APF Takes Charge of Customs Check at TIA

Jan 17, 2024 0 1 minutes 5 seconds to read

January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs…

Government Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target Again

Jan 17, 2024 0 2 minutes 53 seconds to read

January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too.…

Use of Tobacco Shrinking Despite Industry Efforts: WHO

Jan 17, 2024 0 5 minutes 9 seconds to read

January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young…

Government Planning to Expand Power Grid to Farmlands for Irrigation

Jan 17, 2024 0 1 minutes 27 seconds to read

January 17: The government is planning to introduce 'agriculture meter' to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands.…

Government Preparing to Announce an Ambitious Budget

Jan 16, 2024 0 6 minutes 32 seconds to read

anuary 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan.…

NAC's Wide-Body Aircraft Grounded due to Technical Glitch

Jan 16, 2024 0 1 minutes 40 seconds to read

January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected in it.…

Traders ask if Customs Policy is to Facilitate Trade or to Impede it

Jan 16, 2024 0 3 minutes 24 seconds to read

January 16: The private sector has complained that the government’s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult.…

Govt Approves EIA Report of 439-Megawatt Betan Karnali Hydropower Project

Jan 16, 2024 0 2 minutes 57 seconds to read

January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion.…

Dairy Farmers of Chitwan Postpone Protest Programme

Jan 16, 2024 0 3 minutes 24 seconds to read

January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the…

Federal Government to Implement Projects of more than Rs 30 Million

Jan 16, 2024 0 1 minutes 9 seconds to read

January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal…

Sixteen Injured in Tundikhel Stampede , Fifteen Discharged from Hospital

Jan 16, 2024 0 1 minutes 52 seconds to read

January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place…

NOC Slashes Fuel Prices

Jan 16, 2024 0 58 seconds to read

The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per…

One Person Dies in Cooking Gas Cylinder Explosion

Jan 16, 2024 0 48 seconds to read

January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on…

5,000 Households in Mugu Without Electricity

Jan 15, 2024 0 1 minutes 36 seconds to read

Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational…

Half-yearly Budget Review: Country Experiences Fiscal Deficit

Jan 15, 2024 0 2 minutes 8 seconds to read

January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income.…

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No Laughing Matter

The Sweet Rewards of Power

By Madan Lamsal

. . .
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NEPSE

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			'title' => 'APF Takes Charge of Customs Check at TIA   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Armed Police Force (APF) was mobilized in customs affairs to ensure effective customs checks and to enhance security, said Dr Tokraj Pandey, the chief customs administrator of TIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The decision to involve the APF in customs checks was taken in response to a finance ministerial-level request and a decision from the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. The APF personnel are working in five shifts on a daily basis to conduct customs checks at the airport,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The move to seek direct supervision and involvement of the APF in customs duties is expected to improve airport security and facilitate more effective service delivery. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'Government Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target Again',
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			'summary' => 'January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. The government has set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 1422.54 in the current fiscal year. The government had set the target this year expecting a growth rate of 40 percent compared to last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, the government is struggling to achieve the same target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The government has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the first six months of the current fiscal year just like in the previous years.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The data of the Ministry of Finance show that the government has not been able to meet the target because it fixed a large target without proper homework when the economic activities had slumped.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">During the first six months of the last fiscal year, the Inland Revenue Department had collected Rs 71.5 billion against the target of Rs 110 billion.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This year, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 304.42 billion till mid-January, but it collected only Rs 243.35 billion which is 80 percent of the target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data show that there was the biggest decline in internal excise duty this year. Excise duty collected from cigarettes and beer seems to have been affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly<span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">, the Department of Customs also failed&nbsp;to collect revenue as per the target in the past six months. The department has collected Rs 200 billion as of mid-January. This is 72 percent of the target. The department was given a target of collecting revenue of Rs 306.16 billion for the first six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Dhaniram Sharma, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, says that the government has failed to meet the revenue collection due to the decline in fuel import, the decrease in the import of fuel-powered vehicles and the concession provided by the government on electric vehicles.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Sharma, the Ministry of Finance will make strategies to achieve the target in the next six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue Department could not collect revenue as per the target, the government has earned good income from real estate. According to the Department of Land Management and Archives, the highest number of real estate transactions this year took place in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January) of the current year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Altogether 45,277 units of real estate transactions were recorded during the review month. The government collected revenue of Rs 3.20 billion from real estate sector.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20003',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Use of Tobacco Shrinking Despite Industry Efforts: WHO',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In 2022, about one in five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one in every three in 2000, the UN health agency said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A fresh WHO report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing tobacco use through regulation, high taxes and other measures.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But it cautioned that the tobacco industry was stepping up its efforts to circumvent and undermine that progress, including through systematic attempts to hook children with their highly addictive products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They are using &quot;what I would personally call criminal efforts,&quot; Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO&#39;s health promotion department, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;They are killing, and they continue to do everything possible to undermine the countries&#39; very good efforts.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than eight million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, WHO statistics show.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">And the WHO warned that while smoking rates are declining, it will take decades for the number of tobacco-related deaths to follow suit.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong>&#39;No time for complacency&#39;</strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Though the number of smokers has steadily shrunk, the WHO said the world was set to miss its goal of a 30-percent drop in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifty-six countries around the world are expected to hit that target, including Brazil, which has already slashed tobacco use by 35 percent since 2010.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Six countries have meanwhile seen tobacco use rise since 2010 -- the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Moldova and Oman.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Overall, the world is on track to shrink tobacco use by a quarter over the 15-year period to 2025, the report said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years,&quot; Krech said in a statement, &quot;but there is no time for complacency&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;I&#39;m astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives,&quot; he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Krech pointed for instance to swelling industry efforts to infiltrate and influence national and international health regulation bodies and gatherings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He voiced concern that such attempts appear to be ramping up ahead of the next meeting of the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama next month.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">- Fight &#39;tobacco industry interference&#39; -</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also highlighted the industry&#39;s promotion of e-cigarettes, vaping and other smokeless products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">While tobacco companies maintain they are not targeting young people, Krech highlighted that their products come in &quot;thousands of flavours&quot; and &quot;most of them are attractive to children: vanilla ice cream, gummy bears&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">E-cigarettes, which have enjoyed booming popularity among young people in a number of countries, are also found in the shape of the string of a hoodie, lipstick and a pencil, he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO urged all countries to maintain and strengthen control policies and to fight &quot;tobacco industry interference&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO report stressed the need to gather better data on tobacco use among adolescents.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said that on average, around 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds globally use one or more types of tobacco.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">That amounts to at least 37 million adolescents, including at least 12 million who use new smokeless tobacco products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But the report stressed these numbers were an underestimate since more than 70 countries provide no data. &ndash; AFP/RSS</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20002',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Planning to Expand Power Grid to Farmlands for Irrigation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government is planning to introduce 'agriculture meter' to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government is planning to introduce &#39;agriculture meter&#39; to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. The electricity meters will be provided to the farmers in an attempt to promote agricultural production and make farmers self-reliant, the authorities said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If things go as planned, the government is working to expand power grid up to the farmlands to meet the farmers&#39; demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to achieve this goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been asked to work on expansion of power grid for the development of irrigation projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Energy Shakti Bahadur Basnet on Tuesday held discussions at the ministry with the leadership of National Farmers&#39; Commission, the NEA and other stakeholders regarding this issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, Minister Basnet said that modernizing and commercializing the agriculture sector can generate employment and also increase food sufficiency. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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			'image' => '20240117111016_RBP7JUSC26EAGVV5NOFFGNQPX4.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-17 11:09:20',
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20001',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Preparing to Announce an Ambitious Budget',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'anuary 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. The government is reportedly preparing an ambitious budget after endorsing the 16th five-year plan prepared by the National Planning Commission. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The NPC is preparing to draft a plan within a month and present it to the Council of Ministers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The National Planning Commission has not yet prepared the program for the base year of the 16th Plan, i.e. the next fiscal year. But the NPC officials say that they are under pressure from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to finalize the plan immediately as the government will formulate budget based on the NPC&rsquo;s plan.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prime minister has repeatedly said that he will make the budget a different one from the traditional budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Ministry of Finance is already engaged in the homework to prepare the next fiscal year&#39;s budget. Sources say that in this situation, Prime Minister Dahal is pressuring the commission to prepare draft quickly. The commission has not yet been able to figure out how to fulfill the unlimited obligations of the state.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Yamlal Bhusal, joint secretary of the commission, said that the final draft has not been prepared yet. According to him, the commission is working to prepare a plan within mid-February. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&ldquo;We are under a bit of pressure because the Prime Minister has said that he will make the budget based on this plan. We are ready to prepare the plan by mid-February. It will be completed within the stipulated period,&quot; he told New Business Age.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Joint Secretary Bhusal, the commission will finalize the plan and send it to the National Development Council for approval. After getting approval from the council, it will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers. The plan will come into effect after the Cabinet approves it.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even though the economic activities in the country have slumped, the 16th plan prepared by the National Planning Commission has set ambitious goals. On the basis of those goals, the government is doing homework to prepare the annual budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the draft plan published by the commission, the goal is to increase the size of the gross domestic product (GDP) by about Rs 3000 billion within the next 5 years. At present, the size of the GDP at basic prices is equal to Rs 5381 billion. By the end of the 16th plan, the target is to achieve GDP of around Rs 8000 to 8600 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The draft aims to maintain the economic growth rate, which was 1.86 percent in the last fiscal year, at an average of 7 to 8.5 percent by the end of the new periodic plan. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The goal of increasing domestic production and productivity is also ambitious. In order to increase the domestic production, the draft has set a target of bringing 17 industrial zones into operation, declaring 140 industrial villages, and increasing the number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) from two to three. Similarly, the draft has also set a target of increasing the installed capacity of hydroelectric power, which is currently around 2,800 megawatts, to around 11,800 megawatts, and increasing per capita electricity consumption from 380 kilowatt hours to 700 kilowatt hours.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the new periodic plan, the goal is to export electricity worth Rs 41 billion annually and to reduce the overall trade deficit to about 4 percent by increasing the contribution of the energy sector. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The population benefiting from basic level drinking water service is currently 96 percent, and the goal is to increase it to 99 percent. In the same way, the periodic&nbsp; plan has set the goal of creating jobs of around 1.2 million annually, raising the minimum wage of workers to Rs 25, 000 per month, increasing the number of beneficiaries of social security fund to 2 million and increasing the number of destination countries .</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to officials of the Ministry of Finance, if the budget is prepared according to the periodic plan prepared by the Planning Commission, next year&rsquo;s budget will be bigger in size than the current fiscal year&rsquo;s budget. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even now, the government&rsquo;s expenditure has exceeded its income, said a senior finance ministry official. According to him, it is not possible to prepare an ambitious budget. The implementation part of the budget is very weak if we look at the situation up to six months. The federal government had announced to spend Rs 1751 billion this year, but has spent only 32 percent of the target so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the first six months of the current fiscal year, government has spent only Rs 566 billion. The government has allocated Rs 1141 billion for current expenditure, and has spent around Rs 45</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0 billion under this heading.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Likewise, it has earmarked Rs 3</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">2 billion for capital expenditure and has spent only 16 percent of the budget. Meanwhile, the government has spent Rs 80 billion for fiscal management.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, the government had set a target of collecting Rs 668 billion in revenue in the first six months of current FY, but it managed to collect only Rs 515 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Economist Keshav Acharya says that when the government has failed to implement the current budget, the next budget should not be ambitious and large in size. According to him, the implementation of the budget will not be effective until the government changes its working style. It is necessary to make the budget implementation-oriented.</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19999',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NAC's Wide-Body Aircraft Grounded due to Technical Glitch   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected in it. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected on Monday night. With this, the passengers bound to Doha, Qatar have been stranded.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC spokesperson Ramesh Poudel said the flight had to be stopped as a problem occurred with the flight control sensor of the wide-body aircraft. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Technical repair of the grounded aircraft is in progress now,&rdquo; he said, adding that the passengers bound to Doha on this flight will be sent to the destination via an alternative flight on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The passengers of the Doha flight were stopped due to the technical problem in the aircraft last night (Monday). Preparations have been made to send the passengers to the destination by another flight at 7.45 pm today (Tuesday). The passengers have been asked to come to the airport at 4 pm,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the NAC&#39;s four planes operating international flights, a narrow-body plane has been sent to Israel for repair. Flights have been affected due to frequent technical glitches faced by the NAC planes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC has two narrow-body and two wide-body aircraft for operating international flights. The 276 passengers bound to Doha from Kathmandu were kept in a hotel on Monday night. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'image' => '20240116031952_naccccc.jpg',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19998',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Traders ask if Customs Policy is to Facilitate Trade or to Impede it',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The private sector has complained that the government’s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The private sector has complained that the government&rsquo;s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. They argued that the concept of customs should have been to facilitate foreign trade instead of impeding it.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The traders said that the various stages of rigorous process of customs clearance and the ill-intention of the customs officials have been causing them lots of problems.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the concept is to facilitate trade, the customs process is revenue-oriented in practice, said the traders who rely on Birgunj Customs, the biggest customs in the country. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries argues that they often come across the problem in valuation as the customs officials do not approve the valuation of the goods mentioned in the bill even if the good is imported by a reputed company. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The customs officials of Nepal should evaluate the goods on the basis of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the Indian customs&rdquo;, says Anil Agrawal, president of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the customs.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Importers complained that the customs officials evaluate goods on the basis of information and charge a <span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">50%</span> penalty on top of that, adding to the problem. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Customs evaluates goods on the basis of the Customs Reference Valuation Book. If the value of goods mentioned in the bill is less than that mentioned in the reference book, the customs charges fine,&rdquo; says Hari Gautam, senior vice president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Importers are forced to open LCs worth more than the actual value of goods just to avoid fines. The excess amount is sent through Hundi,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agarwal said that the latest example of this is the recent crackdown on the evaluation of lighters by the Department of Customs. Traders complained that the customs offices have arbitrarily changed the harmonized system code of the goods to collect more revenue. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The chamber&rsquo;s Vice President Madhav Rajpal said that the customs authorities changed the code without giving due recognition to bills like GST, SAFTA. Traders say that some officials make it a means of bargaining with businessmen for under-the-table earnings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Rajpal said that this policy is impractical as SAFTA concessions are only given to goods imported through LC. Traders also demand that this concession be given to the goods that come through the banking process.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Senior Vice President Gautam said that it is also an unreasonable policy of customs not to allow parts of industrial equipment imported from third countries to be brought from India. He complained that even though the association wrote a letter to the government in this regard, the problem has not been addressed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19997',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Govt Approves EIA Report of 439-Megawatt Betan Karnali Hydropower Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. This project is the pride of Karnali Province.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Project Chief Upendra Neupane, the ministry approved the EIA report on January 2 in line with Sub-section (5) of Section 7 of the Environment Protection Act, 2076 and Sub-rule (8) of Rule 9 of the Environment Protection Regulations, 2077.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The ministry&rsquo;s decision to approve the EIA report has paved the way for the construction of the project, informed Neupane.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Project Chief Neupane added that the promoters of the company will start construction of the project after finalizing financial management and Power Purchase Agreement once they get approval from the Department of Electricity Development.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 439 megawatt project is a semi-reservoir project extending from Chokune Rural Municipality of Surkhet to Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham. The project is being promoted by Betan Karnali Sanchayakarta Hydropower Company Limited. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project will affect the residents of Chokune Rural Municipality-6 of Surkhet, Ward No 7 of Panchapuri Municipality and Ward No 6 of Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham and Ward No 3, 4 and 5 of Turmakhand Rural Municipality.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Neupane said that the plan is to start the construction of the infrastructure within one and a half years after completing all the pre-construction works. Currently, the access road is being constructed. The project has already opened track of 18 km road from Achham to the project site and 14 km from Gutu in Surkhet to reach the dam site.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The study of this project was initiated in October 2017 by the Engineering Company Limited owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The estimated cost of the project including interest is said to be around Rs 88 billion. The source of investment is yet to be finalized. Neupane said that they will announce tender bids for awarding the contract and start construction within one and a half years once the source of investment is ensured.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project has set the goal to complete the construction works within five years. Altogether 70 percent of the total cost will be managed with loans and 30 percent through equity. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">To raise the capital through equity, the company has decided to issue 40 percent share ownership to the depositors of the Employee Provident Fund, 15 percent to the EPF, and 10 percent each to the Nepal Electricity Authority and the power generation company. The company has decided to issue 13 percent shares to the general public, 10 percent to the project affected families and 2 percent to the extremely poor families.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19996',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Dairy Farmers of Chitwan Postpone Protest Programme',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government. The Chitwan District Milk Producers&rsquo; Cooperative Association held a phase-wise protest programme from January 10 to 16. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The association said that the farmers&rsquo; protest was postponed after the government called them for talks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Kishore Bagale, chairman of the Chitwan District Milk Producers&#39; Cooperative Association, said that they returned to Chitwan after talks with the government. &ldquo;We are in a wait and watch situation. We are not assured if the government will fulfill the promises made with us. We will wait for some time and then resume protest if the government fails to fulfill its promises,&#39;&#39; said Bagale.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">40,000</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy farmers of Chitwan say that they have not received payment for the milk they produced since August. They claimed that they are yet to receive payment of around Rs </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">220</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> million. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The farmers have reached a verbal agreement with the private sector dairy industries and the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) to receive the payment within </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">15</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> days. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chairman Bagale informed that more than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> dairy cooperatives of Chitwan have not received payment for the milk they supplied to the private dairy industries and the DDC. Altogether </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">155</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy cooperatives are registered with the District Administration Office, Chitwan. There are </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">112</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> cooperatives affiliated to the District Milk Cooperative Association. There are around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> commercial dairy farms in the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chitwan produces an average of </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">300</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk daily. Around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">150</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk is supplied to </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">31 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">industries including the DDC. That means, more than half of the milk produced in Chitwan is sold outside the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19994',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Federal Government to Implement Projects of more than Rs 30 Million',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Addressing an event organized at Sherabagar of Shivapuri Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district on Monday, the finance minister said new rules have been formulated for the implementation of the projects by the federal and provincial governments. He added that the provincial governments will implement projects of Rs 10 million plus in budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The size of budget for the projects was fixed to end the confusion on project implementation by the three layers of government.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat also said that all three layers of governments were working proactively to meet the people&#39;s aspirations, concerns and challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat said that the government will prioritize coordination for project implementation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:19:02',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19995',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sixteen Injured in Tundikhel Stampede , Fifteen Discharged from Hospital  ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place

