April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis.…
April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis.…
April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday.…
April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1.…
April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue…
Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and…
March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s…
March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse…
March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social…
March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next…
March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday.…
March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest…
March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month.…
March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists.…
March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on…
March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food…
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis. In a video message for the International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on March 30 annually, the UN chief highlighted the perilous state of the planet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash," Guterres said, painting a dire picture of the environmental degradation caused by humanity's overconsumption and waste production. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With "more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste" produced every year, the consequences are devastating for the earth's climate, ecosystems and human health. He emphasized the urgency of addressing overconsumption, stating "overconsumption is killing us. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Humanity needs an intervention." Guterres praised the efforts of the Advisory Board on Zero Waste for its role in uniting various stakeholders around the mission of achieving zero waste. To combat this crisis, the top UN official outlined a multifaceted approach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Businesses must rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle," he said, urging a shift toward sustainable production practices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Consumers are also called upon to "think twice about the goods and products they purchase, and recycle or reuse wherever possible." Guterres underscored the importance of government action in fostering circular economies that prioritize "reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and waste prevention." He pointed out the need for modern waste-management programs that can significantly mitigate the impacts of resource depletion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"On this Zero Waste Day, let's pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all," said Guterres, urging global citizens to commit to sustainable practices that protect the planet for future generations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Dec. 14, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its 77th session to proclaim March 30 as International Day of Zero Waste to be observed annually. – Xinhua/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20346', 'image' => '20240401024435_20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 14:42:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20618', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Parliamentary Hearing Process of Proposed Auditor General Begins ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament, Padma Prasad Pandey informed that a meeting of the Parliamentary Hearings Committee on Monday decided to issue a notice to the general public to submit any complaints related to Raya to the committee within 10 days. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The meeting of the Constitutional Council on Sunday decided to recommend Raya, the Chief Statistics Officer of the National Statistics Office, for the post of Auditor General. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The post of Auditor General has remained vacant for around ten months ever since the then Auditor General Tankamani Sharma Dangal retired after completing his term on May 22 last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General has been running under the acting auditor since then. After Sharma's retirement, the then Deputy Auditor General Rammaya Kunwar was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General for one and a half months. After Kunwar went on compulsory retirement on August 7, Maheshwar Kafle got the responsibility. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Bamdev Sharma was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General after Kafle went on mandatory retirement due to the age limit in late January. According to the constitutional provisions, the term of the Auditor General is 6 years. Political parties try to appoint someone close to them as the Auditor General who can fulfill their agenda. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As the ruling parties wait for the right moment to appoint the Auditor General, the financial discipline of the government is getting worse. The Office of the Auditor General audits all federal and state government offices including the Office of the President and Vice President, Supreme Court, Federal Parliament, Provincial Assembly, Provincial Government, Local Level, Constitutional Bodies and Offices, Courts, Attorney General's Office, Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The purpose of the audit is to protect the public resources of the country.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General also gives necessary suggestions and recommendations based on the effectiveness of government income and expenditure. The office submits and publishes the annual report of all government agencies to the President. The Office of the Auditor General has the right to see the accounting documents at any time to audit various agencies of the Central and State Governments. However, the lack of leadership has made the Office of the Auditor General weak in its role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Constitutional Council recommended Raya from among fifteen candidates who had applied for the coveted post after the council invited applications for the office bearers of various constitutional bodies including the vacant Auditor General during the beginning of the current fiscal year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Other candidates who were in the fray for the post of Auditor General were former Acting Auditor General Kunwar and recently appointed Acting Auditor General, Bamdev Sharma, Deputy Auditor General Baikuntha Bahadur Adhikari and Chandrakant Bhandari as well as former secretaries Gopinath Mainali, Ramprasad Thapalia, Hari Basyal, Ram Sharan Pudasaini, Shankar Kharel, and Shishir Kumar Dhungana. Similarly, chartered accountants Subodh Karna and Hari Silwal had also applied for the position.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20345', 'image' => '20240401014548_Parliament.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 13:44:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20617', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Price of Petrol by Rs 4 Per Liter', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. With the price adjustment, the price of petrol has increased to Rs 175 per litre in the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Dipayal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs 174 per litre in Surkhet and Dang, and Rs 172.50 per liter in Charaali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, and Birgunj. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The state-owned NOC said that it increased the price of petrol based on new purchase price provided by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Issuing a statement on Sunday, the NOC said that the IOC increased the price of petrol by Rs 4.76 per liter. The IOC has lowered the price of diesel and kerosene by Rs 0.39 per litre and that of LP gas by Rs 27.44 per cylinder. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">However, the NOC said that the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas remains unchanged. The NOC argued that the price of cooking gas has not been changed as it still faces loss of Rs 296.15 in LP gas per cylinder.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20344', 'image' => '20240401101927_20210824101943_20210707102647_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:18:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20616', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'High-level Committee on Tax System Reforms Recommends Amending Tax-Related Laws', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Submitting its report to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Sunday, the committee headed by Former Finance Secretary Bidhyadhar Mallik stressed on reforms in overall tax administration. The government had made provision for constituting this committee in the budget statement for the fiscal year 2024/25. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Accordingly, a meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2023 constituted the committee. Former secretary Laxman Aryal, professor at the Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Economics Dr Ram Prasad Gyawali and former administrator and customs expert Ram Prasad Dahal were the members of the committee.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The committee prepared the 258-page report with 140 annexes in six months. Receiving the report, Finance Minister Pun expressed the government's commitment to implementing the suggestions pointed out by the report. He said the report has come at an appropriate time when the government has been struggling to meet the general expenses from the state coffers. He stressed the need to attract the domestic and foreign investors to bring in maximum investment into the country.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20343', 'image' => '20240401100252_20240331095040_20231213025358_tax.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:01:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20614', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kulekhani-Dakshinkali Road Closed', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">March 31: Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The closure is attributed to ongoing upgrading efforts, including the construction of reinforced concrete structures, drainage systems, and the application of black-topping.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pratap Bhomjan, Chairman of Indrasarobar Rural Municipality-3, confirmed that the closure will persist until the black-topping works are finalized.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, the Sisneri segment of the Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali Road had been closed for construction activities since the second week of this month.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities from the Ward Office emphasized that the suspension of vehicular traffic is imperative to facilitate uninterrupted construction progress. Operation of jeeps and microbuses before the completion of road upgrading works has been identified as a hindrance to the construction process.</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> (RSS)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20341', 'image' => '20240331045517_collage (20).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:53:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20613', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Second-tier Regulator of Cooperatives Limited to Government Schemes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Even though the government has been mentioning in its policies and programs and budget since the fiscal year 2060/61 that it will create a second-tier regulator to monitor the cooperatives, the process has not been carried forward yet. In recent years, the number of problematic cooperatives that are unable to return the depositors’ savings has increased. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The government is under pressure to establish a regulatory body as soon as possible. In the budget of the current fiscal year, the government has mentioned that a separate monitoring body will be formed to make the monitoring of cooperatives effective. However, the government has not prepared the plan on what kind of body it will create to monitor the cooperatives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Law for in-principle approval for the formation of regulatory bodies. Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi said that the law-making process will be carried forward after the approval from the finance and law ministries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Due to the expectation that cooperatives work according to their own principles and rules, the work of creating a separate regulator was not a priority of the government," he said in a discussion program organized by the Nepal Cooperative Journalist Society on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The attempt to form a powerful regulatory body in the past was not possible due to the influence of groups with vested interest on the parliament. According to the constitution, the monitoring of cooperatives is currently divided between federal, state and local levels. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that monitoring will not be effective when there are many regulators, Secretary Duwadi said that a strong regulator should be made so that the cooperatives across the country can be monitored in an effective way. He said that some laws should be amended to create such a regulatory body.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister for Cooperatives Balaram Adhikari has also said that the government will be tough to solve the problems of cooperatives. "The government will take strict measures to solve the problems in the cooperatives." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the directors of some cooperatives fled after embezzling the money, the member depositors have been protesting on the streets. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is also accused of defrauding depositors in collaboration with GB Rai, owner of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara. The home minister has denied the allegations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A recommendation committee led by member of the Planning Commission, Dr Chandrakant Raut has also suggested to make the regulation and supervision of savings and credit cooperatives effective and to establish a separate regulatory body for this purpose. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Former executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank and banking expert Nar Bahadur Thapa says that cooperatives also need a strong regulator. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“A crisis can occur at any time in financial institutions. Liquidity can be uncomfortable. For that, it is necessary to create a strong body that also provides the facility of the lender of the last resort,'' he said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He added that the regulatory body should not have people from the agencies with conflict of interests and that experts with technical knowledge should be included in the board. He clarified that since the Central Bank works according to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058, the Nepal Rastra Bank will not look into the cooperatives under anyone's instructions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the problems in the cooperatives increased, the central bank assigned two deputy directors to the Department of Cooperatives in 2070 help the department to monitor the cooperatives. Those employees returned after a year. Currently, the central bank has assigned three employees to the department for monitoring cooperatives. However, the officials of the department say that the cooperative sector cannot be improved through such monitoring alone.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20340', 'image' => '20240331041955_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:17:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20612', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manthali-Lukla Flights Resume ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lukla Airport in neighboring Solukhumbu district remained shut for a week due to bad weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather clearing up in Lukla from Sunday morning, flights between Manthali and Lukla have resumed. During the closure of Lukla airport, aircraft of Sita, Tara, and Summit airlines were grounded in Manthali. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">To accommodate foreign tourists heading to Lukla, some opted for helicopter flights to Surke in Solu, while others chose to travel by road up to Phaplu. Pravin Subedi, Tara Air's in-charge for Ramechhap, confirmed that flights to Lukla resumed after receiving reports of improved weather conditions in the area. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather improving, foreign tourists are now arriving in Manthali from Kathmandu via road to reach Lukla. Airline companies have agreed to operate Manthali-Lukla flights throughout the day on Sunday on a rotational basis, according to Prajwal Guragain, senior officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Ramechhap. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20339', 'image' => '20240331041716_20240325104538_ijcmz-lukla6.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:16:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20611', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Fertility Rate to Keep Plummeting, Major Study Warns', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The fertility rate in half of all nations is already too low to maintain their population size, an international team of hundreds of researchers reported in The Lancet. Using a huge amount of global data on births, deaths and what drives fertility, the researchers tried to forecast the future for the world's population. By 2050, the population of three quarters of all countries will be shrinking, according to the study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the end of the century, that will be true for 97 percent -- or 198 out of 204 countries and territories, the researchers projected. Only Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad and Tajikistan are expected to have fertility rates exceeding the replacement level of 2.1 births per female in 2100, the study estimated. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During this century, fertility rates will continue to increase in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, even as they tumble in wealthier, ageing nations. "The world will be simultaneously tackling a 'baby boom' in some countries and a 'baby bust' in others," senior study author Stein Emil Vollset of the IHME said in a statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Implications are immense' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> "We are facing staggering social change through the 21st century," he said in a statement. IHME researcher Natalia Bhattacharjee said the "implications are immense". </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies," she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Once nearly every country's population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth." However World Health Organization experts urged caution for the projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They pointed out several limitations of the models, particularly a lack of data from many developing nations. Communication about the figures "should not be sensationalised, but nuanced, balancing between gloom and optimism," the WHO experts wrote in The Lancet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They also pointed out that there can be benefits of having a smaller population, such as for the environment and food security. But there are disadvantages for labour supply, social security and "nationalistic geopolitics". Teresa Castro Martin, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council not involved in the study, also emphasised that these are just projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">She pointed out that the Lancet study predicts the global fertility rate will fall below replacement levels around 2030, "whereas the UN predicts this to occur around 2050". The study was an update of the IHME's Global Burden of Disease study. The organisation, set up at the University of Washington by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become a global reference for health statistics. – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20338', 'image' => '20240331035046_fert.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 15:48:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20610', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Finance Minister Instructs Nepal’s Ambassadors to Promote Investment Summit', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month. The government is holding the Third Nepal Investment Summit on April 28 and 29 next month. