March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a…
March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a…
March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based…
March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price.…
March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course…
March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit…
March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a…
March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not…
Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing…
March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads.…
March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an…
March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent…
March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim…
March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade…
March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist…
March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan…
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20406', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Announces Komorebi as the Official Clothing Partner of Nepal for Paris Olympics', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Nilendra Raj Shrestha, NOC Secretary General, and Daniel Valetin, CEO for Komorebi, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">As per the agreement, Komorebi will provide sports dress to the members of the Nepalese team who will participate in the Paris Olympics.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to NOC, the partnership deal will last for four years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Komorebi will also provide uniforms to the Nepali team for competitions held under the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia, the NOC added. These include Summer and Winter Olympics, Summer and Winter Asian Games, Summer and Winter Youth Olympics, Asian Beach Games and South Asian Games.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Upon the request of NOC, the Nepali players will be allowed to use the logos of other institutes on the uniforms provided by Komorebi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha and Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya were also present at the signing ceremony held at the NOC headquarters in Satdobato.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On that occasion, NOC President Shrestha said that this contract has added a new dimension to Nepali sports.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20133', 'image' => '20240304075739_423568589_1060557795244206_314829715368749780_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 19:56:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20405', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SSF Collects Rs 51 Billion in Five Years', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of Sunday, the SSF has collected Rs 50.84 billion from the contributors and employers listed in the fund. The fund has increased investment in various sectors according to its policy to diversify investment. According to social security fund investment procedures, the fund has invested in fixed deposits, shares, debentures, treasury bills, capital market, mutual funds, etc.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A large part of the accumulated amount is kept by the fund in the fixed deposit accounts of the banks. The fund earns 9 percent interest from the amount kept as fixed deposits. Banks can invest that amount according to their preference. SSF officials claim that this will help eliminate liquidity shortages in the market from time to time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The fund is investing rapidly in development bonds as well. The fund is also giving loans to the contributors. Contributors are given special loans based on the contribution amount in addition to housing grants for housing construction, and educational grants to support the development of human capital. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF Spokesperson Bibek Panthi informed New Business Age that the funds collected are being invested in various sectors and mobilized for the benefit of the contributors to achieve high, sustainable and assured returns. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">There is a provision that the SSF can invest in large projects, but so far it has not been able to invest in such projects. According to Panthi, it is currently under study. SSF officials believe that there is a little 'risk' in investing in such projects. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Targeting private sector workers, the then KP Sharma Oli-led government had formally announced the launch of contribution-based social security fund on November 27, 2018. The SSF started collecting money from the contributors from the beginning of the next fiscal year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">1,170,000 contributors join SSF</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of March 2, a total of 18,731 employers and 1,170,838 contributors have joined the SSF. The largest number of contributors is the Nepali migrant workers who go for foreign employment. The number of such contributors stands at 686,192. The SSF informed that 74 contributors are self-employed, which is the least among all groups. According to the fund, there are 484450 contributors from the formal sector and 122 workers from the informal sector who joined the SSF. Since it is a mandatory to join the SSF before getting a work permit for foreign employment, every person who goes abroad has joined the state-sponsored scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, officials say that the number of Nepalis who go abroad and continue contributing to the fund has not increased. Those who go for foreign employment must deposit Rs 2300 to the fund before getting a work permit. The self-employed must contribute 31 percent of the minimum wage to the fund. However, those contributing to the fund from overseas is not encouraging.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Increasing claim payments</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF informed that it has settled claims of more than Rs 7.72 billion made by 1.5 million contributors under four different schemes, namely medical treatment, health and maternity plan, accident and disability protection plan, dependent family protection plan and old age protection plan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Out of the amount collected in the fund, Rs 923.15 million have been paid to 54910 people for medical treatment, health and maternity schemes. Similarly, Rs 108.76 million have been paid to 2826 people under accident and disability protection scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, Rs 126.85 million have been paid to 461 people under the dependent family protection scheme. According to the fund, Rs 6.56 billion have been paid to more than 70,000 people under the Old Age Protection Scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the fund, the process of revising the procedure has been advanced to include the families of the contributors under medical treatment. Officials said that a decision will be made within the next week.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20132', 'image' => '20240304041519_SSF (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 16:14:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20404', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fulfillment of the Demands of Agitating Indian Farmers means Price Hike in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. Dozens of farmers and security personnel have been injured as the Indian government tried to quell the protest raised by thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions who are marching to New Delhi for protest. Farmers say that the protest that started on February 13 will continue until the demand is met. United Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the movement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the government implements the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, the farmers will be guaranteed to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi at the specified minimum price. This will double the income of Indian farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Lok Sabha elections are going to be held in India within the next three months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gearing up for his third term. Experts have estimated that the demands of the farmers may be met to some extent as the agitation that broke out at this time has caused embarrassment to the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the Government of India sets the MSP for some agricultural products as suggested by the Swaminathan Report and guarantees that the farmers will be able to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale markets, it will have an impact on the Nepalese market and consumers as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Government of India is currently guaranteeing support prices for certain crops, but it has kept many crops out of it. Farmers have been demanding that minimum prices should be set for all crops.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural economist Shalikram Bhattarai says that it seems that the Indian government might address some of the demands of the farmers due to the inconvenience caused to the government by the protesting farmers in the run-up to the elections. If that happens, the farmers' products will be sold directly in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi. As a result, the Indian government will start selling such goods at a high price and it will become difficult to import them to Nepal. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“It seems that the price may increase in the Nepali market," said Bhattarai, adding, "At present, Nepali importers buy agricultural products from the open market while importing agricultural products from India. Currently, Indian products are cheaper than domestic products in Nepal. Even if the farmer's movement is only partially successful, the situation may be different.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Indian government’s data, only 6 percent of the total farmers are able to sell their produce at the minimum support price. Because of this, more than 10 farmers commit suicide every day in India, unable to bear the burden of loans taken from banks and financial institutions. To get rid of this situation, the farmers have started a movement demanding MSP. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farmers have demanded that their loans should be waived, India should quit the World Trade Organization (WTO). They have also put forward demands such as re-implementation of land acquisition law, increasing the compensation currently fixed by the government, implementing a pension program for farmers among others.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Sabnam Sivakoti, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, says that the impact of the farmers' movement in Nepal will be determined by how the Indian government addresses the demands of the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Even if the government meets the demands of the farmers to some extent, the government will purchase agricultural produce at a price higher than the cost price of the farmers. As a result, the price of agricultural produce in India may increase and it may also result in an increase in the prices in the Nepalese market,'' she said, adding that it may also affect imports. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In such a situation, it is important for us to focus on increasing the production in the country rather than importing agricultural products at high prices from neighbouring India.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">What is the Swaminathan Report?</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, who is known as the father of Green Revolution in India, is famous as a person who worked for reforms in the agricultural sector. The then Congress government of India formed the National Farmers' Commission in 2004 under his chairmanship. The report of the commission is known by his name.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The commission submitted its report to the Government of India in 2006 after two years. Swaminathan recommended several suggestions in his report focusing on raising the living standard of the farmers. The suggestions include fixing the minimum support price of agricultural produce. Swaminathan recommended that a minimum support price should be set for each crop and that price should be more than 50 percent of the average cost. Swaminathan's report was submitted almost two decades ago, but it has not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20131', 'image' => '20240304034227_indi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 15:41:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20403', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Maoist Centre Forges Alliance with UML for Leftist Unity', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction, claimed CPN (Maoist Centre) Secretary Devendra Paudel.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">He made this claim after the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) ditched its coalition partner Nepali Congress and took on board the CPN-UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Talking to media persons after the office-bearers' meeting of the party held at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar on Monday, Paudel said this proactive measure was taken to forestall any potential weakening of the communist stance. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"It is the desire of the Nepali people to see communist parties becoming united," the state-owned RSS quoted Paudel as saying.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">According to Paudel, the party meeting discussed about moving ahead by correcting the past mistakes and weaknesses. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"If there is an obstacle in the political journey, a new chapter starts. This is not a new topic," he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Paudel, the Maoist Centre’s secretary, said that the Socialist Front Nepal will get continuity even with the formation of a new alliance together with the CPN (UML). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"The main leaders of the constituent parties in the Socialist Front are also communists. We will move ahead taking all the parties in the Front together," leader Paudel said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20130', 'image' => '20240304013509_RSS-Image.001.JPG', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:34:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20402', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Share Market Transactions Suspended Today after Three Circuit Breaks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The shift in power of the ruling alliance was seen in the stock market on Monday (today).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The first circuit break occurred after the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">4</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">79</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points within </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes of the start of trading.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Twenty minutes later, the second circuit break took place after an increase of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percentage point, i.e. </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">98</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points. Trading was suspended for </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">40</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes after the second circuit break.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">After the third circuit break in the market which opened at </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12:04</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> PM, trading was suspended for today.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Overall, the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">6 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">117 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points today. Along with this, the NEPSE index has rose to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2078 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20129', 'image' => '20240304010825_share-ipo.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:07:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20401', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Investigation of a Cooperative Led to the Arrest of a Banker:NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the central bank has also coordinated with the police in this matter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"The police will investigate if banking crimes were committed," he said, adding, "The police investigated a cooperative. While investigating the case, it led to the arrest of the bank employees.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Although it seems like the police arrested the banker all of a sudden, the NRB Governor said that they had been investigating this matter for a long time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif""> As the investigation reached its final stage, the police arrested the banker. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, the central bank will assist in the investigation conducted by the government agencies, but there is no need to panic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that various groups with vested interest have been attacking bank employees of late and warned that this will cause problems to the entire banking system</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">If such activities are not stopped, the demand and flow of loans will not be as expected, the NRB Governor warned.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20128', 'image' => '20240304120025_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:59:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20400', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Governor Assures Depositors their Funds are Secure in Banks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He also claimed that the situation of Nepal's banks and financial institutions is the safest and most transparent in South Asia.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"All the banks are safe at present and people's deposits are safe," said the Governor Adhikari at the finance committee meeting of the House of Representatives on Sunday. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the governor, the banks of Nepal are safe as the core capital of banks is above 8 percent. Stating that there is a need to increase the capital to increase the loan portfolio, the governor presented the fact that banks have Rs 600 billion of liquidity for investment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He informed the committee members that the bad loans (NPL) of the banks have reached 3.40 percent, saying that the credit quality of the banks has decreased recently. According to Governor Adhikari, the overall market conditions, the slump in the economy, reduction in repayment and the market rumors that the debtors do not need to pay bank loans have resulted in the increase in bad loans.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, there is no need to worry because banks have three times more liquid assets than the deposits saved by the depositors. He said that even if there are some difficulties due to the internal situation of some banks, they will be resolved.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20127', 'image' => '20240304112309_maha.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:22:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20399', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Snowfall Obstructs Nagma-Gamgadhi Road ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">March 3: Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The road section has been blocked again by snow as it started to snow in the high-altitude areas and to rain in the low-lying valleys since Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Outbound vehicles from Mugu and the in-bound ones from outside districts have been stranded due to the blockage of the road.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Snow has accumulated at Jhadnaula, Satmod, Ghuchchi Lek, Siptichaur and Bulbule on the Mugu-Jumla border, blocking the road, said Dipendra Bista, the Chief of the Road Division Office, Jumla. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The snow will be cleared from the road with excavator and the workers as the weather starts improving. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Issuing a public notice, the Office has urged people to refrain from traveling on this section of the Karnali highway except emergency cases and to travel in such case only by adopting safety measures. (RSS) </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20126', 'image' => '20240303052919_collage (6).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 17:28:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20398', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three New Trekking Routes Identified in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. As the dust makes it difficult for trekkers to travel on the usual routes, tourists have been demanding a route where they can enjoy nature without any disturbance. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) believes that the three new routes will help to increase the arrival of tourists as well as to prolong their stay. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking routes identified by ACAP include the routes connecting Lupra and Muktinath, Thini and Tilicho Lake as well as Kokhethati and Dhumbatal via Sirkung, Sauru, Chokhopani and Chimang.