',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">amid separate programmes organized by the Magar and Tharu communities on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the first day of the Nepali month of Magh (mid-January to mid-February).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Spokesperson for the Police Range and Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumud Dhungel said, &quot;A large number of people from the Magar and Tharu communities had convened at Tundikhel to observe the Maghi festival. Sixteen people were injured when the stampede occurred all of a sudden.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">SP Dhungel shared that the stampede happened when the people entering the venue and exiting from there jostled at the entrance all of a sudden. The injured have been admitted to the Trauma Centre at Bir Hospital, police said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifteen, out of 16 people injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday, have returned home after treatment. One injured person is receiving treatment at National Trauma Centre of Bir Hospital. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Fifteen injured in the stampede have been discharged while one Karishma Magar, 14, of Rautamai rural municipality-8 of Udaypur district and currently living at Manamaiju of Kathmandu, is undergoing treatment at National Trauma Centre,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the police, those injured have been identified as Trisana Magar, 12, Anjana Tamang, 12, Rejina Ghale, 19, Nikita Magar, 16, Rekha Chaudhary, 30, Anisa KC, 16, Kalpana Chaudhary, 25, Mandira Basnet, 22, Mina Thapa, 40, Riza Resmi Magar, 19, a police person Prithvi Budha Magar, Nisha Rana Magar, 25, Nirmala Shrestha, 22, Reshmi Nepal, 27, Yunika Baral, 11 and Karishma Magar, 14. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19722',
			'image' => '20240116115143_Untitled.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:50:54',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19993',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NOC Slashes Fuel Prices',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: &nbsp;The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the NOC, the price of petrol is fixed Rs 163.5 per litre in Charali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Birgunj and Rs 153.5 per litre to diesel and kerosene in those depots.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of per litre petrol is fixed Rs 165 in Dang and Surkhet, and Rs 166 in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dipayal.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The NOC said that the price of petroleum products was slashed as per the new price list received from the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC). </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '19721',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 06:23:25',
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			'id' => '20000',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'One Person Dies in Cooking Gas Cylinder Explosion   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday. The incident occurred at Phulbari of west Chitwan. Police have identified the deceased as 50-year-old Manish Thapa of Dairy Chok, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Shreeram Bhandari said it is suspected Thapa was killed when the gas cylinder exploded while he was cooking food in his room on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cooking gas explosion took place inside the compound of Abinash Fertilizer Company. DSP Bhandari said further investigation into the incident is underway. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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			'sortorder' => '19720',
			'image' => '20240116034007_20220420033543_gas.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 15:39:27',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19992',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '5,000 Households in Mugu Without Electricity',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">January 15: &nbsp;Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The affected households resort to alternative means of lighting, relying on solar lamps and traditional methods such as burning dry pine splinters (diyalo). This makeshift approach, however, falls short in addressing the broader challenges faced by these communities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lack of electricity poses additional problems for the residents as well. Charging mobile phones and operating basic electrical appliances have become daunting tasks, and the absence of power is also impeding industrial activities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Chhayanath Rara Municipality, one thousand out of 2,546 households lack electricity. Similarly, all 3,651 households in Khatyad rural municipality find themselves dependent on sporadic solar lamps and the traditional &#39;diyalo&#39; for lighting.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Birabagar Hydroelectricity Project, initially launched with the ambitious aim of providing electricity to all households in the rural municipality, has been in a state of limbo for the past five years, exacerbating the problem.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even in Soru rural municipality, where a 60-kilowatt capacity solar power plant has been installed at Sorukot, the rural municipality headquarters, power remains insufficient to meet the community&#39;s needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Furthermore, the extension of the national transmission line to Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, on September 11, 2023, has not resolved the issue, with locals expressing dissatisfaction due to unreliable power supply. (RSS) </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19719',
			'image' => '20240115044948_collage (21).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-15 16:45:39',
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			'id' => '19990',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half-yearly Budget Review: Country Experiences Fiscal Deficit   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. As of mid-January, the nation suffered a budget deficit of Rs 48.46 billion.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the data of half-yearly budget review released by the Office of the Auditor General, the government met 35.19 percent of the annual revenue collection target, while expenditures reached 32.35 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, the government had estimated to collect revenue amounting to Rs 1472 billion while the collections till mid-January stood at RS 518 billion, which is 35.19 percent of the target.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the review period, the government collected Rs 443.05 billion towards tax revenue and Rs 52.094 billion towards non-tax revenue.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A government had set a target to receive foreign grants totaling Rs 49.94 billion in the current fiscal year but has managed to secure grants of Rs 2.75 billion, which is 5 percent of the target.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1751.31 billion for the current fiscal year, the government has spent Rs 566.62 billion as of January 14. This amount is equivalent to 32.35 per cent of the annual budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1141.78 billion allocated under the heading of current expenditure, the government has spent Rs 437.38 billion so far which is 38.31 percent of the earmarked amount.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, out of Rs 302.74 billion allocated towards capital expenditure, the government has spent Rs 49.23 billion or 16.3 percent. Similarly, out of the Rs 307.45 billion allocated towards the financial management, the government has spent Rs 80.4 billion which is 26.2 percent of the total amount. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20005',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'APF Takes Charge of Customs Check at TIA   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Armed Police Force (APF) was mobilized in customs affairs to ensure effective customs checks and to enhance security, said Dr Tokraj Pandey, the chief customs administrator of TIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The decision to involve the APF in customs checks was taken in response to a finance ministerial-level request and a decision from the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. The APF personnel are working in five shifts on a daily basis to conduct customs checks at the airport,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The move to seek direct supervision and involvement of the APF in customs duties is expected to improve airport security and facilitate more effective service delivery. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '19732',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-17 13:56:35',
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			'id' => '20004',
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			'title' => 'Government Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target Again',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. The government has set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 1422.54 in the current fiscal year. The government had set the target this year expecting a growth rate of 40 percent compared to last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, the government is struggling to achieve the same target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The government has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the first six months of the current fiscal year just like in the previous years.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The data of the Ministry of Finance show that the government has not been able to meet the target because it fixed a large target without proper homework when the economic activities had slumped.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">During the first six months of the last fiscal year, the Inland Revenue Department had collected Rs 71.5 billion against the target of Rs 110 billion.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This year, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 304.42 billion till mid-January, but it collected only Rs 243.35 billion which is 80 percent of the target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data show that there was the biggest decline in internal excise duty this year. Excise duty collected from cigarettes and beer seems to have been affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly<span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">, the Department of Customs also failed&nbsp;to collect revenue as per the target in the past six months. The department has collected Rs 200 billion as of mid-January. This is 72 percent of the target. The department was given a target of collecting revenue of Rs 306.16 billion for the first six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Dhaniram Sharma, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, says that the government has failed to meet the revenue collection due to the decline in fuel import, the decrease in the import of fuel-powered vehicles and the concession provided by the government on electric vehicles.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Sharma, the Ministry of Finance will make strategies to achieve the target in the next six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue Department could not collect revenue as per the target, the government has earned good income from real estate. According to the Department of Land Management and Archives, the highest number of real estate transactions this year took place in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January) of the current year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Altogether 45,277 units of real estate transactions were recorded during the review month. The government collected revenue of Rs 3.20 billion from real estate sector.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20003',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Use of Tobacco Shrinking Despite Industry Efforts: WHO',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In 2022, about one in five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one in every three in 2000, the UN health agency said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A fresh WHO report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing tobacco use through regulation, high taxes and other measures.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But it cautioned that the tobacco industry was stepping up its efforts to circumvent and undermine that progress, including through systematic attempts to hook children with their highly addictive products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They are using &quot;what I would personally call criminal efforts,&quot; Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO&#39;s health promotion department, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;They are killing, and they continue to do everything possible to undermine the countries&#39; very good efforts.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than eight million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, WHO statistics show.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">And the WHO warned that while smoking rates are declining, it will take decades for the number of tobacco-related deaths to follow suit.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong>&#39;No time for complacency&#39;</strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Though the number of smokers has steadily shrunk, the WHO said the world was set to miss its goal of a 30-percent drop in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifty-six countries around the world are expected to hit that target, including Brazil, which has already slashed tobacco use by 35 percent since 2010.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Six countries have meanwhile seen tobacco use rise since 2010 -- the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Moldova and Oman.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Overall, the world is on track to shrink tobacco use by a quarter over the 15-year period to 2025, the report said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years,&quot; Krech said in a statement, &quot;but there is no time for complacency&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;I&#39;m astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives,&quot; he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Krech pointed for instance to swelling industry efforts to infiltrate and influence national and international health regulation bodies and gatherings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He voiced concern that such attempts appear to be ramping up ahead of the next meeting of the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama next month.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">- Fight &#39;tobacco industry interference&#39; -</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also highlighted the industry&#39;s promotion of e-cigarettes, vaping and other smokeless products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">While tobacco companies maintain they are not targeting young people, Krech highlighted that their products come in &quot;thousands of flavours&quot; and &quot;most of them are attractive to children: vanilla ice cream, gummy bears&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">E-cigarettes, which have enjoyed booming popularity among young people in a number of countries, are also found in the shape of the string of a hoodie, lipstick and a pencil, he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO urged all countries to maintain and strengthen control policies and to fight &quot;tobacco industry interference&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO report stressed the need to gather better data on tobacco use among adolescents.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said that on average, around 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds globally use one or more types of tobacco.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">That amounts to at least 37 million adolescents, including at least 12 million who use new smokeless tobacco products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But the report stressed these numbers were an underestimate since more than 70 countries provide no data. &ndash; AFP/RSS</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20002',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Planning to Expand Power Grid to Farmlands for Irrigation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government is planning to introduce 'agriculture meter' to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government is planning to introduce &#39;agriculture meter&#39; to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. The electricity meters will be provided to the farmers in an attempt to promote agricultural production and make farmers self-reliant, the authorities said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If things go as planned, the government is working to expand power grid up to the farmlands to meet the farmers&#39; demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to achieve this goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been asked to work on expansion of power grid for the development of irrigation projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Energy Shakti Bahadur Basnet on Tuesday held discussions at the ministry with the leadership of National Farmers&#39; Commission, the NEA and other stakeholders regarding this issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, Minister Basnet said that modernizing and commercializing the agriculture sector can generate employment and also increase food sufficiency. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20001',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Preparing to Announce an Ambitious Budget',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'anuary 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. The government is reportedly preparing an ambitious budget after endorsing the 16th five-year plan prepared by the National Planning Commission. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The NPC is preparing to draft a plan within a month and present it to the Council of Ministers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The National Planning Commission has not yet prepared the program for the base year of the 16th Plan, i.e. the next fiscal year. But the NPC officials say that they are under pressure from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to finalize the plan immediately as the government will formulate budget based on the NPC&rsquo;s plan.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prime minister has repeatedly said that he will make the budget a different one from the traditional budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Ministry of Finance is already engaged in the homework to prepare the next fiscal year&#39;s budget. Sources say that in this situation, Prime Minister Dahal is pressuring the commission to prepare draft quickly. The commission has not yet been able to figure out how to fulfill the unlimited obligations of the state.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Yamlal Bhusal, joint secretary of the commission, said that the final draft has not been prepared yet. According to him, the commission is working to prepare a plan within mid-February. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&ldquo;We are under a bit of pressure because the Prime Minister has said that he will make the budget based on this plan. We are ready to prepare the plan by mid-February. It will be completed within the stipulated period,&quot; he told New Business Age.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Joint Secretary Bhusal, the commission will finalize the plan and send it to the National Development Council for approval. After getting approval from the council, it will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers. The plan will come into effect after the Cabinet approves it.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even though the economic activities in the country have slumped, the 16th plan prepared by the National Planning Commission has set ambitious goals. On the basis of those goals, the government is doing homework to prepare the annual budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the draft plan published by the commission, the goal is to increase the size of the gross domestic product (GDP) by about Rs 3000 billion within the next 5 years. At present, the size of the GDP at basic prices is equal to Rs 5381 billion. By the end of the 16th plan, the target is to achieve GDP of around Rs 8000 to 8600 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The draft aims to maintain the economic growth rate, which was 1.86 percent in the last fiscal year, at an average of 7 to 8.5 percent by the end of the new periodic plan. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The goal of increasing domestic production and productivity is also ambitious. In order to increase the domestic production, the draft has set a target of bringing 17 industrial zones into operation, declaring 140 industrial villages, and increasing the number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) from two to three. Similarly, the draft has also set a target of increasing the installed capacity of hydroelectric power, which is currently around 2,800 megawatts, to around 11,800 megawatts, and increasing per capita electricity consumption from 380 kilowatt hours to 700 kilowatt hours.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the new periodic plan, the goal is to export electricity worth Rs 41 billion annually and to reduce the overall trade deficit to about 4 percent by increasing the contribution of the energy sector. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The population benefiting from basic level drinking water service is currently 96 percent, and the goal is to increase it to 99 percent. In the same way, the periodic&nbsp; plan has set the goal of creating jobs of around 1.2 million annually, raising the minimum wage of workers to Rs 25, 000 per month, increasing the number of beneficiaries of social security fund to 2 million and increasing the number of destination countries .</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to officials of the Ministry of Finance, if the budget is prepared according to the periodic plan prepared by the Planning Commission, next year&rsquo;s budget will be bigger in size than the current fiscal year&rsquo;s budget. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even now, the government&rsquo;s expenditure has exceeded its income, said a senior finance ministry official. According to him, it is not possible to prepare an ambitious budget. The implementation part of the budget is very weak if we look at the situation up to six months. The federal government had announced to spend Rs 1751 billion this year, but has spent only 32 percent of the target so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the first six months of the current fiscal year, government has spent only Rs 566 billion. The government has allocated Rs 1141 billion for current expenditure, and has spent around Rs 45</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0 billion under this heading.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Likewise, it has earmarked Rs 3</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">2 billion for capital expenditure and has spent only 16 percent of the budget. Meanwhile, the government has spent Rs 80 billion for fiscal management.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, the government had set a target of collecting Rs 668 billion in revenue in the first six months of current FY, but it managed to collect only Rs 515 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Economist Keshav Acharya says that when the government has failed to implement the current budget, the next budget should not be ambitious and large in size. According to him, the implementation of the budget will not be effective until the government changes its working style. It is necessary to make the budget implementation-oriented.</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19999',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NAC's Wide-Body Aircraft Grounded due to Technical Glitch   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected in it. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected on Monday night. With this, the passengers bound to Doha, Qatar have been stranded.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC spokesperson Ramesh Poudel said the flight had to be stopped as a problem occurred with the flight control sensor of the wide-body aircraft. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Technical repair of the grounded aircraft is in progress now,&rdquo; he said, adding that the passengers bound to Doha on this flight will be sent to the destination via an alternative flight on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The passengers of the Doha flight were stopped due to the technical problem in the aircraft last night (Monday). Preparations have been made to send the passengers to the destination by another flight at 7.45 pm today (Tuesday). The passengers have been asked to come to the airport at 4 pm,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the NAC&#39;s four planes operating international flights, a narrow-body plane has been sent to Israel for repair. Flights have been affected due to frequent technical glitches faced by the NAC planes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC has two narrow-body and two wide-body aircraft for operating international flights. The 276 passengers bound to Doha from Kathmandu were kept in a hotel on Monday night. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19998',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Traders ask if Customs Policy is to Facilitate Trade or to Impede it',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The private sector has complained that the government’s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The private sector has complained that the government&rsquo;s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. They argued that the concept of customs should have been to facilitate foreign trade instead of impeding it.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The traders said that the various stages of rigorous process of customs clearance and the ill-intention of the customs officials have been causing them lots of problems.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the concept is to facilitate trade, the customs process is revenue-oriented in practice, said the traders who rely on Birgunj Customs, the biggest customs in the country. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries argues that they often come across the problem in valuation as the customs officials do not approve the valuation of the goods mentioned in the bill even if the good is imported by a reputed company. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The customs officials of Nepal should evaluate the goods on the basis of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the Indian customs&rdquo;, says Anil Agrawal, president of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the customs.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Importers complained that the customs officials evaluate goods on the basis of information and charge a <span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">50%</span> penalty on top of that, adding to the problem. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Customs evaluates goods on the basis of the Customs Reference Valuation Book. If the value of goods mentioned in the bill is less than that mentioned in the reference book, the customs charges fine,&rdquo; says Hari Gautam, senior vice president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Importers are forced to open LCs worth more than the actual value of goods just to avoid fines. The excess amount is sent through Hundi,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agarwal said that the latest example of this is the recent crackdown on the evaluation of lighters by the Department of Customs. Traders complained that the customs offices have arbitrarily changed the harmonized system code of the goods to collect more revenue. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The chamber&rsquo;s Vice President Madhav Rajpal said that the customs authorities changed the code without giving due recognition to bills like GST, SAFTA. Traders say that some officials make it a means of bargaining with businessmen for under-the-table earnings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Rajpal said that this policy is impractical as SAFTA concessions are only given to goods imported through LC. Traders also demand that this concession be given to the goods that come through the banking process.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Senior Vice President Gautam said that it is also an unreasonable policy of customs not to allow parts of industrial equipment imported from third countries to be brought from India. He complained that even though the association wrote a letter to the government in this regard, the problem has not been addressed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19997',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Govt Approves EIA Report of 439-Megawatt Betan Karnali Hydropower Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. This project is the pride of Karnali Province.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Project Chief Upendra Neupane, the ministry approved the EIA report on January 2 in line with Sub-section (5) of Section 7 of the Environment Protection Act, 2076 and Sub-rule (8) of Rule 9 of the Environment Protection Regulations, 2077.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The ministry&rsquo;s decision to approve the EIA report has paved the way for the construction of the project, informed Neupane.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Project Chief Neupane added that the promoters of the company will start construction of the project after finalizing financial management and Power Purchase Agreement once they get approval from the Department of Electricity Development.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 439 megawatt project is a semi-reservoir project extending from Chokune Rural Municipality of Surkhet to Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham. The project is being promoted by Betan Karnali Sanchayakarta Hydropower Company Limited. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project will affect the residents of Chokune Rural Municipality-6 of Surkhet, Ward No 7 of Panchapuri Municipality and Ward No 6 of Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham and Ward No 3, 4 and 5 of Turmakhand Rural Municipality.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Neupane said that the plan is to start the construction of the infrastructure within one and a half years after completing all the pre-construction works. Currently, the access road is being constructed. The project has already opened track of 18 km road from Achham to the project site and 14 km from Gutu in Surkhet to reach the dam site.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The study of this project was initiated in October 2017 by the Engineering Company Limited owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The estimated cost of the project including interest is said to be around Rs 88 billion. The source of investment is yet to be finalized. Neupane said that they will announce tender bids for awarding the contract and start construction within one and a half years once the source of investment is ensured.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project has set the goal to complete the construction works within five years. Altogether 70 percent of the total cost will be managed with loans and 30 percent through equity. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">To raise the capital through equity, the company has decided to issue 40 percent share ownership to the depositors of the Employee Provident Fund, 15 percent to the EPF, and 10 percent each to the Nepal Electricity Authority and the power generation company. The company has decided to issue 13 percent shares to the general public, 10 percent to the project affected families and 2 percent to the extremely poor families.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19996',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Dairy Farmers of Chitwan Postpone Protest Programme',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government. The Chitwan District Milk Producers&rsquo; Cooperative Association held a phase-wise protest programme from January 10 to 16. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The association said that the farmers&rsquo; protest was postponed after the government called them for talks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Kishore Bagale, chairman of the Chitwan District Milk Producers&#39; Cooperative Association, said that they returned to Chitwan after talks with the government. &ldquo;We are in a wait and watch situation. We are not assured if the government will fulfill the promises made with us. We will wait for some time and then resume protest if the government fails to fulfill its promises,&#39;&#39; said Bagale.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">40,000</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy farmers of Chitwan say that they have not received payment for the milk they produced since August. They claimed that they are yet to receive payment of around Rs </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">220</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> million. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The farmers have reached a verbal agreement with the private sector dairy industries and the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) to receive the payment within </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">15</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> days. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chairman Bagale informed that more than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> dairy cooperatives of Chitwan have not received payment for the milk they supplied to the private dairy industries and the DDC. Altogether </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">155</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy cooperatives are registered with the District Administration Office, Chitwan. There are </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">112</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> cooperatives affiliated to the District Milk Cooperative Association. There are around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> commercial dairy farms in the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chitwan produces an average of </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">300</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk daily. Around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">150</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk is supplied to </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">31 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">industries including the DDC. That means, more than half of the milk produced in Chitwan is sold outside the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '19724',
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19994',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Federal Government to Implement Projects of more than Rs 30 Million',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Addressing an event organized at Sherabagar of Shivapuri Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district on Monday, the finance minister said new rules have been formulated for the implementation of the projects by the federal and provincial governments. He added that the provincial governments will implement projects of Rs 10 million plus in budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The size of budget for the projects was fixed to end the confusion on project implementation by the three layers of government.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat also said that all three layers of governments were working proactively to meet the people&#39;s aspirations, concerns and challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat said that the government will prioritize coordination for project implementation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19723',
			'image' => '20240116111953_HRB-KTM-20240115154048_IMG_9779.JPG',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:19:02',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19995',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sixteen Injured in Tundikhel Stampede , Fifteen Discharged from Hospital  ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place

