', 'image' => '20200329022058_20190530124323_1 (2).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:20:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11840', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fifth Patient Infected with Coronavirus Receiving Treatment in Isolation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the state-run news agency RSS, the patient has been brought to Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital for treatment. The girl was in self-quarantine and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after test carried out in Kathmandu confirmed she was infected with the deadly virus that has spread to almost every country and killed over 30,000 people.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"She is in normal condition and has been put in isolation under direct observation of health workers," RSS quoted acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sailendra Pokharel as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Pokharel reportedly said they will be checking her status daily and have also asked the family members to stay in self-quarantine. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">She had gone to visit her mother, who is currently in Belgium, and returned back by the QR 652 flight of Qatar Airways on March 17. Another 19-year-old girl from Kathmandu, travelling in the same flight earlier tested positive to COVID-19. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A team of health workers from Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital had collected swab sample from her on March 25 and sent it to Kathmandu for the test after the authorities tracked her on suspicion of being infected with the virus as she shared the flight with an infected person. </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11591', 'image' => '20200329113323_corona2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:32:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11839', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NAC Aircraft with Medicines Arrives from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. The aircraft had left for Guangzhou of China to fetch the medicines on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft has brought back medical kits, personal protection equipment (PPE), medicines and other logistics to cope with the crisis of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government had sent Nepal Airlines Corporation’s Airbus A330 to China to bring the medicines as per the demand of the Ministry of Health and Population. It has been learnt that the government purchased the logistics and medicines worth Rs 1 billion from China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“NAC A330-243 landed at TIA with 12.66 ton of necessary medical equipment, supplies and other logistics from Guangzhou, China,” tweeted CAAN on Sunday morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The flight reportedly arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 5 in the morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The aircraft also brought medicines purchased with the support of Jack Ma Foundation and other logistics provided by the Sichuan Province of China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/1585457756.jpg" style="height:679px; width:1000px" /></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11590', 'image' => '20200329110707_ra(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:05:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11841', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Start Leaving Kathmandu Valley by Foot', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. More than 150 people, most of them from the Tarai belt, left the Valley, walking through the Dakshinkali transit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As a result, Dakshinkali Municipality has been creating awareness against coronavirus and providing the travellers with soap and water at different points on the way, said the municipality’s deputy mayor Basanti Dangol Tamang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, respective ward offices in the municipality have been asked to collect data of daily wage earners in their area so as to ensure them essentials to survive, deputy mayor Tamang said. Efforts are underway to manage foods for them. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Eleven people who returned from India, Qatar, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Japan got health checkups managed by the municipality, and they have been asked to stay in isolation, she said. Facemasks have been sent to different wards, she said, adding that efforts were underway to set up a 10-bed quarantine facility at the Chalnakhel health centre at ward-1. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11589', 'image' => '20200329114248_2944591.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:42:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11838', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms 1 More COVID-19 Infection ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). With this, the number of coronavirus patients in Nepal has reached four, out of which one has already been discharged from hospital after successful treatment. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Citing Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the health ministry, the state-run national news agency, RSS, reported that a 34-year-old man has tested positive to the COVID-19,which has now spread to over 199 countries and killed over 24,000 people worldwide since it was first reported in China in late December last year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to RSS, the infected man is receiving treatment at Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The man was admitted to the hospital on March 24 after returning home from Dubai, said the hospital administration. Of the three others infected, one has been cured and two others are receiving treatment at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, RSS stated. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-28', 'modified' => '2020-03-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11588', 'image' => '20200328091941_548_12722_111.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-28 09:18:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11837', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Coronavirus Affects Budget Preparation for FY 2020/21 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Usually, the process for budgeting starts from mid-October. In the month of February, the Finance Ministry holds discussions with the concerned ministries about the budget. By the end of February, the information on programs and policies for the upcoming year needs to be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the National Planning Commission. However, the line ministries have not been able to move forward with the discussions about upcoming programs to be included in the budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The budget formation for the upcoming fiscal year is in dilemma as the discussions between ministers have not taken place. According to the joint secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Uttar Kumar Khatri, discussions on budget cannot move ahead for the next 10 to 15 days. He further said that the ministry is preparing to carry out the discussions by evaluating the current situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“There is nothing left to do before the national problem is sorted out, that’s why the budget preparation has been affected,” he told New Business Age. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Last week, the Finance Ministry had instructed the Revenue Advisory Committee to collect suggestions and prepare a report on Financial Act and Budget for the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Though nine sub-committees are formed within the committee, they are not able to function. “There was a timetable for submitting suggestions by thematic subcommittees, but no discussion has taken place now,” said Khatri. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">In previous years, the committee would prepare the report and recommend it to the ministry of finance based on the suggestions made by the sub-committees of the Revenue Advisory Committee. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to the threat of coronavirus, the National Planning Commission has not been able to make preparations for the upcoming budget. A member of the committee Min Bahadur Shahi said that the discussion schedule has been postponed for one week. He further said that they would move forward with the discussion after looking at the situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the NPC, the discussion on next year’s budget will dwell on providing special concession to the coronavirus-affected areas. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11587', 'image' => '20200327032654_5003_finance-ministy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 15:26:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11836', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '121 Tourists Rescued, 68 still Stranded in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sent to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sen<em>t</em> to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These visitors had reached Mustang via the Round-Annapurna Trekking Route and were stranded following the enforcement of the lockdown against coronavirus pandemic by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The District Administration Office Mustang said these foreign tourists were rescued and sent to Kathmandu over three days. They were sent to Kathmandu via Pokhara by bus, said Chief District Officer, Ved Prasad Aryal. These tourists were from America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Great Britain, Ukraine, New Zealand, among other countries. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CDO Aryal added that the health of the remaining 68 foreign tourists has been examined and they have been accommodated at hotels in Mustang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"All roads leading to Mustang have been shut as a preventive measure against COVID-19. But since the tourists who had come here through the Thorang-La pass via Manang were stuck after the enforcement of the shutdown, we rescued them and sent them to Kathmandu in coordination with the embassies of their countries concerned," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to CDO Aryal, the remaining 68 foreign tourists would be kept in Mustang itself until further notice. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11586', 'image' => '20200327012430_459932_589579011065826_229923417_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 13:22:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11833', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tens of Millions Face Losing Jobs in Escalating Coronavirus Crisis', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The news agency reported that US jobless claims surged to record levels, starkly showing the scale of the economic disaster.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The International Labour Organization had estimated a week ago that, based on different scenarios for the impact of the pandemic on growth, the global ranks of the jobless would rise between 5.3 million and 24.7 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">However Sangheon Lee, director of the ILO's employment policy department, told Reuters that the scale of temporary unemployment, lay-offs and the number of unemployment benefit claims were far higher than first expected.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lee said that the magnitude of fluctuation is much bigger than expected. According to him, the projection will be far higher than the estimated 25 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">By comparison, the 2008/9 global financial crisis increased global unemployment by 22 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the United States, where, as in many parts of the world, measures to contain the pandemic have brought the country to a sudden halt, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 3 million last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">That shattered the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims would rise to 1 million, though estimates were as high as 4 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">According to the news published by Reuters, countries across the world are feeling the intense human and economic pain wrought by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 470,000 people, killed more than 21,000, and is expected to trigger a global recession.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown this week to stem the spread of the disease, industry groups warned job losses could run into tens of millions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Among those hardest hit will be India's estimated 120 million migrant labourers, for whom the lockdown means wages are disappearing. Many cannot afford rent or food in the cities and, with transport systems shut down, many have now begun to walk hundreds of miles to return to their villages,” Reuters reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Europe, France is pulling out the stops to persuade companies not to fire their employees, including through a scheme that allows businesses to reduce worker hours without the employee taking a massive pay hit.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Britain, the government said 477,000 people had applied over the past nine days for Universal Credit, a payment to help with living costs for those unemployed or on low incomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"Unemployment is extremely sensitive and volatile in response to economic activity, that is quite worrisome in our view," Reuters quoted ILO’s Lee as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"The sentiment among businesses is maybe it will take more time to get back to normal activities. They are making quick decisions to adjust their workforce rather than keeping workers."</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11585', 'image' => '20200327105943_thumb_cvy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 10:58:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The board has requested the youths, who have recently returned home from labour destination countries, to cooperate by staying in quarantine for 14 days, in the context of coronavirus infection so far found among only foreign returnees in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">It has also appealed to the foreign returnees to meet with their families, friends and relatives only after the quarantine period was over, and to immediately go to the health institution and have their health examined if they have sudden high fever, difficulty in breathing or continuous cough. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the board has urged the foreign-returnee youths wherever they are to be disciplined and follow the directive of the government in the present situation when the global community itself is under the risk of coronavirus. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11599', 'image' => '20200331103622_jet airways.