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun has been holding investment summit-focused discussions along with diplomatic meetings as a preparation for the summit. With almost a month left for the investment summit, Finance Minister Pun held a virtual meeting with Nepalese ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in more than 40 countries on Saturday and directed them to disseminate information to related countries about the summit and make efforts to create an investment environment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"The Investment Summit is about the honor, reputation and pride of the nation," Pun said, "On behalf of the prime minister, I request you all to attend this summit in the next one month." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Pun informed that invitations have already been sent to foreign development partners, big investors, potential investors, and high-ranking government officials and also urged the Nepalese ambassadors and delegation heads to prepare and send a list of those who are sure to attend the summit. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun said that the government has initiated policy reforms as well as procedural and legal amendments to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Discussions are also going on about reforming 12 laws and making some bilateral agreements. "Inform the investors and government agencies about the efforts being made to make investment-friendly laws in Nepal," Minister Pun told the envoys. Frequent change of government has been a matter of concern for investors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Last month, the power equation changed and a new government was formed with CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (UML) and Rastriya Swatantra Party. However, Minister Pun said that since the original leadership of the government is the same and only a few ministers who were under the old coalition have changed, they should also try to assure the international community that there is no change in the investment summit and investment policy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Informing that the government prioritizes the use of knowledge, skills and technology acquired by non-resident Nepalis, Minister Pun asked the ambassadors and the head of the delegation to convey this message as well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The virtual meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Investment Board Sushil Bhatt. Nepalese ambassadors and heads of missions to the United States of America, Britain, Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, India, Oman, South Korea and Malaysia also attended the meeting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Although the government has pledged to amend dozens of laws and conduct the country rating before the investment summit, it has not been able to expedite these works until now. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Earlier, a committee formed by the government under the coordination of Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal had suggested that about a dozen laws should be amended for creating an investment-friendly environment in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The list of laws to be amended include Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Industrial Enterprises Act, Special Economic Zone Act, Forest Act, National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, Land Acquisition Act, Civil Aviation Act and others. However, it is highly doubtful that these laws will be amended by the parliament before the investment summit.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20337', 'image' => '20240331013224_20231212114012_20231126113943_20190307120527_Clipboard24.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 13:30:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20609', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Indian Govt Orders Mandatory Declaration of Wheat Stock Position from April ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It has asked traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across the South Asian country to declare their stock position of wheat on every Friday from April 1 till further orders, according to a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The move is intended to "manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation," said the statement. The Indian government has already issued a similar order for rice. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Any entity which is not registered on the portal, may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock on every Friday. Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly," the ministry said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The ministry said its department of food and public distribution has maintained a close watch over the stock position of wheat and rice in a bid to control prices and ensure their easy availability in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">India has also restricted export of certain food grains and vegetables to control the price hike in its domestic market. It has had an adverse impact on the prices of items such as wheat, paddy, onions in the market of Nepal, which relies on India for supply of these essential food items. (With inputs from Xinhua)</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20336', 'image' => '20240331121054_Wheat_photo-cred-Adobe-stock_E-2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 12:09:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20608', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Why is AIIB's Loan Expensive?', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The team led by AIIB Director RMP Rathnayake met the prime minister, ministers and senior government officials. According to the government officials, although AIIB is an important international multilateral bank that can provide insufficient financial resources to Nepal, the government is hesitant to receive additional assistance due to the relatively high interest rates of AIIB. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They say that Nepal is not in a position to take loans at high interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">How much more expensive is the loan of this bank, which was established at the initiative of China, than other multilateral donors like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank? </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Finance Ministry officials, the interest rate of AIIB is fixed on the basis of Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Now this rate is much higher than that of other multilateral donors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“This SOFR is a benchmark interest rate. It is based on the interest rate charged on US government bonds. Its rate changes day by day. The interest rate of AIIB is variable according to the SOFR," says Shri Krishna Nepal, Joint Secretary and chief of the International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of the Ministry of Finance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, SOFR has been around 5.5 percent in the last one month. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a part of the US Federal Reserve System that is authorized to operate open markets and intervene in foreign exchange markets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"As we are getting loans at subsidized interest rates through other multinational banks, AIIB's interest rate has become expensive for us," said Nepal. According to the Public Debt Management Department, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank charge interest rates of only 0.75 to 1.5 percent on the loans issued to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">So far, the Government of Nepal has taken only loan from AIIB only once. In December 2019, the bank's board of directors approved a loan of USD 11.23 billion to improve the electricity distribution system in 13 districts of Lumbini and Karnali provinces of Nepal. Before that, AIIB had also provided a grant of USD 1 million to Nepal. Similarly, in June 2019, the AIIB approved a loan of USD 90 million for the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project promoted by the private sector. This 216 MW project is being built by Nepal Water and Energy Development Company. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Joint Secretary Nepal said that the government has not been able to request AIIB to invest in more projects due to the high interest rates. "We have a lot of projects, but we will propose for investment after the interest rate is fixed," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In 2016, Nepal urged AIIB to invest in five infrastructure projects. Those include the Power Distribution System Upgrade and Expansion Project to improve the electricity distribution system in Lumbini and Karnali Provinces, Sarada-Babai Hydropower Project, Pokhara-Jomsom Road Improvement Project, Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare Road Construction Project and Urban Infrastructure Improvement for urban infrastructure development of 18 municipalities. Only one of them has received loan from the AIIB so far. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to support the Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare road when he visited Nepal in 2019. Nepal is one of the founding countries of AIIB. During the AIIB delegation’s visit to Nepal, the team met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and officials of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and said that they are willing to increase investment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During the meeting, the Nepali officials requested to provide loans at low interest rate. PM Dahal’s personal secretariat informed that since AIIB loans are not available at the market price, Nepal has not been able to get its financial help. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal is reluctant to take foreign loans at market interest rates due to the massive increase in domestic and foreign debt over the years. After witnessing Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, the government has become more aware of taking foreign loans at high interest rates. According to the Public Debt Management Office, Nepal's public debt is 44.29 percent of the GDP as of the second quarter of the current fiscal year. In the year 2071/72, such debt was 25.6 percent compared to the gross domestic product. The Public Debt Management Act, 2079 prohibits borrowing more than one-third of the gross domestic product.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20335', 'image' => '20240331111728_93545bab.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 11:15:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20607', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Project's Tunnel likely to Complete within a Month ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. Of the 13.3 km tunnel of this national pride project, only 790 m is left to be completed, according to Mitra Baral, the project chief. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The multi-billion-rupee project aims to provide irrigation facility to five drought-prone districts in Province No 2 and generate 31 megawatt of electricity. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A team comprising Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Sushil Chandra Tiwari and Director General of Department of Hydropower and Irrigation Chandra Bahadur Oli among others made an on-site inspection of the project site at Kusumtar of Kamalamai municipality in Sindhuli district on Saturday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Basnet, following the on-site visit, assured that there will be no resource crunch for the project to complete on time. "This project is a special priority of the government. We make sure that there will not be any problems of resources in the project," the minister pledged. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that the project had achieved satisfactory progress so far, Minister Basnet instructed all stakeholders to conclude the project within the stipulated time. Earlier on Friday, the team also inspected the dam of the project that is estimated to provide irrigation facility to 122,000 hectares of land in Rautahat, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Bara districts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Project Chief Baral said that if there was no geographical complication in digging the remaining portion of the tunnel, the project will achieve breakthrough within a month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A Chinese company China Overseas Engineering has been constructing the tunnel while an Indian Company Patel Engineering partnering with Nepal's Raman Group to build the dam of the project. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The project is expected to be completed within mid-October 2027. As a part of the project, 67 cubic metres of water per second would be diverted from the Sunkoshi River to the Bagmati River via Marin Khola of Sindhuli district. ----</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20334', 'image' => '20240331100557_smdmp-home-welcome - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 10:04:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20605', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kanchanjunga Area Receives Visitors with the Beginning of Spring Season ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tourists generally visit the Kanchanjungha site in two seasons in a year for trekking, mountaineering, and other tourism-related activities in Kanchanjungha, the home to the third highest peak in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the spring season, the tourists arrive from March to the first week of June. The Kanchanjungha Conservation Area Management Council said that 60 foreigners arrived at Ghunsa area on Wednesday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tasi Tenzing, an assistant of the council, shared that the hotels along the trekking route have opened with the arrival of tourists. In the first season of this year, 650 foreigners visited the area but the records of the domestic tourists have not been maintained. As many as 439 foreigners visited the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council, 52 hotels are operating on the trekking route leading to the base camp of Mt Kanchenjunga. Tourism is the main source of income for the communities living in the Kanchenjunga region. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-30', 'modified' => '2024-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20332', 'image' => '20240330100116_20240307114058_20240102110049_Kanchanjunga SVO (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-30 10:00:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20604', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Reaches All-Time High of Rs 130,000 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of gold increased by Rs 2,100 on Friday compared to the previous day. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Thursday, gold was traded at Rs 127,900 per tola. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The price of gold has been rising steadily in the past few weeks. The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 per tola to Rs 1,525. Silver was traded at Rs 1,510 per tola on Wednesday.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20331', 'image' => '20240329023658_gold newwww.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:35:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20603', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN says Households Waste 1 Billion Meals a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste. More than $1 trillion worth of food was binned by households and businesses at a time when nearly 800 million people were going hungry, the UN's latest Food Waste Index Report says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It said that more than 1 billion tonnes of food -- almost one fifth of all the produce available on the market -- was wasted in 2022, most of it by households. "Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement. Such wastage was not just a moral but "environmental failure", the report said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste produces five times the planet-heating emissions of the aviation sector, and requires huge tracts of land be converted for growing crops that are never eaten. The report, co-authored with non-profit organisation WRAP, is just the second on global food waste compiled by the UN and provides the most complete picture to date. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As data collection has improved the true scale of the problem has become much clearer, said Clementine O'Connor from UNEP. "The more food waste you look for, the more that you find," she told AFP. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Billion meals binned</strong> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The report said that the "billion meals" figure was a "very conservative estimate" and "the real amount could be much higher". "For me, it's just staggering," Richard Swannell from WRAP told AFP. "You could actually feed all the people that are currently hungry in the world -- about 800 million people -- over a meal a day just from the food that is wasted every single year." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He said bringing together producers and retailers had helped reduce waste and get food to those who need it, and more such action was needed. Food services like restaurants, canteens and hotels were responsible for 28 percent of all wasted food in 2022, while retail like butchers and greengrocers dumped 12 percent. But the biggest culprits were households, which accounted for 60 percent -- some 631 million tonnes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Swannell said much of this occurred because people were simply buying more food than they needed, but also misjudging portion sizes and not eating leftovers. Another issue was expiration dates, he said, with perfectly good produce being trashed because people incorrectly assumed their food had gone off. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A lot of food, particularly in the developing world, was not so frivolously wasted, but instead lost in transportation or spoiling because of a lack of refrigeration, the report said. Contrary to popular belief, food waste is not just a "rich country" problem and can be observed across the world, the report said. Hotter countries, too, generated more waste, possibly due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Devastating effects' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Businesses also underestimate the cost of wasting food to their bottom line because it was cheap to dump unused produce in landfill. "It's quicker and easier to throw it away at the moment because the waste fee is either zero or very low," O'Connor said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste had "devastating effects" on people and the planet, the report said. Converting natural ecosystems for agriculture is a leading cause of habitat loss yet food waste takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of the world's farming land, the report said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If we can reduce food waste across the entire of the supply chain, we can... minimise the need to have land set aside that's growing stuff that's never used," Swannell said. It is also a key driver of climate change, generating up to 10 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet behind the US and China," Swannell said. But people rarely think about it, he said, despite the opportunity to "reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and save money, simply by making better use of the food that we're already buying". – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20330', 'image' => '20240329021647_arrangement-compost-made-rotten-food-with-copy-space.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:14:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis. In a video message for the International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on March 30 annually, the UN chief highlighted the perilous state of the planet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash," Guterres said, painting a dire picture of the environmental degradation caused by humanity's overconsumption and waste production. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With "more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste" produced every year, the consequences are devastating for the earth's climate, ecosystems and human health. He emphasized the urgency of addressing overconsumption, stating "overconsumption is killing us. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Humanity needs an intervention." Guterres praised the efforts of the Advisory Board on Zero Waste for its role in uniting various stakeholders around the mission of achieving zero waste. To combat this crisis, the top UN official outlined a multifaceted approach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Businesses must rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle," he said, urging a shift toward sustainable production practices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Consumers are also called upon to "think twice about the goods and products they purchase, and recycle or reuse wherever possible." Guterres underscored the importance of government action in fostering circular economies that prioritize "reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and waste prevention." He pointed out the need for modern waste-management programs that can significantly mitigate the impacts of resource depletion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"On this Zero Waste Day, let's pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all," said Guterres, urging global citizens to commit to sustainable practices that protect the planet for future generations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Dec. 14, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its 77th session to proclaim March 30 as International Day of Zero Waste to be observed annually. – Xinhua/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20346', 'image' => '20240401024435_20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 14:42:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20618', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Parliamentary Hearing Process of Proposed Auditor General Begins ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament, Padma Prasad Pandey informed that a meeting of the Parliamentary Hearings Committee on Monday decided to issue a notice to the general public to submit any complaints related to Raya to the committee within 10 days. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The meeting of the Constitutional Council on Sunday decided to recommend Raya, the Chief Statistics Officer of the National Statistics Office, for the post of Auditor General. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The post of Auditor General has remained vacant for around ten months ever since the then Auditor General Tankamani Sharma Dangal retired after completing his term on May 22 last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General has been running under the acting auditor since then. After Sharma's retirement, the then Deputy Auditor General Rammaya Kunwar was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General for one and a half months. After Kunwar went on compulsory retirement on August 7, Maheshwar Kafle got the responsibility. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Bamdev Sharma was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General after Kafle went on mandatory retirement due to the age limit in late January. According to the constitutional provisions, the term of the Auditor General is 6 years. Political parties try to appoint someone close to them as the Auditor General who can fulfill their agenda. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As the ruling parties wait for the right moment to appoint the Auditor General, the financial discipline of the government is getting worse. The Office of the Auditor General audits all federal and state government offices including the Office of the President and Vice President, Supreme Court, Federal Parliament, Provincial Assembly, Provincial Government, Local Level, Constitutional Bodies and Offices, Courts, Attorney General's Office, Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The purpose of the audit is to protect the public resources of the country.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General also gives necessary suggestions and recommendations based on the effectiveness of government income and expenditure. The office submits and publishes the annual report of all government agencies to the President. The Office of the Auditor General has the right to see the accounting documents at any time to audit various agencies of the Central and State Governments. However, the lack of leadership has made the Office of the Auditor General weak in its role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Constitutional Council recommended Raya from among fifteen candidates who had applied for the coveted post after the council invited applications for the office bearers of various constitutional bodies including the vacant Auditor General during the beginning of the current fiscal year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Other candidates who were in the fray for the post of Auditor General were former Acting Auditor General Kunwar and recently appointed Acting Auditor General, Bamdev Sharma, Deputy Auditor General Baikuntha Bahadur Adhikari and Chandrakant Bhandari as well as former secretaries Gopinath Mainali, Ramprasad Thapalia, Hari Basyal, Ram Sharan Pudasaini, Shankar Kharel, and Shishir Kumar Dhungana. Similarly, chartered accountants Subodh Karna and Hari Silwal had also applied for the position.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20345', 'image' => '20240401014548_Parliament.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 13:44:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20617', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Price of Petrol by Rs 4 Per Liter', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. With the price adjustment, the price of petrol has increased to Rs 175 per litre in the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Dipayal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs 174 per litre in Surkhet and Dang, and Rs 172.50 per liter in Charaali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, and Birgunj. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The state-owned NOC said that it increased the price of petrol based on new purchase price provided by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Issuing a statement on Sunday, the NOC said that the IOC increased the price of petrol by Rs 4.76 per liter. The IOC has lowered the price of diesel and kerosene by Rs 0.39 per litre and that of LP gas by Rs 27.44 per cylinder. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">However, the NOC said that the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas remains unchanged. The NOC argued that the price of cooking gas has not been changed as it still faces loss of Rs 296.15 in LP gas per cylinder.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20344', 'image' => '20240401101927_20210824101943_20210707102647_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:18:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20616', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'High-level Committee on Tax System Reforms Recommends Amending Tax-Related Laws', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Submitting its report to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Sunday, the committee headed by Former Finance Secretary Bidhyadhar Mallik stressed on reforms in overall tax administration. The government had made provision for constituting this committee in the budget statement for the fiscal year 2024/25. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Accordingly, a meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2023 constituted the committee. Former secretary Laxman Aryal, professor at the Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Economics Dr Ram Prasad Gyawali and former administrator and customs expert Ram Prasad Dahal were the members of the committee.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The committee prepared the 258-page report with 140 annexes in six months. Receiving the report, Finance Minister Pun expressed the government's commitment to implementing the suggestions pointed out by the report. He said the report has come at an appropriate time when the government has been struggling to meet the general expenses from the state coffers. He stressed the need to attract the domestic and foreign investors to bring in maximum investment into the country.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20343', 'image' => '20240401100252_20240331095040_20231213025358_tax.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:01:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20614', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kulekhani-Dakshinkali Road Closed', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">March 31: Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The closure is attributed to ongoing upgrading efforts, including the construction of reinforced concrete structures, drainage systems, and the application of black-topping.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pratap Bhomjan, Chairman of Indrasarobar Rural Municipality-3, confirmed that the closure will persist until the black-topping works are finalized.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, the Sisneri segment of the Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali Road had been closed for construction activities since the second week of this month.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities from the Ward Office emphasized that the suspension of vehicular traffic is imperative to facilitate uninterrupted construction progress. Operation of jeeps and microbuses before the completion of road upgrading works has been identified as a hindrance to the construction process.</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> (RSS)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20341', 'image' => '20240331045517_collage (20).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:53:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20613', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Second-tier Regulator of Cooperatives Limited to Government Schemes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Even though the government has been mentioning in its policies and programs and budget since the fiscal year 2060/61 that it will create a second-tier regulator to monitor the cooperatives, the process has not been carried forward yet. In recent years, the number of problematic cooperatives that are unable to return the depositors’ savings has increased. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The government is under pressure to establish a regulatory body as soon as possible. In the budget of the current fiscal year, the government has mentioned that a separate monitoring body will be formed to make the monitoring of cooperatives effective. However, the government has not prepared the plan on what kind of body it will create to monitor the cooperatives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Law for in-principle approval for the formation of regulatory bodies. Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi said that the law-making process will be carried forward after the approval from the finance and law ministries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Due to the expectation that cooperatives work according to their own principles and rules, the work of creating a separate regulator was not a priority of the government," he said in a discussion program organized by the Nepal Cooperative Journalist Society on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The attempt to form a powerful regulatory body in the past was not possible due to the influence of groups with vested interest on the parliament. According to the constitution, the monitoring of cooperatives is currently divided between federal, state and local levels. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that monitoring will not be effective when there are many regulators, Secretary Duwadi said that a strong regulator should be made so that the cooperatives across the country can be monitored in an effective way. He said that some laws should be amended to create such a regulatory body.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister for Cooperatives Balaram Adhikari has also said that the government will be tough to solve the problems of cooperatives. "The government will take strict measures to solve the problems in the cooperatives." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the directors of some cooperatives fled after embezzling the money, the member depositors have been protesting on the streets. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is also accused of defrauding depositors in collaboration with GB Rai, owner of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara. The home minister has denied the allegations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A recommendation committee led by member of the Planning Commission, Dr Chandrakant Raut has also suggested to make the regulation and supervision of savings and credit cooperatives effective and to establish a separate regulatory body for this purpose. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Former executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank and banking expert Nar Bahadur Thapa says that cooperatives also need a strong regulator. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“A crisis can occur at any time in financial institutions. Liquidity can be uncomfortable. For that, it is necessary to create a strong body that also provides the facility of the lender of the last resort,'' he said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He added that the regulatory body should not have people from the agencies with conflict of interests and that experts with technical knowledge should be included in the board. He clarified that since the Central Bank works according to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058, the Nepal Rastra Bank will not look into the cooperatives under anyone's instructions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the problems in the cooperatives increased, the central bank assigned two deputy directors to the Department of Cooperatives in 2070 help the department to monitor the cooperatives. Those employees returned after a year. Currently, the central bank has assigned three employees to the department for monitoring cooperatives. However, the officials of the department say that the cooperative sector cannot be improved through such monitoring alone.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20340', 'image' => '20240331041955_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:17:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20612', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manthali-Lukla Flights Resume ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lukla Airport in neighboring Solukhumbu district remained shut for a week due to bad weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather clearing up in Lukla from Sunday morning, flights between Manthali and Lukla have resumed. During the closure of Lukla airport, aircraft of Sita, Tara, and Summit airlines were grounded in Manthali. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">To accommodate foreign tourists heading to Lukla, some opted for helicopter flights to Surke in Solu, while others chose to travel by road up to Phaplu. Pravin Subedi, Tara Air's in-charge for Ramechhap, confirmed that flights to Lukla resumed after receiving reports of improved weather conditions in the area. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather improving, foreign tourists are now arriving in Manthali from Kathmandu via road to reach Lukla. Airline companies have agreed to operate Manthali-Lukla flights throughout the day on Sunday on a rotational basis, according to Prajwal Guragain, senior officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Ramechhap. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20339', 'image' => '20240331041716_20240325104538_ijcmz-lukla6.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:16:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20611', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Fertility Rate to Keep Plummeting, Major Study Warns', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The fertility rate in half of all nations is already too low to maintain their population size, an international team of hundreds of researchers reported in The Lancet. Using a huge amount of global data on births, deaths and what drives fertility, the researchers tried to forecast the future for the world's population. By 2050, the population of three quarters of all countries will be shrinking, according to the study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the end of the century, that will be true for 97 percent -- or 198 out of 204 countries and territories, the researchers projected. Only Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad and Tajikistan are expected to have fertility rates exceeding the replacement level of 2.1 births per female in 2100, the study estimated. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During this century, fertility rates will continue to increase in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, even as they tumble in wealthier, ageing nations. "The world will be simultaneously tackling a 'baby boom' in some countries and a 'baby bust' in others," senior study author Stein Emil Vollset of the IHME said in a statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Implications are immense' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> "We are facing staggering social change through the 21st century," he said in a statement. IHME researcher Natalia Bhattacharjee said the "implications are immense". </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies," she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Once nearly every country's population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth." However World Health Organization experts urged caution for the projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They pointed out several limitations of the models, particularly a lack of data from many developing nations. Communication about the figures "should not be sensationalised, but nuanced, balancing between gloom and optimism," the WHO experts wrote in The Lancet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They also pointed out that there can be benefits of having a smaller population, such as for the environment and food security. But there are disadvantages for labour supply, social security and "nationalistic geopolitics". Teresa Castro Martin, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council not involved in the study, also emphasised that these are just projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">She pointed out that the Lancet study predicts the global fertility rate will fall below replacement levels around 2030, "whereas the UN predicts this to occur around 2050". The study was an update of the IHME's Global Burden of Disease study. The organisation, set up at the University of Washington by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become a global reference for health statistics. – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20338', 'image' => '20240331035046_fert.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 15:48:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20610', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Finance Minister Instructs Nepal’s Ambassadors to Promote Investment Summit', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month. The government is holding the Third Nepal Investment Summit on April 28 and 29 next month. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun has been holding investment summit-focused discussions along with diplomatic meetings as a preparation for the summit. With almost a month left for the investment summit, Finance Minister Pun held a virtual meeting with Nepalese ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in more than 40 countries on Saturday and directed them to disseminate information to related countries about the summit and make efforts to create an investment environment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"The Investment Summit is about the honor, reputation and pride of the nation," Pun said, "On behalf of the prime minister, I request you all to attend this summit in the next one month." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Pun informed that invitations have already been sent to foreign development partners, big investors, potential investors, and high-ranking government officials and also urged the Nepalese ambassadors and delegation heads to prepare and send a list of those who are sure to attend the summit. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun said that the government has initiated policy reforms as well as procedural and legal amendments to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Discussions are also going on about reforming 12 laws and making some bilateral agreements. "Inform the investors and government agencies about the efforts being made to make investment-friendly laws in Nepal," Minister Pun told the envoys. Frequent change of government has been a matter of concern for investors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Last month, the power equation changed and a new government was formed with CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (UML) and Rastriya Swatantra Party. However, Minister Pun said that since the original leadership of the government is the same and only a few ministers who were under the old coalition have changed, they should also try to assure the international community that there is no change in the investment summit and investment policy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Informing that the government prioritizes the use of knowledge, skills and technology acquired by non-resident Nepalis, Minister Pun asked the ambassadors and the head of the delegation to convey this message as well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The virtual meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Investment Board Sushil Bhatt. Nepalese ambassadors and heads of missions to the United States of America, Britain, Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, India, Oman, South Korea and Malaysia also attended the meeting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Although the government has pledged to amend dozens of laws and conduct the country rating before the investment summit, it has not been able to expedite these works until now. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Earlier, a committee formed by the government under the coordination of Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal had suggested that about a dozen laws should be amended for creating an investment-friendly environment in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The list of laws to be amended include Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Industrial Enterprises Act, Special Economic Zone Act, Forest Act, National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, Land Acquisition Act, Civil Aviation Act and others. However, it is highly doubtful that these laws will be amended by the parliament before the investment summit.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20337', 'image' => '20240331013224_20231212114012_20231126113943_20190307120527_Clipboard24.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 13:30:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20609', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Indian Govt Orders Mandatory Declaration of Wheat Stock Position from April ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It has asked traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across the South Asian country to declare their stock position of wheat on every Friday from April 1 till further orders, according to a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The move is intended to "manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation," said the statement. The Indian government has already issued a similar order for rice. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Any entity which is not registered on the portal, may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock on every Friday. Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly," the ministry said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The ministry said its department of food and public distribution has maintained a close watch over the stock position of wheat and rice in a bid to control prices and ensure their easy availability in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">India has also restricted export of certain food grains and vegetables to control the price hike in its domestic market. It has had an adverse impact on the prices of items such as wheat, paddy, onions in the market of Nepal, which relies on India for supply of these essential food items. (With inputs from Xinhua)</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20336', 'image' => '20240331121054_Wheat_photo-cred-Adobe-stock_E-2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 12:09:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20608', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Why is AIIB's Loan Expensive?', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The team led by AIIB Director RMP Rathnayake met the prime minister, ministers and senior government officials. According to the government officials, although AIIB is an important international multilateral bank that can provide insufficient financial resources to Nepal, the government is hesitant to receive additional assistance due to the relatively high interest rates of AIIB. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They say that Nepal is not in a position to take loans at high interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">How much more expensive is the loan of this bank, which was established at the initiative of China, than other multilateral donors like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank? </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Finance Ministry officials, the interest rate of AIIB is fixed on the basis of Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Now this rate is much higher than that of other multilateral donors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“This SOFR is a benchmark interest rate. It is based on the interest rate charged on US government bonds. Its rate changes day by day. The interest rate of AIIB is variable according to the SOFR," says Shri Krishna Nepal, Joint Secretary and chief of the International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of the Ministry of Finance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, SOFR has been around 5.5 percent in the last one month. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a part of the US Federal Reserve System that is authorized to operate open markets and intervene in foreign exchange markets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"As we are getting loans at subsidized interest rates through other multinational banks, AIIB's interest rate has become expensive for us," said Nepal. According to the Public Debt Management Department, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank charge interest rates of only 0.75 to 1.5 percent on the loans issued to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">So far, the Government of Nepal has taken only loan from AIIB only once. In December 2019, the bank's board of directors approved a loan of USD 11.23 billion to improve the electricity distribution system in 13 districts of Lumbini and Karnali provinces of Nepal. Before that, AIIB had also provided a grant of USD 1 million to Nepal. Similarly, in June 2019, the AIIB approved a loan of USD 90 million for the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project promoted by the private sector. This 216 MW project is being built by Nepal Water and Energy Development Company. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Joint Secretary Nepal said that the government has not been able to request AIIB to invest in more projects due to the high interest rates. "We have a lot of projects, but we will propose for investment after the interest rate is fixed," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In 2016, Nepal urged AIIB to invest in five infrastructure projects. Those include the Power Distribution System Upgrade and Expansion Project to improve the electricity distribution system in Lumbini and Karnali Provinces, Sarada-Babai Hydropower Project, Pokhara-Jomsom Road Improvement Project, Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare Road Construction Project and Urban Infrastructure Improvement for urban infrastructure development of 18 municipalities. Only one of them has received loan from the AIIB so far. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to support the Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare road when he visited Nepal in 2019. Nepal is one of the founding countries of AIIB. During the AIIB delegation’s visit to Nepal, the team met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and officials of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and said that they are willing to increase investment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During the meeting, the Nepali officials requested to provide loans at low interest rate. PM Dahal’s personal secretariat informed that since AIIB loans are not available at the market price, Nepal has not been able to get its financial help. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal is reluctant to take foreign loans at market interest rates due to the massive increase in domestic and foreign debt over the years. After witnessing Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, the government has become more aware of taking foreign loans at high interest rates. According to the Public Debt Management Office, Nepal's public debt is 44.29 percent of the GDP as of the second quarter of the current fiscal year. In the year 2071/72, such debt was 25.6 percent compared to the gross domestic product. The Public Debt Management Act, 2079 prohibits borrowing more than one-third of the gross domestic product.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20335', 'image' => '20240331111728_93545bab.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 11:15:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20607', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Project's Tunnel likely to Complete within a Month ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. Of the 13.3 km tunnel of this national pride project, only 790 m is left to be completed, according to Mitra Baral, the project chief. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The multi-billion-rupee project aims to provide irrigation facility to five drought-prone districts in Province No 2 and generate 31 megawatt of electricity. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A team comprising Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Sushil Chandra Tiwari and Director General of Department of Hydropower and Irrigation Chandra Bahadur Oli among others made an on-site inspection of the project site at Kusumtar of Kamalamai municipality in Sindhuli district on Saturday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Basnet, following the on-site visit, assured that there will be no resource crunch for the project to complete on time. "This project is a special priority of the government. We make sure that there will not be any problems of resources in the project," the minister pledged. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that the project had achieved satisfactory progress so far, Minister Basnet instructed all stakeholders to conclude the project within the stipulated time. Earlier on Friday, the team also inspected the dam of the project that is estimated to provide irrigation facility to 122,000 hectares of land in Rautahat, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Bara districts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Project Chief Baral said that if there was no geographical complication in digging the remaining portion of the tunnel, the project will achieve breakthrough within a month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A Chinese company China Overseas Engineering has been constructing the tunnel while an Indian Company Patel Engineering partnering with Nepal's Raman Group to build the dam of the project. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The project is expected to be completed within mid-October 2027. As a part of the project, 67 cubic metres of water per second would be diverted from the Sunkoshi River to the Bagmati River via Marin Khola of Sindhuli district. ----</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20334', 'image' => '20240331100557_smdmp-home-welcome - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 10:04:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20605', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kanchanjunga Area Receives Visitors with the Beginning of Spring Season ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tourists generally visit the Kanchanjungha site in two seasons in a year for trekking, mountaineering, and other tourism-related activities in Kanchanjungha, the home to the third highest peak in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the spring season, the tourists arrive from March to the first week of June. The Kanchanjungha Conservation Area Management Council said that 60 foreigners arrived at Ghunsa area on Wednesday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tasi Tenzing, an assistant of the council, shared that the hotels along the trekking route have opened with the arrival of tourists. In the first season of this year, 650 foreigners visited the area but the records of the domestic tourists have not been maintained. As many as 439 foreigners visited the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council, 52 hotels are operating on the trekking route leading to the base camp of Mt Kanchenjunga. Tourism is the main source of income for the communities living in the Kanchenjunga region. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-30', 'modified' => '2024-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20332', 'image' => '20240330100116_20240307114058_20240102110049_Kanchanjunga SVO (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-30 10:00:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20604', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Reaches All-Time High of Rs 130,000 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of gold increased by Rs 2,100 on Friday compared to the previous day. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Thursday, gold was traded at Rs 127,900 per tola. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The price of gold has been rising steadily in the past few weeks. The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 per tola to Rs 1,525. Silver was traded at Rs 1,510 per tola on Wednesday.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20331', 'image' => '20240329023658_gold newwww.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:35:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20603', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN says Households Waste 1 Billion Meals a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste. More than $1 trillion worth of food was binned by households and businesses at a time when nearly 800 million people were going hungry, the UN's latest Food Waste Index Report says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It said that more than 1 billion tonnes of food -- almost one fifth of all the produce available on the market -- was wasted in 2022, most of it by households. "Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement. Such wastage was not just a moral but "environmental failure", the report said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste produces five times the planet-heating emissions of the aviation sector, and requires huge tracts of land be converted for growing crops that are never eaten. The report, co-authored with non-profit organisation WRAP, is just the second on global food waste compiled by the UN and provides the most complete picture to date. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As data collection has improved the true scale of the problem has become much clearer, said Clementine O'Connor from UNEP. "The more food waste you look for, the more that you find," she told AFP. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Billion meals binned</strong> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The report said that the "billion meals" figure was a "very conservative estimate" and "the real amount could be much higher". "For me, it's just staggering," Richard Swannell from WRAP told AFP. "You could actually feed all the people that are currently hungry in the world -- about 800 million people -- over a meal a day just from the food that is wasted every single year." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He said bringing together producers and retailers had helped reduce waste and get food to those who need it, and more such action was needed. Food services like restaurants, canteens and hotels were responsible for 28 percent of all wasted food in 2022, while retail like butchers and greengrocers dumped 12 percent. But the biggest culprits were households, which accounted for 60 percent -- some 631 million tonnes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Swannell said much of this occurred because people were simply buying more food than they needed, but also misjudging portion sizes and not eating leftovers. Another issue was expiration dates, he said, with perfectly good produce being trashed because people incorrectly assumed their food had gone off. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A lot of food, particularly in the developing world, was not so frivolously wasted, but instead lost in transportation or spoiling because of a lack of refrigeration, the report said. Contrary to popular belief, food waste is not just a "rich country" problem and can be observed across the world, the report said. Hotter countries, too, generated more waste, possibly due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Devastating effects' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Businesses also underestimate the cost of wasting food to their bottom line because it was cheap to dump unused produce in landfill. "It's quicker and easier to throw it away at the moment because the waste fee is either zero or very low," O'Connor said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste had "devastating effects" on people and the planet, the report said. Converting natural ecosystems for agriculture is a leading cause of habitat loss yet food waste takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of the world's farming land, the report said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If we can reduce food waste across the entire of the supply chain, we can... minimise the need to have land set aside that's growing stuff that's never used," Swannell said. It is also a key driver of climate change, generating up to 10 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet behind the US and China," Swannell said. But people rarely think about it, he said, despite the opportunity to "reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and save money, simply by making better use of the food that we're already buying". – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20330', 'image' => '20240329021647_arrangement-compost-made-rotten-food-with-copy-space.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:14:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis. In a video message for the International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on March 30 annually, the UN chief highlighted the perilous state of the planet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash," Guterres said, painting a dire picture of the environmental degradation caused by humanity's overconsumption and waste production. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With "more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste" produced every year, the consequences are devastating for the earth's climate, ecosystems and human health. He emphasized the urgency of addressing overconsumption, stating "overconsumption is killing us. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Humanity needs an intervention." Guterres praised the efforts of the Advisory Board on Zero Waste for its role in uniting various stakeholders around the mission of achieving zero waste. To combat this crisis, the top UN official outlined a multifaceted approach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Businesses must rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle," he said, urging a shift toward sustainable production practices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Consumers are also called upon to "think twice about the goods and products they purchase, and recycle or reuse wherever possible." Guterres underscored the importance of government action in fostering circular economies that prioritize "reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and waste prevention." He pointed out the need for modern waste-management programs that can significantly mitigate the impacts of resource depletion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"On this Zero Waste Day, let's pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all," said Guterres, urging global citizens to commit to sustainable practices that protect the planet for future generations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Dec. 14, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its 77th session to proclaim March 30 as International Day of Zero Waste to be observed annually. – Xinhua/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20346', 'image' => '20240401024435_20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 14:42:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20618', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Parliamentary Hearing Process of Proposed Auditor General Begins ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament, Padma Prasad Pandey informed that a meeting of the Parliamentary Hearings Committee on Monday decided to issue a notice to the general public to submit any complaints related to Raya to the committee within 10 days. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The meeting of the Constitutional Council on Sunday decided to recommend Raya, the Chief Statistics Officer of the National Statistics Office, for the post of Auditor General. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The post of Auditor General has remained vacant for around ten months ever since the then Auditor General Tankamani Sharma Dangal retired after completing his term on May 22 last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General has been running under the acting auditor since then. After Sharma's retirement, the then Deputy Auditor General Rammaya Kunwar was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General for one and a half months. After Kunwar went on compulsory retirement on August 7, Maheshwar Kafle got the responsibility. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Bamdev Sharma was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General after Kafle went on mandatory retirement due to the age limit in late January. According to the constitutional provisions, the term of the Auditor General is 6 years. Political parties try to appoint someone close to them as the Auditor General who can fulfill their agenda. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As the ruling parties wait for the right moment to appoint the Auditor General, the financial discipline of the government is getting worse. The Office of the Auditor General audits all federal and state government offices including the Office of the President and Vice President, Supreme Court, Federal Parliament, Provincial Assembly, Provincial Government, Local Level, Constitutional Bodies and Offices, Courts, Attorney General's Office, Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The purpose of the audit is to protect the public resources of the country.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General also gives necessary suggestions and recommendations based on the effectiveness of government income and expenditure. The office submits and publishes the annual report of all government agencies to the President. The Office of the Auditor General has the right to see the accounting documents at any time to audit various agencies of the Central and State Governments. However, the lack of leadership has made the Office of the Auditor General weak in its role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Constitutional Council recommended Raya from among fifteen candidates who had applied for the coveted post after the council invited applications for the office bearers of various constitutional bodies including the vacant Auditor General during the beginning of the current fiscal year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Other candidates who were in the fray for the post of Auditor General were former Acting Auditor General Kunwar and recently appointed Acting Auditor General, Bamdev Sharma, Deputy Auditor General Baikuntha Bahadur Adhikari and Chandrakant Bhandari as well as former secretaries Gopinath Mainali, Ramprasad Thapalia, Hari Basyal, Ram Sharan Pudasaini, Shankar Kharel, and Shishir Kumar Dhungana. Similarly, chartered accountants Subodh Karna and Hari Silwal had also applied for the position.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20345', 'image' => '20240401014548_Parliament.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 13:44:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20617', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Price of Petrol by Rs 4 Per Liter', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. With the price adjustment, the price of petrol has increased to Rs 175 per litre in the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Dipayal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs 174 per litre in Surkhet and Dang, and Rs 172.50 per liter in Charaali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, and Birgunj. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The state-owned NOC said that it increased the price of petrol based on new purchase price provided by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Issuing a statement on Sunday, the NOC said that the IOC increased the price of petrol by Rs 4.76 per liter. The IOC has lowered the price of diesel and kerosene by Rs 0.39 per litre and that of LP gas by Rs 27.44 per cylinder. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">However, the NOC said that the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas remains unchanged. The NOC argued that the price of cooking gas has not been changed as it still faces loss of Rs 296.15 in LP gas per cylinder.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20344', 'image' => '20240401101927_20210824101943_20210707102647_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:18:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20616', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'High-level Committee on Tax System Reforms Recommends Amending Tax-Related Laws', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Submitting its report to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Sunday, the committee headed by Former Finance Secretary Bidhyadhar Mallik stressed on reforms in overall tax administration. The government had made provision for constituting this committee in the budget statement for the fiscal year 2024/25. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Accordingly, a meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2023 constituted the committee. Former secretary Laxman Aryal, professor at the Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Economics Dr Ram Prasad Gyawali and former administrator and customs expert Ram Prasad Dahal were the members of the committee.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The committee prepared the 258-page report with 140 annexes in six months. Receiving the report, Finance Minister Pun expressed the government's commitment to implementing the suggestions pointed out by the report. He said the report has come at an appropriate time when the government has been struggling to meet the general expenses from the state coffers. He stressed the need to attract the domestic and foreign investors to bring in maximum investment into the country.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20343', 'image' => '20240401100252_20240331095040_20231213025358_tax.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:01:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20614', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kulekhani-Dakshinkali Road Closed', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">March 31: Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The closure is attributed to ongoing upgrading efforts, including the construction of reinforced concrete structures, drainage systems, and the application of black-topping.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pratap Bhomjan, Chairman of Indrasarobar Rural Municipality-3, confirmed that the closure will persist until the black-topping works are finalized.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, the Sisneri segment of the Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali Road had been closed for construction activities since the second week of this month.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities from the Ward Office emphasized that the suspension of vehicular traffic is imperative to facilitate uninterrupted construction progress. Operation of jeeps and microbuses before the completion of road upgrading works has been identified as a hindrance to the construction process.</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> (RSS)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20341', 'image' => '20240331045517_collage (20).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:53:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20613', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Second-tier Regulator of Cooperatives Limited to Government Schemes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Even though the government has been mentioning in its policies and programs and budget since the fiscal year 2060/61 that it will create a second-tier regulator to monitor the cooperatives, the process has not been carried forward yet. In recent years, the number of problematic cooperatives that are unable to return the depositors’ savings has increased. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The government is under pressure to establish a regulatory body as soon as possible. In the budget of the current fiscal year, the government has mentioned that a separate monitoring body will be formed to make the monitoring of cooperatives effective. However, the government has not prepared the plan on what kind of body it will create to monitor the cooperatives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Law for in-principle approval for the formation of regulatory bodies. Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi said that the law-making process will be carried forward after the approval from the finance and law ministries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Due to the expectation that cooperatives work according to their own principles and rules, the work of creating a separate regulator was not a priority of the government," he said in a discussion program organized by the Nepal Cooperative Journalist Society on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The attempt to form a powerful regulatory body in the past was not possible due to the influence of groups with vested interest on the parliament. According to the constitution, the monitoring of cooperatives is currently divided between federal, state and local levels. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that monitoring will not be effective when there are many regulators, Secretary Duwadi said that a strong regulator should be made so that the cooperatives across the country can be monitored in an effective way. He said that some laws should be amended to create such a regulatory body.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister for Cooperatives Balaram Adhikari has also said that the government will be tough to solve the problems of cooperatives. "The government will take strict measures to solve the problems in the cooperatives." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the directors of some cooperatives fled after embezzling the money, the member depositors have been protesting on the streets. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is also accused of defrauding depositors in collaboration with GB Rai, owner of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara. The home minister has denied the allegations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A recommendation committee led by member of the Planning Commission, Dr Chandrakant Raut has also suggested to make the regulation and supervision of savings and credit cooperatives effective and to establish a separate regulatory body for this purpose. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Former executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank and banking expert Nar Bahadur Thapa says that cooperatives also need a strong regulator. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“A crisis can occur at any time in financial institutions. Liquidity can be uncomfortable. For that, it is necessary to create a strong body that also provides the facility of the lender of the last resort,'' he said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He added that the regulatory body should not have people from the agencies with conflict of interests and that experts with technical knowledge should be included in the board. He clarified that since the Central Bank works according to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058, the Nepal Rastra Bank will not look into the cooperatives under anyone's instructions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the problems in the cooperatives increased, the central bank assigned two deputy directors to the Department of Cooperatives in 2070 help the department to monitor the cooperatives. Those employees returned after a year. Currently, the central bank has assigned three employees to the department for monitoring cooperatives. However, the officials of the department say that the cooperative sector cannot be improved through such monitoring alone.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20340', 'image' => '20240331041955_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:17:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20612', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manthali-Lukla Flights Resume ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lukla Airport in neighboring Solukhumbu district remained shut for a week due to bad weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather clearing up in Lukla from Sunday morning, flights between Manthali and Lukla have resumed. During the closure of Lukla airport, aircraft of Sita, Tara, and Summit airlines were grounded in Manthali. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">To accommodate foreign tourists heading to Lukla, some opted for helicopter flights to Surke in Solu, while others chose to travel by road up to Phaplu. Pravin Subedi, Tara Air's in-charge for Ramechhap, confirmed that flights to Lukla resumed after receiving reports of improved weather conditions in the area. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather improving, foreign tourists are now arriving in Manthali from Kathmandu via road to reach Lukla. Airline companies have agreed to operate Manthali-Lukla flights throughout the day on Sunday on a rotational basis, according to Prajwal Guragain, senior officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Ramechhap. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20339', 'image' => '20240331041716_20240325104538_ijcmz-lukla6.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:16:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20611', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Fertility Rate to Keep Plummeting, Major Study Warns', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The fertility rate in half of all nations is already too low to maintain their population size, an international team of hundreds of researchers reported in The Lancet. Using a huge amount of global data on births, deaths and what drives fertility, the researchers tried to forecast the future for the world's population. By 2050, the population of three quarters of all countries will be shrinking, according to the study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the end of the century, that will be true for 97 percent -- or 198 out of 204 countries and territories, the researchers projected. Only Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad and Tajikistan are expected to have fertility rates exceeding the replacement level of 2.1 births per female in 2100, the study estimated. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During this century, fertility rates will continue to increase in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, even as they tumble in wealthier, ageing nations. "The world will be simultaneously tackling a 'baby boom' in some countries and a 'baby bust' in others," senior study author Stein Emil Vollset of the IHME said in a statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Implications are immense' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> "We are facing staggering social change through the 21st century," he said in a statement. IHME researcher Natalia Bhattacharjee said the "implications are immense". </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies," she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Once nearly every country's population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth." However World Health Organization experts urged caution for the projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They pointed out several limitations of the models, particularly a lack of data from many developing nations. Communication about the figures "should not be sensationalised, but nuanced, balancing between gloom and optimism," the WHO experts wrote in The Lancet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They also pointed out that there can be benefits of having a smaller population, such as for the environment and food security. But there are disadvantages for labour supply, social security and "nationalistic geopolitics". Teresa Castro Martin, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council not involved in the study, also emphasised that these are just projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">She pointed out that the Lancet study predicts the global fertility rate will fall below replacement levels around 2030, "whereas the UN predicts this to occur around 2050". The study was an update of the IHME's Global Burden of Disease study. The organisation, set up at the University of Washington by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become a global reference for health statistics. – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20338', 'image' => '20240331035046_fert.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 15:48:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20610', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Finance Minister Instructs Nepal’s Ambassadors to Promote Investment Summit', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month. The government is holding the Third Nepal Investment Summit on April 28 and 29 next month. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun has been holding investment summit-focused discussions along with diplomatic meetings as a preparation for the summit. With almost a month left for the investment summit, Finance Minister Pun held a virtual meeting with Nepalese ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in more than 40 countries on Saturday and directed them to disseminate information to related countries about the summit and make efforts to create an investment environment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"The Investment Summit is about the honor, reputation and pride of the nation," Pun said, "On behalf of the prime minister, I request you all to attend this summit in the next one month." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Pun informed that invitations have already been sent to foreign development partners, big investors, potential investors, and high-ranking government officials and also urged the Nepalese ambassadors and delegation heads to prepare and send a list of those who are sure to attend the summit. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun said that the government has initiated policy reforms as well as procedural and legal amendments to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Discussions are also going on about reforming 12 laws and making some bilateral agreements. "Inform the investors and government agencies about the efforts being made to make investment-friendly laws in Nepal," Minister Pun told the envoys. Frequent change of government has been a matter of concern for investors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Last month, the power equation changed and a new government was formed with CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (UML) and Rastriya Swatantra Party. However, Minister Pun said that since the original leadership of the government is the same and only a few ministers who were under the old coalition have changed, they should also try to assure the international community that there is no change in the investment summit and investment policy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Informing that the government prioritizes the use of knowledge, skills and technology acquired by non-resident Nepalis, Minister Pun asked the ambassadors and the head of the delegation to convey this message as well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The virtual meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Investment Board Sushil Bhatt. Nepalese ambassadors and heads of missions to the United States of America, Britain, Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, India, Oman, South Korea and Malaysia also attended the meeting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Although the government has pledged to amend dozens of laws and conduct the country rating before the investment summit, it has not been able to expedite these works until now. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Earlier, a committee formed by the government under the coordination of Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal had suggested that about a dozen laws should be amended for creating an investment-friendly environment in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The list of laws to be amended include Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Industrial Enterprises Act, Special Economic Zone Act, Forest Act, National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, Land Acquisition Act, Civil Aviation Act and others. However, it is highly doubtful that these laws will be amended by the parliament before the investment summit.