',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">amid separate programmes organized by the Magar and Tharu communities on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the first day of the Nepali month of Magh (mid-January to mid-February).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Spokesperson for the Police Range and Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumud Dhungel said, &quot;A large number of people from the Magar and Tharu communities had convened at Tundikhel to observe the Maghi festival. Sixteen people were injured when the stampede occurred all of a sudden.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">SP Dhungel shared that the stampede happened when the people entering the venue and exiting from there jostled at the entrance all of a sudden. The injured have been admitted to the Trauma Centre at Bir Hospital, police said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifteen, out of 16 people injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday, have returned home after treatment. One injured person is receiving treatment at National Trauma Centre of Bir Hospital. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Fifteen injured in the stampede have been discharged while one Karishma Magar, 14, of Rautamai rural municipality-8 of Udaypur district and currently living at Manamaiju of Kathmandu, is undergoing treatment at National Trauma Centre,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the police, those injured have been identified as Trisana Magar, 12, Anjana Tamang, 12, Rejina Ghale, 19, Nikita Magar, 16, Rekha Chaudhary, 30, Anisa KC, 16, Kalpana Chaudhary, 25, Mandira Basnet, 22, Mina Thapa, 40, Riza Resmi Magar, 19, a police person Prithvi Budha Magar, Nisha Rana Magar, 25, Nirmala Shrestha, 22, Reshmi Nepal, 27, Yunika Baral, 11 and Karishma Magar, 14. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19722',
			'image' => '20240116115143_Untitled.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:50:54',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19993',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NOC Slashes Fuel Prices',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: &nbsp;The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the NOC, the price of petrol is fixed Rs 163.5 per litre in Charali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Birgunj and Rs 153.5 per litre to diesel and kerosene in those depots.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of per litre petrol is fixed Rs 165 in Dang and Surkhet, and Rs 166 in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dipayal.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The NOC said that the price of petroleum products was slashed as per the new price list received from the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC). </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '19721',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 06:23:25',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20000',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'One Person Dies in Cooking Gas Cylinder Explosion   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday. The incident occurred at Phulbari of west Chitwan. Police have identified the deceased as 50-year-old Manish Thapa of Dairy Chok, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Shreeram Bhandari said it is suspected Thapa was killed when the gas cylinder exploded while he was cooking food in his room on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cooking gas explosion took place inside the compound of Abinash Fertilizer Company. DSP Bhandari said further investigation into the incident is underway. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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			'keywords' => '',
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			'sortorder' => '19720',
			'image' => '20240116034007_20220420033543_gas.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 15:39:27',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19992',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '5,000 Households in Mugu Without Electricity',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">January 15: &nbsp;Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The affected households resort to alternative means of lighting, relying on solar lamps and traditional methods such as burning dry pine splinters (diyalo). This makeshift approach, however, falls short in addressing the broader challenges faced by these communities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lack of electricity poses additional problems for the residents as well. Charging mobile phones and operating basic electrical appliances have become daunting tasks, and the absence of power is also impeding industrial activities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Chhayanath Rara Municipality, one thousand out of 2,546 households lack electricity. Similarly, all 3,651 households in Khatyad rural municipality find themselves dependent on sporadic solar lamps and the traditional &#39;diyalo&#39; for lighting.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Birabagar Hydroelectricity Project, initially launched with the ambitious aim of providing electricity to all households in the rural municipality, has been in a state of limbo for the past five years, exacerbating the problem.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even in Soru rural municipality, where a 60-kilowatt capacity solar power plant has been installed at Sorukot, the rural municipality headquarters, power remains insufficient to meet the community&#39;s needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Furthermore, the extension of the national transmission line to Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, on September 11, 2023, has not resolved the issue, with locals expressing dissatisfaction due to unreliable power supply. (RSS) </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19990',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half-yearly Budget Review: Country Experiences Fiscal Deficit   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. As of mid-January, the nation suffered a budget deficit of Rs 48.46 billion.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the data of half-yearly budget review released by the Office of the Auditor General, the government met 35.19 percent of the annual revenue collection target, while expenditures reached 32.35 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, the government had estimated to collect revenue amounting to Rs 1472 billion while the collections till mid-January stood at RS 518 billion, which is 35.19 percent of the target.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the review period, the government collected Rs 443.05 billion towards tax revenue and Rs 52.094 billion towards non-tax revenue.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A government had set a target to receive foreign grants totaling Rs 49.94 billion in the current fiscal year but has managed to secure grants of Rs 2.75 billion, which is 5 percent of the target.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1751.31 billion for the current fiscal year, the government has spent Rs 566.62 billion as of January 14. This amount is equivalent to 32.35 per cent of the annual budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1141.78 billion allocated under the heading of current expenditure, the government has spent Rs 437.38 billion so far which is 38.31 percent of the earmarked amount.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, out of Rs 302.74 billion allocated towards capital expenditure, the government has spent Rs 49.23 billion or 16.3 percent. Similarly, out of the Rs 307.45 billion allocated towards the financial management, the government has spent Rs 80.4 billion which is 26.2 percent of the total amount. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'title' => 'APF Takes Charge of Customs Check at TIA   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Armed Police Force (APF) was mobilized in customs affairs to ensure effective customs checks and to enhance security, said Dr Tokraj Pandey, the chief customs administrator of TIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The decision to involve the APF in customs checks was taken in response to a finance ministerial-level request and a decision from the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. The APF personnel are working in five shifts on a daily basis to conduct customs checks at the airport,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The move to seek direct supervision and involvement of the APF in customs duties is expected to improve airport security and facilitate more effective service delivery. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20004',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target Again',
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			'summary' => 'January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. The government has set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 1422.54 in the current fiscal year. The government had set the target this year expecting a growth rate of 40 percent compared to last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, the government is struggling to achieve the same target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The government has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the first six months of the current fiscal year just like in the previous years.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The data of the Ministry of Finance show that the government has not been able to meet the target because it fixed a large target without proper homework when the economic activities had slumped.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">During the first six months of the last fiscal year, the Inland Revenue Department had collected Rs 71.5 billion against the target of Rs 110 billion.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This year, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 304.42 billion till mid-January, but it collected only Rs 243.35 billion which is 80 percent of the target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data show that there was the biggest decline in internal excise duty this year. Excise duty collected from cigarettes and beer seems to have been affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly<span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">, the Department of Customs also failed&nbsp;to collect revenue as per the target in the past six months. The department has collected Rs 200 billion as of mid-January. This is 72 percent of the target. The department was given a target of collecting revenue of Rs 306.16 billion for the first six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Dhaniram Sharma, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, says that the government has failed to meet the revenue collection due to the decline in fuel import, the decrease in the import of fuel-powered vehicles and the concession provided by the government on electric vehicles.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Sharma, the Ministry of Finance will make strategies to achieve the target in the next six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue Department could not collect revenue as per the target, the government has earned good income from real estate. According to the Department of Land Management and Archives, the highest number of real estate transactions this year took place in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January) of the current year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Altogether 45,277 units of real estate transactions were recorded during the review month. The government collected revenue of Rs 3.20 billion from real estate sector.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20003',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Use of Tobacco Shrinking Despite Industry Efforts: WHO',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In 2022, about one in five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one in every three in 2000, the UN health agency said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A fresh WHO report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing tobacco use through regulation, high taxes and other measures.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But it cautioned that the tobacco industry was stepping up its efforts to circumvent and undermine that progress, including through systematic attempts to hook children with their highly addictive products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They are using &quot;what I would personally call criminal efforts,&quot; Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO&#39;s health promotion department, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;They are killing, and they continue to do everything possible to undermine the countries&#39; very good efforts.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than eight million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, WHO statistics show.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">And the WHO warned that while smoking rates are declining, it will take decades for the number of tobacco-related deaths to follow suit.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong>&#39;No time for complacency&#39;</strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Though the number of smokers has steadily shrunk, the WHO said the world was set to miss its goal of a 30-percent drop in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifty-six countries around the world are expected to hit that target, including Brazil, which has already slashed tobacco use by 35 percent since 2010.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Six countries have meanwhile seen tobacco use rise since 2010 -- the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Moldova and Oman.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Overall, the world is on track to shrink tobacco use by a quarter over the 15-year period to 2025, the report said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years,&quot; Krech said in a statement, &quot;but there is no time for complacency&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;I&#39;m astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives,&quot; he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Krech pointed for instance to swelling industry efforts to infiltrate and influence national and international health regulation bodies and gatherings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He voiced concern that such attempts appear to be ramping up ahead of the next meeting of the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama next month.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">- Fight &#39;tobacco industry interference&#39; -</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also highlighted the industry&#39;s promotion of e-cigarettes, vaping and other smokeless products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">While tobacco companies maintain they are not targeting young people, Krech highlighted that their products come in &quot;thousands of flavours&quot; and &quot;most of them are attractive to children: vanilla ice cream, gummy bears&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">E-cigarettes, which have enjoyed booming popularity among young people in a number of countries, are also found in the shape of the string of a hoodie, lipstick and a pencil, he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO urged all countries to maintain and strengthen control policies and to fight &quot;tobacco industry interference&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO report stressed the need to gather better data on tobacco use among adolescents.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said that on average, around 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds globally use one or more types of tobacco.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">That amounts to at least 37 million adolescents, including at least 12 million who use new smokeless tobacco products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But the report stressed these numbers were an underestimate since more than 70 countries provide no data. &ndash; AFP/RSS</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20002',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Planning to Expand Power Grid to Farmlands for Irrigation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government is planning to introduce 'agriculture meter' to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government is planning to introduce &#39;agriculture meter&#39; to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. The electricity meters will be provided to the farmers in an attempt to promote agricultural production and make farmers self-reliant, the authorities said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If things go as planned, the government is working to expand power grid up to the farmlands to meet the farmers&#39; demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to achieve this goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been asked to work on expansion of power grid for the development of irrigation projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Energy Shakti Bahadur Basnet on Tuesday held discussions at the ministry with the leadership of National Farmers&#39; Commission, the NEA and other stakeholders regarding this issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, Minister Basnet said that modernizing and commercializing the agriculture sector can generate employment and also increase food sufficiency. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20001',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Preparing to Announce an Ambitious Budget',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'anuary 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. The government is reportedly preparing an ambitious budget after endorsing the 16th five-year plan prepared by the National Planning Commission. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The NPC is preparing to draft a plan within a month and present it to the Council of Ministers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The National Planning Commission has not yet prepared the program for the base year of the 16th Plan, i.e. the next fiscal year. But the NPC officials say that they are under pressure from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to finalize the plan immediately as the government will formulate budget based on the NPC&rsquo;s plan.