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:35:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11849', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CNI Welcomes Central Bank's Initiative ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a press statement on Monday, CNI said that specific changes made in the monetary policy would help sustain the liquidity in the economy. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"Nepal's central bank has taken into account the various issues CNI had been raising at different times. We are of the belief that this would certainly help sustain the confidence of the private sector," the CNI stated. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Hailing the government's decision to make arrangements for relief to the economically poor families and the daily-wage earners, CNI said it was a positive step. It has expressed the confidence that the government would also bring medium term and long-term relief packages as well besides the present short-term relief. CNI said the government has announced the relief at a time when there was big expectation with the government to protect Nepal's economic system. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11598', 'image' => '20200331100846_20170815043736_CNI.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:07:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11846', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Announces Economic Relief Package ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday (March 29) decided to provide relief to the people and sectors affected by the pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has directed telecommunication service providers to provide 25 percent discount to their customers on internet and voice pack services during the lockdown period, informed Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who is also the government spokesperson.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government also announced that the local units would ensure the poor families would be distributed food supplies during this critical situation. But the local units have been instructed to verify that the people receiving support from the government are actually from poor families.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Finance Minister Khatiwada said that all industries and firms must pay the employees even if they are closed due to the lockdown. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The workers employed in the formal sector must be paid their daily wage or monthly salary by the employers,” said Khatiwada. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the cabinet decision, hotels and restaurants that have been closed due to the impact of coronavirus will also have to pay their workers full salary up to mid-April. Minister Khatiwada clarified that the employers can utilize the welfare fund to pay the workers as per the need during such time of crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has made it clear that the formal sector cannot give unpaid leave to the employees during the lockdown period while those working in the informal sector on daily wage basis will be provided food and support.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The daily wage labourers will receive food from the local units, according to minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also announced discount on electricity tariff. As per the government decision, consumers will get 25 percent discount on electricity bills for the months of Falgun and Chaitra (mid-February to mid-March) for consumption of less than 150 units of electricity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government will make food stuffs available to the general public through Nepal Food Corporation and the Salt Trading Corporation at 10 percent discount rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also barred private schools from taking one month’s fees while the landlords have been instructed to waive the rent of a month due to the current crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government has banned the import of vehicles more than US$ 50,000 while it has also limited the import quota of gold considering the fragile economy. Until now, the government used to allow the import of 20 kg gold per day, which has now been reduced to 10 kg per day.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Another decision of the government is to extend the deadline for the payment of income tax and value added tax.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi says that the relief package announced by the government is a positive step to support people with low income and those working in the private sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“It is essential to strongly monitor whether the government’s relief package is implemented or not,” he added. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Economist Bishwambher Pyakurel said that the relief package announced by the government at a time of crisis is helpful to some extent. He, however, said that the government should have collected proper details of the sectors affected by coronavirus and the effects it might have in the future.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Such short-term package announced by the government without proper study will cause financial strain to the state coffers,” he said. “The government should have announced the relief package by studying the impact for at least six months,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has also decided to insure health workers and provide them compensation in case of fatality.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Those companies which have been contributing to the social security fund will receive one month’s salary of the workers from the government’s side,” said minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also decided to accept international support and seek funds from donor agencies in its fight against the crisis created by coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In this regard, the government has accepted the World Bank’s offer of concessional loan of Rs 3.48 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11597', 'image' => '20200330114558_1585535625.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 11:45:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11845', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prolongs Lockdown by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday (March 29) took a decision to this effect.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada informed that the cabinet decided to extend the lockdown by a week until April 7 as the country continues to record new cases of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government had initially imposed the lockdown on March 24 to contain the deadly virus after a Nepali girl returning from France tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, three more cases have been recorded, taking the tally to five. One patient who tested positive for COVID-19 in January has already recovered while others are receiving treatment at various government hospitals.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government decided to impose the lockdown as per the suggestion of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that limiting mobility of people helps to significantly reduce the transmission of the deadly disease, that has claimed almost 34,000 lives and infected more than 700,000 people worldwide. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Minister Khatiwada also said that Nepal's international borders will remain closed until April 7.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11596', 'image' => '20200330102039_1585495886.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:19:38', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11847', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three Months that Shook Global Markets', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The damage inflicted by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 30: The damage inflicted</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the news agency, the numbers have been staggering. $15 trillion has been wiped of world stock markets. Oil has slumped 60 percent as Saudi Arabia and Russia have started a price war and emerging markets like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have seen their currencies plummet more than 20 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Volatility and corporate borrowing market stress has spiked on worries that whole sectors could go bust, airlines have had half their value vaporized, while cratering economies risk a new wave of government debt crises,” the news report states.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Chris Dyer, director of global equity at Eaton Vance, “It has been like a train wreck. You could see it coming and coming and coming, but you just couldn’t stop it happening.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Stocks in China, where the virus hit first, have faired relatively well in comparison with only an 11 percent drop in dollar terms, but the impact on other major emerging markets has been devastating as their main commodity markets, and currencies, have also collapsed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Russian stocks, which topped the tables last year, have been routed 40 percent in dollar terms. South Africa, which was stripped of its last investment grade credit rating on Friday, has fallen by the same percentage, though Brazil has been the worst, plunging 50 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Brent crude oil has fallen by 62 percent in the quarter to just $25 a barrel. This was not only because of the coronavirus crisis, but also the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which is putting their public finances at risk.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Industrial metals like copper, aluminum and steel have all dropped 15-22 percent and some agricultural staples like coffee and sugar are down 17 percent and 10 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“These are truly historical moments in the history of financial markets. 2020 will go alongside 1929, 1987 and 2008 in the text books of financial market panics,” Reuters quoted Deutsche Bank’s strategist, Jim Reid, as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">So are they any places to shelter? Yes, but not many, according to the news report. Sit-on-your-sofa-suited stocks like Netflix and Amazon have risen 10 percent and 2.5 percent respectively and some specialist medical equipment companies have surged.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Ultra-safe US government bonds have returned 13 percent as the Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates to effectively zero, leading a charge of around 62 interest rate cuts globally. The dollar has rocketed against emerging market currencies. It had also shot up against the majors too, but has eased back over the last two weeks and will end the quarter only 2 percent up against those bigger currencies.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">JPMorgan reckons the coronavirus will have pushed the world economy into a 12 percent contraction in Q1 and with pandemic still spreading rapidly and keeping large parts of the global economy shuttered it is unlikely to get much easier in Q2, according to the report.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, the G20 governments have promised a $5 trillion revival effort, major central banks have cut rates and restarted asset purchases. Markets bounced big last week until Friday came and may still end Q1 on a relative high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Stephane Monier, chief investment officer of Lombard Odier, is looking to see whether infection rates in Europe and elsewhere peak as they did in Asia. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“If they do, markets could see a V-shaped 30 percent recovery, although if they do not and cases jump in Asia again as lockdowns are lifted, it could be akin to a “war” situation which would impact the economy for 1-1/2 years.”</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11595', 'image' => '20200330121400_global-market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 12:13:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11844', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Extends Deadline for Loan Repayment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. The central bank made such announcement on Sunday (March 29) to bail out the sectors reeling under crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has directed banks and financial institutions to extend the deadline of repayment of all kinds of loans by at least three months. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As per the directive of the NRB, individuals and businesses affected by the impact of COVID-19 can now repay their loan for mid-April by until July without having to pay any interest or fines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a circular, the central bank has clearly ordered the BFIs not to charge any kind of interest till mid-July. However, if anyone pays the loan within mid-April, they will get 10 percent discount on the interest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Acting Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Chintamani Shivakoti said that the central bank took such measures due to the inconvenience in repayment of loan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has also ordered BFIs not to include the loan that they fail to recover within mid-April in the bad loan section.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank's announcement will be applicable for all kinds of loans including home loans, auto loans, educational loans or loans taken by firms and businesses from any BFI. The rule even applies to credit card dues as the banks have been instructed not to fine any borrower for the stipulated time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Executive Director at the Banks and Financial Institutions Regulatory Department of NRB, Dev Kumar Dhakal, informed New Business Age that the relief package will not affect the country’s economy adversely.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“These measures will make the country’s economy more vibrant. We expect that the package will provide relief to the borrowers,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11594', 'image' => '20200330100450_1585536702.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:03:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11842', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown Renders Hundreds of Thousands Jobless: Labour Organisations', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The labourers involved in construction works and transportation sector, daily-wage earners, self-employed people, street vendors, small shop owners and those working in workshops and industries have been jobless since last Tuesday after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) say that hundreds of thousands of labourers working in different sectors have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although people working in the formal sector have got paid leave, those involved in the informal sector as well as daily wage earners have been badly affected by the shut down.