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">ACAP Ranger Sanjok Thakali said infrastructure construction, publicity and promotion have been started accordingly.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The old trekking routes have been displaced due to Beni-Jomsom and Jomsom-Kagbeni-Muktinath roads. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Trekking Guide Hari Nepali from Lete, Mustang, said that the number of foreign tourists coming for trekking in Mustang has decreased after the construction of the road in the district. However, the arrival of domestic and Indian tourists has increased. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to ACAP Jomsom, 29.12 percent of foreign tourists visited Mustang in 2022, but in 2023 that number decreased to 19.20 percent. In 2023, a total of 90,365 tourists arrived in Mustang which included 18,166 from the third countries and 72,190 from SAARC countries, said Pramodraj Regmi, head of ACAP Jomsom. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">An entry fee of Rs 1,000 per person has been set for SAARC countries and Rs 3,000 per person for visitors from other countries visiting the ACAP area, which includes Lamjung, Kaski, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi districts of Gandaki Province. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20125', 'image' => '20240303034428_tilicho-lake-g1b88af4af_1920.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:43:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20397', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Onset of Pre-Monsoon Spell Brings Rainfall and Snow', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end. The winter this time was less cold and brought little rainfall than estimated. Although the pre-monsoon period started from last Friday, it will take some days more for the pre-monsoon to become fully active, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Today's cloudy weather is the first such case after the onset of the pre-monsoon period, sad Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division. He said the recent cloudy weather is mainly due to the Westerly wind and the moisture-laden wind from the Arabian Sea. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to him, the weather is much cloudy in Lumbini, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali provinces while it is less cloudy in the Sudurpaschim, Koshi and Madhes provinces at present. He further said the latter provinces will also witness cloudy conditions as the clouds have been advancing towards these provinces. This trend will increase until tonight and the weather will improve gradually from tomorrow. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Meteorologist Lamichhane shared that the western region will witness more cloudy condition tonight. Kathmandu is receiving light rainfall since today morning while snowfall has been reported in Humla and other high-altitude areas of the country</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The winter this year lasted from November 2, 2023 to February 29, 2024. Although the winter is gone, the influence of Westerly wind still remains, according to the division. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20124', 'image' => '20240303032719_DaneBohara_SimkotHumla_RSS_20_IMG_20240303_080358_091(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:26:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20396', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepal Ranks 150th in AI Readiness Index', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study. A report published by the Oxford Insights shows the US in first position with 84.80 total score, while Singapore is second in the index with a total score of 81.97.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepal has got a total score of 30.77. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the Index, the total score is calculated from three bases- government pillar, technology sector pillar, and data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">With a total score of 30.77, Nepal has achieved 31.04 in government pillar, 24.21 in technology sector pillar, and 37.06 in data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the previous year, 2022, Nepal had secured 139th position out of 181 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index. The total score was 30.75 where Nepal got 30.88 marks under government pillar, 23.50 marks under technology sector pillar, and 37.88 marks under the data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Afghanistan was ranked at the bottom (181st rank) with a 13.46 total score in 2022, while the Democratic Republic of Korea is at the bottom (193rd) with a total score 9.20 in 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">India is ranked 40th while China is 16th in 2023, while they were ranked 32nd and 17th respectively in 2022.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The three pillars were analyzed by setting different dimensions. Under the government pillar, there were four dimensions – vision, governance and ethic, digital capacity, and adaptability. Similarly, the technology sector pillar comprised three dimensions – maturity, innovation capacity, and human capital. The third pillar, data and infrastructure, has also included three dimensions – infrastructure, data availability and data representativeness. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 39 indicators were set for 10 dimensions under three pillars. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report collected data from various sources, including OECD AI Policy Observatory, UN IDIR AI policy portal, Global Cybersecurity Index, Worldwide Governance indicators, UN e-Government Survey, Network Readiness Index, International Telecommunications Union, and the World Bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Index has mentioned the developments relating to AI in all sorts of countries ranging from LDCs to emerging economies to the developed ones.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong><em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Persisting global digital divide </span></em></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the finding, the report stated, "Half of the AI strategies that were published or announced come from low and lower middle-income countries. The scores in the Data and Infrastructure pillar show a substantial difference between high and low-income economies, illustrating an existing global digital divide."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">At a time when most of the countries are swayed by the modern buzz, AI, and striving to both promote and regulate AI irrespective of their capacities, the Index is expected to cater relevant knowledge to the government, private sector and researchers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Oxford Insights is a UK-based organization working around the intersection of technology and government and generating global scale study reports. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20123', 'image' => '20240303093044_Artificial-intelligence--scaled.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:30:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20395', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'EU Supports Sustainable Coffee Farming in Sudurpashchim ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is jointly organized by the European Union Trade and Investment Programme under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), National Tea and Coffee Development Board, and Shikhar Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training that kicked off on Friday encompasses practical learning experiences, providing farmers with practical insights into modern techniques of coffee nursery development and plantation. The training sessions are mainly aimed at introducing potential coffee farmers to basic techniques of coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Acknowledging the significant potential for coffee cultivation in the district, two-day hands-on training programme commenced on Friday, aimed at acquainting farmers with the scientific methods integral to coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event featured the planting of 120 Arabica coffee saplings, serving as a tangible demonstration of contemporary approaches to coffee cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 30 farmers including 15 women, are took part in the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is expected to be instrumental in promoting scientific, sustainable, and commercially viability of coffee production at the local level forging effective coordination and collaboration with local governments and relevant stakeholders in the district. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As the nation transitions into a federal system, these collaborative endeavors are anticipated to yield substantial benefits for farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in coffee cultivation, strengthening their participation in the coffee value chain. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Bishna Bhat, a female participant, from Shikhar Municipality of Doti, conveyed her excitement regarding the prospects offered by this capacity-building initiative and outlined her desire to expand her coffee farming pursuits by judiciously applying the new-found knowledge gained from the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Sunita Rawal, Deputy Mayor of Shikhar Municipality underscored the imperative of collaboration among all state institutions and the private sector to realize the objective of sustainable coffee production and enhanced productivity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Rawal also emphasized the need to ensure markets for locally produced coffee to inspire farmers to expand coffee plantations through more investment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Stating that Nepali coffee is enjoying impressive demands in domestic and international markets, Bhakta Raj Joshi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Mim Hamal, Senior Program Manager of European Union Delegation office, and Dr. Badri Prasad Bastakoti, an expert from EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme, and leading farmer Amar Bahadur Shahi underscored the necessity of expanding modern and sustainable farming techniques to strengthen supply capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the fiscal year 2022/23, Nepal exported 77 tons and imported 450 tons of coffee. Nepal holds the potential of coffee farming in around 1.2 million hectares of land. According to the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, coffee plantations across the country have covered over 3655 hectares, producing around 400 tons during the review year. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20122', 'image' => '20240303092946_20231126015710_20221202013732_1669933354.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:29:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20394', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'WTO Talks End with no Major Win, Throwing Trade Body into 'Crisis'', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The outcomes of the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi highlighted the sharp divisions between the body´s 164 members amid geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds that are threatening global commerce.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The WTO needed a good crisis and perhaps this will lead to a realisation that we cannot continue like this," said a senior European Union official participating in the talks.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members," said Al Zeyoudi, who also serves as the UAE's foreign trade minister.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">For her part, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the talks came up "against an international backdrop marked by greater uncertainty than at any time I can remember".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We have achieved some important things and we have not managed to complete others," she said, while insisting that the "glass was half full".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The WTO, the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations, requires full consensus from all members to chalk up deals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It was hoping the MC13 would replicate the landmark success of its 2022 ministerial in Geneva, which yielded a deal on fisheries and saw members agree to restore a now-defunct dispute settlement system by the end of this year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But the latest ministerial fell short of that objective.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The unexpected weakness of the overall (MC13) package should... serve as a wake-up call," the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong>'Bogged down'</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After a 2022 deal that banned subsidies contributing to illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing, the WTO was hoping to conclude a second package focusing on subsidies that result in overcapacity and overfishing.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Negotiations in recent months at the WTO headquarters in Geneva had enabled a draft text to be brought forward for a second fisheries deal, which provided flexibility and advantages for developing countries.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But some -- notably India -- demanded further concessions, including transition periods that others consider to be too long.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">At MC13, a revised draft fisheries agreement faced strong objections from New Delhi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"There was basically just one country that was blocking the deal," said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, without specifying which member.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Richard Ouellet of Canada's University of Laval said "consensus, which was once the cement of this organisation, has now become the mud in which it is bogged down".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">- Emirati sway -</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">With farmer protests sweeping Europe and India, agriculture agreements also emerged as a particularly sensitive topic of debate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Member states were trying to negotiate a text listing the subjects that merit further discussion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">An agriculture package, however, was hampered by a firm demand by India for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves to replace temporary measures adopted by the WTO.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's insistence on a permanent solution for public stockholding was "impossible to bridge", Dombrovskis said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Despite failing on agriculture and fisheries, the WTO managed to temporarily salvage a moratorium on customs duties for digital transmissions that was extended for another two years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It faced a particularly strong challenge at MC13, with countries led by India and South Africa arguing that it harms customs revenues.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Friday that he allowed the extension to pass "out of respect" to the conference's Emirati chair, whom he called a "good friend".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">However, the moratorium, which has been regularly extended since 1998, is set to definitively expire on March 31, 2026, with no chance of an extension, Iweala said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I think that the membership has agreed... on very firm dates for its conclusion," she said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I have to abide by what the membership has just decided."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On dispute settlement reform, the final outcome mainly reiterated the commitment made at MC12 to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system in place by 2024.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Washington, under former President Donald Trump, brought the system to a grinding halt in 2019 by blocking the appointment of new judges to the WTO's appeals court, the organisation's highest dispute settlement authority.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We wished for more progress on the question of appeal... but we were not able to move forward as fast as we wanted," Dombrovskis said. – AFP/RSS</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20121', 'image' => '20240303092754_mc1302032024_lg.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:27:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20393', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourist Increased by 33 Percent in February', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), as many as 97,426 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal via air in the month of February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The number of foreign visitors who entered Nepal in February 2024 is 33 percent more compared to February 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The figure is 95 percent of the arrivals in the year 2019 when highest number of tourists visited Nepal before the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">According to the NTB, a total of 73,255 foreign tourists had visited Nepal in February 2023. NTB officials say that tourists mostly visit Nepal in March, April and May for trekking when the weather is favourable.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">In February 2019, altogether 102,423 foreign tourists had entered Nepal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Tourists from neighbouring India comprised the largest share of foreign arrivals in Nepal in February, with 25,578 Indian guests arriving in the country. Following Indians, the next largest group was Chinese tourists at 9,180. American tourists also made a significant contribution with 9,089 US citizens visiting Nepal in February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The NTB data also shows that tourists from Thailand (4,799), the United Kingdom (4,571), Bangladesh (4,099), Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, and Germany contributed to the total tourist arrivals. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20120', 'image' => '20240303092226_gvtrek_comxfish.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:21:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20392', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector Shows Concern Over Bankers' Arrest ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Noting that it was serious to arrest employees of the banks and financial institutions in regard to the loan given on the basis of collateral assessment, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have expressed their concerns over the action. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police apprehended 10 bankers, including Acting Chief Executive Officer of Prabhu Bank Manoj Neupane and former CEO of Century Commercial Bank Tulasi Gautam, last Tuesday on charges of disbursing loans exceeding the assessed value of the collateral.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The private sector said the recent incident has seriously affected the professionalism of the banking sector as a whole. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"People who are not directly involved in any of the incidents of banks and financial institutions but working in accordance with the existing legal system, policies and directives of the regulatory bodies have been undermined despite their good intentions merely for signing documents in their capacity," the statement said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the private sector, banks and financial institutions are engaged in deposit collection and loan investment adhering to the existing acts and directives issued by the central bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the case of commercial loans, different types of loans are disbursed towards fixed capital and current capital depending on the nature of business, according to the statement of the umbrella organizations of the private sector. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20119', 'image' => '20240303085152_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 08:51:24', '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