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prime minister has repeatedly said that he will make the budget a different one from the traditional budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Ministry of Finance is already engaged in the homework to prepare the next fiscal year&#39;s budget. Sources say that in this situation, Prime Minister Dahal is pressuring the commission to prepare draft quickly. The commission has not yet been able to figure out how to fulfill the unlimited obligations of the state.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Yamlal Bhusal, joint secretary of the commission, said that the final draft has not been prepared yet. According to him, the commission is working to prepare a plan within mid-February. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&ldquo;We are under a bit of pressure because the Prime Minister has said that he will make the budget based on this plan. We are ready to prepare the plan by mid-February. It will be completed within the stipulated period,&quot; he told New Business Age.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Joint Secretary Bhusal, the commission will finalize the plan and send it to the National Development Council for approval. After getting approval from the council, it will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers. The plan will come into effect after the Cabinet approves it.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even though the economic activities in the country have slumped, the 16th plan prepared by the National Planning Commission has set ambitious goals. On the basis of those goals, the government is doing homework to prepare the annual budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the draft plan published by the commission, the goal is to increase the size of the gross domestic product (GDP) by about Rs 3000 billion within the next 5 years. At present, the size of the GDP at basic prices is equal to Rs 5381 billion. By the end of the 16th plan, the target is to achieve GDP of around Rs 8000 to 8600 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The draft aims to maintain the economic growth rate, which was 1.86 percent in the last fiscal year, at an average of 7 to 8.5 percent by the end of the new periodic plan. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The goal of increasing domestic production and productivity is also ambitious. In order to increase the domestic production, the draft has set a target of bringing 17 industrial zones into operation, declaring 140 industrial villages, and increasing the number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) from two to three. Similarly, the draft has also set a target of increasing the installed capacity of hydroelectric power, which is currently around 2,800 megawatts, to around 11,800 megawatts, and increasing per capita electricity consumption from 380 kilowatt hours to 700 kilowatt hours.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the new periodic plan, the goal is to export electricity worth Rs 41 billion annually and to reduce the overall trade deficit to about 4 percent by increasing the contribution of the energy sector. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The population benefiting from basic level drinking water service is currently 96 percent, and the goal is to increase it to 99 percent. In the same way, the periodic&nbsp; plan has set the goal of creating jobs of around 1.2 million annually, raising the minimum wage of workers to Rs 25, 000 per month, increasing the number of beneficiaries of social security fund to 2 million and increasing the number of destination countries .</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to officials of the Ministry of Finance, if the budget is prepared according to the periodic plan prepared by the Planning Commission, next year&rsquo;s budget will be bigger in size than the current fiscal year&rsquo;s budget. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even now, the government&rsquo;s expenditure has exceeded its income, said a senior finance ministry official. According to him, it is not possible to prepare an ambitious budget. The implementation part of the budget is very weak if we look at the situation up to six months. The federal government had announced to spend Rs 1751 billion this year, but has spent only 32 percent of the target so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the first six months of the current fiscal year, government has spent only Rs 566 billion. The government has allocated Rs 1141 billion for current expenditure, and has spent around Rs 45</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0 billion under this heading.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Likewise, it has earmarked Rs 3</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">2 billion for capital expenditure and has spent only 16 percent of the budget. Meanwhile, the government has spent Rs 80 billion for fiscal management.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, the government had set a target of collecting Rs 668 billion in revenue in the first six months of current FY, but it managed to collect only Rs 515 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Economist Keshav Acharya says that when the government has failed to implement the current budget, the next budget should not be ambitious and large in size. According to him, the implementation of the budget will not be effective until the government changes its working style. It is necessary to make the budget implementation-oriented.</span></span></span></p>
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			'keywords' => 'budget, Nepal, government, ambitious, plan',
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			'sortorder' => '19728',
			'image' => '20240116041235_20240115031749_budgetttttt.jpg',
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19999',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NAC's Wide-Body Aircraft Grounded due to Technical Glitch   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected in it. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected on Monday night. With this, the passengers bound to Doha, Qatar have been stranded.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC spokesperson Ramesh Poudel said the flight had to be stopped as a problem occurred with the flight control sensor of the wide-body aircraft. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Technical repair of the grounded aircraft is in progress now,&rdquo; he said, adding that the passengers bound to Doha on this flight will be sent to the destination via an alternative flight on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The passengers of the Doha flight were stopped due to the technical problem in the aircraft last night (Monday). Preparations have been made to send the passengers to the destination by another flight at 7.45 pm today (Tuesday). The passengers have been asked to come to the airport at 4 pm,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the NAC&#39;s four planes operating international flights, a narrow-body plane has been sent to Israel for repair. Flights have been affected due to frequent technical glitches faced by the NAC planes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC has two narrow-body and two wide-body aircraft for operating international flights. The 276 passengers bound to Doha from Kathmandu were kept in a hotel on Monday night. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19727',
			'image' => '20240116031952_naccccc.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 15:18:41',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19998',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Traders ask if Customs Policy is to Facilitate Trade or to Impede it',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The private sector has complained that the government’s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The private sector has complained that the government&rsquo;s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. They argued that the concept of customs should have been to facilitate foreign trade instead of impeding it.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The traders said that the various stages of rigorous process of customs clearance and the ill-intention of the customs officials have been causing them lots of problems.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the concept is to facilitate trade, the customs process is revenue-oriented in practice, said the traders who rely on Birgunj Customs, the biggest customs in the country. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries argues that they often come across the problem in valuation as the customs officials do not approve the valuation of the goods mentioned in the bill even if the good is imported by a reputed company. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The customs officials of Nepal should evaluate the goods on the basis of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the Indian customs&rdquo;, says Anil Agrawal, president of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the customs.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Importers complained that the customs officials evaluate goods on the basis of information and charge a <span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">50%</span> penalty on top of that, adding to the problem. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Customs evaluates goods on the basis of the Customs Reference Valuation Book. If the value of goods mentioned in the bill is less than that mentioned in the reference book, the customs charges fine,&rdquo; says Hari Gautam, senior vice president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Importers are forced to open LCs worth more than the actual value of goods just to avoid fines. The excess amount is sent through Hundi,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agarwal said that the latest example of this is the recent crackdown on the evaluation of lighters by the Department of Customs. Traders complained that the customs offices have arbitrarily changed the harmonized system code of the goods to collect more revenue. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The chamber&rsquo;s Vice President Madhav Rajpal said that the customs authorities changed the code without giving due recognition to bills like GST, SAFTA. Traders say that some officials make it a means of bargaining with businessmen for under-the-table earnings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Rajpal said that this policy is impractical as SAFTA concessions are only given to goods imported through LC. Traders also demand that this concession be given to the goods that come through the banking process.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Senior Vice President Gautam said that it is also an unreasonable policy of customs not to allow parts of industrial equipment imported from third countries to be brought from India. He complained that even though the association wrote a letter to the government in this regard, the problem has not been addressed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19997',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Govt Approves EIA Report of 439-Megawatt Betan Karnali Hydropower Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. This project is the pride of Karnali Province.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Project Chief Upendra Neupane, the ministry approved the EIA report on January 2 in line with Sub-section (5) of Section 7 of the Environment Protection Act, 2076 and Sub-rule (8) of Rule 9 of the Environment Protection Regulations, 2077.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The ministry&rsquo;s decision to approve the EIA report has paved the way for the construction of the project, informed Neupane.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Project Chief Neupane added that the promoters of the company will start construction of the project after finalizing financial management and Power Purchase Agreement once they get approval from the Department of Electricity Development.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 439 megawatt project is a semi-reservoir project extending from Chokune Rural Municipality of Surkhet to Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham. The project is being promoted by Betan Karnali Sanchayakarta Hydropower Company Limited. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project will affect the residents of Chokune Rural Municipality-6 of Surkhet, Ward No 7 of Panchapuri Municipality and Ward No 6 of Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham and Ward No 3, 4 and 5 of Turmakhand Rural Municipality.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Neupane said that the plan is to start the construction of the infrastructure within one and a half years after completing all the pre-construction works. Currently, the access road is being constructed. The project has already opened track of 18 km road from Achham to the project site and 14 km from Gutu in Surkhet to reach the dam site.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The study of this project was initiated in October 2017 by the Engineering Company Limited owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The estimated cost of the project including interest is said to be around Rs 88 billion. The source of investment is yet to be finalized. Neupane said that they will announce tender bids for awarding the contract and start construction within one and a half years once the source of investment is ensured.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project has set the goal to complete the construction works within five years. Altogether 70 percent of the total cost will be managed with loans and 30 percent through equity. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">To raise the capital through equity, the company has decided to issue 40 percent share ownership to the depositors of the Employee Provident Fund, 15 percent to the EPF, and 10 percent each to the Nepal Electricity Authority and the power generation company. The company has decided to issue 13 percent shares to the general public, 10 percent to the project affected families and 2 percent to the extremely poor families.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '19725',
			'image' => '20240116020859_hydro.jpg',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19996',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Dairy Farmers of Chitwan Postpone Protest Programme',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government. The Chitwan District Milk Producers&rsquo; Cooperative Association held a phase-wise protest programme from January 10 to 16. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The association said that the farmers&rsquo; protest was postponed after the government called them for talks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Kishore Bagale, chairman of the Chitwan District Milk Producers&#39; Cooperative Association, said that they returned to Chitwan after talks with the government. &ldquo;We are in a wait and watch situation. We are not assured if the government will fulfill the promises made with us. We will wait for some time and then resume protest if the government fails to fulfill its promises,&#39;&#39; said Bagale.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">40,000</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy farmers of Chitwan say that they have not received payment for the milk they produced since August. They claimed that they are yet to receive payment of around Rs </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">220</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> million. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The farmers have reached a verbal agreement with the private sector dairy industries and the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) to receive the payment within </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">15</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> days. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chairman Bagale informed that more than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> dairy cooperatives of Chitwan have not received payment for the milk they supplied to the private dairy industries and the DDC. Altogether </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">155</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy cooperatives are registered with the District Administration Office, Chitwan. There are </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">112</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> cooperatives affiliated to the District Milk Cooperative Association. There are around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> commercial dairy farms in the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chitwan produces an average of </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">300</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk daily. Around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">150</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk is supplied to </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">31 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">industries including the DDC. That means, more than half of the milk produced in Chitwan is sold outside the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19994',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Federal Government to Implement Projects of more than Rs 30 Million',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Addressing an event organized at Sherabagar of Shivapuri Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district on Monday, the finance minister said new rules have been formulated for the implementation of the projects by the federal and provincial governments. He added that the provincial governments will implement projects of Rs 10 million plus in budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The size of budget for the projects was fixed to end the confusion on project implementation by the three layers of government.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat also said that all three layers of governments were working proactively to meet the people&#39;s aspirations, concerns and challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat said that the government will prioritize coordination for project implementation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'sortorder' => '19723',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:19:02',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19995',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sixteen Injured in Tundikhel Stampede , Fifteen Discharged from Hospital  ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place