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Chairman of GEFONT Binod Shrestha informed that basically those who work in the informal sector have been rendered jobless while the daily wage earners are having a hard time making their ends meet.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The labourers working in the informal sector do not have any reliable source of income. In such situation, the private sector and the government must work hand in hand to support them,” said Shrestha, adding that the government must announce relief package for those affected by the shutdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Shrestha argued that the private sector cannot fire its employees during such crisis but instead needs to give additional wage of 15 days as per the labour act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">GEFONT has also urged all the offices not to lay off their staff at such critical situation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, FCAN President Rabi Singh informed that around 3 million people are involved in the construction sector which has come to a complete halt.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the contractors are facing problem of supplying food to the workers stationed in remote areas and also in transporting those who want to take leave during the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Immediate past president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Khilnath Dahal said that the current crisis has pushed the people living below the poverty line into further trouble while predicting that those who were a little better off will now fall into abject poverty.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, NCP leader Brinda Pandey said that it was unfortunate that the government didn’t have any records of people working in the informal sector. She argued that lack of data has made it difficult for the concerned authorities to provide relief to the family of the workers who have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11593', 'image' => '20200329020636_1*NkJiwlwHU-rOgHgIlt1mGA.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:05:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11843', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Announce Relief Package for People with Low Income', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Ministry of Finance, such package will be presented in the next cabinet meeting. The ministry informed that it is all set to announce special package for the workers involved in tourism, industries and construction sectors which have been the most affected by the impact of coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministry is preparing to announce the special package in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, said Labour Minister Rameshwar Raya Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the minister, his ministry has already requested the finance ministry to announce relief package targeting people with low income.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government is sensitive toward the hardship faced by people earning minimum wages. We have already identified those who are struggling to make their ends meet and informed the finance ministry about their problems,” said Minister Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The Council of Ministers will take a decision within two to three days,” he told New Business Age on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A high-ranking official at the finance ministry confirmed that the government was planning to announce relief package for labourers but did not reveal anything about the nature of the package.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11592', 'image' => '20200329022058_20190530124323_1 (2).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:20:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11840', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fifth Patient Infected with Coronavirus Receiving Treatment in Isolation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the state-run news agency RSS, the patient has been brought to Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital for treatment. The girl was in self-quarantine and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after test carried out in Kathmandu confirmed she was infected with the deadly virus that has spread to almost every country and killed over 30,000 people.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"She is in normal condition and has been put in isolation under direct observation of health workers," RSS quoted acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sailendra Pokharel as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Pokharel reportedly said they will be checking her status daily and have also asked the family members to stay in self-quarantine. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">She had gone to visit her mother, who is currently in Belgium, and returned back by the QR 652 flight of Qatar Airways on March 17. Another 19-year-old girl from Kathmandu, travelling in the same flight earlier tested positive to COVID-19. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A team of health workers from Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital had collected swab sample from her on March 25 and sent it to Kathmandu for the test after the authorities tracked her on suspicion of being infected with the virus as she shared the flight with an infected person. </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11591', 'image' => '20200329113323_corona2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:32:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11839', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NAC Aircraft with Medicines Arrives from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. The aircraft had left for Guangzhou of China to fetch the medicines on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft has brought back medical kits, personal protection equipment (PPE), medicines and other logistics to cope with the crisis of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government had sent Nepal Airlines Corporation’s Airbus A330 to China to bring the medicines as per the demand of the Ministry of Health and Population. It has been learnt that the government purchased the logistics and medicines worth Rs 1 billion from China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“NAC A330-243 landed at TIA with 12.66 ton of necessary medical equipment, supplies and other logistics from Guangzhou, China,” tweeted CAAN on Sunday morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The flight reportedly arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 5 in the morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The aircraft also brought medicines purchased with the support of Jack Ma Foundation and other logistics provided by the Sichuan Province of China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/1585457756.jpg" style="height:679px; width:1000px" /></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11590', 'image' => '20200329110707_ra(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:05:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11841', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Start Leaving Kathmandu Valley by Foot', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. More than 150 people, most of them from the Tarai belt, left the Valley, walking through the Dakshinkali transit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As a result, Dakshinkali Municipality has been creating awareness against coronavirus and providing the travellers with soap and water at different points on the way, said the municipality’s deputy mayor Basanti Dangol Tamang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, respective ward offices in the municipality have been asked to collect data of daily wage earners in their area so as to ensure them essentials to survive, deputy mayor Tamang said. Efforts are underway to manage foods for them. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Eleven people who returned from India, Qatar, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Japan got health checkups managed by the municipality, and they have been asked to stay in isolation, she said. Facemasks have been sent to different wards, she said, adding that efforts were underway to set up a 10-bed quarantine facility at the Chalnakhel health centre at ward-1. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11589', 'image' => '20200329114248_2944591.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:42:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11838', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms 1 More COVID-19 Infection ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). With this, the number of coronavirus patients in Nepal has reached four, out of which one has already been discharged from hospital after successful treatment. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Citing Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the health ministry, the state-run national news agency, RSS, reported that a 34-year-old man has tested positive to the COVID-19,which has now spread to over 199 countries and killed over 24,000 people worldwide since it was first reported in China in late December last year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to RSS, the infected man is receiving treatment at Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The man was admitted to the hospital on March 24 after returning home from Dubai, said the hospital administration. Of the three others infected, one has been cured and two others are receiving treatment at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, RSS stated. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-28', 'modified' => '2020-03-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11588', 'image' => '20200328091941_548_12722_111.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-28 09:18:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11837', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Coronavirus Affects Budget Preparation for FY 2020/21 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Usually, the process for budgeting starts from mid-October. In the month of February, the Finance Ministry holds discussions with the concerned ministries about the budget. By the end of February, the information on programs and policies for the upcoming year needs to be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the National Planning Commission. However, the line ministries have not been able to move forward with the discussions about upcoming programs to be included in the budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The budget formation for the upcoming fiscal year is in dilemma as the discussions between ministers have not taken place. According to the joint secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Uttar Kumar Khatri, discussions on budget cannot move ahead for the next 10 to 15 days. He further said that the ministry is preparing to carry out the discussions by evaluating the current situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“There is nothing left to do before the national problem is sorted out, that’s why the budget preparation has been affected,” he told New Business Age. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Last week, the Finance Ministry had instructed the Revenue Advisory Committee to collect suggestions and prepare a report on Financial Act and Budget for the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Though nine sub-committees are formed within the committee, they are not able to function. “There was a timetable for submitting suggestions by thematic subcommittees, but no discussion has taken place now,” said Khatri. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">In previous years, the committee would prepare the report and recommend it to the ministry of finance based on the suggestions made by the sub-committees of the Revenue Advisory Committee. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to the threat of coronavirus, the National Planning Commission has not been able to make preparations for the upcoming budget. A member of the committee Min Bahadur Shahi said that the discussion schedule has been postponed for one week. He further said that they would move forward with the discussion after looking at the situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the NPC, the discussion on next year’s budget will dwell on providing special concession to the coronavirus-affected areas. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11587', 'image' => '20200327032654_5003_finance-ministy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 15:26:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11836', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '121 Tourists Rescued, 68 still Stranded in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sent to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sen<em>t</em> to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These visitors had reached Mustang via the Round-Annapurna Trekking Route and were stranded following the enforcement of the lockdown against coronavirus pandemic by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The District Administration Office Mustang said these foreign tourists were rescued and sent to Kathmandu over three days. They were sent to Kathmandu via Pokhara by bus, said Chief District Officer, Ved Prasad Aryal. These tourists were from America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Great Britain, Ukraine, New Zealand, among other countries. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CDO Aryal added that the health of the remaining 68 foreign tourists has been examined and they have been accommodated at hotels in Mustang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"All roads leading to Mustang have been shut as a preventive measure against COVID-19. But since the tourists who had come here through the Thorang-La pass via Manang were stuck after the enforcement of the shutdown, we rescued them and sent them to Kathmandu in coordination with the embassies of their countries concerned," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to CDO Aryal, the remaining 68 foreign tourists would be kept in Mustang itself until further notice. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11586', 'image' => '20200327012430_459932_589579011065826_229923417_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 13:22:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11833', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tens of Millions Face Losing Jobs in Escalating Coronavirus Crisis', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The news agency reported that US jobless claims surged to record levels, starkly showing the scale of the economic disaster.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The International Labour Organization had estimated a week ago that, based on different scenarios for the impact of the pandemic on growth, the global ranks of the jobless would rise between 5.3 million and 24.7 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">However Sangheon Lee, director of the ILO's employment policy department, told Reuters that the scale of temporary unemployment, lay-offs and the number of unemployment benefit claims were far higher than first expected.