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/indexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20406', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Announces Komorebi as the Official Clothing Partner of Nepal for Paris Olympics', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Nilendra Raj Shrestha, NOC Secretary General, and Daniel Valetin, CEO for Komorebi, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">As per the agreement, Komorebi will provide sports dress to the members of the Nepalese team who will participate in the Paris Olympics.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to NOC, the partnership deal will last for four years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Komorebi will also provide uniforms to the Nepali team for competitions held under the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia, the NOC added. These include Summer and Winter Olympics, Summer and Winter Asian Games, Summer and Winter Youth Olympics, Asian Beach Games and South Asian Games.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Upon the request of NOC, the Nepali players will be allowed to use the logos of other institutes on the uniforms provided by Komorebi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha and Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya were also present at the signing ceremony held at the NOC headquarters in Satdobato.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On that occasion, NOC President Shrestha said that this contract has added a new dimension to Nepali sports.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20133', 'image' => '20240304075739_423568589_1060557795244206_314829715368749780_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 19:56:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20405', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SSF Collects Rs 51 Billion in Five Years', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of Sunday, the SSF has collected Rs 50.84 billion from the contributors and employers listed in the fund. The fund has increased investment in various sectors according to its policy to diversify investment. According to social security fund investment procedures, the fund has invested in fixed deposits, shares, debentures, treasury bills, capital market, mutual funds, etc.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A large part of the accumulated amount is kept by the fund in the fixed deposit accounts of the banks. The fund earns 9 percent interest from the amount kept as fixed deposits. Banks can invest that amount according to their preference. SSF officials claim that this will help eliminate liquidity shortages in the market from time to time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The fund is investing rapidly in development bonds as well. The fund is also giving loans to the contributors. Contributors are given special loans based on the contribution amount in addition to housing grants for housing construction, and educational grants to support the development of human capital. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF Spokesperson Bibek Panthi informed New Business Age that the funds collected are being invested in various sectors and mobilized for the benefit of the contributors to achieve high, sustainable and assured returns. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">There is a provision that the SSF can invest in large projects, but so far it has not been able to invest in such projects. According to Panthi, it is currently under study. SSF officials believe that there is a little 'risk' in investing in such projects. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Targeting private sector workers, the then KP Sharma Oli-led government had formally announced the launch of contribution-based social security fund on November 27, 2018. The SSF started collecting money from the contributors from the beginning of the next fiscal year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">1,170,000 contributors join SSF</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of March 2, a total of 18,731 employers and 1,170,838 contributors have joined the SSF. The largest number of contributors is the Nepali migrant workers who go for foreign employment. The number of such contributors stands at 686,192. The SSF informed that 74 contributors are self-employed, which is the least among all groups. According to the fund, there are 484450 contributors from the formal sector and 122 workers from the informal sector who joined the SSF. Since it is a mandatory to join the SSF before getting a work permit for foreign employment, every person who goes abroad has joined the state-sponsored scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, officials say that the number of Nepalis who go abroad and continue contributing to the fund has not increased. Those who go for foreign employment must deposit Rs 2300 to the fund before getting a work permit. The self-employed must contribute 31 percent of the minimum wage to the fund. However, those contributing to the fund from overseas is not encouraging.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Increasing claim payments</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF informed that it has settled claims of more than Rs 7.72 billion made by 1.5 million contributors under four different schemes, namely medical treatment, health and maternity plan, accident and disability protection plan, dependent family protection plan and old age protection plan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Out of the amount collected in the fund, Rs 923.15 million have been paid to 54910 people for medical treatment, health and maternity schemes. Similarly, Rs 108.76 million have been paid to 2826 people under accident and disability protection scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, Rs 126.85 million have been paid to 461 people under the dependent family protection scheme. According to the fund, Rs 6.56 billion have been paid to more than 70,000 people under the Old Age Protection Scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the fund, the process of revising the procedure has been advanced to include the families of the contributors under medical treatment. Officials said that a decision will be made within the next week.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20132', 'image' => '20240304041519_SSF (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 16:14:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20404', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fulfillment of the Demands of Agitating Indian Farmers means Price Hike in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. Dozens of farmers and security personnel have been injured as the Indian government tried to quell the protest raised by thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions who are marching to New Delhi for protest. Farmers say that the protest that started on February 13 will continue until the demand is met. United Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the movement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the government implements the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, the farmers will be guaranteed to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi at the specified minimum price. This will double the income of Indian farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Lok Sabha elections are going to be held in India within the next three months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gearing up for his third term. Experts have estimated that the demands of the farmers may be met to some extent as the agitation that broke out at this time has caused embarrassment to the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the Government of India sets the MSP for some agricultural products as suggested by the Swaminathan Report and guarantees that the farmers will be able to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale markets, it will have an impact on the Nepalese market and consumers as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Government of India is currently guaranteeing support prices for certain crops, but it has kept many crops out of it. Farmers have been demanding that minimum prices should be set for all crops.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural economist Shalikram Bhattarai says that it seems that the Indian government might address some of the demands of the farmers due to the inconvenience caused to the government by the protesting farmers in the run-up to the elections. If that happens, the farmers' products will be sold directly in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi. As a result, the Indian government will start selling such goods at a high price and it will become difficult to import them to Nepal. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“It seems that the price may increase in the Nepali market," said Bhattarai, adding, "At present, Nepali importers buy agricultural products from the open market while importing agricultural products from India. Currently, Indian products are cheaper than domestic products in Nepal. Even if the farmer's movement is only partially successful, the situation may be different.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Indian government’s data, only 6 percent of the total farmers are able to sell their produce at the minimum support price. Because of this, more than 10 farmers commit suicide every day in India, unable to bear the burden of loans taken from banks and financial institutions. To get rid of this situation, the farmers have started a movement demanding MSP. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farmers have demanded that their loans should be waived, India should quit the World Trade Organization (WTO). They have also put forward demands such as re-implementation of land acquisition law, increasing the compensation currently fixed by the government, implementing a pension program for farmers among others.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Sabnam Sivakoti, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, says that the impact of the farmers' movement in Nepal will be determined by how the Indian government addresses the demands of the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Even if the government meets the demands of the farmers to some extent, the government will purchase agricultural produce at a price higher than the cost price of the farmers. As a result, the price of agricultural produce in India may increase and it may also result in an increase in the prices in the Nepalese market,'' she said, adding that it may also affect imports. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In such a situation, it is important for us to focus on increasing the production in the country rather than importing agricultural products at high prices from neighbouring India.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">What is the Swaminathan Report?</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, who is known as the father of Green Revolution in India, is famous as a person who worked for reforms in the agricultural sector. The then Congress government of India formed the National Farmers' Commission in 2004 under his chairmanship. The report of the commission is known by his name.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The commission submitted its report to the Government of India in 2006 after two years. Swaminathan recommended several suggestions in his report focusing on raising the living standard of the farmers. The suggestions include fixing the minimum support price of agricultural produce. Swaminathan recommended that a minimum support price should be set for each crop and that price should be more than 50 percent of the average cost. Swaminathan's report was submitted almost two decades ago, but it has not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20131', 'image' => '20240304034227_indi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 15:41:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20403', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Maoist Centre Forges Alliance with UML for Leftist Unity', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction, claimed CPN (Maoist Centre) Secretary Devendra Paudel.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">He made this claim after the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) ditched its coalition partner Nepali Congress and took on board the CPN-UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Talking to media persons after the office-bearers' meeting of the party held at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar on Monday, Paudel said this proactive measure was taken to forestall any potential weakening of the communist stance. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"It is the desire of the Nepali people to see communist parties becoming united," the state-owned RSS quoted Paudel as saying.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">According to Paudel, the party meeting discussed about moving ahead by correcting the past mistakes and weaknesses. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"If there is an obstacle in the political journey, a new chapter starts. This is not a new topic," he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Paudel, the Maoist Centre’s secretary, said that the Socialist Front Nepal will get continuity even with the formation of a new alliance together with the CPN (UML). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"The main leaders of the constituent parties in the Socialist Front are also communists. We will move ahead taking all the parties in the Front together," leader Paudel said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20130', 'image' => '20240304013509_RSS-Image.001.JPG', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:34:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20402', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Share Market Transactions Suspended Today after Three Circuit Breaks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The shift in power of the ruling alliance was seen in the stock market on Monday (today).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The first circuit break occurred after the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">4</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">79</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points within </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes of the start of trading.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Twenty minutes later, the second circuit break took place after an increase of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percentage point, i.e. </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">98</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points. Trading was suspended for </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">40</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes after the second circuit break.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">After the third circuit break in the market which opened at </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12:04</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> PM, trading was suspended for today.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Overall, the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">6 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">117 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points today. Along with this, the NEPSE index has rose to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2078 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20129', 'image' => '20240304010825_share-ipo.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:07:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20401', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Investigation of a Cooperative Led to the Arrest of a Banker:NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the central bank has also coordinated with the police in this matter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"The police will investigate if banking crimes were committed," he said, adding, "The police investigated a cooperative. While investigating the case, it led to the arrest of the bank employees.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Although it seems like the police arrested the banker all of a sudden, the NRB Governor said that they had been investigating this matter for a long time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif""> As the investigation reached its final stage, the police arrested the banker. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, the central bank will assist in the investigation conducted by the government agencies, but there is no need to panic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that various groups with vested interest have been attacking bank employees of late and warned that this will cause problems to the entire banking system</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">If such activities are not stopped, the demand and flow of loans will not be as expected, the NRB Governor warned.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20128', 'image' => '20240304120025_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:59:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20400', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Governor Assures Depositors their Funds are Secure in Banks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He also claimed that the situation of Nepal's banks and financial institutions is the safest and most transparent in South Asia.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"All the banks are safe at present and people's deposits are safe," said the Governor Adhikari at the finance committee meeting of the House of Representatives on Sunday. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the governor, the banks of Nepal are safe as the core capital of banks is above 8 percent. Stating that there is a need to increase the capital to increase the loan portfolio, the governor presented the fact that banks have Rs 600 billion of liquidity for investment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He informed the committee members that the bad loans (NPL) of the banks have reached 3.40 percent, saying that the credit quality of the banks has decreased recently. According to Governor Adhikari, the overall market conditions, the slump in the economy, reduction in repayment and the market rumors that the debtors do not need to pay bank loans have resulted in the increase in bad loans.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, there is no need to worry because banks have three times more liquid assets than the deposits saved by the depositors. He said that even if there are some difficulties due to the internal situation of some banks, they will be resolved.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20127', 'image' => '20240304112309_maha.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:22:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20399', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Snowfall Obstructs Nagma-Gamgadhi Road ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">March 3: Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The road section has been blocked again by snow as it started to snow in the high-altitude areas and to rain in the low-lying valleys since Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Outbound vehicles from Mugu and the in-bound ones from outside districts have been stranded due to the blockage of the road.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Snow has accumulated at Jhadnaula, Satmod, Ghuchchi Lek, Siptichaur and Bulbule on the Mugu-Jumla border, blocking the road, said Dipendra Bista, the Chief of the Road Division Office, Jumla. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The snow will be cleared from the road with excavator and the workers as the weather starts improving. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Issuing a public notice, the Office has urged people to refrain from traveling on this section of the Karnali highway except emergency cases and to travel in such case only by adopting safety measures. (RSS) </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20126', 'image' => '20240303052919_collage (6).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 17:28:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20398', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three New Trekking Routes Identified in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. As the dust makes it difficult for trekkers to travel on the usual routes, tourists have been demanding a route where they can enjoy nature without any disturbance. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) believes that the three new routes will help to increase the arrival of tourists as well as to prolong their stay. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking routes identified by ACAP include the routes connecting Lupra and Muktinath, Thini and Tilicho Lake as well as Kokhethati and Dhumbatal via Sirkung, Sauru, Chokhopani and Chimang.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">ACAP Ranger Sanjok Thakali said infrastructure construction, publicity and promotion have been started accordingly.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The old trekking routes have been displaced due to Beni-Jomsom and Jomsom-Kagbeni-Muktinath roads. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Trekking Guide Hari Nepali from Lete, Mustang, said that the number of foreign tourists coming for trekking in Mustang has decreased after the construction of the road in the district. However, the arrival of domestic and Indian tourists has increased. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to ACAP Jomsom, 29.12 percent of foreign tourists visited Mustang in 2022, but in 2023 that number decreased to 19.20 percent. In 2023, a total of 90,365 tourists arrived in Mustang which included 18,166 from the third countries and 72,190 from SAARC countries, said Pramodraj Regmi, head of ACAP Jomsom. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">An entry fee of Rs 1,000 per person has been set for SAARC countries and Rs 3,000 per person for visitors from other countries visiting the ACAP area, which includes Lamjung, Kaski, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi districts of Gandaki Province. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20125', 'image' => '20240303034428_tilicho-lake-g1b88af4af_1920.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:43:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20397', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Onset of Pre-Monsoon Spell Brings Rainfall and Snow', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end. The winter this time was less cold and brought little rainfall than estimated. Although the pre-monsoon period started from last Friday, it will take some days more for the pre-monsoon to become fully active, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Today's cloudy weather is the first such case after the onset of the pre-monsoon period, sad Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division. He said the recent cloudy weather is mainly due to the Westerly wind and the moisture-laden wind from the Arabian Sea. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to him, the weather is much cloudy in Lumbini, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali provinces while it is less cloudy in the Sudurpaschim, Koshi and Madhes provinces at present. He further said the latter provinces will also witness cloudy conditions as the clouds have been advancing towards these provinces. This trend will increase until tonight and the weather will improve gradually from tomorrow. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Meteorologist Lamichhane shared that the western region will witness more cloudy condition tonight. Kathmandu is receiving light rainfall since today morning while snowfall has been reported in Humla and other high-altitude areas of the country</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The winter this year lasted from November 2, 2023 to February 29, 2024. Although the winter is gone, the influence of Westerly wind still remains, according to the division. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20124', 'image' => '20240303032719_DaneBohara_SimkotHumla_RSS_20_IMG_20240303_080358_091(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:26:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20396', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepal Ranks 150th in AI Readiness Index', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study. A report published by the Oxford Insights shows the US in first position with 84.80 total score, while Singapore is second in the index with a total score of 81.97.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepal has got a total score of 30.77. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the Index, the total score is calculated from three bases- government pillar, technology sector pillar, and data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">With a total score of 30.77, Nepal has achieved 31.04 in government pillar, 24.21 in technology sector pillar, and 37.06 in data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the previous year, 2022, Nepal had secured 139th position out of 181 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index. The total score was 30.75 where Nepal got 30.88 marks under government pillar, 23.50 marks under technology sector pillar, and 37.88 marks under the data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Afghanistan was ranked at the bottom (181st rank) with a 13.46 total score in 2022, while the Democratic Republic of Korea is at the bottom (193rd) with a total score 9.20 in 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">India is ranked 40th while China is 16th in 2023, while they were ranked 32nd and 17th respectively in 2022.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The three pillars were analyzed by setting different dimensions. Under the government pillar, there were four dimensions – vision, governance and ethic, digital capacity, and adaptability. Similarly, the technology sector pillar comprised three dimensions – maturity, innovation capacity, and human capital. The third pillar, data and infrastructure, has also included three dimensions – infrastructure, data availability and data representativeness. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 39 indicators were set for 10 dimensions under three pillars. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report collected data from various sources, including OECD AI Policy Observatory, UN IDIR AI policy portal, Global Cybersecurity Index, Worldwide Governance indicators, UN e-Government Survey, Network Readiness Index, International Telecommunications Union, and the World Bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Index has mentioned the developments relating to AI in all sorts of countries ranging from LDCs to emerging economies to the developed ones.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong><em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Persisting global digital divide </span></em></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the finding, the report stated, "Half of the AI strategies that were published or announced come from low and lower middle-income countries. The scores in the Data and Infrastructure pillar show a substantial difference between high and low-income economies, illustrating an existing global digital divide."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">At a time when most of the countries are swayed by the modern buzz, AI, and striving to both promote and regulate AI irrespective of their capacities, the Index is expected to cater relevant knowledge to the government, private sector and researchers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Oxford Insights is a UK-based organization working around the intersection of technology and government and generating global scale study reports. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20123', 'image' => '20240303093044_Artificial-intelligence--scaled.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:30:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20395', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'EU Supports Sustainable Coffee Farming in Sudurpashchim ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is jointly organized by the European Union Trade and Investment Programme under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), National Tea and Coffee Development Board, and Shikhar Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training that kicked off on Friday encompasses practical learning experiences, providing farmers with practical insights into modern techniques of coffee nursery development and plantation. The training sessions are mainly aimed at introducing potential coffee farmers to basic techniques of coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Acknowledging the significant potential for coffee cultivation in the district, two-day hands-on training programme commenced on Friday, aimed at acquainting farmers with the scientific methods integral to coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event featured the planting of 120 Arabica coffee saplings, serving as a tangible demonstration of contemporary approaches to coffee cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 30 farmers including 15 women, are took part in the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is expected to be instrumental in promoting scientific, sustainable, and commercially viability of coffee production at the local level forging effective coordination and collaboration with local governments and relevant stakeholders in the district. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As the nation transitions into a federal system, these collaborative endeavors are anticipated to yield substantial benefits for farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in coffee cultivation, strengthening their participation in the coffee value chain. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Bishna Bhat, a female participant, from Shikhar Municipality of Doti, conveyed her excitement regarding the prospects offered by this capacity-building initiative and outlined her desire to expand her coffee farming pursuits by judiciously applying the new-found knowledge gained from the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Sunita Rawal, Deputy Mayor of Shikhar Municipality underscored the imperative of collaboration among all state institutions and the private sector to realize the objective of sustainable coffee production and enhanced productivity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Rawal also emphasized the need to ensure markets for locally produced coffee to inspire farmers to expand coffee plantations through more investment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Stating that Nepali coffee is enjoying impressive demands in domestic and international markets, Bhakta Raj Joshi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Mim Hamal, Senior Program Manager of European Union Delegation office, and Dr. Badri Prasad Bastakoti, an expert from EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme, and leading farmer Amar Bahadur Shahi underscored the necessity of expanding modern and sustainable farming techniques to strengthen supply capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the fiscal year 2022/23, Nepal exported 77 tons and imported 450 tons of coffee. Nepal holds the potential of coffee farming in around 1.2 million hectares of land. According to the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, coffee plantations across the country have covered over 3655 hectares, producing around 400 tons during the review year. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20122', 'image' => '20240303092946_20231126015710_20221202013732_1669933354.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:29:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20394', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'WTO Talks End with no Major Win, Throwing Trade Body into 'Crisis'', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The outcomes of the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi highlighted the sharp divisions between the body´s 164 members amid geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds that are threatening global commerce.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The WTO needed a good crisis and perhaps this will lead to a realisation that we cannot continue like this," said a senior European Union official participating in the talks.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members," said Al Zeyoudi, who also serves as the UAE's foreign trade minister.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">For her part, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the talks came up "against an international backdrop marked by greater uncertainty than at any time I can remember".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We have achieved some important things and we have not managed to complete others," she said, while insisting that the "glass was half full".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The WTO, the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations, requires full consensus from all members to chalk up deals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It was hoping the MC13 would replicate the landmark success of its 2022 ministerial in Geneva, which yielded a deal on fisheries and saw members agree to restore a now-defunct dispute settlement system by the end of this year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But the latest ministerial fell short of that objective.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The unexpected weakness of the overall (MC13) package should... serve as a wake-up call," the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong>'Bogged down'</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After a 2022 deal that banned subsidies contributing to illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing, the WTO was hoping to conclude a second package focusing on subsidies that result in overcapacity and overfishing.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Negotiations in recent months at the WTO headquarters in Geneva had enabled a draft text to be brought forward for a second fisheries deal, which provided flexibility and advantages for developing countries.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But some -- notably India -- demanded further concessions, including transition periods that others consider to be too long.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">At MC13, a revised draft fisheries agreement faced strong objections from New Delhi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"There was basically just one country that was blocking the deal," said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, without specifying which member.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Richard Ouellet of Canada's University of Laval said "consensus, which was once the cement of this organisation, has now become the mud in which it is bogged down".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">- Emirati sway -</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">With farmer protests sweeping Europe and India, agriculture agreements also emerged as a particularly sensitive topic of debate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Member states were trying to negotiate a text listing the subjects that merit further discussion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">An agriculture package, however, was hampered by a firm demand by India for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves to replace temporary measures adopted by the WTO.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's insistence on a permanent solution for public stockholding was "impossible to bridge", Dombrovskis said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Despite failing on agriculture and fisheries, the WTO managed to temporarily salvage a moratorium on customs duties for digital transmissions that was extended for another two years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It faced a particularly strong challenge at MC13, with countries led by India and South Africa arguing that it harms customs revenues.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Friday that he allowed the extension to pass "out of respect" to the conference's Emirati chair, whom he called a "good friend".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">However, the moratorium, which has been regularly extended since 1998, is set to definitively expire on March 31, 2026, with no chance of an extension, Iweala said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I think that the membership has agreed... on very firm dates for its conclusion," she said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I have to abide by what the membership has just decided."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On dispute settlement reform, the final outcome mainly reiterated the commitment made at MC12 to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system in place by 2024.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Washington, under former President Donald Trump, brought the system to a grinding halt in 2019 by blocking the appointment of new judges to the WTO's appeals court, the organisation's highest dispute settlement authority.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We wished for more progress on the question of appeal... but we were not able to move forward as fast as we wanted," Dombrovskis said. – AFP/RSS</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20121', 'image' => '20240303092754_mc1302032024_lg.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:27:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20393', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourist Increased by 33 Percent in February', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), as many as 97,426 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal via air in the month of February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The number of foreign visitors who entered Nepal in February 2024 is 33 percent more compared to February 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The figure is 95 percent of the arrivals in the year 2019 when highest number of tourists visited Nepal before the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">According to the NTB, a total of 73,255 foreign tourists had visited Nepal in February 2023. NTB officials say that tourists mostly visit Nepal in March, April and May for trekking when the weather is favourable.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">In February 2019, altogether 102,423 foreign tourists had entered Nepal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Tourists from neighbouring India comprised the largest share of foreign arrivals in Nepal in February, with 25,578 Indian guests arriving in the country. Following Indians, the next largest group was Chinese tourists at 9,180. American tourists also made a significant contribution with 9,089 US citizens visiting Nepal in February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The NTB data also shows that tourists from Thailand (4,799), the United Kingdom (4,571), Bangladesh (4,099), Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, and Germany contributed to the total tourist arrivals. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20120', 'image' => '20240303092226_gvtrek_comxfish.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:21:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20392', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector Shows Concern Over Bankers' Arrest ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Noting that it was serious to arrest employees of the banks and financial institutions in regard to the loan given on the basis of collateral assessment, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have expressed their concerns over the action. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police apprehended 10 bankers, including Acting Chief Executive Officer of Prabhu Bank Manoj Neupane and former CEO of Century Commercial Bank Tulasi Gautam, last Tuesday on charges of disbursing loans exceeding the assessed value of the collateral.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The private sector said the recent incident has seriously affected the professionalism of the banking sector as a whole. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"People who are not directly involved in any of the incidents of banks and financial institutions but working in accordance with the existing legal system, policies and directives of the regulatory bodies have been undermined despite their good intentions merely for signing documents in their capacity," the statement said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the private sector, banks and financial institutions are engaged in deposit collection and loan investment adhering to the existing acts and directives issued by the central bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the case of commercial loans, different types of loans are disbursed towards fixed capital and current capital depending on the nature of business, according to the statement of the umbrella organizations of the private sector. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20119', 'image' => '20240303085152_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 08:51:24', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ) ) $current_user = null $logged_in = falsesimplexml_load_file - [internal], line ?? include - APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 60 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::_renderElement() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 1224 View::element() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 418 include - APP/View/Articles/index.ctp, line 157 View::_evaluate() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 971 View::_render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 933 View::render() - CORE/Cake/View/View.php, line 473 Controller::render() - CORE/Cake/Controller/Controller.php, line 968 Dispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 200 Dispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/Cake/Routing/Dispatcher.php, line 167 [main] - APP/webroot/index.php, line 117