',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">amid separate programmes organized by the Magar and Tharu communities on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the first day of the Nepali month of Magh (mid-January to mid-February).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Spokesperson for the Police Range and Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumud Dhungel said, &quot;A large number of people from the Magar and Tharu communities had convened at Tundikhel to observe the Maghi festival. Sixteen people were injured when the stampede occurred all of a sudden.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">SP Dhungel shared that the stampede happened when the people entering the venue and exiting from there jostled at the entrance all of a sudden. The injured have been admitted to the Trauma Centre at Bir Hospital, police said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifteen, out of 16 people injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday, have returned home after treatment. One injured person is receiving treatment at National Trauma Centre of Bir Hospital. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Fifteen injured in the stampede have been discharged while one Karishma Magar, 14, of Rautamai rural municipality-8 of Udaypur district and currently living at Manamaiju of Kathmandu, is undergoing treatment at National Trauma Centre,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the police, those injured have been identified as Trisana Magar, 12, Anjana Tamang, 12, Rejina Ghale, 19, Nikita Magar, 16, Rekha Chaudhary, 30, Anisa KC, 16, Kalpana Chaudhary, 25, Mandira Basnet, 22, Mina Thapa, 40, Riza Resmi Magar, 19, a police person Prithvi Budha Magar, Nisha Rana Magar, 25, Nirmala Shrestha, 22, Reshmi Nepal, 27, Yunika Baral, 11 and Karishma Magar, 14. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19722',
			'image' => '20240116115143_Untitled.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:50:54',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19993',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NOC Slashes Fuel Prices',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: &nbsp;The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the NOC, the price of petrol is fixed Rs 163.5 per litre in Charali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Birgunj and Rs 153.5 per litre to diesel and kerosene in those depots.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of per litre petrol is fixed Rs 165 in Dang and Surkhet, and Rs 166 in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dipayal.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The NOC said that the price of petroleum products was slashed as per the new price list received from the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC). </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '19721',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 06:23:25',
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			'id' => '20000',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'One Person Dies in Cooking Gas Cylinder Explosion   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday. The incident occurred at Phulbari of west Chitwan. Police have identified the deceased as 50-year-old Manish Thapa of Dairy Chok, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Shreeram Bhandari said it is suspected Thapa was killed when the gas cylinder exploded while he was cooking food in his room on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cooking gas explosion took place inside the compound of Abinash Fertilizer Company. DSP Bhandari said further investigation into the incident is underway. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19720',
			'image' => '20240116034007_20220420033543_gas.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 15:39:27',
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			'id' => '19992',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '5,000 Households in Mugu Without Electricity',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">January 15: &nbsp;Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The affected households resort to alternative means of lighting, relying on solar lamps and traditional methods such as burning dry pine splinters (diyalo). This makeshift approach, however, falls short in addressing the broader challenges faced by these communities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lack of electricity poses additional problems for the residents as well. Charging mobile phones and operating basic electrical appliances have become daunting tasks, and the absence of power is also impeding industrial activities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Chhayanath Rara Municipality, one thousand out of 2,546 households lack electricity. Similarly, all 3,651 households in Khatyad rural municipality find themselves dependent on sporadic solar lamps and the traditional &#39;diyalo&#39; for lighting.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Birabagar Hydroelectricity Project, initially launched with the ambitious aim of providing electricity to all households in the rural municipality, has been in a state of limbo for the past five years, exacerbating the problem.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even in Soru rural municipality, where a 60-kilowatt capacity solar power plant has been installed at Sorukot, the rural municipality headquarters, power remains insufficient to meet the community&#39;s needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Furthermore, the extension of the national transmission line to Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, on September 11, 2023, has not resolved the issue, with locals expressing dissatisfaction due to unreliable power supply. (RSS) </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'sortorder' => '19719',
			'image' => '20240115044948_collage (21).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-15 16:45:39',
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			'id' => '19990',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half-yearly Budget Review: Country Experiences Fiscal Deficit   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. As of mid-January, the nation suffered a budget deficit of Rs 48.46 billion.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the data of half-yearly budget review released by the Office of the Auditor General, the government met 35.19 percent of the annual revenue collection target, while expenditures reached 32.35 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, the government had estimated to collect revenue amounting to Rs 1472 billion while the collections till mid-January stood at RS 518 billion, which is 35.19 percent of the target.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the review period, the government collected Rs 443.05 billion towards tax revenue and Rs 52.094 billion towards non-tax revenue.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A government had set a target to receive foreign grants totaling Rs 49.94 billion in the current fiscal year but has managed to secure grants of Rs 2.75 billion, which is 5 percent of the target.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1751.31 billion for the current fiscal year, the government has spent Rs 566.62 billion as of January 14. This amount is equivalent to 32.35 per cent of the annual budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1141.78 billion allocated under the heading of current expenditure, the government has spent Rs 437.38 billion so far which is 38.31 percent of the earmarked amount.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, out of Rs 302.74 billion allocated towards capital expenditure, the government has spent Rs 49.23 billion or 16.3 percent. Similarly, out of the Rs 307.45 billion allocated towards the financial management, the government has spent Rs 80.4 billion which is 26.2 percent of the total amount. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'id' => '20005',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'APF Takes Charge of Customs Check at TIA   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government has deployed a contingent of 30 Armed Police Force (APF) personnel, under the command of an inspector, at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA) to oversee customs checking.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Armed Police Force (APF) was mobilized in customs affairs to ensure effective customs checks and to enhance security, said Dr Tokraj Pandey, the chief customs administrator of TIA.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The decision to involve the APF in customs checks was taken in response to a finance ministerial-level request and a decision from the Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister. The APF personnel are working in five shifts on a daily basis to conduct customs checks at the airport,&quot; he added.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The move to seek direct supervision and involvement of the APF in customs duties is expected to improve airport security and facilitate more effective service delivery. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '19732',
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			'article_date' => '2024-01-17 13:56:35',
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			'id' => '20004',
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			'title' => 'Government Fails to Meet Revenue Collection Target Again',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: As usual, the government has failed to meet the target of revenue collection this year too. The government has set a target of collecting revenue of Rs 1422.54 in the current fiscal year. The government had set the target this year expecting a growth rate of 40 percent compared to last year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">However, the government is struggling to achieve the same target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The government has failed to meet the revenue collection target in the first six months of the current fiscal year just like in the previous years.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The data of the Ministry of Finance show that the government has not been able to meet the target because it fixed a large target without proper homework when the economic activities had slumped.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">During the first six months of the last fiscal year, the Inland Revenue Department had collected Rs 71.5 billion against the target of Rs 110 billion.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">This year, the department had set a target of collecting Rs 304.42 billion till mid-January, but it collected only Rs 243.35 billion which is 80 percent of the target.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Data show that there was the biggest decline in internal excise duty this year. Excise duty collected from cigarettes and beer seems to have been affected.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px">Similarly<span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">, the Department of Customs also failed&nbsp;to collect revenue as per the target in the past six months. The department has collected Rs 200 billion as of mid-January. This is 72 percent of the target. The department was given a target of collecting revenue of Rs 306.16 billion for the first six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Dhaniram Sharma, spokesman for the Ministry of Finance, says that the government has failed to meet the revenue collection due to the decline in fuel import, the decrease in the import of fuel-powered vehicles and the concession provided by the government on electric vehicles.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to Sharma, the Ministry of Finance will make strategies to achieve the target in the next six months.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the Department of Customs and Inland Revenue Department could not collect revenue as per the target, the government has earned good income from real estate. According to the Department of Land Management and Archives, the highest number of real estate transactions this year took place in the month of Poush (mid-December to mid-January) of the current year.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Altogether 45,277 units of real estate transactions were recorded during the review month. The government collected revenue of Rs 3.20 billion from real estate sector.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'id' => '20003',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Use of Tobacco Shrinking Despite Industry Efforts: WHO',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The number of adult tobacco users is steadily dropping, the World Health Organization said on Tuesday, but warned that Big Tobacco was working hard to attract young people.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In 2022, about one in five adults around the world were smokers or consumed other tobacco products, compared to one in every three in 2000, the UN health agency said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A fresh WHO report looking at trends in the prevalence of tobacco use between 2000 and 2030 showed that 150 countries were successfully reducing tobacco use through regulation, high taxes and other measures.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But it cautioned that the tobacco industry was stepping up its efforts to circumvent and undermine that progress, including through systematic attempts to hook children with their highly addictive products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">They are using &quot;what I would personally call criminal efforts,&quot; Ruediger Krech, director of the WHO&#39;s health promotion department, told reporters in Geneva.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;They are killing, and they continue to do everything possible to undermine the countries&#39; very good efforts.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Currently, tobacco use is still estimated to kill more than eight million people each year, including an estimated 1.3 million non-smokers who are exposed to second-hand smoke, WHO statistics show.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">And the WHO warned that while smoking rates are declining, it will take decades for the number of tobacco-related deaths to follow suit.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><strong>&#39;No time for complacency&#39;</strong></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Though the number of smokers has steadily shrunk, the WHO said the world was set to miss its goal of a 30-percent drop in tobacco use between 2010 and 2025.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifty-six countries around the world are expected to hit that target, including Brazil, which has already slashed tobacco use by 35 percent since 2010.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Six countries have meanwhile seen tobacco use rise since 2010 -- the Republic of Congo, Egypt, Indonesia, Jordan, Moldova and Oman.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Overall, the world is on track to shrink tobacco use by a quarter over the 15-year period to 2025, the report said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Good progress has been made in tobacco control in recent years,&quot; Krech said in a statement, &quot;but there is no time for complacency&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;I&#39;m astounded at the depths the tobacco industry will go to pursue profits at the expense of countless lives,&quot; he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;We see that the minute a government thinks they have won the fight against tobacco, the tobacco industry seizes the opportunity to manipulate health policies and sell their deadly products.