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20337', 'image' => '20240331013224_20231212114012_20231126113943_20190307120527_Clipboard24.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 13:30:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20609', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Indian Govt Orders Mandatory Declaration of Wheat Stock Position from April ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It has asked traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across the South Asian country to declare their stock position of wheat on every Friday from April 1 till further orders, according to a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The move is intended to "manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation," said the statement. The Indian government has already issued a similar order for rice. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Any entity which is not registered on the portal, may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock on every Friday. Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly," the ministry said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The ministry said its department of food and public distribution has maintained a close watch over the stock position of wheat and rice in a bid to control prices and ensure their easy availability in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">India has also restricted export of certain food grains and vegetables to control the price hike in its domestic market. It has had an adverse impact on the prices of items such as wheat, paddy, onions in the market of Nepal, which relies on India for supply of these essential food items. (With inputs from Xinhua)</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20336', 'image' => '20240331121054_Wheat_photo-cred-Adobe-stock_E-2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 12:09:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20608', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Why is AIIB's Loan Expensive?', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The team led by AIIB Director RMP Rathnayake met the prime minister, ministers and senior government officials. According to the government officials, although AIIB is an important international multilateral bank that can provide insufficient financial resources to Nepal, the government is hesitant to receive additional assistance due to the relatively high interest rates of AIIB. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They say that Nepal is not in a position to take loans at high interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">How much more expensive is the loan of this bank, which was established at the initiative of China, than other multilateral donors like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank? </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Finance Ministry officials, the interest rate of AIIB is fixed on the basis of Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Now this rate is much higher than that of other multilateral donors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“This SOFR is a benchmark interest rate. It is based on the interest rate charged on US government bonds. Its rate changes day by day. The interest rate of AIIB is variable according to the SOFR," says Shri Krishna Nepal, Joint Secretary and chief of the International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of the Ministry of Finance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, SOFR has been around 5.5 percent in the last one month. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a part of the US Federal Reserve System that is authorized to operate open markets and intervene in foreign exchange markets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"As we are getting loans at subsidized interest rates through other multinational banks, AIIB's interest rate has become expensive for us," said Nepal. According to the Public Debt Management Department, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank charge interest rates of only 0.75 to 1.5 percent on the loans issued to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">So far, the Government of Nepal has taken only loan from AIIB only once. In December 2019, the bank's board of directors approved a loan of USD 11.23 billion to improve the electricity distribution system in 13 districts of Lumbini and Karnali provinces of Nepal. Before that, AIIB had also provided a grant of USD 1 million to Nepal. Similarly, in June 2019, the AIIB approved a loan of USD 90 million for the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project promoted by the private sector. This 216 MW project is being built by Nepal Water and Energy Development Company. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Joint Secretary Nepal said that the government has not been able to request AIIB to invest in more projects due to the high interest rates. "We have a lot of projects, but we will propose for investment after the interest rate is fixed," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In 2016, Nepal urged AIIB to invest in five infrastructure projects. Those include the Power Distribution System Upgrade and Expansion Project to improve the electricity distribution system in Lumbini and Karnali Provinces, Sarada-Babai Hydropower Project, Pokhara-Jomsom Road Improvement Project, Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare Road Construction Project and Urban Infrastructure Improvement for urban infrastructure development of 18 municipalities. Only one of them has received loan from the AIIB so far. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to support the Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare road when he visited Nepal in 2019. Nepal is one of the founding countries of AIIB. During the AIIB delegation’s visit to Nepal, the team met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and officials of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and said that they are willing to increase investment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During the meeting, the Nepali officials requested to provide loans at low interest rate. PM Dahal’s personal secretariat informed that since AIIB loans are not available at the market price, Nepal has not been able to get its financial help. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal is reluctant to take foreign loans at market interest rates due to the massive increase in domestic and foreign debt over the years. After witnessing Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, the government has become more aware of taking foreign loans at high interest rates. According to the Public Debt Management Office, Nepal's public debt is 44.29 percent of the GDP as of the second quarter of the current fiscal year. In the year 2071/72, such debt was 25.6 percent compared to the gross domestic product. The Public Debt Management Act, 2079 prohibits borrowing more than one-third of the gross domestic product.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20335', 'image' => '20240331111728_93545bab.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 11:15:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20607', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Project's Tunnel likely to Complete within a Month ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. Of the 13.3 km tunnel of this national pride project, only 790 m is left to be completed, according to Mitra Baral, the project chief. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The multi-billion-rupee project aims to provide irrigation facility to five drought-prone districts in Province No 2 and generate 31 megawatt of electricity. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A team comprising Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Sushil Chandra Tiwari and Director General of Department of Hydropower and Irrigation Chandra Bahadur Oli among others made an on-site inspection of the project site at Kusumtar of Kamalamai municipality in Sindhuli district on Saturday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Basnet, following the on-site visit, assured that there will be no resource crunch for the project to complete on time. "This project is a special priority of the government. We make sure that there will not be any problems of resources in the project," the minister pledged. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that the project had achieved satisfactory progress so far, Minister Basnet instructed all stakeholders to conclude the project within the stipulated time. Earlier on Friday, the team also inspected the dam of the project that is estimated to provide irrigation facility to 122,000 hectares of land in Rautahat, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Bara districts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Project Chief Baral said that if there was no geographical complication in digging the remaining portion of the tunnel, the project will achieve breakthrough within a month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A Chinese company China Overseas Engineering has been constructing the tunnel while an Indian Company Patel Engineering partnering with Nepal's Raman Group to build the dam of the project. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The project is expected to be completed within mid-October 2027. As a part of the project, 67 cubic metres of water per second would be diverted from the Sunkoshi River to the Bagmati River via Marin Khola of Sindhuli district. ----</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20334', 'image' => '20240331100557_smdmp-home-welcome - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 10:04:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20605', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kanchanjunga Area Receives Visitors with the Beginning of Spring Season ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tourists generally visit the Kanchanjungha site in two seasons in a year for trekking, mountaineering, and other tourism-related activities in Kanchanjungha, the home to the third highest peak in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the spring season, the tourists arrive from March to the first week of June. The Kanchanjungha Conservation Area Management Council said that 60 foreigners arrived at Ghunsa area on Wednesday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tasi Tenzing, an assistant of the council, shared that the hotels along the trekking route have opened with the arrival of tourists. In the first season of this year, 650 foreigners visited the area but the records of the domestic tourists have not been maintained. As many as 439 foreigners visited the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council, 52 hotels are operating on the trekking route leading to the base camp of Mt Kanchenjunga. Tourism is the main source of income for the communities living in the Kanchenjunga region. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-30', 'modified' => '2024-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20332', 'image' => '20240330100116_20240307114058_20240102110049_Kanchanjunga SVO (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-30 10:00:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20604', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Reaches All-Time High of Rs 130,000 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of gold increased by Rs 2,100 on Friday compared to the previous day. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Thursday, gold was traded at Rs 127,900 per tola. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The price of gold has been rising steadily in the past few weeks. The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 per tola to Rs 1,525. Silver was traded at Rs 1,510 per tola on Wednesday.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20331', 'image' => '20240329023658_gold newwww.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:35:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20603', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN says Households Waste 1 Billion Meals a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste. More than $1 trillion worth of food was binned by households and businesses at a time when nearly 800 million people were going hungry, the UN's latest Food Waste Index Report says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It said that more than 1 billion tonnes of food -- almost one fifth of all the produce available on the market -- was wasted in 2022, most of it by households. "Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement. Such wastage was not just a moral but "environmental failure", the report said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste produces five times the planet-heating emissions of the aviation sector, and requires huge tracts of land be converted for growing crops that are never eaten. The report, co-authored with non-profit organisation WRAP, is just the second on global food waste compiled by the UN and provides the most complete picture to date. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As data collection has improved the true scale of the problem has become much clearer, said Clementine O'Connor from UNEP. "The more food waste you look for, the more that you find," she told AFP. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Billion meals binned</strong> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The report said that the "billion meals" figure was a "very conservative estimate" and "the real amount could be much higher". "For me, it's just staggering," Richard Swannell from WRAP told AFP. "You could actually feed all the people that are currently hungry in the world -- about 800 million people -- over a meal a day just from the food that is wasted every single year." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He said bringing together producers and retailers had helped reduce waste and get food to those who need it, and more such action was needed. Food services like restaurants, canteens and hotels were responsible for 28 percent of all wasted food in 2022, while retail like butchers and greengrocers dumped 12 percent. But the biggest culprits were households, which accounted for 60 percent -- some 631 million tonnes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Swannell said much of this occurred because people were simply buying more food than they needed, but also misjudging portion sizes and not eating leftovers. Another issue was expiration dates, he said, with perfectly good produce being trashed because people incorrectly assumed their food had gone off. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A lot of food, particularly in the developing world, was not so frivolously wasted, but instead lost in transportation or spoiling because of a lack of refrigeration, the report said. Contrary to popular belief, food waste is not just a "rich country" problem and can be observed across the world, the report said. Hotter countries, too, generated more waste, possibly due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Devastating effects' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Businesses also underestimate the cost of wasting food to their bottom line because it was cheap to dump unused produce in landfill. "It's quicker and easier to throw it away at the moment because the waste fee is either zero or very low," O'Connor said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste had "devastating effects" on people and the planet, the report said. Converting natural ecosystems for agriculture is a leading cause of habitat loss yet food waste takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of the world's farming land, the report said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If we can reduce food waste across the entire of the supply chain, we can... minimise the need to have land set aside that's growing stuff that's never used," Swannell said. It is also a key driver of climate change, generating up to 10 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet behind the US and China," Swannell said. But people rarely think about it, he said, despite the opportunity to "reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and save money, simply by making better use of the food that we're already buying". – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20330', 'image' => '20240329021647_arrangement-compost-made-rotten-food-with-copy-space.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:14:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falseinclude - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
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', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Saturday called for worldwide efforts to tackle the waste crisis. In a video message for the International Day of Zero Waste, which falls on March 30 annually, the UN chief highlighted the perilous state of the planet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Our planet is drowning under a torrent of trash," Guterres said, painting a dire picture of the environmental degradation caused by humanity's overconsumption and waste production. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With "more than 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste" produced every year, the consequences are devastating for the earth's climate, ecosystems and human health. He emphasized the urgency of addressing overconsumption, stating "overconsumption is killing us. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Humanity needs an intervention." Guterres praised the efforts of the Advisory Board on Zero Waste for its role in uniting various stakeholders around the mission of achieving zero waste. To combat this crisis, the top UN official outlined a multifaceted approach.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Businesses must rethink their products to minimize wasteful packaging and maximize longevity and lifecycle," he said, urging a shift toward sustainable production practices. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Consumers are also called upon to "think twice about the goods and products they purchase, and recycle or reuse wherever possible." Guterres underscored the importance of government action in fostering circular economies that prioritize "reuse, remanufacturing, recovery, and waste prevention." He pointed out the need for modern waste-management programs that can significantly mitigate the impacts of resource depletion. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"On this Zero Waste Day, let's pledge to end the destructive cycle of waste, once and for all," said Guterres, urging global citizens to commit to sustainable practices that protect the planet for future generations. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Dec. 14, 2022, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution at its 77th session to proclaim March 30 as International Day of Zero Waste to be observed annually. – Xinhua/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20346', 'image' => '20240401024435_20231029095344_Antonio_Guterres_CC_U.S. Mission Photo-Eric Bridiers.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 14:42:57', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20618', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Parliamentary Hearing Process of Proposed Auditor General Begins ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: The Parliamentary Hearings Committee has initiated the process of hearing of the proposed Auditor General Toyam Raya from Monday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Secretary-General of the Federal Parliament, Padma Prasad Pandey informed that a meeting of the Parliamentary Hearings Committee on Monday decided to issue a notice to the general public to submit any complaints related to Raya to the committee within 10 days. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The meeting of the Constitutional Council on Sunday decided to recommend Raya, the Chief Statistics Officer of the National Statistics Office, for the post of Auditor General. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The post of Auditor General has remained vacant for around ten months ever since the then Auditor General Tankamani Sharma Dangal retired after completing his term on May 22 last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General has been running under the acting auditor since then. After Sharma's retirement, the then Deputy Auditor General Rammaya Kunwar was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General for one and a half months. After Kunwar went on compulsory retirement on August 7, Maheshwar Kafle got the responsibility. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Bamdev Sharma was given the responsibility of Acting Auditor General after Kafle went on mandatory retirement due to the age limit in late January. According to the constitutional provisions, the term of the Auditor General is 6 years. Political parties try to appoint someone close to them as the Auditor General who can fulfill their agenda. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As the ruling parties wait for the right moment to appoint the Auditor General, the financial discipline of the government is getting worse. The Office of the Auditor General audits all federal and state government offices including the Office of the President and Vice President, Supreme Court, Federal Parliament, Provincial Assembly, Provincial Government, Local Level, Constitutional Bodies and Offices, Courts, Attorney General's Office, Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force. The purpose of the audit is to protect the public resources of the country.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Office of the Auditor General also gives necessary suggestions and recommendations based on the effectiveness of government income and expenditure. The office submits and publishes the annual report of all government agencies to the President. The Office of the Auditor General has the right to see the accounting documents at any time to audit various agencies of the Central and State Governments. However, the lack of leadership has made the Office of the Auditor General weak in its role. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Constitutional Council recommended Raya from among fifteen candidates who had applied for the coveted post after the council invited applications for the office bearers of various constitutional bodies including the vacant Auditor General during the beginning of the current fiscal year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Other candidates who were in the fray for the post of Auditor General were former Acting Auditor General Kunwar and recently appointed Acting Auditor General, Bamdev Sharma, Deputy Auditor General Baikuntha Bahadur Adhikari and Chandrakant Bhandari as well as former secretaries Gopinath Mainali, Ramprasad Thapalia, Hari Basyal, Ram Sharan Pudasaini, Shankar Kharel, and Shishir Kumar Dhungana. Similarly, chartered accountants Subodh Karna and Hari Silwal had also applied for the position.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20345', 'image' => '20240401014548_Parliament.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 13:44:54', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20617', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Hikes Price of Petrol by Rs 4 Per Liter', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has increased the price of petrol by Rs 4 per liter effective from Monday, April 1. With the price adjustment, the price of petrol has increased to Rs 175 per litre in the Kathmandu Valley, Pokhara, and Dipayal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of petrol has been fixed at Rs 174 per litre in Surkhet and Dang, and Rs 172.50 per liter in Charaali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, and Birgunj. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The state-owned NOC said that it increased the price of petrol based on new purchase price provided by the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), the sole supplier of petroleum products to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Issuing a statement on Sunday, the NOC said that the IOC increased the price of petrol by Rs 4.76 per liter. The IOC has lowered the price of diesel and kerosene by Rs 0.39 per litre and that of LP gas by Rs 27.44 per cylinder. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">However, the NOC said that the prices of diesel, kerosene and cooking gas remains unchanged. The NOC argued that the price of cooking gas has not been changed as it still faces loss of Rs 296.15 in LP gas per cylinder.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20344', 'image' => '20240401101927_20210824101943_20210707102647_20190503125003_Petrol-Price-Increase.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:18:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20616', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'High-level Committee on Tax System Reforms Recommends Amending Tax-Related Laws', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">April 1: A High-level Recommendation Committee on Tax System Reforms has recommended the government to reform tax-related laws of the country as well as the revenue structure. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Submitting its report to Finance Minister Barsha Man Pun on Sunday, the committee headed by Former Finance Secretary Bidhyadhar Mallik stressed on reforms in overall tax administration. The government had made provision for constituting this committee in the budget statement for the fiscal year 2024/25. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Accordingly, a meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 15, 2023 constituted the committee. Former secretary Laxman Aryal, professor at the Tribhuvan University, Central Department of Economics Dr Ram Prasad Gyawali and former administrator and customs expert Ram Prasad Dahal were the members of the committee.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The committee prepared the 258-page report with 140 annexes in six months. Receiving the report, Finance Minister Pun expressed the government's commitment to implementing the suggestions pointed out by the report. He said the report has come at an appropriate time when the government has been struggling to meet the general expenses from the state coffers. He stressed the need to attract the domestic and foreign investors to bring in maximum investment into the country.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-04-01', 'modified' => '2024-04-01', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20343', 'image' => '20240401100252_20240331095040_20231213025358_tax.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-04-01 10:01:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20614', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kulekhani-Dakshinkali Road Closed', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">March 31: Vehicular movement on the crucial Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali road has been halted for an indefinite period of time starting today(Sunday). This road serves as a vital link between Hetauda and Kathmandu.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The closure is attributed to ongoing upgrading efforts, including the construction of reinforced concrete structures, drainage systems, and the application of black-topping.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Pratap Bhomjan, Chairman of Indrasarobar Rural Municipality-3, confirmed that the closure will persist until the black-topping works are finalized.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Previously, the Sisneri segment of the Kulekhani-Sisneri-Chhaimale-Dakshinkali Road had been closed for construction activities since the second week of this month.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Authorities from the Ward Office emphasized that the suspension of vehicular traffic is imperative to facilitate uninterrupted construction progress. Operation of jeeps and microbuses before the completion of road upgrading works has been identified as a hindrance to the construction process.</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif"> (RSS)</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20341', 'image' => '20240331045517_collage (20).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:53:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => false, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20613', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Second-tier Regulator of Cooperatives Limited to Government Schemes', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: At a time when government analysis and reports have suggested that the cooperative sector is in trouble due to weak monitoring, the second-tier regulatory body proposed to regulate and supervise savings and credit cooperatives has been limited to the government’s plan. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Even though the government has been mentioning in its policies and programs and budget since the fiscal year 2060/61 that it will create a second-tier regulator to monitor the cooperatives, the process has not been carried forward yet. In recent years, the number of problematic cooperatives that are unable to return the depositors’ savings has increased. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The government is under pressure to establish a regulatory body as soon as possible. In the budget of the current fiscal year, the government has mentioned that a separate monitoring body will be formed to make the monitoring of cooperatives effective. However, the government has not prepared the plan on what kind of body it will create to monitor the cooperatives. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The Ministry of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation has sent a proposal to the Ministry of Finance and Law for in-principle approval for the formation of regulatory bodies. Secretary Gokarnamani Duwadi said that the law-making process will be carried forward after the approval from the finance and law ministries.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Due to the expectation that cooperatives work according to their own principles and rules, the work of creating a separate regulator was not a priority of the government," he said in a discussion program organized by the Nepal Cooperative Journalist Society on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The attempt to form a powerful regulatory body in the past was not possible due to the influence of groups with vested interest on the parliament. According to the constitution, the monitoring of cooperatives is currently divided between federal, state and local levels. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that monitoring will not be effective when there are many regulators, Secretary Duwadi said that a strong regulator should be made so that the cooperatives across the country can be monitored in an effective way. He said that some laws should be amended to create such a regulatory body.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister for Cooperatives Balaram Adhikari has also said that the government will be tough to solve the problems of cooperatives. "The government will take strict measures to solve the problems in the cooperatives." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the directors of some cooperatives fled after embezzling the money, the member depositors have been protesting on the streets. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Ravi Lamichhane is also accused of defrauding depositors in collaboration with GB Rai, owner of Suryadarshan Cooperative in Pokhara. The home minister has denied the allegations.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A recommendation committee led by member of the Planning Commission, Dr Chandrakant Raut has also suggested to make the regulation and supervision of savings and credit cooperatives effective and to establish a separate regulatory body for this purpose. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Former executive director of Nepal Rastra Bank and banking expert Nar Bahadur Thapa says that cooperatives also need a strong regulator. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“A crisis can occur at any time in financial institutions. Liquidity can be uncomfortable. For that, it is necessary to create a strong body that also provides the facility of the lender of the last resort,'' he said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He added that the regulatory body should not have people from the agencies with conflict of interests and that experts with technical knowledge should be included in the board. He clarified that since the Central Bank works according to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act 2058, the Nepal Rastra Bank will not look into the cooperatives under anyone's instructions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">After the problems in the cooperatives increased, the central bank assigned two deputy directors to the Department of Cooperatives in 2070 help the department to monitor the cooperatives. Those employees returned after a year. Currently, the central bank has assigned three employees to the department for monitoring cooperatives. However, the officials of the department say that the cooperative sector cannot be improved through such monitoring alone.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20340', 'image' => '20240331041955_cooerativesssss.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:17:59', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20612', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Manthali-Lukla Flights Resume ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Flights along the Manthali-Lukla route have resumed after a week-long closure due to adverse weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Lukla Airport in neighboring Solukhumbu district remained shut for a week due to bad weather. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather clearing up in Lukla from Sunday morning, flights between Manthali and Lukla have resumed. During the closure of Lukla airport, aircraft of Sita, Tara, and Summit airlines were grounded in Manthali. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">To accommodate foreign tourists heading to Lukla, some opted for helicopter flights to Surke in Solu, while others chose to travel by road up to Phaplu. Pravin Subedi, Tara Air's in-charge for Ramechhap, confirmed that flights to Lukla resumed after receiving reports of improved weather conditions in the area. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">With the weather improving, foreign tourists are now arriving in Manthali from Kathmandu via road to reach Lukla. Airline companies have agreed to operate Manthali-Lukla flights throughout the day on Sunday on a rotational basis, according to Prajwal Guragain, senior officer at the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) in Ramechhap. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20339', 'image' => '20240331041716_20240325104538_ijcmz-lukla6.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 16:16:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20611', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Global Fertility Rate to Keep Plummeting, Major Study Warns', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The population of almost every country will be shrinking by the end of the century, a major study said, warning that baby booms in developing nations and busts in rich ones will drive massive social change. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The fertility rate in half of all nations is already too low to maintain their population size, an international team of hundreds of researchers reported in The Lancet. Using a huge amount of global data on births, deaths and what drives fertility, the researchers tried to forecast the future for the world's population. By 2050, the population of three quarters of all countries will be shrinking, according to the study by the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME). </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">At the end of the century, that will be true for 97 percent -- or 198 out of 204 countries and territories, the researchers projected. Only Samoa, Somalia, Tonga, Niger, Chad and Tajikistan are expected to have fertility rates exceeding the replacement level of 2.1 births per female in 2100, the study estimated. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During this century, fertility rates will continue to increase in developing countries, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa, even as they tumble in wealthier, ageing nations. "The world will be simultaneously tackling a 'baby boom' in some countries and a 'baby bust' in others," senior study author Stein Emil Vollset of the IHME said in a statement. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Implications are immense' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"> "We are facing staggering social change through the 21st century," he said in a statement. IHME researcher Natalia Bhattacharjee said the "implications are immense". </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"These future trends in fertility rates and live births will completely reconfigure the global economy and the international balance of power and will necessitate reorganising societies," she said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Once nearly every country's population is shrinking, reliance on open immigration will become necessary to sustain economic growth." However World Health Organization experts urged caution for the projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They pointed out several limitations of the models, particularly a lack of data from many developing nations. Communication about the figures "should not be sensationalised, but nuanced, balancing between gloom and optimism," the WHO experts wrote in The Lancet. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They also pointed out that there can be benefits of having a smaller population, such as for the environment and food security. But there are disadvantages for labour supply, social security and "nationalistic geopolitics". Teresa Castro Martin, a researcher at the Spanish National Research Council not involved in the study, also emphasised that these are just projections. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">She pointed out that the Lancet study predicts the global fertility rate will fall below replacement levels around 2030, "whereas the UN predicts this to occur around 2050". The study was an update of the IHME's Global Burden of Disease study. The organisation, set up at the University of Washington by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, has become a global reference for health statistics. – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20338', 'image' => '20240331035046_fert.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 15:48:39', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20610', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Finance Minister Instructs Nepal’s Ambassadors to Promote Investment Summit', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Finance Minister Barshman Pun has instructed Nepali ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions abroad to focus on the investment summit to be held next month. The government is holding the Third Nepal Investment Summit on April 28 and 29 next month. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun has been holding investment summit-focused discussions along with diplomatic meetings as a preparation for the summit. With almost a month left for the investment summit, Finance Minister Pun held a virtual meeting with Nepalese ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in more than 40 countries on Saturday and directed them to disseminate information to related countries about the summit and make efforts to create an investment environment. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"The Investment Summit is about the honor, reputation and pride of the nation," Pun said, "On behalf of the prime minister, I request you all to attend this summit in the next one month." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Pun informed that invitations have already been sent to foreign development partners, big investors, potential investors, and high-ranking government officials and also urged the Nepalese ambassadors and delegation heads to prepare and send a list of those who are sure to attend the summit. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Finance Minister Pun said that the government has initiated policy reforms as well as procedural and legal amendments to create an investment-friendly environment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Discussions are also going on about reforming 12 laws and making some bilateral agreements. "Inform the investors and government agencies about the efforts being made to make investment-friendly laws in Nepal," Minister Pun told the envoys. Frequent change of government has been a matter of concern for investors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Last month, the power equation changed and a new government was formed with CPN (Maoist Centre), CPN (UML) and Rastriya Swatantra Party. However, Minister Pun said that since the original leadership of the government is the same and only a few ministers who were under the old coalition have changed, they should also try to assure the international community that there is no change in the investment summit and investment policy.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Informing that the government prioritizes the use of knowledge, skills and technology acquired by non-resident Nepalis, Minister Pun asked the ambassadors and the head of the delegation to convey this message as well. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The virtual meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Baikuntha Aryal, Foreign Secretary Sewa Lamsal and Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Investment Board Sushil Bhatt. Nepalese ambassadors and heads of missions to the United States of America, Britain, Australia, Germany, Bangladesh, India, Oman, South Korea and Malaysia also attended the meeting. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Although the government has pledged to amend dozens of laws and conduct the country rating before the investment summit, it has not been able to expedite these works until now. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Earlier, a committee formed by the government under the coordination of Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal had suggested that about a dozen laws should be amended for creating an investment-friendly environment in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The list of laws to be amended include Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act, Industrial Enterprises Act, Special Economic Zone Act, Forest Act, National Parks and Wildlife Protection Act, Electronic Transactions Act, Land Acquisition Act, Civil Aviation Act and others. However, it is highly doubtful that these laws will be amended by the parliament before the investment summit.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20337', 'image' => '20240331013224_20231212114012_20231126113943_20190307120527_Clipboard24.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 13:30:28', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20609', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Indian Govt Orders Mandatory Declaration of Wheat Stock Position from April ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: Indian government has ordered the mandatory declaration of the stock position of wheat on a weekly basis from April, officials said Saturday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It has asked traders, wholesalers, retailers, big chain retailers and processors across the South Asian country to declare their stock position of wheat on every Friday from April 1 till further orders, according to a statement issued by the federal Ministry of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The move is intended to "manage the overall food security and to prevent hoarding and unscrupulous speculation," said the statement. The Indian government has already issued a similar order for rice. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"Any entity which is not registered on the portal, may register themselves and start disclosing the wheat and rice stock on every Friday. Now, all legal entities have to declare their wheat and rice stock on the portal regularly," the ministry said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The ministry said its department of food and public distribution has maintained a close watch over the stock position of wheat and rice in a bid to control prices and ensure their easy availability in the country. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">India has also restricted export of certain food grains and vegetables to control the price hike in its domestic market. It has had an adverse impact on the prices of items such as wheat, paddy, onions in the market of Nepal, which relies on India for supply of these essential food items. (With inputs from Xinhua)</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20336', 'image' => '20240331121054_Wheat_photo-cred-Adobe-stock_E-2.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 12:09:41', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20608', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Why is AIIB's Loan Expensive?', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: During last week's visit to Nepal by a high-level delegation of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), the prime minister, finance minister and senior government officials were unanimous in demanding loans from the AIIB at low interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The team led by AIIB Director RMP Rathnayake met the prime minister, ministers and senior government officials. According to the government officials, although AIIB is an important international multilateral bank that can provide insufficient financial resources to Nepal, the government is hesitant to receive additional assistance due to the relatively high interest rates of AIIB. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">They say that Nepal is not in a position to take loans at high interest rates. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">How much more expensive is the loan of this bank, which was established at the initiative of China, than other multilateral donors like the World Bank, Asian Development Bank? </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Finance Ministry officials, the interest rate of AIIB is fixed on the basis of Secured Overnight Financing Rate (SOFR). Now this rate is much higher than that of other multilateral donors. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">“This SOFR is a benchmark interest rate. It is based on the interest rate charged on US government bonds. Its rate changes day by day. The interest rate of AIIB is variable according to the SOFR," says Shri Krishna Nepal, Joint Secretary and chief of the International Economic Cooperation Coordination Division of the Ministry of Finance. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to Federal Reserve Bank of New York, SOFR has been around 5.5 percent in the last one month. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is a part of the US Federal Reserve System that is authorized to operate open markets and intervene in foreign exchange markets.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"As we are getting loans at subsidized interest rates through other multinational banks, AIIB's interest rate has become expensive for us," said Nepal. According to the Public Debt Management Department, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank charge interest rates of only 0.75 to 1.5 percent on the loans issued to Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">So far, the Government of Nepal has taken only loan from AIIB only once. In December 2019, the bank's board of directors approved a loan of USD 11.23 billion to improve the electricity distribution system in 13 districts of Lumbini and Karnali provinces of Nepal. Before that, AIIB had also provided a grant of USD 1 million to Nepal. Similarly, in June 2019, the AIIB approved a loan of USD 90 million for the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project promoted by the private sector. This 216 MW project is being built by Nepal Water and Energy Development Company. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Joint Secretary Nepal said that the government has not been able to request AIIB to invest in more projects due to the high interest rates. "We have a lot of projects, but we will propose for investment after the interest rate is fixed," he said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In 2016, Nepal urged AIIB to invest in five infrastructure projects. Those include the Power Distribution System Upgrade and Expansion Project to improve the electricity distribution system in Lumbini and Karnali Provinces, Sarada-Babai Hydropower Project, Pokhara-Jomsom Road Improvement Project, Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare Road Construction Project and Urban Infrastructure Improvement for urban infrastructure development of 18 municipalities. Only one of them has received loan from the AIIB so far. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Chinese President Xi Jinping promised to support the Samakhushi-Tokha-Chhare road when he visited Nepal in 2019. Nepal is one of the founding countries of AIIB. During the AIIB delegation’s visit to Nepal, the team met with Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Finance Minister Barshaman Pun, Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and officials of the Federation of Nepal Chamber of Commerce and Industry and said that they are willing to increase investment in Nepal. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">During the meeting, the Nepali officials requested to provide loans at low interest rate. PM Dahal’s personal secretariat informed that since AIIB loans are not available at the market price, Nepal has not been able to get its financial help. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Nepal is reluctant to take foreign loans at market interest rates due to the massive increase in domestic and foreign debt over the years. After witnessing Sri Lanka's economic crisis in 2022, the government has become more aware of taking foreign loans at high interest rates. According to the Public Debt Management Office, Nepal's public debt is 44.29 percent of the GDP as of the second quarter of the current fiscal year. In the year 2071/72, such debt was 25.6 percent compared to the gross domestic product. The Public Debt Management Act, 2079 prohibits borrowing more than one-third of the gross domestic product.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20335', 'image' => '20240331111728_93545bab.jpeg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 11:15:04', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20607', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Project's Tunnel likely to Complete within a Month ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 31: The main tunnel of the Sunkoshi Marin Diversion Multipurpose Project is going to witness a breakthrough within a month. Of the 13.3 km tunnel of this national pride project, only 790 m is left to be completed, according to Mitra Baral, the project chief. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The multi-billion-rupee project aims to provide irrigation facility to five drought-prone districts in Province No 2 and generate 31 megawatt of electricity. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A team comprising Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Sushil Chandra Tiwari and Director General of Department of Hydropower and Irrigation Chandra Bahadur Oli among others made an on-site inspection of the project site at Kusumtar of Kamalamai municipality in Sindhuli district on Saturday.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Minister Basnet, following the on-site visit, assured that there will be no resource crunch for the project to complete on time. "This project is a special priority of the government. We make sure that there will not be any problems of resources in the project," the minister pledged. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Stating that the project had achieved satisfactory progress so far, Minister Basnet instructed all stakeholders to conclude the project within the stipulated time. Earlier on Friday, the team also inspected the dam of the project that is estimated to provide irrigation facility to 122,000 hectares of land in Rautahat, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi and Bara districts. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Project Chief Baral said that if there was no geographical complication in digging the remaining portion of the tunnel, the project will achieve breakthrough within a month.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A Chinese company China Overseas Engineering has been constructing the tunnel while an Indian Company Patel Engineering partnering with Nepal's Raman Group to build the dam of the project. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The project is expected to be completed within mid-October 2027. As a part of the project, 67 cubic metres of water per second would be diverted from the Sunkoshi River to the Bagmati River via Marin Khola of Sindhuli district. ----</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-31', 'modified' => '2024-03-31', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20334', 'image' => '20240331100557_smdmp-home-welcome - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-31 10:04:26', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20605', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Kanchanjunga Area Receives Visitors with the Beginning of Spring Season ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 30: With the beginning of this year's spring season, the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area has started witnessing the inflow of domestic and international tourists. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tourists generally visit the Kanchanjungha site in two seasons in a year for trekking, mountaineering, and other tourism-related activities in Kanchanjungha, the home to the third highest peak in the world.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">In the spring season, the tourists arrive from March to the first week of June. The Kanchanjungha Conservation Area Management Council said that 60 foreigners arrived at Ghunsa area on Wednesday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Tasi Tenzing, an assistant of the council, shared that the hotels along the trekking route have opened with the arrival of tourists. In the first season of this year, 650 foreigners visited the area but the records of the domestic tourists have not been maintained. As many as 439 foreigners visited the Kanchanjungha Conservation Area last year. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Kanchenjunga Conservation Area Management Council, 52 hotels are operating on the trekking route leading to the base camp of Mt Kanchenjunga. Tourism is the main source of income for the communities living in the Kanchenjunga region. -- RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-30', 'modified' => '2024-03-30', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20332', 'image' => '20240330100116_20240307114058_20240102110049_Kanchanjunga SVO (4).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-30 10:00:17', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20604', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Price of Gold Reaches All-Time High of Rs 130,000 Per Tola', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: The price of gold reached an all-time high of Rs 130,000 per tola (11.66 grams) on Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers Association, the price of gold increased by Rs 2,100 on Friday compared to the previous day. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">On Thursday, gold was traded at Rs 127,900 per tola. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The price of gold has been rising steadily in the past few weeks. The federation fixes the price of gold and silver based on the price in the international market. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly, the price of silver has increased by Rs 15 per tola to Rs 1,525. Silver was traded at Rs 1,510 per tola on Wednesday.</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20331', 'image' => '20240329023658_gold newwww.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:35:40', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20603', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'UN says Households Waste 1 Billion Meals a Day', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px">March 29: Households around the world threw away one billion meals every single day in 2022 in what the United Nations on Wednesday called a "global tragedy" of food waste. More than $1 trillion worth of food was binned by households and businesses at a time when nearly 800 million people were going hungry, the UN's latest Food Waste Index Report says. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">It said that more than 1 billion tonnes of food -- almost one fifth of all the produce available on the market -- was wasted in 2022, most of it by households. "Food waste is a global tragedy. Millions will go hungry today as food is wasted across the world," Inger Andersen, executive director of the UN Environment Programme, said in a statement. Such wastage was not just a moral but "environmental failure", the report said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste produces five times the planet-heating emissions of the aviation sector, and requires huge tracts of land be converted for growing crops that are never eaten. The report, co-authored with non-profit organisation WRAP, is just the second on global food waste compiled by the UN and provides the most complete picture to date. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">As data collection has improved the true scale of the problem has become much clearer, said Clementine O'Connor from UNEP. "The more food waste you look for, the more that you find," she told AFP. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>Billion meals binned</strong> </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">The report said that the "billion meals" figure was a "very conservative estimate" and "the real amount could be much higher". "For me, it's just staggering," Richard Swannell from WRAP told AFP. "You could actually feed all the people that are currently hungry in the world -- about 800 million people -- over a meal a day just from the food that is wasted every single year." </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">He said bringing together producers and retailers had helped reduce waste and get food to those who need it, and more such action was needed. Food services like restaurants, canteens and hotels were responsible for 28 percent of all wasted food in 2022, while retail like butchers and greengrocers dumped 12 percent. But the biggest culprits were households, which accounted for 60 percent -- some 631 million tonnes. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Swannell said much of this occurred because people were simply buying more food than they needed, but also misjudging portion sizes and not eating leftovers. Another issue was expiration dates, he said, with perfectly good produce being trashed because people incorrectly assumed their food had gone off. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">A lot of food, particularly in the developing world, was not so frivolously wasted, but instead lost in transportation or spoiling because of a lack of refrigeration, the report said. Contrary to popular belief, food waste is not just a "rich country" problem and can be observed across the world, the report said. Hotter countries, too, generated more waste, possibly due to higher consumption of fresh foods with substantial inedible parts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><strong>'Devastating effects' </strong></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Businesses also underestimate the cost of wasting food to their bottom line because it was cheap to dump unused produce in landfill. "It's quicker and easier to throw it away at the moment because the waste fee is either zero or very low," O'Connor said. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">Food waste had "devastating effects" on people and the planet, the report said. Converting natural ecosystems for agriculture is a leading cause of habitat loss yet food waste takes up the equivalent of nearly 30 percent of the world's farming land, the report said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If we can reduce food waste across the entire of the supply chain, we can... minimise the need to have land set aside that's growing stuff that's never used," Swannell said. It is also a key driver of climate change, generating up to 10 percent of annual greenhouse gas emissions. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px">"If food waste was a country, it would be the third biggest emitter of greenhouse gas emissions on the planet behind the US and China," Swannell said. But people rarely think about it, he said, despite the opportunity to "reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our greenhouse gas emissions, and save money, simply by making better use of the food that we're already buying". – AFP/RSS</span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-29', 'modified' => '2024-03-29', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20330', 'image' => '20240329021647_arrangement-compost-made-rotten-food-with-copy-space.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-29 14:14:27', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = false $xml = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
| Currency | Unit |
Buy | Sell |
| U.S. Dollar | 1 | 121.23 | 121.83 |
| European Euro | 1 | 131.65 | 132.31 |
| UK Pound Sterling | 1 | 142.47 | 143.18 |
| Swiss Franc | 1 | 124.29 | 124.90 |
| Australian Dollar | 1 | 71.69 | 72.05 |
| Canadian Dollar | 1 | 83.90 | 84.32 |
| Japanese Yen | 10 | 10.94 | 11.00 |
| Chinese Yuan | 1 | 17.17 | 17.26 |
| Saudi Arabian Riyal | 1 | 32.27 | 32.43 |
| UAE Dirham | 1 | 33.01 | 33.17 |
| Malaysian Ringgit | 1 | 27.36 | 27.50 |
| South Korean Won | 100 | 9.77 | 9.82 |
Update: 2020-03-25 | Source: Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB)
| Fine Gold | 1 tola | 77000.00 |
| Tejabi Gold | 1 tola | 76700.00 |
| Silver | 1 tola | 720.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
Source: Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association
| Petrol | 1 Liter | 106.00 |
| Diesel | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| Kerosene | 1 Liter | 95.00 |
| LP Gas | 1 Cylinder | 1375.00 |
Update : 2020-03-25