Notice (8): Undefined variable: file [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20406', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Announces Komorebi as the Official Clothing Partner of Nepal for Paris Olympics', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Nilendra Raj Shrestha, NOC Secretary General, and Daniel Valetin, CEO for Komorebi, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">As per the agreement, Komorebi will provide sports dress to the members of the Nepalese team who will participate in the Paris Olympics.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to NOC, the partnership deal will last for four years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Komorebi will also provide uniforms to the Nepali team for competitions held under the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia, the NOC added. These include Summer and Winter Olympics, Summer and Winter Asian Games, Summer and Winter Youth Olympics, Asian Beach Games and South Asian Games.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Upon the request of NOC, the Nepali players will be allowed to use the logos of other institutes on the uniforms provided by Komorebi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha and Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya were also present at the signing ceremony held at the NOC headquarters in Satdobato.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On that occasion, NOC President Shrestha said that this contract has added a new dimension to Nepali sports.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20133', 'image' => '20240304075739_423568589_1060557795244206_314829715368749780_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 19:56:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20405', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SSF Collects Rs 51 Billion in Five Years', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of Sunday, the SSF has collected Rs 50.84 billion from the contributors and employers listed in the fund. The fund has increased investment in various sectors according to its policy to diversify investment. According to social security fund investment procedures, the fund has invested in fixed deposits, shares, debentures, treasury bills, capital market, mutual funds, etc.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A large part of the accumulated amount is kept by the fund in the fixed deposit accounts of the banks. The fund earns 9 percent interest from the amount kept as fixed deposits. Banks can invest that amount according to their preference. SSF officials claim that this will help eliminate liquidity shortages in the market from time to time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The fund is investing rapidly in development bonds as well. The fund is also giving loans to the contributors. Contributors are given special loans based on the contribution amount in addition to housing grants for housing construction, and educational grants to support the development of human capital. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF Spokesperson Bibek Panthi informed New Business Age that the funds collected are being invested in various sectors and mobilized for the benefit of the contributors to achieve high, sustainable and assured returns. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">There is a provision that the SSF can invest in large projects, but so far it has not been able to invest in such projects. According to Panthi, it is currently under study. SSF officials believe that there is a little 'risk' in investing in such projects. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Targeting private sector workers, the then KP Sharma Oli-led government had formally announced the launch of contribution-based social security fund on November 27, 2018. The SSF started collecting money from the contributors from the beginning of the next fiscal year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">1,170,000 contributors join SSF</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of March 2, a total of 18,731 employers and 1,170,838 contributors have joined the SSF. The largest number of contributors is the Nepali migrant workers who go for foreign employment. The number of such contributors stands at 686,192. The SSF informed that 74 contributors are self-employed, which is the least among all groups. According to the fund, there are 484450 contributors from the formal sector and 122 workers from the informal sector who joined the SSF. Since it is a mandatory to join the SSF before getting a work permit for foreign employment, every person who goes abroad has joined the state-sponsored scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, officials say that the number of Nepalis who go abroad and continue contributing to the fund has not increased. Those who go for foreign employment must deposit Rs 2300 to the fund before getting a work permit. The self-employed must contribute 31 percent of the minimum wage to the fund. However, those contributing to the fund from overseas is not encouraging.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Increasing claim payments</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF informed that it has settled claims of more than Rs 7.72 billion made by 1.5 million contributors under four different schemes, namely medical treatment, health and maternity plan, accident and disability protection plan, dependent family protection plan and old age protection plan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Out of the amount collected in the fund, Rs 923.15 million have been paid to 54910 people for medical treatment, health and maternity schemes. Similarly, Rs 108.76 million have been paid to 2826 people under accident and disability protection scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, Rs 126.85 million have been paid to 461 people under the dependent family protection scheme. According to the fund, Rs 6.56 billion have been paid to more than 70,000 people under the Old Age Protection Scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the fund, the process of revising the procedure has been advanced to include the families of the contributors under medical treatment. Officials said that a decision will be made within the next week.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20132', 'image' => '20240304041519_SSF (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 16:14:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20404', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fulfillment of the Demands of Agitating Indian Farmers means Price Hike in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. Dozens of farmers and security personnel have been injured as the Indian government tried to quell the protest raised by thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions who are marching to New Delhi for protest. Farmers say that the protest that started on February 13 will continue until the demand is met. United Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the movement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the government implements the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, the farmers will be guaranteed to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi at the specified minimum price. This will double the income of Indian farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Lok Sabha elections are going to be held in India within the next three months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gearing up for his third term. Experts have estimated that the demands of the farmers may be met to some extent as the agitation that broke out at this time has caused embarrassment to the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the Government of India sets the MSP for some agricultural products as suggested by the Swaminathan Report and guarantees that the farmers will be able to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale markets, it will have an impact on the Nepalese market and consumers as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Government of India is currently guaranteeing support prices for certain crops, but it has kept many crops out of it. Farmers have been demanding that minimum prices should be set for all crops.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural economist Shalikram Bhattarai says that it seems that the Indian government might address some of the demands of the farmers due to the inconvenience caused to the government by the protesting farmers in the run-up to the elections. If that happens, the farmers' products will be sold directly in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi. As a result, the Indian government will start selling such goods at a high price and it will become difficult to import them to Nepal. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“It seems that the price may increase in the Nepali market," said Bhattarai, adding, "At present, Nepali importers buy agricultural products from the open market while importing agricultural products from India. Currently, Indian products are cheaper than domestic products in Nepal. Even if the farmer's movement is only partially successful, the situation may be different.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Indian government’s data, only 6 percent of the total farmers are able to sell their produce at the minimum support price. Because of this, more than 10 farmers commit suicide every day in India, unable to bear the burden of loans taken from banks and financial institutions. To get rid of this situation, the farmers have started a movement demanding MSP. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farmers have demanded that their loans should be waived, India should quit the World Trade Organization (WTO). They have also put forward demands such as re-implementation of land acquisition law, increasing the compensation currently fixed by the government, implementing a pension program for farmers among others.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Sabnam Sivakoti, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, says that the impact of the farmers' movement in Nepal will be determined by how the Indian government addresses the demands of the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Even if the government meets the demands of the farmers to some extent, the government will purchase agricultural produce at a price higher than the cost price of the farmers. As a result, the price of agricultural produce in India may increase and it may also result in an increase in the prices in the Nepalese market,'' she said, adding that it may also affect imports. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In such a situation, it is important for us to focus on increasing the production in the country rather than importing agricultural products at high prices from neighbouring India.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">What is the Swaminathan Report?</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, who is known as the father of Green Revolution in India, is famous as a person who worked for reforms in the agricultural sector. The then Congress government of India formed the National Farmers' Commission in 2004 under his chairmanship. The report of the commission is known by his name.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The commission submitted its report to the Government of India in 2006 after two years. Swaminathan recommended several suggestions in his report focusing on raising the living standard of the farmers. The suggestions include fixing the minimum support price of agricultural produce. Swaminathan recommended that a minimum support price should be set for each crop and that price should be more than 50 percent of the average cost. Swaminathan's report was submitted almost two decades ago, but it has not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20131', 'image' => '20240304034227_indi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 15:41:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20403', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Maoist Centre Forges Alliance with UML for Leftist Unity', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction, claimed CPN (Maoist Centre) Secretary Devendra Paudel.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">He made this claim after the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) ditched its coalition partner Nepali Congress and took on board the CPN-UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Talking to media persons after the office-bearers' meeting of the party held at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar on Monday, Paudel said this proactive measure was taken to forestall any potential weakening of the communist stance. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"It is the desire of the Nepali people to see communist parties becoming united," the state-owned RSS quoted Paudel as saying.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">According to Paudel, the party meeting discussed about moving ahead by correcting the past mistakes and weaknesses. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"If there is an obstacle in the political journey, a new chapter starts. This is not a new topic," he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Paudel, the Maoist Centre’s secretary, said that the Socialist Front Nepal will get continuity even with the formation of a new alliance together with the CPN (UML). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"The main leaders of the constituent parties in the Socialist Front are also communists. We will move ahead taking all the parties in the Front together," leader Paudel said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20130', 'image' => '20240304013509_RSS-Image.001.JPG', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:34:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20402', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Share Market Transactions Suspended Today after Three Circuit Breaks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The shift in power of the ruling alliance was seen in the stock market on Monday (today).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The first circuit break occurred after the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">4</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">79</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points within </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes of the start of trading.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Twenty minutes later, the second circuit break took place after an increase of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percentage point, i.e. </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">98</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points. Trading was suspended for </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">40</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes after the second circuit break.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">After the third circuit break in the market which opened at </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12:04</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> PM, trading was suspended for today.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Overall, the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">6 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">117 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points today. Along with this, the NEPSE index has rose to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2078 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20129', 'image' => '20240304010825_share-ipo.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:07:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20401', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Investigation of a Cooperative Led to the Arrest of a Banker:NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the central bank has also coordinated with the police in this matter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"The police will investigate if banking crimes were committed," he said, adding, "The police investigated a cooperative. While investigating the case, it led to the arrest of the bank employees.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Although it seems like the police arrested the banker all of a sudden, the NRB Governor said that they had been investigating this matter for a long time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif""> As the investigation reached its final stage, the police arrested the banker. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, the central bank will assist in the investigation conducted by the government agencies, but there is no need to panic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that various groups with vested interest have been attacking bank employees of late and warned that this will cause problems to the entire banking system</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">If such activities are not stopped, the demand and flow of loans will not be as expected, the NRB Governor warned.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20128', 'image' => '20240304120025_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:59:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20400', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Governor Assures Depositors their Funds are Secure in Banks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He also claimed that the situation of Nepal's banks and financial institutions is the safest and most transparent in South Asia.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"All the banks are safe at present and people's deposits are safe," said the Governor Adhikari at the finance committee meeting of the House of Representatives on Sunday. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the governor, the banks of Nepal are safe as the core capital of banks is above 8 percent. Stating that there is a need to increase the capital to increase the loan portfolio, the governor presented the fact that banks have Rs 600 billion of liquidity for investment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He informed the committee members that the bad loans (NPL) of the banks have reached 3.40 percent, saying that the credit quality of the banks has decreased recently. According to Governor Adhikari, the overall market conditions, the slump in the economy, reduction in repayment and the market rumors that the debtors do not need to pay bank loans have resulted in the increase in bad loans.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, there is no need to worry because banks have three times more liquid assets than the deposits saved by the depositors. He said that even if there are some difficulties due to the internal situation of some banks, they will be resolved.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20127', 'image' => '20240304112309_maha.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:22:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20399', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Snowfall Obstructs Nagma-Gamgadhi Road ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">March 3: Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The road section has been blocked again by snow as it started to snow in the high-altitude areas and to rain in the low-lying valleys since Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Outbound vehicles from Mugu and the in-bound ones from outside districts have been stranded due to the blockage of the road.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Snow has accumulated at Jhadnaula, Satmod, Ghuchchi Lek, Siptichaur and Bulbule on the Mugu-Jumla border, blocking the road, said Dipendra Bista, the Chief of the Road Division Office, Jumla. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The snow will be cleared from the road with excavator and the workers as the weather starts improving. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Issuing a public notice, the Office has urged people to refrain from traveling on this section of the Karnali highway except emergency cases and to travel in such case only by adopting safety measures. (RSS) </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20126', 'image' => '20240303052919_collage (6).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 17:28:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20398', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three New Trekking Routes Identified in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. As the dust makes it difficult for trekkers to travel on the usual routes, tourists have been demanding a route where they can enjoy nature without any disturbance. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) believes that the three new routes will help to increase the arrival of tourists as well as to prolong their stay. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking routes identified by ACAP include the routes connecting Lupra and Muktinath, Thini and Tilicho Lake as well as Kokhethati and Dhumbatal via Sirkung, Sauru, Chokhopani and Chimang.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">ACAP Ranger Sanjok Thakali said infrastructure construction, publicity and promotion have been started accordingly.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The old trekking routes have been displaced due to Beni-Jomsom and Jomsom-Kagbeni-Muktinath roads. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Trekking Guide Hari Nepali from Lete, Mustang, said that the number of foreign tourists coming for trekking in Mustang has decreased after the construction of the road in the district. However, the arrival of domestic and Indian tourists has increased. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to ACAP Jomsom, 29.12 percent of foreign tourists visited Mustang in 2022, but in 2023 that number decreased to 19.20 percent. In 2023, a total of 90,365 tourists arrived in Mustang which included 18,166 from the third countries and 72,190 from SAARC countries, said Pramodraj Regmi, head of ACAP Jomsom. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">An entry fee of Rs 1,000 per person has been set for SAARC countries and Rs 3,000 per person for visitors from other countries visiting the ACAP area, which includes Lamjung, Kaski, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi districts of Gandaki Province. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20125', 'image' => '20240303034428_tilicho-lake-g1b88af4af_1920.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:43:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20397', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Onset of Pre-Monsoon Spell Brings Rainfall and Snow', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end. The winter this time was less cold and brought little rainfall than estimated. Although the pre-monsoon period started from last Friday, it will take some days more for the pre-monsoon to become fully active, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Today's cloudy weather is the first such case after the onset of the pre-monsoon period, sad Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division. He said the recent cloudy weather is mainly due to the Westerly wind and the moisture-laden wind from the Arabian Sea. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to him, the weather is much cloudy in Lumbini, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali provinces while it is less cloudy in the Sudurpaschim, Koshi and Madhes provinces at present. He further said the latter provinces will also witness cloudy conditions as the clouds have been advancing towards these provinces. This trend will increase until tonight and the weather will improve gradually from tomorrow. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Meteorologist Lamichhane shared that the western region will witness more cloudy condition tonight. Kathmandu is receiving light rainfall since today morning while snowfall has been reported in Humla and other high-altitude areas of the country</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The winter this year lasted from November 2, 2023 to February 29, 2024. Although the winter is gone, the influence of Westerly wind still remains, according to the division. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20124', 'image' => '20240303032719_DaneBohara_SimkotHumla_RSS_20_IMG_20240303_080358_091(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:26:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20396', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepal Ranks 150th in AI Readiness Index', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study. A report published by the Oxford Insights shows the US in first position with 84.80 total score, while Singapore is second in the index with a total score of 81.97.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepal has got a total score of 30.77. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the Index, the total score is calculated from three bases- government pillar, technology sector pillar, and data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">With a total score of 30.77, Nepal has achieved 31.04 in government pillar, 24.21 in technology sector pillar, and 37.06 in data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the previous year, 2022, Nepal had secured 139th position out of 181 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index. The total score was 30.75 where Nepal got 30.88 marks under government pillar, 23.50 marks under technology sector pillar, and 37.88 marks under the data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Afghanistan was ranked at the bottom (181st rank) with a 13.46 total score in 2022, while the Democratic Republic of Korea is at the bottom (193rd) with a total score 9.20 in 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">India is ranked 40th while China is 16th in 2023, while they were ranked 32nd and 17th respectively in 2022.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The three pillars were analyzed by setting different dimensions. Under the government pillar, there were four dimensions – vision, governance and ethic, digital capacity, and adaptability. Similarly, the technology sector pillar comprised three dimensions – maturity, innovation capacity, and human capital. The third pillar, data and infrastructure, has also included three dimensions – infrastructure, data availability and data representativeness. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 39 indicators were set for 10 dimensions under three pillars. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report collected data from various sources, including OECD AI Policy Observatory, UN IDIR AI policy portal, Global Cybersecurity Index, Worldwide Governance indicators, UN e-Government Survey, Network Readiness Index, International Telecommunications Union, and the World Bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Index has mentioned the developments relating to AI in all sorts of countries ranging from LDCs to emerging economies to the developed ones.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong><em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Persisting global digital divide </span></em></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the finding, the report stated, "Half of the AI strategies that were published or announced come from low and lower middle-income countries. The scores in the Data and Infrastructure pillar show a substantial difference between high and low-income economies, illustrating an existing global digital divide."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">At a time when most of the countries are swayed by the modern buzz, AI, and striving to both promote and regulate AI irrespective of their capacities, the Index is expected to cater relevant knowledge to the government, private sector and researchers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Oxford Insights is a UK-based organization working around the intersection of technology and government and generating global scale study reports. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20123', 'image' => '20240303093044_Artificial-intelligence--scaled.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:30:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20395', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'EU Supports Sustainable Coffee Farming in Sudurpashchim ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is jointly organized by the European Union Trade and Investment Programme under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), National Tea and Coffee Development Board, and Shikhar Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training that kicked off on Friday encompasses practical learning experiences, providing farmers with practical insights into modern techniques of coffee nursery development and plantation. The training sessions are mainly aimed at introducing potential coffee farmers to basic techniques of coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Acknowledging the significant potential for coffee cultivation in the district, two-day hands-on training programme commenced on Friday, aimed at acquainting farmers with the scientific methods integral to coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event featured the planting of 120 Arabica coffee saplings, serving as a tangible demonstration of contemporary approaches to coffee cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 30 farmers including 15 women, are took part in the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is expected to be instrumental in promoting scientific, sustainable, and commercially viability of coffee production at the local level forging effective coordination and collaboration with local governments and relevant stakeholders in the district. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As the nation transitions into a federal system, these collaborative endeavors are anticipated to yield substantial benefits for farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in coffee cultivation, strengthening their participation in the coffee value chain. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Bishna Bhat, a female participant, from Shikhar Municipality of Doti, conveyed her excitement regarding the prospects offered by this capacity-building initiative and outlined her desire to expand her coffee farming pursuits by judiciously applying the new-found knowledge gained from the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Sunita Rawal, Deputy Mayor of Shikhar Municipality underscored the imperative of collaboration among all state institutions and the private sector to realize the objective of sustainable coffee production and enhanced productivity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Rawal also emphasized the need to ensure markets for locally produced coffee to inspire farmers to expand coffee plantations through more investment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Stating that Nepali coffee is enjoying impressive demands in domestic and international markets, Bhakta Raj Joshi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Mim Hamal, Senior Program Manager of European Union Delegation office, and Dr. Badri Prasad Bastakoti, an expert from EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme, and leading farmer Amar Bahadur Shahi underscored the necessity of expanding modern and sustainable farming techniques to strengthen supply capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the fiscal year 2022/23, Nepal exported 77 tons and imported 450 tons of coffee. Nepal holds the potential of coffee farming in around 1.2 million hectares of land. According to the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, coffee plantations across the country have covered over 3655 hectares, producing around 400 tons during the review year. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20122', 'image' => '20240303092946_20231126015710_20221202013732_1669933354.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:29:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20394', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'WTO Talks End with no Major Win, Throwing Trade Body into 'Crisis'', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The outcomes of the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi highlighted the sharp divisions between the body´s 164 members amid geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds that are threatening global commerce.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The WTO needed a good crisis and perhaps this will lead to a realisation that we cannot continue like this," said a senior European Union official participating in the talks.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members," said Al Zeyoudi, who also serves as the UAE's foreign trade minister.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">For her part, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the talks came up "against an international backdrop marked by greater uncertainty than at any time I can remember".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We have achieved some important things and we have not managed to complete others," she said, while insisting that the "glass was half full".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The WTO, the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations, requires full consensus from all members to chalk up deals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It was hoping the MC13 would replicate the landmark success of its 2022 ministerial in Geneva, which yielded a deal on fisheries and saw members agree to restore a now-defunct dispute settlement system by the end of this year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But the latest ministerial fell short of that objective.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The unexpected weakness of the overall (MC13) package should... serve as a wake-up call," the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong>'Bogged down'</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After a 2022 deal that banned subsidies contributing to illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing, the WTO was hoping to conclude a second package focusing on subsidies that result in overcapacity and overfishing.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Negotiations in recent months at the WTO headquarters in Geneva had enabled a draft text to be brought forward for a second fisheries deal, which provided flexibility and advantages for developing countries.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But some -- notably India -- demanded further concessions, including transition periods that others consider to be too long.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">At MC13, a revised draft fisheries agreement faced strong objections from New Delhi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"There was basically just one country that was blocking the deal," said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, without specifying which member.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Richard Ouellet of Canada's University of Laval said "consensus, which was once the cement of this organisation, has now become the mud in which it is bogged down".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">- Emirati sway -</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">With farmer protests sweeping Europe and India, agriculture agreements also emerged as a particularly sensitive topic of debate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Member states were trying to negotiate a text listing the subjects that merit further discussion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">An agriculture package, however, was hampered by a firm demand by India for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves to replace temporary measures adopted by the WTO.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's insistence on a permanent solution for public stockholding was "impossible to bridge", Dombrovskis said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Despite failing on agriculture and fisheries, the WTO managed to temporarily salvage a moratorium on customs duties for digital transmissions that was extended for another two years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It faced a particularly strong challenge at MC13, with countries led by India and South Africa arguing that it harms customs revenues.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Friday that he allowed the extension to pass "out of respect" to the conference's Emirati chair, whom he called a "good friend".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">However, the moratorium, which has been regularly extended since 1998, is set to definitively expire on March 31, 2026, with no chance of an extension, Iweala said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I think that the membership has agreed... on very firm dates for its conclusion," she said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I have to abide by what the membership has just decided."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On dispute settlement reform, the final outcome mainly reiterated the commitment made at MC12 to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system in place by 2024.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Washington, under former President Donald Trump, brought the system to a grinding halt in 2019 by blocking the appointment of new judges to the WTO's appeals court, the organisation's highest dispute settlement authority.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We wished for more progress on the question of appeal... but we were not able to move forward as fast as we wanted," Dombrovskis said. – AFP/RSS</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20121', 'image' => '20240303092754_mc1302032024_lg.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:27:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20393', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourist Increased by 33 Percent in February', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), as many as 97,426 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal via air in the month of February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The number of foreign visitors who entered Nepal in February 2024 is 33 percent more compared to February 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The figure is 95 percent of the arrivals in the year 2019 when highest number of tourists visited Nepal before the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">According to the NTB, a total of 73,255 foreign tourists had visited Nepal in February 2023. NTB officials say that tourists mostly visit Nepal in March, April and May for trekking when the weather is favourable.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">In February 2019, altogether 102,423 foreign tourists had entered Nepal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Tourists from neighbouring India comprised the largest share of foreign arrivals in Nepal in February, with 25,578 Indian guests arriving in the country. Following Indians, the next largest group was Chinese tourists at 9,180. American tourists also made a significant contribution with 9,089 US citizens visiting Nepal in February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The NTB data also shows that tourists from Thailand (4,799), the United Kingdom (4,571), Bangladesh (4,099), Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, and Germany contributed to the total tourist arrivals. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20120', 'image' => '20240303092226_gvtrek_comxfish.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:21:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20392', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector Shows Concern Over Bankers' Arrest ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Noting that it was serious to arrest employees of the banks and financial institutions in regard to the loan given on the basis of collateral assessment, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have expressed their concerns over the action. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police apprehended 10 bankers, including Acting Chief Executive Officer of Prabhu Bank Manoj Neupane and former CEO of Century Commercial Bank Tulasi Gautam, last Tuesday on charges of disbursing loans exceeding the assessed value of the collateral.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The private sector said the recent incident has seriously affected the professionalism of the banking sector as a whole. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"People who are not directly involved in any of the incidents of banks and financial institutions but working in accordance with the existing legal system, policies and directives of the regulatory bodies have been undermined despite their good intentions merely for signing documents in their capacity," the statement said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the private sector, banks and financial institutions are engaged in deposit collection and loan investment adhering to the existing acts and directives issued by the central bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the case of commercial loans, different types of loans are disbursed towards fixed capital and current capital depending on the nature of business, according to the statement of the umbrella organizations of the private sector. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20119', 'image' => '20240303085152_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 08:51:24', '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
Warning (2): simplexml_load_file() [<a href='http://php.net/function.simplexml-load-file'>function.simplexml-load-file</a>]: I/O warning : failed to load external entity "" [APP/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp, line 133]file not found!Code Context// $file = 'http://aabhiyan:QUVLg8Wzs2F7G9N7@nepalstock.com.np/api/subindexdata.xml';if(!$xml = simplexml_load_file($file)){$viewFile = '/var/www/html/newbusinessage.com/app/View/Elements/side_bar.ctp' $dataForView = array( 'articles' => array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( [maximum depth reached] ) ) ), 'current_user' => null, 'logged_in' => false ) $articles = array( (int) 0 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20406', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NOC Announces Komorebi as the Official Clothing Partner of Nepal for Paris Olympics', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 4: Nepal Olympic Committee (NOC) signed an agreement with French clothing brand Komorebi as the official clothing partner of Nepal for the upcoming Summer Olympics in Paris, France, NOC said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Nilendra Raj Shrestha, NOC Secretary General, and Daniel Valetin, CEO for Komorebi, signed the agreement on behalf of their respective organizations on Sunday.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">As per the agreement, Komorebi will provide sports dress to the members of the Nepalese team who will participate in the Paris Olympics.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">According to NOC, the partnership deal will last for four years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Komorebi will also provide uniforms to the Nepali team for competitions held under the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Council of Asia, the NOC added. These include Summer and Winter Olympics, Summer and Winter Asian Games, Summer and Winter Youth Olympics, Asian Beach Games and South Asian Games.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Upon the request of NOC, the Nepali players will be allowed to use the logos of other institutes on the uniforms provided by Komorebi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">NOC President Jeevan Ram Shrestha and Nepal Judo Association President Deepak Harsha Bajracharya were also present at the signing ceremony held at the NOC headquarters in Satdobato.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On that occasion, NOC President Shrestha said that this contract has added a new dimension to Nepali sports.</span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20133', 'image' => '20240304075739_423568589_1060557795244206_314829715368749780_n.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 19:56:56', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 1 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20405', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'SSF Collects Rs 51 Billion in Five Years', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: The government’s Social Security Fund has accumulated about Rs 51 billion in a period of five years since the launch of the contribution-based scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of Sunday, the SSF has collected Rs 50.84 billion from the contributors and employers listed in the fund. The fund has increased investment in various sectors according to its policy to diversify investment. According to social security fund investment procedures, the fund has invested in fixed deposits, shares, debentures, treasury bills, capital market, mutual funds, etc.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">A large part of the accumulated amount is kept by the fund in the fixed deposit accounts of the banks. The fund earns 9 percent interest from the amount kept as fixed deposits. Banks can invest that amount according to their preference. SSF officials claim that this will help eliminate liquidity shortages in the market from time to time. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The fund is investing rapidly in development bonds as well. The fund is also giving loans to the contributors. Contributors are given special loans based on the contribution amount in addition to housing grants for housing construction, and educational grants to support the development of human capital. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF Spokesperson Bibek Panthi informed New Business Age that the funds collected are being invested in various sectors and mobilized for the benefit of the contributors to achieve high, sustainable and assured returns. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">There is a provision that the SSF can invest in large projects, but so far it has not been able to invest in such projects. According to Panthi, it is currently under study. SSF officials believe that there is a little 'risk' in investing in such projects. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Targeting private sector workers, the then KP Sharma Oli-led government had formally announced the launch of contribution-based social security fund on November 27, 2018. The SSF started collecting money from the contributors from the beginning of the next fiscal year.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">1,170,000 contributors join SSF</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">As of March 2, a total of 18,731 employers and 1,170,838 contributors have joined the SSF. The largest number of contributors is the Nepali migrant workers who go for foreign employment. The number of such contributors stands at 686,192. The SSF informed that 74 contributors are self-employed, which is the least among all groups. According to the fund, there are 484450 contributors from the formal sector and 122 workers from the informal sector who joined the SSF. Since it is a mandatory to join the SSF before getting a work permit for foreign employment, every person who goes abroad has joined the state-sponsored scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">However, officials say that the number of Nepalis who go abroad and continue contributing to the fund has not increased. Those who go for foreign employment must deposit Rs 2300 to the fund before getting a work permit. The self-employed must contribute 31 percent of the minimum wage to the fund. However, those contributing to the fund from overseas is not encouraging.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Increasing claim payments</span></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">SSF informed that it has settled claims of more than Rs 7.72 billion made by 1.5 million contributors under four different schemes, namely medical treatment, health and maternity plan, accident and disability protection plan, dependent family protection plan and old age protection plan. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Out of the amount collected in the fund, Rs 923.15 million have been paid to 54910 people for medical treatment, health and maternity schemes. Similarly, Rs 108.76 million have been paid to 2826 people under accident and disability protection scheme.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, Rs 126.85 million have been paid to 461 people under the dependent family protection scheme. According to the fund, Rs 6.56 billion have been paid to more than 70,000 people under the Old Age Protection Scheme. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the fund, the process of revising the procedure has been advanced to include the families of the contributors under medical treatment. Officials said that a decision will be made within the next week.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20132', 'image' => '20240304041519_SSF (1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 16:14:34', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 2 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20404', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Fulfillment of the Demands of Agitating Indian Farmers means Price Hike in Nepal', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 4: Indian farmers have been protesting since the last three weeks demanding the government to implement the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission to set the Minimum Support Price (MSP) of agricultural products and to allow 50 percent profit of the cost price. Dozens of farmers and security personnel have been injured as the Indian government tried to quell the protest raised by thousands of farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other regions who are marching to New Delhi for protest. Farmers say that the protest that started on February 13 will continue until the demand is met. United Kisan Morcha and Kisan Mazdoor Morcha are leading the movement.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the government implements the recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission, the farmers will be guaranteed to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi at the specified minimum price. This will double the income of Indian farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Lok Sabha elections are going to be held in India within the next three months. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is gearing up for his third term. Experts have estimated that the demands of the farmers may be met to some extent as the agitation that broke out at this time has caused embarrassment to the government. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">If the Government of India sets the MSP for some agricultural products as suggested by the Swaminathan Report and guarantees that the farmers will be able to sell their produce in the government-owned wholesale markets, it will have an impact on the Nepalese market and consumers as well. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Government of India is currently guaranteeing support prices for certain crops, but it has kept many crops out of it. Farmers have been demanding that minimum prices should be set for all crops.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural economist Shalikram Bhattarai says that it seems that the Indian government might address some of the demands of the farmers due to the inconvenience caused to the government by the protesting farmers in the run-up to the elections. If that happens, the farmers' products will be sold directly in the government-owned wholesale market or mandi. As a result, the Indian government will start selling such goods at a high price and it will become difficult to import them to Nepal. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“It seems that the price may increase in the Nepali market," said Bhattarai, adding, "At present, Nepali importers buy agricultural products from the open market while importing agricultural products from India. Currently, Indian products are cheaper than domestic products in Nepal. Even if the farmer's movement is only partially successful, the situation may be different.”</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Indian government’s data, only 6 percent of the total farmers are able to sell their produce at the minimum support price. Because of this, more than 10 farmers commit suicide every day in India, unable to bear the burden of loans taken from banks and financial institutions. To get rid of this situation, the farmers have started a movement demanding MSP. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Farmers have demanded that their loans should be waived, India should quit the World Trade Organization (WTO). They have also put forward demands such as re-implementation of land acquisition law, increasing the compensation currently fixed by the government, implementing a pension program for farmers among others.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Sabnam Sivakoti, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, says that the impact of the farmers' movement in Nepal will be determined by how the Indian government addresses the demands of the farmers. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">“Even if the government meets the demands of the farmers to some extent, the government will purchase agricultural produce at a price higher than the cost price of the farmers. As a result, the price of agricultural produce in India may increase and it may also result in an increase in the prices in the Nepalese market,'' she said, adding that it may also affect imports. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In such a situation, it is important for us to focus on increasing the production in the country rather than importing agricultural products at high prices from neighbouring India.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">What is the Swaminathan Report?</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan, who is known as the father of Green Revolution in India, is famous as a person who worked for reforms in the agricultural sector. The then Congress government of India formed the National Farmers' Commission in 2004 under his chairmanship. The report of the commission is known by his name.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The commission submitted its report to the Government of India in 2006 after two years. Swaminathan recommended several suggestions in his report focusing on raising the living standard of the farmers. The suggestions include fixing the minimum support price of agricultural produce. Swaminathan recommended that a minimum support price should be set for each crop and that price should be more than 50 percent of the average cost. Swaminathan's report was submitted almost two decades ago, but it has not been implemented.</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20131', 'image' => '20240304034227_indi.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 15:41:30', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 3 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20403', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Maoist Centre Forges Alliance with UML for Leftist Unity', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Communist parties of Nepal have forged a new alliance with the aim of steering Nepal's political trajectory towards a leftist alignment after realizing the need for a course correction, claimed CPN (Maoist Centre) Secretary Devendra Paudel.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">He made this claim after the ruling CPN (Maoist Centre) ditched its coalition partner Nepali Congress and took on board the CPN-UML.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Talking to media persons after the office-bearers' meeting of the party held at the Prime Minister's residence in Baluwatar on Monday, Paudel said this proactive measure was taken to forestall any potential weakening of the communist stance. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"It is the desire of the Nepali people to see communist parties becoming united," the state-owned RSS quoted Paudel as saying.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">According to Paudel, the party meeting discussed about moving ahead by correcting the past mistakes and weaknesses. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"If there is an obstacle in the political journey, a new chapter starts. This is not a new topic," he added. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">Paudel, the Maoist Centre’s secretary, said that the Socialist Front Nepal will get continuity even with the formation of a new alliance together with the CPN (UML). </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Segoe UI","sans-serif"">"The main leaders of the constituent parties in the Socialist Front are also communists. We will move ahead taking all the parties in the Front together," leader Paudel said. </span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20130', 'image' => '20240304013509_RSS-Image.001.JPG', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:34:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 4 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20402', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Share Market Transactions Suspended Today after Three Circuit Breaks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">March 4: Share transactions in the secondary market has been suspended for today after three circuit breaks.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The shift in power of the ruling alliance was seen in the stock market on Monday (today).</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">The first circuit break occurred after the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">4</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">79</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points within </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">3</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes of the start of trading.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Twenty minutes later, the second circuit break took place after an increase of </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">1</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> percentage point, i.e. </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">98</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> points. Trading was suspended for </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">40</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> minutes after the second circuit break.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">After the third circuit break in the market which opened at </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">12:04</span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif""> PM, trading was suspended for today.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:12pt"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">Overall, the NEPSE index increased by </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">6 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">percent or </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">117 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points today. Along with this, the NEPSE index has rose to </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">2078 </span></span><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"ekmukta","serif"">points.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20129', 'image' => '20240304010825_share-ipo.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 13:07:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 5 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20401', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Investigation of a Cooperative Led to the Arrest of a Banker:NRB Governor', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: NRB Governor Maha Prasad Adhikari has revealed that a banker was arrested when the Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) of Nepal Police was investigating a case related to a cooperative.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He added that the central bank has also coordinated with the police in this matter. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"The police will investigate if banking crimes were committed," he said, adding, "The police investigated a cooperative. While investigating the case, it led to the arrest of the bank employees.”</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">Although it seems like the police arrested the banker all of a sudden, the NRB Governor said that they had been investigating this matter for a long time.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif""> As the investigation reached its final stage, the police arrested the banker. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, the central bank will assist in the investigation conducted by the government agencies, but there is no need to panic.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He said that various groups with vested interest have been attacking bank employees of late and warned that this will cause problems to the entire banking system</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">If such activities are not stopped, the demand and flow of loans will not be as expected, the NRB Governor warned.</span></span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20128', 'image' => '20240304120025_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:59:45', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 6 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20400', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'NRB Governor Assures Depositors their Funds are Secure in Banks', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">March 4: Dismissing rumors that the some banks and cooperatives are going bankrupt, the Governor of Nepal Rastra Bank Maha Prasad Adhikari made it clear that such a situation does not exist. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He also claimed that the situation of Nepal's banks and financial institutions is the safest and most transparent in South Asia.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">"All the banks are safe at present and people's deposits are safe," said the Governor Adhikari at the finance committee meeting of the House of Representatives on Sunday. </span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the governor, the banks of Nepal are safe as the core capital of banks is above 8 percent. Stating that there is a need to increase the capital to increase the loan portfolio, the governor presented the fact that banks have Rs 600 billion of liquidity for investment.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">He informed the committee members that the bad loans (NPL) of the banks have reached 3.40 percent, saying that the credit quality of the banks has decreased recently. According to Governor Adhikari, the overall market conditions, the slump in the economy, reduction in repayment and the market rumors that the debtors do not need to pay bank loans have resulted in the increase in bad loans.</span></span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:15.0pt"><span style="font-family:"Nirmala UI","sans-serif"">According to the Governor Adhikari, there is no need to worry because banks have three times more liquid assets than the deposits saved by the depositors. He said that even if there are some difficulties due to the internal situation of some banks, they will be resolved.</span></span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-04', 'modified' => '2024-03-04', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20127', 'image' => '20240304112309_maha.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-04 11:22:23', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 7 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20399', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Snowfall Obstructs Nagma-Gamgadhi Road ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px">March 3: Increased snowfall has obstructed Nagma-Gamgadhi section of the Karnali highway. The Road Division Office, Jumla had opened vehicular movement on this section a week ago by removing snow. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The road section has been blocked again by snow as it started to snow in the high-altitude areas and to rain in the low-lying valleys since Friday. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Outbound vehicles from Mugu and the in-bound ones from outside districts have been stranded due to the blockage of the road.</span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Snow has accumulated at Jhadnaula, Satmod, Ghuchchi Lek, Siptichaur and Bulbule on the Mugu-Jumla border, blocking the road, said Dipendra Bista, the Chief of the Road Division Office, Jumla. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">The snow will be cleared from the road with excavator and the workers as the weather starts improving. </span></p> <p><span style="font-size:20px">Issuing a public notice, the Office has urged people to refrain from traveling on this section of the Karnali highway except emergency cases and to travel in such case only by adopting safety measures. (RSS) </span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20126', 'image' => '20240303052919_collage (6).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 17:28:07', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '42' ) ), (int) 8 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20398', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Three New Trekking Routes Identified in Mustang ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: Stakeholders have identified three new trekking routes in Mustang as alternatives to the traditional route displaced by the construction of roads. As the dust makes it difficult for trekkers to travel on the usual routes, tourists have been demanding a route where they can enjoy nature without any disturbance. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The Annapurna Conservation Area Project (ACAP) believes that the three new routes will help to increase the arrival of tourists as well as to prolong their stay. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The trekking routes identified by ACAP include the routes connecting Lupra and Muktinath, Thini and Tilicho Lake as well as Kokhethati and Dhumbatal via Sirkung, Sauru, Chokhopani and Chimang.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">ACAP Ranger Sanjok Thakali said infrastructure construction, publicity and promotion have been started accordingly.</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The old trekking routes have been displaced due to Beni-Jomsom and Jomsom-Kagbeni-Muktinath roads. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Trekking Guide Hari Nepali from Lete, Mustang, said that the number of foreign tourists coming for trekking in Mustang has decreased after the construction of the road in the district. However, the arrival of domestic and Indian tourists has increased. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to ACAP Jomsom, 29.12 percent of foreign tourists visited Mustang in 2022, but in 2023 that number decreased to 19.20 percent. In 2023, a total of 90,365 tourists arrived in Mustang which included 18,166 from the third countries and 72,190 from SAARC countries, said Pramodraj Regmi, head of ACAP Jomsom. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">An entry fee of Rs 1,000 per person has been set for SAARC countries and Rs 3,000 per person for visitors from other countries visiting the ACAP area, which includes Lamjung, Kaski, Manang, Mustang and Myagdi districts of Gandaki Province. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20125', 'image' => '20240303034428_tilicho-lake-g1b88af4af_1920.