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lee said that the magnitude of fluctuation is much bigger than expected. According to him, the projection will be far higher than the estimated 25 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">By comparison, the 2008/9 global financial crisis increased global unemployment by 22 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the United States, where, as in many parts of the world, measures to contain the pandemic have brought the country to a sudden halt, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 3 million last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">That shattered the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims would rise to 1 million, though estimates were as high as 4 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">According to the news published by Reuters, countries across the world are feeling the intense human and economic pain wrought by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 470,000 people, killed more than 21,000, and is expected to trigger a global recession.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown this week to stem the spread of the disease, industry groups warned job losses could run into tens of millions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Among those hardest hit will be India's estimated 120 million migrant labourers, for whom the lockdown means wages are disappearing. Many cannot afford rent or food in the cities and, with transport systems shut down, many have now begun to walk hundreds of miles to return to their villages,” Reuters reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Europe, France is pulling out the stops to persuade companies not to fire their employees, including through a scheme that allows businesses to reduce worker hours without the employee taking a massive pay hit.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Britain, the government said 477,000 people had applied over the past nine days for Universal Credit, a payment to help with living costs for those unemployed or on low incomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"Unemployment is extremely sensitive and volatile in response to economic activity, that is quite worrisome in our view," Reuters quoted ILO’s Lee as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"The sentiment among businesses is maybe it will take more time to get back to normal activities. They are making quick decisions to adjust their workforce rather than keeping workers."</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11585', 'image' => '20200327105943_thumb_cvy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 10:58:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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' => '11851', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => ' Foreign Employment Board urges Returnees to Stay in Quarantine ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The board has requested the youths, who have recently returned home from labour destination countries, to cooperate by staying in quarantine for 14 days, in the context of coronavirus infection so far found among only foreign returnees in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">It has also appealed to the foreign returnees to meet with their families, friends and relatives only after the quarantine period was over, and to immediately go to the health institution and have their health examined if they have sudden high fever, difficulty in breathing or continuous cough. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the board has urged the foreign-returnee youths wherever they are to be disciplined and follow the directive of the government in the present situation when the global community itself is under the risk of coronavirus. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11599', 'image' => '20200331103622_jet airways.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:35:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11849', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CNI Welcomes Central Bank's Initiative ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a press statement on Monday, CNI said that specific changes made in the monetary policy would help sustain the liquidity in the economy. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"Nepal's central bank has taken into account the various issues CNI had been raising at different times. We are of the belief that this would certainly help sustain the confidence of the private sector," the CNI stated. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Hailing the government's decision to make arrangements for relief to the economically poor families and the daily-wage earners, CNI said it was a positive step. It has expressed the confidence that the government would also bring medium term and long-term relief packages as well besides the present short-term relief. CNI said the government has announced the relief at a time when there was big expectation with the government to protect Nepal's economic system. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11598', 'image' => '20200331100846_20170815043736_CNI.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:07:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11846', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Announces Economic Relief Package ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday (March 29) decided to provide relief to the people and sectors affected by the pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has directed telecommunication service providers to provide 25 percent discount to their customers on internet and voice pack services during the lockdown period, informed Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who is also the government spokesperson.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government also announced that the local units would ensure the poor families would be distributed food supplies during this critical situation. But the local units have been instructed to verify that the people receiving support from the government are actually from poor families.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Finance Minister Khatiwada said that all industries and firms must pay the employees even if they are closed due to the lockdown. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The workers employed in the formal sector must be paid their daily wage or monthly salary by the employers,” said Khatiwada. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the cabinet decision, hotels and restaurants that have been closed due to the impact of coronavirus will also have to pay their workers full salary up to mid-April. Minister Khatiwada clarified that the employers can utilize the welfare fund to pay the workers as per the need during such time of crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has made it clear that the formal sector cannot give unpaid leave to the employees during the lockdown period while those working in the informal sector on daily wage basis will be provided food and support.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The daily wage labourers will receive food from the local units, according to minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also announced discount on electricity tariff. As per the government decision, consumers will get 25 percent discount on electricity bills for the months of Falgun and Chaitra (mid-February to mid-March) for consumption of less than 150 units of electricity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government will make food stuffs available to the general public through Nepal Food Corporation and the Salt Trading Corporation at 10 percent discount rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also barred private schools from taking one month’s fees while the landlords have been instructed to waive the rent of a month due to the current crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government has banned the import of vehicles more than US$ 50,000 while it has also limited the import quota of gold considering the fragile economy. Until now, the government used to allow the import of 20 kg gold per day, which has now been reduced to 10 kg per day.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Another decision of the government is to extend the deadline for the payment of income tax and value added tax.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi says that the relief package announced by the government is a positive step to support people with low income and those working in the private sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“It is essential to strongly monitor whether the government’s relief package is implemented or not,” he added. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Economist Bishwambher Pyakurel said that the relief package announced by the government at a time of crisis is helpful to some extent. He, however, said that the government should have collected proper details of the sectors affected by coronavirus and the effects it might have in the future.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Such short-term package announced by the government without proper study will cause financial strain to the state coffers,” he said. “The government should have announced the relief package by studying the impact for at least six months,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has also decided to insure health workers and provide them compensation in case of fatality.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Those companies which have been contributing to the social security fund will receive one month’s salary of the workers from the government’s side,” said minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also decided to accept international support and seek funds from donor agencies in its fight against the crisis created by coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In this regard, the government has accepted the World Bank’s offer of concessional loan of Rs 3.48 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11597', 'image' => '20200330114558_1585535625.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 11:45:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11845', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prolongs Lockdown by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday (March 29) took a decision to this effect.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada informed that the cabinet decided to extend the lockdown by a week until April 7 as the country continues to record new cases of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government had initially imposed the lockdown on March 24 to contain the deadly virus after a Nepali girl returning from France tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, three more cases have been recorded, taking the tally to five. One patient who tested positive for COVID-19 in January has already recovered while others are receiving treatment at various government hospitals.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government decided to impose the lockdown as per the suggestion of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that limiting mobility of people helps to significantly reduce the transmission of the deadly disease, that has claimed almost 34,000 lives and infected more than 700,000 people worldwide. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Minister Khatiwada also said that Nepal's international borders will remain closed until April 7.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11596', 'image' => '20200330102039_1585495886.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:19:38', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11847', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three Months that Shook Global Markets', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The damage inflicted by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 30: The damage inflicted</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the news agency, the numbers have been staggering. $15 trillion has been wiped of world stock markets. Oil has slumped 60 percent as Saudi Arabia and Russia have started a price war and emerging markets like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have seen their currencies plummet more than 20 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Volatility and corporate borrowing market stress has spiked on worries that whole sectors could go bust, airlines have had half their value vaporized, while cratering economies risk a new wave of government debt crises,” the news report states.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Chris Dyer, director of global equity at Eaton Vance, “It has been like a train wreck. You could see it coming and coming and coming, but you just couldn’t stop it happening.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Stocks in China, where the virus hit first, have faired relatively well in comparison with only an 11 percent drop in dollar terms, but the impact on other major emerging markets has been devastating as their main commodity markets, and currencies, have also collapsed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Russian stocks, which topped the tables last year, have been routed 40 percent in dollar terms. South Africa, which was stripped of its last investment grade credit rating on Friday, has fallen by the same percentage, though Brazil has been the worst, plunging 50 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Brent crude oil has fallen by 62 percent in the quarter to just $25 a barrel. This was not only because of the coronavirus crisis, but also the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which is putting their public finances at risk.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Industrial metals like copper, aluminum and steel have all dropped 15-22 percent and some agricultural staples like coffee and sugar are down 17 percent and 10 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“These are truly historical moments in the history of financial markets. 2020 will go alongside 1929, 1987 and 2008 in the text books of financial market panics,” Reuters quoted Deutsche Bank’s strategist, Jim Reid, as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">So are they any places to shelter? Yes, but not many, according to the news report. Sit-on-your-sofa-suited stocks like Netflix and Amazon have risen 10 percent and 2.5 percent respectively and some specialist medical equipment companies have surged.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Ultra-safe US government bonds have returned 13 percent as the Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates to effectively zero, leading a charge of around 62 interest rate cuts globally. The dollar has rocketed against emerging market currencies. It had also shot up against the majors too, but has eased back over the last two weeks and will end the quarter only 2 percent up against those bigger currencies.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">JPMorgan reckons the coronavirus will have pushed the world economy into a 12 percent contraction in Q1 and with pandemic still spreading rapidly and keeping large parts of the global economy shuttered it is unlikely to get much easier in Q2, according to the report.