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:43:52', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 9 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20397', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Onset of Pre-Monsoon Spell Brings Rainfall and Snow', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: The pre-monsoon spell has commenced in Nepal recently with winter coming to an end. The winter this time was less cold and brought little rainfall than estimated. Although the pre-monsoon period started from last Friday, it will take some days more for the pre-monsoon to become fully active, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Today's cloudy weather is the first such case after the onset of the pre-monsoon period, sad Rojan Lamichhane, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division. He said the recent cloudy weather is mainly due to the Westerly wind and the moisture-laden wind from the Arabian Sea. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">According to him, the weather is much cloudy in Lumbini, Bagmati, Gandaki and Karnali provinces while it is less cloudy in the Sudurpaschim, Koshi and Madhes provinces at present. He further said the latter provinces will also witness cloudy conditions as the clouds have been advancing towards these provinces. This trend will increase until tonight and the weather will improve gradually from tomorrow. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Meteorologist Lamichhane shared that the western region will witness more cloudy condition tonight. Kathmandu is receiving light rainfall since today morning while snowfall has been reported in Humla and other high-altitude areas of the country</span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The winter this year lasted from November 2, 2023 to February 29, 2024. Although the winter is gone, the influence of Westerly wind still remains, according to the division. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20124', 'image' => '20240303032719_DaneBohara_SimkotHumla_RSS_20_IMG_20240303_080358_091(1).jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 15:26:35', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 10 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20396', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Nepal Ranks 150th in AI Readiness Index', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">March 3: Nepal is ranked 150th out of 193 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index, 2023, according to a recent study. A report published by the Oxford Insights shows the US in first position with 84.80 total score, while Singapore is second in the index with a total score of 81.97.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Nepal has got a total score of 30.77. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the Index, the total score is calculated from three bases- government pillar, technology sector pillar, and data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">With a total score of 30.77, Nepal has achieved 31.04 in government pillar, 24.21 in technology sector pillar, and 37.06 in data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the previous year, 2022, Nepal had secured 139th position out of 181 countries in the Government AI Readiness Index. The total score was 30.75 where Nepal got 30.88 marks under government pillar, 23.50 marks under technology sector pillar, and 37.88 marks under the data and infrastructure pillar.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Afghanistan was ranked at the bottom (181st rank) with a 13.46 total score in 2022, while the Democratic Republic of Korea is at the bottom (193rd) with a total score 9.20 in 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">India is ranked 40th while China is 16th in 2023, while they were ranked 32nd and 17th respectively in 2022.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The three pillars were analyzed by setting different dimensions. Under the government pillar, there were four dimensions – vision, governance and ethic, digital capacity, and adaptability. Similarly, the technology sector pillar comprised three dimensions – maturity, innovation capacity, and human capital. The third pillar, data and infrastructure, has also included three dimensions – infrastructure, data availability and data representativeness. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">A total of 39 indicators were set for 10 dimensions under three pillars. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The report collected data from various sources, including OECD AI Policy Observatory, UN IDIR AI policy portal, Global Cybersecurity Index, Worldwide Governance indicators, UN e-Government Survey, Network Readiness Index, International Telecommunications Union, and the World Bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Index has mentioned the developments relating to AI in all sorts of countries ranging from LDCs to emerging economies to the developed ones.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><strong><em><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">Persisting global digital divide </span></em></strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">In the finding, the report stated, "Half of the AI strategies that were published or announced come from low and lower middle-income countries. The scores in the Data and Infrastructure pillar show a substantial difference between high and low-income economies, illustrating an existing global digital divide."</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">At a time when most of the countries are swayed by the modern buzz, AI, and striving to both promote and regulate AI irrespective of their capacities, the Index is expected to cater relevant knowledge to the government, private sector and researchers.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman","serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial","sans-serif"">The Oxford Insights is a UK-based organization working around the intersection of technology and government and generating global scale study reports. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20123', 'image' => '20240303093044_Artificial-intelligence--scaled.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:30:09', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 11 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20395', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'EU Supports Sustainable Coffee Farming in Sudurpashchim ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">March 3: In a bid to introduce sustainable and scientific methods in commercial farming of Nepal’s specialty coffee applying sustainable techniques, local potential farmers are being trained in Shikhar Municipality of Doti district in Sudurpaschim Province. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is jointly organized by the European Union Trade and Investment Programme under the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), National Tea and Coffee Development Board, and Shikhar Municipality. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training that kicked off on Friday encompasses practical learning experiences, providing farmers with practical insights into modern techniques of coffee nursery development and plantation. The training sessions are mainly aimed at introducing potential coffee farmers to basic techniques of coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Acknowledging the significant potential for coffee cultivation in the district, two-day hands-on training programme commenced on Friday, aimed at acquainting farmers with the scientific methods integral to coffee farming and processing. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The event featured the planting of 120 Arabica coffee saplings, serving as a tangible demonstration of contemporary approaches to coffee cultivation. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">A total of 30 farmers including 15 women, are took part in the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">The training is expected to be instrumental in promoting scientific, sustainable, and commercially viability of coffee production at the local level forging effective coordination and collaboration with local governments and relevant stakeholders in the district. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">As the nation transitions into a federal system, these collaborative endeavors are anticipated to yield substantial benefits for farmers and entrepreneurs engaged in coffee cultivation, strengthening their participation in the coffee value chain. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Bishna Bhat, a female participant, from Shikhar Municipality of Doti, conveyed her excitement regarding the prospects offered by this capacity-building initiative and outlined her desire to expand her coffee farming pursuits by judiciously applying the new-found knowledge gained from the training. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Sunita Rawal, Deputy Mayor of Shikhar Municipality underscored the imperative of collaboration among all state institutions and the private sector to realize the objective of sustainable coffee production and enhanced productivity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Rawal also emphasized the need to ensure markets for locally produced coffee to inspire farmers to expand coffee plantations through more investment. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">Stating that Nepali coffee is enjoying impressive demands in domestic and international markets, Bhakta Raj Joshi, Under Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), Mim Hamal, Senior Program Manager of European Union Delegation office, and Dr. Badri Prasad Bastakoti, an expert from EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme, and leading farmer Amar Bahadur Shahi underscored the necessity of expanding modern and sustainable farming techniques to strengthen supply capacity. </span><br /> <span style="font-family:"Arial Unicode MS","sans-serif"">During the fiscal year 2022/23, Nepal exported 77 tons and imported 450 tons of coffee. Nepal holds the potential of coffee farming in around 1.2 million hectares of land. According to the National Tea and Coffee Development Board, coffee plantations across the country have covered over 3655 hectares, producing around 400 tons during the review year. -- RSS </span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20122', 'image' => '20240303092946_20231126015710_20221202013732_1669933354.Clipboard05.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:29:08', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 12 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20394', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'WTO Talks End with no Major Win, Throwing Trade Body into 'Crisis'', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">March 3: A high-level WTO conference ended Saturday with a temporary extension of an e-commerce moratorium but no deals on agriculture and fisheries, throwing into doubt the effectiveness of the multilateral trade body.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The outcomes of the World Trade Organization's 13th ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi highlighted the sharp divisions between the body´s 164 members amid geopolitical tensions and economic headwinds that are threatening global commerce.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The WTO needed a good crisis and perhaps this will lead to a realisation that we cannot continue like this," said a senior European Union official participating in the talks.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Speaking at the closing press conference, the Emirati chair of the so-called MC13 gathering, Thani Al Zeyoudi, acknowledged the shortcomings.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"Despite our best efforts, we failed to agree on some texts which are of great importance to many of our members," said Al Zeyoudi, who also serves as the UAE's foreign trade minister.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">For her part, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said the talks came up "against an international backdrop marked by greater uncertainty than at any time I can remember".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We have achieved some important things and we have not managed to complete others," she said, while insisting that the "glass was half full".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">The WTO, the only international body dealing with the rules of trade between nations, requires full consensus from all members to chalk up deals.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It was hoping the MC13 would replicate the landmark success of its 2022 ministerial in Geneva, which yielded a deal on fisheries and saw members agree to restore a now-defunct dispute settlement system by the end of this year.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But the latest ministerial fell short of that objective.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"The unexpected weakness of the overall (MC13) package should... serve as a wake-up call," the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce, John Denton, said in a statement.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><strong>'Bogged down'</strong></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">After a 2022 deal that banned subsidies contributing to illegal, undeclared and unregulated fishing, the WTO was hoping to conclude a second package focusing on subsidies that result in overcapacity and overfishing.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Negotiations in recent months at the WTO headquarters in Geneva had enabled a draft text to be brought forward for a second fisheries deal, which provided flexibility and advantages for developing countries.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">But some -- notably India -- demanded further concessions, including transition periods that others consider to be too long.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">At MC13, a revised draft fisheries agreement faced strong objections from New Delhi.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"There was basically just one country that was blocking the deal," said EU trade commissioner Valdis Dombrovskis, without specifying which member.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Richard Ouellet of Canada's University of Laval said "consensus, which was once the cement of this organisation, has now become the mud in which it is bogged down".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">- Emirati sway -</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">With farmer protests sweeping Europe and India, agriculture agreements also emerged as a particularly sensitive topic of debate.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Member states were trying to negotiate a text listing the subjects that merit further discussion.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">An agriculture package, however, was hampered by a firm demand by India for permanent rules governing public stockholding of food reserves to replace temporary measures adopted by the WTO.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's insistence on a permanent solution for public stockholding was "impossible to bridge", Dombrovskis said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Despite failing on agriculture and fisheries, the WTO managed to temporarily salvage a moratorium on customs duties for digital transmissions that was extended for another two years.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">It faced a particularly strong challenge at MC13, with countries led by India and South Africa arguing that it harms customs revenues.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">India's Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal said Friday that he allowed the extension to pass "out of respect" to the conference's Emirati chair, whom he called a "good friend".</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">However, the moratorium, which has been regularly extended since 1998, is set to definitively expire on March 31, 2026, with no chance of an extension, Iweala said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I think that the membership has agreed... on very firm dates for its conclusion," she said.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"I have to abide by what the membership has just decided."</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">On dispute settlement reform, the final outcome mainly reiterated the commitment made at MC12 to have a fully and well-functioning dispute settlement system in place by 2024.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">Washington, under former President Donald Trump, brought the system to a grinding halt in 2019 by blocking the appointment of new judges to the WTO's appeals court, the organisation's highest dispute settlement authority.</span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif"">"We wished for more progress on the question of appeal... but we were not able to move forward as fast as we wanted," Dombrovskis said. – AFP/RSS</span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20121', 'image' => '20240303092754_mc1302032024_lg.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:27:19', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 13 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20393', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Arrival of Foreign Tourist Increased by 33 Percent in February', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season.', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">March 3: The number of tourists visiting Nepal has increased with the onset of the tourist season. According to the Nepal Tourism Board (NTB), as many as 97,426 foreign tourists arrived in Nepal via air in the month of February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The number of foreign visitors who entered Nepal in February 2024 is 33 percent more compared to February 2023. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The figure is 95 percent of the arrivals in the year 2019 when highest number of tourists visited Nepal before the coronavirus pandemic.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">According to the NTB, a total of 73,255 foreign tourists had visited Nepal in February 2023. NTB officials say that tourists mostly visit Nepal in March, April and May for trekking when the weather is favourable.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">In February 2019, altogether 102,423 foreign tourists had entered Nepal.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">Tourists from neighbouring India comprised the largest share of foreign arrivals in Nepal in February, with 25,578 Indian guests arriving in the country. Following Indians, the next largest group was Chinese tourists at 9,180. American tourists also made a significant contribution with 9,089 US citizens visiting Nepal in February.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:16.0pt">The NTB data also shows that tourists from Thailand (4,799), the United Kingdom (4,571), Bangladesh (4,099), Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, and Germany contributed to the total tourist arrivals. </span></span></span></p> <p> </p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20120', 'image' => '20240303092226_gvtrek_comxfish.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 09:21:48', 'homepage' => false, 'breaking_news' => false, 'main_news' => true, 'in_scroller' => null, 'user_id' => '34' ) ), (int) 14 => array( 'Article' => array( 'id' => '20392', 'article_category_id' => '1', 'title' => 'Private Sector Shows Concern Over Bankers' Arrest ', 'sub_title' => '', 'summary' => 'March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. ', 'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">March 3: Various organizations representing the private sector have drawn their attention over one after another arrest of bankers in connection with the issue of loan misuse. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Noting that it was serious to arrest employees of the banks and financial institutions in regard to the loan given on the basis of collateral assessment, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) have expressed their concerns over the action. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Central Investigation Bureau of the Nepal Police apprehended 10 bankers, including Acting Chief Executive Officer of Prabhu Bank Manoj Neupane and former CEO of Century Commercial Bank Tulasi Gautam, last Tuesday on charges of disbursing loans exceeding the assessed value of the collateral.</span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The private sector said the recent incident has seriously affected the professionalism of the banking sector as a whole. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">"People who are not directly involved in any of the incidents of banks and financial institutions but working in accordance with the existing legal system, policies and directives of the regulatory bodies have been undermined despite their good intentions merely for signing documents in their capacity," the statement said. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to the private sector, banks and financial institutions are engaged in deposit collection and loan investment adhering to the existing acts and directives issued by the central bank. </span></span></span></p> <p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,"sans-serif""><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the case of commercial loans, different types of loans are disbursed towards fixed capital and current capital depending on the nature of business, according to the statement of the umbrella organizations of the private sector. -- RSS</span></span></span></p> ', 'published' => true, 'created' => '2024-03-03', 'modified' => '2024-03-03', 'keywords' => '', 'description' => '', 'sortorder' => '20119', 'image' => '20240303085152_Banks - Copy.jpg', 'article_date' => '2024-03-03 08:51:24', '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