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, the G20 governments have promised a $5 trillion revival effort, major central banks have cut rates and restarted asset purchases. Markets bounced big last week until Friday came and may still end Q1 on a relative high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Stephane Monier, chief investment officer of Lombard Odier, is looking to see whether infection rates in Europe and elsewhere peak as they did in Asia. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“If they do, markets could see a V-shaped 30 percent recovery, although if they do not and cases jump in Asia again as lockdowns are lifted, it could be akin to a “war” situation which would impact the economy for 1-1/2 years.”</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11595', 'image' => '20200330121400_global-market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 12:13:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11844', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Extends Deadline for Loan Repayment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. The central bank made such announcement on Sunday (March 29) to bail out the sectors reeling under crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has directed banks and financial institutions to extend the deadline of repayment of all kinds of loans by at least three months. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As per the directive of the NRB, individuals and businesses affected by the impact of COVID-19 can now repay their loan for mid-April by until July without having to pay any interest or fines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a circular, the central bank has clearly ordered the BFIs not to charge any kind of interest till mid-July. However, if anyone pays the loan within mid-April, they will get 10 percent discount on the interest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Acting Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Chintamani Shivakoti said that the central bank took such measures due to the inconvenience in repayment of loan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has also ordered BFIs not to include the loan that they fail to recover within mid-April in the bad loan section.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank's announcement will be applicable for all kinds of loans including home loans, auto loans, educational loans or loans taken by firms and businesses from any BFI. The rule even applies to credit card dues as the banks have been instructed not to fine any borrower for the stipulated time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Executive Director at the Banks and Financial Institutions Regulatory Department of NRB, Dev Kumar Dhakal, informed New Business Age that the relief package will not affect the country’s economy adversely.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“These measures will make the country’s economy more vibrant. We expect that the package will provide relief to the borrowers,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11594', 'image' => '20200330100450_1585536702.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:03:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11842', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown Renders Hundreds of Thousands Jobless: Labour Organisations', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The labourers involved in construction works and transportation sector, daily-wage earners, self-employed people, street vendors, small shop owners and those working in workshops and industries have been jobless since last Tuesday after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) say that hundreds of thousands of labourers working in different sectors have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although people working in the formal sector have got paid leave, those involved in the informal sector as well as daily wage earners have been badly affected by the shut down.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Chairman of GEFONT Binod Shrestha informed that basically those who work in the informal sector have been rendered jobless while the daily wage earners are having a hard time making their ends meet.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The labourers working in the informal sector do not have any reliable source of income. In such situation, the private sector and the government must work hand in hand to support them,” said Shrestha, adding that the government must announce relief package for those affected by the shutdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Shrestha argued that the private sector cannot fire its employees during such crisis but instead needs to give additional wage of 15 days as per the labour act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">GEFONT has also urged all the offices not to lay off their staff at such critical situation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, FCAN President Rabi Singh informed that around 3 million people are involved in the construction sector which has come to a complete halt.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the contractors are facing problem of supplying food to the workers stationed in remote areas and also in transporting those who want to take leave during the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Immediate past president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Khilnath Dahal said that the current crisis has pushed the people living below the poverty line into further trouble while predicting that those who were a little better off will now fall into abject poverty.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, NCP leader Brinda Pandey said that it was unfortunate that the government didn’t have any records of people working in the informal sector. She argued that lack of data has made it difficult for the concerned authorities to provide relief to the family of the workers who have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11593', 'image' => '20200329020636_1*NkJiwlwHU-rOgHgIlt1mGA.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:05:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11843', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Announce Relief Package for People with Low Income', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Ministry of Finance, such package will be presented in the next cabinet meeting. The ministry informed that it is all set to announce special package for the workers involved in tourism, industries and construction sectors which have been the most affected by the impact of coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministry is preparing to announce the special package in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, said Labour Minister Rameshwar Raya Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the minister, his ministry has already requested the finance ministry to announce relief package targeting people with low income.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government is sensitive toward the hardship faced by people earning minimum wages. We have already identified those who are struggling to make their ends meet and informed the finance ministry about their problems,” said Minister Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The Council of Ministers will take a decision within two to three days,” he told New Business Age on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A high-ranking official at the finance ministry confirmed that the government was planning to announce relief package for labourers but did not reveal anything about the nature of the package.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11592', 'image' => '20200329022058_20190530124323_1 (2).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:20:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11840', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fifth Patient Infected with Coronavirus Receiving Treatment in Isolation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the state-run news agency RSS, the patient has been brought to Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital for treatment. The girl was in self-quarantine and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after test carried out in Kathmandu confirmed she was infected with the deadly virus that has spread to almost every country and killed over 30,000 people.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"She is in normal condition and has been put in isolation under direct observation of health workers," RSS quoted acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sailendra Pokharel as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Pokharel reportedly said they will be checking her status daily and have also asked the family members to stay in self-quarantine. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">She had gone to visit her mother, who is currently in Belgium, and returned back by the QR 652 flight of Qatar Airways on March 17. Another 19-year-old girl from Kathmandu, travelling in the same flight earlier tested positive to COVID-19. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A team of health workers from Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital had collected swab sample from her on March 25 and sent it to Kathmandu for the test after the authorities tracked her on suspicion of being infected with the virus as she shared the flight with an infected person. </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11591', 'image' => '20200329113323_corona2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:32:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11839', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NAC Aircraft with Medicines Arrives from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. The aircraft had left for Guangzhou of China to fetch the medicines on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft has brought back medical kits, personal protection equipment (PPE), medicines and other logistics to cope with the crisis of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government had sent Nepal Airlines Corporation’s Airbus A330 to China to bring the medicines as per the demand of the Ministry of Health and Population. It has been learnt that the government purchased the logistics and medicines worth Rs 1 billion from China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“NAC A330-243 landed at TIA with 12.66 ton of necessary medical equipment, supplies and other logistics from Guangzhou, China,” tweeted CAAN on Sunday morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The flight reportedly arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 5 in the morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The aircraft also brought medicines purchased with the support of Jack Ma Foundation and other logistics provided by the Sichuan Province of China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/1585457756.jpg" style="height:679px; width:1000px" /></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11590', 'image' => '20200329110707_ra(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:05:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11841', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Start Leaving Kathmandu Valley by Foot', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. More than 150 people, most of them from the Tarai belt, left the Valley, walking through the Dakshinkali transit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As a result, Dakshinkali Municipality has been creating awareness against coronavirus and providing the travellers with soap and water at different points on the way, said the municipality’s deputy mayor Basanti Dangol Tamang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, respective ward offices in the municipality have been asked to collect data of daily wage earners in their area so as to ensure them essentials to survive, deputy mayor Tamang said. Efforts are underway to manage foods for them. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Eleven people who returned from India, Qatar, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Japan got health checkups managed by the municipality, and they have been asked to stay in isolation, she said. Facemasks have been sent to different wards, she said, adding that efforts were underway to set up a 10-bed quarantine facility at the Chalnakhel health centre at ward-1. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11589', 'image' => '20200329114248_2944591.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:42:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11838', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms 1 More COVID-19 Infection ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). With this, the number of coronavirus patients in Nepal has reached four, out of which one has already been discharged from hospital after successful treatment. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Citing Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the health ministry, the state-run national news agency, RSS, reported that a 34-year-old man has tested positive to the COVID-19,which has now spread to over 199 countries and killed over 24,000 people worldwide since it was first reported in China in late December last year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to RSS, the infected man is receiving treatment at Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The man was admitted to the hospital on March 24 after returning home from Dubai, said the hospital administration. Of the three others infected, one has been cured and two others are receiving treatment at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, RSS stated. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-28', 'modified' => '2020-03-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11588', 'image' => '20200328091941_548_12722_111.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-28 09:18:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11837', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Coronavirus Affects Budget Preparation for FY 2020/21 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Usually, the process for budgeting starts from mid-October. In the month of February, the Finance Ministry holds discussions with the concerned ministries about the budget. By the end of February, the information on programs and policies for the upcoming year needs to be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the National Planning Commission. However, the line ministries have not been able to move forward with the discussions about upcoming programs to be included in the budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The budget formation for the upcoming fiscal year is in dilemma as the discussions between ministers have not taken place. According to the joint secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Uttar Kumar Khatri, discussions on budget cannot move ahead for the next 10 to 15 days. He further said that the ministry is preparing to carry out the discussions by evaluating the current situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“There is nothing left to do before the national problem is sorted out, that’s why the budget preparation has been affected,” he told New Business Age. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Last week, the Finance Ministry had instructed the Revenue Advisory Committee to collect suggestions and prepare a report on Financial Act and Budget for the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Though nine sub-committees are formed within the committee, they are not able to function. “There was a timetable for submitting suggestions by thematic subcommittees, but no discussion has taken place now,” said Khatri. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">In previous years, the committee would prepare the report and recommend it to the ministry of finance based on the suggestions made by the sub-committees of the Revenue Advisory Committee. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to the threat of coronavirus, the National Planning Commission has not been able to make preparations for the upcoming budget. A member of the committee Min Bahadur Shahi said that the discussion schedule has been postponed for one week. He further said that they would move forward with the discussion after looking at the situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the NPC, the discussion on next year’s budget will dwell on providing special concession to the coronavirus-affected areas. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11587', 'image' => '20200327032654_5003_finance-ministy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 15:26:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11836', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '121 Tourists Rescued, 68 still Stranded in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sent to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sen<em>t</em> to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These visitors had reached Mustang via the Round-Annapurna Trekking Route and were stranded following the enforcement of the lockdown against coronavirus pandemic by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The District Administration Office Mustang said these foreign tourists were rescued and sent to Kathmandu over three days. They were sent to Kathmandu via Pokhara by bus, said Chief District Officer, Ved Prasad Aryal. These tourists were from America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Great Britain, Ukraine, New Zealand, among other countries. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CDO Aryal added that the health of the remaining 68 foreign tourists has been examined and they have been accommodated at hotels in Mustang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"All roads leading to Mustang have been shut as a preventive measure against COVID-19. But since the tourists who had come here through the Thorang-La pass via Manang were stuck after the enforcement of the shutdown, we rescued them and sent them to Kathmandu in coordination with the embassies of their countries concerned," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to CDO Aryal, the remaining 68 foreign tourists would be kept in Mustang itself until further notice. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11586', 'image' => '20200327012430_459932_589579011065826_229923417_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 13:22:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11833', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tens of Millions Face Losing Jobs in Escalating Coronavirus Crisis', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The news agency reported that US jobless claims surged to record levels, starkly showing the scale of the economic disaster.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The International Labour Organization had estimated a week ago that, based on different scenarios for the impact of the pandemic on growth, the global ranks of the jobless would rise between 5.3 million and 24.7 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">However Sangheon Lee, director of the ILO's employment policy department, told Reuters that the scale of temporary unemployment, lay-offs and the number of unemployment benefit claims were far higher than first expected.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lee said that the magnitude of fluctuation is much bigger than expected. According to him, the projection will be far higher than the estimated 25 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">By comparison, the 2008/9 global financial crisis increased global unemployment by 22 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the United States, where, as in many parts of the world, measures to contain the pandemic have brought the country to a sudden halt, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 3 million last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">That shattered the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims would rise to 1 million, though estimates were as high as 4 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">According to the news published by Reuters, countries across the world are feeling the intense human and economic pain wrought by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 470,000 people, killed more than 21,000, and is expected to trigger a global recession.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown this week to stem the spread of the disease, industry groups warned job losses could run into tens of millions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Among those hardest hit will be India's estimated 120 million migrant labourers, for whom the lockdown means wages are disappearing. Many cannot afford rent or food in the cities and, with transport systems shut down, many have now begun to walk hundreds of miles to return to their villages,” Reuters reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Europe, France is pulling out the stops to persuade companies not to fire their employees, including through a scheme that allows businesses to reduce worker hours without the employee taking a massive pay hit.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Britain, the government said 477,000 people had applied over the past nine days for Universal Credit, a payment to help with living costs for those unemployed or on low incomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"Unemployment is extremely sensitive and volatile in response to economic activity, that is quite worrisome in our view," Reuters quoted ILO’s Lee as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"The sentiment among businesses is maybe it will take more time to get back to normal activities. They are making quick decisions to adjust their workforce rather than keeping workers."</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11585', 'image' => '20200327105943_thumb_cvy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 10:58:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The Foreign Employment Board (FEB) has urged the youths who recently returned from foreign employment to stay in self-quarantine for the stipulated period as a precaution against the COVID-19 pandemic. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The board has requested the youths, who have recently returned home from labour destination countries, to cooperate by staying in quarantine for 14 days, in the context of coronavirus infection so far found among only foreign returnees in Nepal. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">It has also appealed to the foreign returnees to meet with their families, friends and relatives only after the quarantine period was over, and to immediately go to the health institution and have their health examined if they have sudden high fever, difficulty in breathing or continuous cough. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the board has urged the foreign-returnee youths wherever they are to be disciplined and follow the directive of the government in the present situation when the global community itself is under the risk of coronavirus. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11599', 'image' => '20200331103622_jet airways.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:35:43', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11849', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'CNI Welcomes Central Bank's Initiative ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 31: The Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has said the steps initiated by Nepal Rastra Bank to prop up the economy hit and weakened by COVID-19 pandemic are worth welcoming. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In a press statement on Monday, CNI said that specific changes made in the monetary policy would help sustain the liquidity in the economy. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"Nepal's central bank has taken into account the various issues CNI had been raising at different times. We are of the belief that this would certainly help sustain the confidence of the private sector," the CNI stated. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Hailing the government's decision to make arrangements for relief to the economically poor families and the daily-wage earners, CNI said it was a positive step. It has expressed the confidence that the government would also bring medium term and long-term relief packages as well besides the present short-term relief. CNI said the government has announced the relief at a time when there was big expectation with the government to protect Nepal's economic system. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-31', 'modified' => '2020-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11598', 'image' => '20200331100846_20170815043736_CNI.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-31 10:07:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11846', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Announces Economic Relief Package ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: The government has announced relief package to tackle the financial crisis created by coronavirus. A meeting of the Council of Ministers on Sunday (March 29) decided to provide relief to the people and sectors affected by the pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has directed telecommunication service providers to provide 25 percent discount to their customers on internet and voice pack services during the lockdown period, informed Finance Minister Yuba Raj Khatiwada, who is also the government spokesperson.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government also announced that the local units would ensure the poor families would be distributed food supplies during this critical situation. But the local units have been instructed to verify that the people receiving support from the government are actually from poor families.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Finance Minister Khatiwada said that all industries and firms must pay the employees even if they are closed due to the lockdown. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The workers employed in the formal sector must be paid their daily wage or monthly salary by the employers,” said Khatiwada. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the cabinet decision, hotels and restaurants that have been closed due to the impact of coronavirus will also have to pay their workers full salary up to mid-April. Minister Khatiwada clarified that the employers can utilize the welfare fund to pay the workers as per the need during such time of crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has made it clear that the formal sector cannot give unpaid leave to the employees during the lockdown period while those working in the informal sector on daily wage basis will be provided food and support.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The daily wage labourers will receive food from the local units, according to minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also announced discount on electricity tariff. As per the government decision, consumers will get 25 percent discount on electricity bills for the months of Falgun and Chaitra (mid-February to mid-March) for consumption of less than 150 units of electricity.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government will make food stuffs available to the general public through Nepal Food Corporation and the Salt Trading Corporation at 10 percent discount rate. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also barred private schools from taking one month’s fees while the landlords have been instructed to waive the rent of a month due to the current crisis.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Likewise, the government has banned the import of vehicles more than US$ 50,000 while it has also limited the import quota of gold considering the fragile economy. Until now, the government used to allow the import of 20 kg gold per day, which has now been reduced to 10 kg per day.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Another decision of the government is to extend the deadline for the payment of income tax and value added tax.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Former Finance Secretary Shanta Raj Subedi says that the relief package announced by the government is a positive step to support people with low income and those working in the private sector.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“It is essential to strongly monitor whether the government’s relief package is implemented or not,” he added. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Economist Bishwambher Pyakurel said that the relief package announced by the government at a time of crisis is helpful to some extent. He, however, said that the government should have collected proper details of the sectors affected by coronavirus and the effects it might have in the future.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Such short-term package announced by the government without proper study will cause financial strain to the state coffers,” he said. “The government should have announced the relief package by studying the impact for at least six months,” he added.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The cabinet meeting has also decided to insure health workers and provide them compensation in case of fatality.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“Those companies which have been contributing to the social security fund will receive one month’s salary of the workers from the government’s side,” said minister Khatiwada.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government has also decided to accept international support and seek funds from donor agencies in its fight against the crisis created by coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">In this regard, the government has accepted the World Bank’s offer of concessional loan of Rs 3.48 billion. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11597', 'image' => '20200330114558_1585535625.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 11:45:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11845', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government Prolongs Lockdown by a Week', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">March 30: The government has extended the nationwide lockdown until next Tuesday upon the recommendation of the high level committee formed to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the country.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">A meeting of the Council of Ministers held at the prime minister's official residence in Baluwatar on Sunday (March 29) took a decision to this effect.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Government spokesperson Yuba Raj Khatiwada informed that the cabinet decided to extend the lockdown by a week until April 7 as the country continues to record new cases of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government had initially imposed the lockdown on March 24 to contain the deadly virus after a Nepali girl returning from France tested positive for COVID-19. Since then, three more cases have been recorded, taking the tally to five. One patient who tested positive for COVID-19 in January has already recovered while others are receiving treatment at various government hospitals.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">The government decided to impose the lockdown as per the suggestion of the World Health Organisation (WHO) that limiting mobility of people helps to significantly reduce the transmission of the deadly disease, that has claimed almost 34,000 lives and infected more than 700,000 people worldwide. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:Arial">Minister Khatiwada also said that Nepal's international borders will remain closed until April 7.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p><br /> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11596', 'image' => '20200330102039_1585495886.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:19:38', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11847', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three Months that Shook Global Markets', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: The damage inflicted by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 30: The damage inflicted</span><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""> by coronavirus and the oil price collapse on the global financial markets this year must have been the most destructive sell-off since the Great Depression, Reuters said in a news report published on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the news agency, the numbers have been staggering. $15 trillion has been wiped of world stock markets. Oil has slumped 60 percent as Saudi Arabia and Russia have started a price war and emerging markets like Brazil, Mexico and South Africa have seen their currencies plummet more than 20 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Volatility and corporate borrowing market stress has spiked on worries that whole sectors could go bust, airlines have had half their value vaporized, while cratering economies risk a new wave of government debt crises,” the news report states.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Chris Dyer, director of global equity at Eaton Vance, “It has been like a train wreck. You could see it coming and coming and coming, but you just couldn’t stop it happening.”</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Stocks in China, where the virus hit first, have faired relatively well in comparison with only an 11 percent drop in dollar terms, but the impact on other major emerging markets has been devastating as their main commodity markets, and currencies, have also collapsed.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Russian stocks, which topped the tables last year, have been routed 40 percent in dollar terms. South Africa, which was stripped of its last investment grade credit rating on Friday, has fallen by the same percentage, though Brazil has been the worst, plunging 50 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Brent crude oil has fallen by 62 percent in the quarter to just $25 a barrel. This was not only because of the coronavirus crisis, but also the price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia, which is putting their public finances at risk.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Industrial metals like copper, aluminum and steel have all dropped 15-22 percent and some agricultural staples like coffee and sugar are down 17 percent and 10 percent.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“These are truly historical moments in the history of financial markets. 2020 will go alongside 1929, 1987 and 2008 in the text books of financial market panics,” Reuters quoted Deutsche Bank’s strategist, Jim Reid, as saying.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">So are they any places to shelter? Yes, but not many, according to the news report. Sit-on-your-sofa-suited stocks like Netflix and Amazon have risen 10 percent and 2.5 percent respectively and some specialist medical equipment companies have surged.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“Ultra-safe US government bonds have returned 13 percent as the Federal Reserve cut U.S. interest rates to effectively zero, leading a charge of around 62 interest rate cuts globally. The dollar has rocketed against emerging market currencies. It had also shot up against the majors too, but has eased back over the last two weeks and will end the quarter only 2 percent up against those bigger currencies.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">JPMorgan reckons the coronavirus will have pushed the world economy into a 12 percent contraction in Q1 and with pandemic still spreading rapidly and keeping large parts of the global economy shuttered it is unlikely to get much easier in Q2, according to the report.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">However, the G20 governments have promised a $5 trillion revival effort, major central banks have cut rates and restarted asset purchases. Markets bounced big last week until Friday came and may still end Q1 on a relative high.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to Reuters, Stephane Monier, chief investment officer of Lombard Odier, is looking to see whether infection rates in Europe and elsewhere peak as they did in Asia. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Preeti"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“If they do, markets could see a V-shaped 30 percent recovery, although if they do not and cases jump in Asia again as lockdowns are lifted, it could be akin to a “war” situation which would impact the economy for 1-1/2 years.”</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11595', 'image' => '20200330121400_global-market.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 12:13:00', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11844', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Extends Deadline for Loan Repayment', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 30: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has announced a number of measures to provide relief to the sectors affected by coronavirus. The central bank made such announcement on Sunday (March 29) to bail out the sectors reeling under crisis due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has directed banks and financial institutions to extend the deadline of repayment of all kinds of loans by at least three months. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As per the directive of the NRB, individuals and businesses affected by the impact of COVID-19 can now repay their loan for mid-April by until July without having to pay any interest or fines. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Issuing a circular, the central bank has clearly ordered the BFIs not to charge any kind of interest till mid-July. However, if anyone pays the loan within mid-April, they will get 10 percent discount on the interest.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Acting Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Chintamani Shivakoti said that the central bank took such measures due to the inconvenience in repayment of loan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank has also ordered BFIs not to include the loan that they fail to recover within mid-April in the bad loan section.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The central bank's announcement will be applicable for all kinds of loans including home loans, auto loans, educational loans or loans taken by firms and businesses from any BFI. The rule even applies to credit card dues as the banks have been instructed not to fine any borrower for the stipulated time.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Executive Director at the Banks and Financial Institutions Regulatory Department of NRB, Dev Kumar Dhakal, informed New Business Age that the relief package will not affect the country’s economy adversely.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“These measures will make the country’s economy more vibrant. We expect that the package will provide relief to the borrowers,” he said.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-30', 'modified' => '2020-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11594', 'image' => '20200330100450_1585536702.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-30 10:03:51', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11842', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Lockdown Renders Hundreds of Thousands Jobless: Labour Organisations', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The lockdown imposed by the government has resulted in the closure of the service sector and industries, rendering 3 to 4 million people jobless, according to labour organisations.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The labourers involved in construction works and transportation sector, daily-wage earners, self-employed people, street vendors, small shop owners and those working in workshops and industries have been jobless since last Tuesday after the government imposed a nationwide lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">General Federation of Nepalese Trade Union (GEFONT) and the Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN) say that hundreds of thousands of labourers working in different sectors have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Although people working in the formal sector have got paid leave, those involved in the informal sector as well as daily wage earners have been badly affected by the shut down.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Chairman of GEFONT Binod Shrestha informed that basically those who work in the informal sector have been rendered jobless while the daily wage earners are having a hard time making their ends meet.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The labourers working in the informal sector do not have any reliable source of income. In such situation, the private sector and the government must work hand in hand to support them,” said Shrestha, adding that the government must announce relief package for those affected by the shutdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Shrestha argued that the private sector cannot fire its employees during such crisis but instead needs to give additional wage of 15 days as per the labour act. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">GEFONT has also urged all the offices not to lay off their staff at such critical situation.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, FCAN President Rabi Singh informed that around 3 million people are involved in the construction sector which has come to a complete halt.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">He said that the contractors are facing problem of supplying food to the workers stationed in remote areas and also in transporting those who want to take leave during the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Immediate past president of Nepal Trade Union Congress Khilnath Dahal said that the current crisis has pushed the people living below the poverty line into further trouble while predicting that those who were a little better off will now fall into abject poverty.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, NCP leader Brinda Pandey said that it was unfortunate that the government didn’t have any records of people working in the informal sector. She argued that lack of data has made it difficult for the concerned authorities to provide relief to the family of the workers who have been affected by the lockdown.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11593', 'image' => '20200329020636_1*NkJiwlwHU-rOgHgIlt1mGA.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:05:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11843', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Government to Announce Relief Package for People with Low Income', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: The government is preparing to announce relief package especially for labourers after the lockdown started taking toll on their livelihood. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Ministry of Finance, such package will be presented in the next cabinet meeting. The ministry informed that it is all set to announce special package for the workers involved in tourism, industries and construction sectors which have been the most affected by the impact of coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The finance ministry is preparing to announce the special package in collaboration with the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security, said Labour Minister Rameshwar Raya Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the minister, his ministry has already requested the finance ministry to announce relief package targeting people with low income.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The government is sensitive toward the hardship faced by people earning minimum wages. We have already identified those who are struggling to make their ends meet and informed the finance ministry about their problems,” said Minister Yadav.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“The Council of Ministers will take a decision within two to three days,” he told New Business Age on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A high-ranking official at the finance ministry confirmed that the government was planning to announce relief package for labourers but did not reveal anything about the nature of the package.</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11592', 'image' => '20200329022058_20190530124323_1 (2).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 14:20:20', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11840', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fifth Patient Infected with Coronavirus Receiving Treatment in Isolation', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A 17-year-old girl from Baglung Municipality has become the fifth person in Nepal to test positive for COVID-19, the Ministry of Health and Population confirmed on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the state-run news agency RSS, the patient has been brought to Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital for treatment. The girl was in self-quarantine and was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after test carried out in Kathmandu confirmed she was infected with the deadly virus that has spread to almost every country and killed over 30,000 people.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"She is in normal condition and has been put in isolation under direct observation of health workers," RSS quoted acting Medical Superintendent Dr Sailendra Pokharel as saying. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Dr Pokharel reportedly said they will be checking her status daily and have also asked the family members to stay in self-quarantine. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">She had gone to visit her mother, who is currently in Belgium, and returned back by the QR 652 flight of Qatar Airways on March 17. Another 19-year-old girl from Kathmandu, travelling in the same flight earlier tested positive to COVID-19. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">A team of health workers from Dhaulagiri Zonal Hospital had collected swab sample from her on March 25 and sent it to Kathmandu for the test after the authorities tracked her on suspicion of being infected with the virus as she shared the flight with an infected person. </span></span></span><br /> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11591', 'image' => '20200329113323_corona2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:32:29', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11839', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NAC Aircraft with Medicines Arrives from China', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation returned home from China on Sunday morning carrying medical equipment and kits for treatment of coronavirus patients. The aircraft had left for Guangzhou of China to fetch the medicines on Saturday.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN), the aircraft has brought back medical kits, personal protection equipment (PPE), medicines and other logistics to cope with the crisis of coronavirus.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The government had sent Nepal Airlines Corporation’s Airbus A330 to China to bring the medicines as per the demand of the Ministry of Health and Population. It has been learnt that the government purchased the logistics and medicines worth Rs 1 billion from China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">“NAC A330-243 landed at TIA with 12.66 ton of necessary medical equipment, supplies and other logistics from Guangzhou, China,” tweeted CAAN on Sunday morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The flight reportedly arrived at Tribhuvan International Airport at around 5 in the morning.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The aircraft also brought medicines purchased with the support of Jack Ma Foundation and other logistics provided by the Sichuan Province of China.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Times"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS""><img alt="" src="/app/webroot/userfiles/images/1585457756.jpg" style="height:679px; width:1000px" /></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11590', 'image' => '20200329110707_ra(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:05:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11841', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'People Start Leaving Kathmandu Valley by Foot', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 29: People have started leaving Kathmandu Valley to their home towns by foot as the government has imposed lockdown since last Tuesday. More than 150 people, most of them from the Tarai belt, left the Valley, walking through the Dakshinkali transit. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">As a result, Dakshinkali Municipality has been creating awareness against coronavirus and providing the travellers with soap and water at different points on the way, said the municipality’s deputy mayor Basanti Dangol Tamang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Meanwhile, respective ward offices in the municipality have been asked to collect data of daily wage earners in their area so as to ensure them essentials to survive, deputy mayor Tamang said. Efforts are underway to manage foods for them. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Eleven people who returned from India, Qatar, the UAE, Sri Lanka and Japan got health checkups managed by the municipality, and they have been asked to stay in isolation, she said. Facemasks have been sent to different wards, she said, adding that efforts were underway to set up a 10-bed quarantine facility at the Chalnakhel health centre at ward-1. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-29', 'modified' => '2020-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11589', 'image' => '20200329114248_2944591.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-29 11:42:01', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11838', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Health Ministry Confirms 1 More COVID-19 Infection ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 28: The Ministry of Health and Population confirmed one more coronavirus case in the country on Friday (March 27). With this, the number of coronavirus patients in Nepal has reached four, out of which one has already been discharged from hospital after successful treatment. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">Citing Dr Bikash Devkota, spokesperson at the health ministry, the state-run national news agency, RSS, reported that a 34-year-old man has tested positive to the COVID-19,which has now spread to over 199 countries and killed over 24,000 people worldwide since it was first reported in China in late December last year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to RSS, the infected man is receiving treatment at Seti Zonal Hospital, Dhangadhi. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The man was admitted to the hospital on March 24 after returning home from Dubai, said the hospital administration. Of the three others infected, one has been cured and two others are receiving treatment at Shukraraj Tropical and Infectious Disease Hospital, Teku, RSS stated. </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-28', 'modified' => '2020-03-28', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11588', 'image' => '20200328091941_548_12722_111.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-28 09:18:36', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11837', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Coronavirus Affects Budget Preparation for FY 2020/21 ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">March 27: The budget preparation for the next Fiscal Year 2020/21 has been partially affected as the government’s focus is on controlling the spread of coronavirus infection. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Usually, the process for budgeting starts from mid-October. In the month of February, the Finance Ministry holds discussions with the concerned ministries about the budget. By the end of February, the information on programs and policies for the upcoming year needs to be sent to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the National Planning Commission. However, the line ministries have not been able to move forward with the discussions about upcoming programs to be included in the budget. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">The budget formation for the upcoming fiscal year is in dilemma as the discussions between ministers have not taken place. According to the joint secretary at the Ministry of Finance, Uttar Kumar Khatri, discussions on budget cannot move ahead for the next 10 to 15 days. He further said that the ministry is preparing to carry out the discussions by evaluating the current situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">“There is nothing left to do before the national problem is sorted out, that’s why the budget preparation has been affected,” he told New Business Age. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Last week, the Finance Ministry had instructed the Revenue Advisory Committee to collect suggestions and prepare a report on Financial Act and Budget for the upcoming fiscal year. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Though nine sub-committees are formed within the committee, they are not able to function. “There was a timetable for submitting suggestions by thematic subcommittees, but no discussion has taken place now,” said Khatri. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">In previous years, the committee would prepare the report and recommend it to the ministry of finance based on the suggestions made by the sub-committees of the Revenue Advisory Committee. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">Due to the threat of coronavirus, the National Planning Commission has not been able to make preparations for the upcoming budget. A member of the committee Min Bahadur Shahi said that the discussion schedule has been postponed for one week. He further said that they would move forward with the discussion after looking at the situation. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">According to the NPC, the discussion on next year’s budget will dwell on providing special concession to the coronavirus-affected areas. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11587', 'image' => '20200327032654_5003_finance-ministy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 15:26:13', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11836', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => '121 Tourists Rescued, 68 still Stranded in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sent to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Cambria"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">March 27: One hundred and twenty-one tourists from 21 various countries who had been stranded in Mustang have been sen<em>t</em> to Kathmandu while 68 more are awaiting their turn. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">These visitors had reached Mustang via the Round-Annapurna Trekking Route and were stranded following the enforcement of the lockdown against coronavirus pandemic by the government. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">The District Administration Office Mustang said these foreign tourists were rescued and sent to Kathmandu over three days. They were sent to Kathmandu via Pokhara by bus, said Chief District Officer, Ved Prasad Aryal. These tourists were from America, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Portugal, Great Britain, Ukraine, New Zealand, among other countries. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">CDO Aryal added that the health of the remaining 68 foreign tourists has been examined and they have been accommodated at hotels in Mustang. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">"All roads leading to Mustang have been shut as a preventive measure against COVID-19. But since the tourists who had come here through the Thorang-La pass via Manang were stuck after the enforcement of the shutdown, we rescued them and sent them to Kathmandu in coordination with the embassies of their countries concerned," he said. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS"">According to CDO Aryal, the remaining 68 foreign tourists would be kept in Mustang itself until further notice. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11586', 'image' => '20200327012430_459932_589579011065826_229923417_o.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 13:22:53', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '11833', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Tens of Millions Face Losing Jobs in Escalating Coronavirus Crisis', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">March 27: Global job losses from the coronavirus crisis could far exceed the 25 million estimated just days ago, UN officials said on Thursday (March 26), according to a news report published by Reuters.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The news agency reported that US jobless claims surged to record levels, starkly showing the scale of the economic disaster.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">The International Labour Organization had estimated a week ago that, based on different scenarios for the impact of the pandemic on growth, the global ranks of the jobless would rise between 5.3 million and 24.7 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">However Sangheon Lee, director of the ILO's employment policy department, told Reuters that the scale of temporary unemployment, lay-offs and the number of unemployment benefit claims were far higher than first expected.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">Lee said that the magnitude of fluctuation is much bigger than expected. According to him, the projection will be far higher than the estimated 25 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">By comparison, the 2008/9 global financial crisis increased global unemployment by 22 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In the United States, where, as in many parts of the world, measures to contain the pandemic have brought the country to a sudden halt, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits surged to more than 3 million last week.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">That shattered the previous record of 695,000 set in 1982. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims would rise to 1 million, though estimates were as high as 4 million.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">According to the news published by Reuters, countries across the world are feeling the intense human and economic pain wrought by the coronavirus, which has infected more than 470,000 people, killed more than 21,000, and is expected to trigger a global recession.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In India, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a 21-day nationwide lockdown this week to stem the spread of the disease, industry groups warned job losses could run into tens of millions.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">“Among those hardest hit will be India's estimated 120 million migrant labourers, for whom the lockdown means wages are disappearing. Many cannot afford rent or food in the cities and, with transport systems shut down, many have now begun to walk hundreds of miles to return to their villages,” Reuters reported.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Europe, France is pulling out the stops to persuade companies not to fire their employees, including through a scheme that allows businesses to reduce worker hours without the employee taking a massive pay hit.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">In Britain, the government said 477,000 people had applied over the past nine days for Universal Credit, a payment to help with living costs for those unemployed or on low incomes. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"Unemployment is extremely sensitive and volatile in response to economic activity, that is quite worrisome in our view," Reuters quoted ILO’s Lee as saying.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman""><span style="font-family:Georgia">"The sentiment among businesses is maybe it will take more time to get back to normal activities. They are making quick decisions to adjust their workforce rather than keeping workers."</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2020-03-27', 'modified' => '2020-03-27', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '11585', 'image' => '20200327105943_thumb_cvy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2020-03-27 10:58:16', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '20' ) ) ) $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