&quot;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Krech pointed for instance to swelling industry efforts to infiltrate and influence national and international health regulation bodies and gatherings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He voiced concern that such attempts appear to be ramping up ahead of the next meeting of the global Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) in Panama next month.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">- Fight &#39;tobacco industry interference&#39; -</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">He also highlighted the industry&#39;s promotion of e-cigarettes, vaping and other smokeless products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">While tobacco companies maintain they are not targeting young people, Krech highlighted that their products come in &quot;thousands of flavours&quot; and &quot;most of them are attractive to children: vanilla ice cream, gummy bears&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">E-cigarettes, which have enjoyed booming popularity among young people in a number of countries, are also found in the shape of the string of a hoodie, lipstick and a pencil, he said.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO urged all countries to maintain and strengthen control policies and to fight &quot;tobacco industry interference&quot;.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The WHO report stressed the need to gather better data on tobacco use among adolescents.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The report said that on average, around 10 percent of 13- to 15-year-olds globally use one or more types of tobacco.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">That amounts to at least 37 million adolescents, including at least 12 million who use new smokeless tobacco products.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:18px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">But the report stressed these numbers were an underestimate since more than 70 countries provide no data. &ndash; AFP/RSS</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 3 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20002',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Planning to Expand Power Grid to Farmlands for Irrigation',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 17: The government is planning to introduce 'agriculture meter' to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 17: The government is planning to introduce &#39;agriculture meter&#39; to facilitate irrigation in the farmlands. The electricity meters will be provided to the farmers in an attempt to promote agricultural production and make farmers self-reliant, the authorities said.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">If things go as planned, the government is working to expand power grid up to the farmlands to meet the farmers&#39; demand.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Ministry of Energy, Water Resource and Irrigation will coordinate with the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to achieve this goal.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been asked to work on expansion of power grid for the development of irrigation projects.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister for Energy Shakti Bahadur Basnet on Tuesday held discussions at the ministry with the leadership of National Farmers&#39; Commission, the NEA and other stakeholders regarding this issue.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">On the occasion, Minister Basnet said that modernizing and commercializing the agriculture sector can generate employment and also increase food sufficiency. -- RSS&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 4 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20001',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Government Preparing to Announce an Ambitious Budget',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'anuary 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: The government is likely to announce a more ambitious budget for the upcoming fiscal year aligning it with the 16th five-year plan. The government is reportedly preparing an ambitious budget after endorsing the 16th five-year plan prepared by the National Planning Commission. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The NPC is preparing to draft a plan within a month and present it to the Council of Ministers.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The National Planning Commission has not yet prepared the program for the base year of the 16th Plan, i.e. the next fiscal year. But the NPC officials say that they are under pressure from Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to finalize the plan immediately as the government will formulate budget based on the NPC&rsquo;s plan.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The prime minister has repeatedly said that he will make the budget a different one from the traditional budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The Ministry of Finance is already engaged in the homework to prepare the next fiscal year&#39;s budget. Sources say that in this situation, Prime Minister Dahal is pressuring the commission to prepare draft quickly. The commission has not yet been able to figure out how to fulfill the unlimited obligations of the state.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Yamlal Bhusal, joint secretary of the commission, said that the final draft has not been prepared yet. According to him, the commission is working to prepare a plan within mid-February. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">&ldquo;We are under a bit of pressure because the Prime Minister has said that he will make the budget based on this plan. We are ready to prepare the plan by mid-February. It will be completed within the stipulated period,&quot; he told New Business Age.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to Joint Secretary Bhusal, the commission will finalize the plan and send it to the National Development Council for approval. After getting approval from the council, it will be forwarded to the Council of Ministers. The plan will come into effect after the Cabinet approves it.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even though the economic activities in the country have slumped, the 16th plan prepared by the National Planning Commission has set ambitious goals. On the basis of those goals, the government is doing homework to prepare the annual budget.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">In the draft plan published by the commission, the goal is to increase the size of the gross domestic product (GDP) by about Rs 3000 billion within the next 5 years. At present, the size of the GDP at basic prices is equal to Rs 5381 billion. By the end of the 16th plan, the target is to achieve GDP of around Rs 8000 to 8600 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The draft aims to maintain the economic growth rate, which was 1.86 percent in the last fiscal year, at an average of 7 to 8.5 percent by the end of the new periodic plan. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The goal of increasing domestic production and productivity is also ambitious. In order to increase the domestic production, the draft has set a target of bringing 17 industrial zones into operation, declaring 140 industrial villages, and increasing the number of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) from two to three. Similarly, the draft has also set a target of increasing the installed capacity of hydroelectric power, which is currently around 2,800 megawatts, to around 11,800 megawatts, and increasing per capita electricity consumption from 380 kilowatt hours to 700 kilowatt hours.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the new periodic plan, the goal is to export electricity worth Rs 41 billion annually and to reduce the overall trade deficit to about 4 percent by increasing the contribution of the energy sector. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The population benefiting from basic level drinking water service is currently 96 percent, and the goal is to increase it to 99 percent. In the same way, the periodic&nbsp; plan has set the goal of creating jobs of around 1.2 million annually, raising the minimum wage of workers to Rs 25, 000 per month, increasing the number of beneficiaries of social security fund to 2 million and increasing the number of destination countries .</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">According to officials of the Ministry of Finance, if the budget is prepared according to the periodic plan prepared by the Planning Commission, next year&rsquo;s budget will be bigger in size than the current fiscal year&rsquo;s budget. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Even now, the government&rsquo;s expenditure has exceeded its income, said a senior finance ministry official. According to him, it is not possible to prepare an ambitious budget. The implementation part of the budget is very weak if we look at the situation up to six months. The federal government had announced to spend Rs 1751 billion this year, but has spent only 32 percent of the target so far.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">By the end of the first six months of the current fiscal year, government has spent only Rs 566 billion. The government has allocated Rs 1141 billion for current expenditure, and has spent around Rs 45</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0 billion under this heading.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Likewise, it has earmarked Rs 3</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">0</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">2 billion for capital expenditure and has spent only 16 percent of the budget. Meanwhile, the government has spent Rs 80 billion for fiscal management.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Similarly, the government had set a target of collecting Rs 668 billion in revenue in the first six months of current FY, but it managed to collect only Rs 515 billion.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Economist Keshav Acharya says that when the government has failed to implement the current budget, the next budget should not be ambitious and large in size. According to him, the implementation of the budget will not be effective until the government changes its working style. It is necessary to make the budget implementation-oriented.</span></span></span></p>
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	(int) 5 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19999',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NAC's Wide-Body Aircraft Grounded due to Technical Glitch   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected in it. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A wide-body aircraft of Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) has been grounded after a technical problem was detected on Monday night. With this, the passengers bound to Doha, Qatar have been stranded.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC spokesperson Ramesh Poudel said the flight had to be stopped as a problem occurred with the flight control sensor of the wide-body aircraft. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Technical repair of the grounded aircraft is in progress now,&rdquo; he said, adding that the passengers bound to Doha on this flight will be sent to the destination via an alternative flight on Tuesday evening.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The passengers of the Doha flight were stopped due to the technical problem in the aircraft last night (Monday). Preparations have been made to send the passengers to the destination by another flight at 7.45 pm today (Tuesday). The passengers have been asked to come to the airport at 4 pm,&quot; he said.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the NAC&#39;s four planes operating international flights, a narrow-body plane has been sent to Israel for repair. Flights have been affected due to frequent technical glitches faced by the NAC planes.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">NAC has two narrow-body and two wide-body aircraft for operating international flights. The 276 passengers bound to Doha from Kathmandu were kept in a hotel on Monday night. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
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	(int) 6 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19998',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Traders ask if Customs Policy is to Facilitate Trade or to Impede it',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The private sector has complained that the government’s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The private sector has complained that the government&rsquo;s customs policy is making foreign trade difficult. They argued that the concept of customs should have been to facilitate foreign trade instead of impeding it.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The traders said that the various stages of rigorous process of customs clearance and the ill-intention of the customs officials have been causing them lots of problems.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Although the concept is to facilitate trade, the customs process is revenue-oriented in practice, said the traders who rely on Birgunj Customs, the biggest customs in the country. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries argues that they often come across the problem in valuation as the customs officials do not approve the valuation of the goods mentioned in the bill even if the good is imported by a reputed company. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;The customs officials of Nepal should evaluate the goods on the basis of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the Indian customs&rdquo;, says Anil Agrawal, president of the goods and services tax bill issued by the Indian government and the bill of export issued by the customs.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Importers complained that the customs officials evaluate goods on the basis of information and charge a <span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">50%</span> penalty on top of that, adding to the problem. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Customs evaluates goods on the basis of the Customs Reference Valuation Book. If the value of goods mentioned in the bill is less than that mentioned in the reference book, the customs charges fine,&rdquo; says Hari Gautam, senior vice president of Birgunj Chamber of Commerce and Industries.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&ldquo;Importers are forced to open LCs worth more than the actual value of goods just to avoid fines. The excess amount is sent through Hundi,&rdquo; he added.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Agarwal said that the latest example of this is the recent crackdown on the evaluation of lighters by the Department of Customs. Traders complained that the customs offices have arbitrarily changed the harmonized system code of the goods to collect more revenue. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The chamber&rsquo;s Vice President Madhav Rajpal said that the customs authorities changed the code without giving due recognition to bills like GST, SAFTA. Traders say that some officials make it a means of bargaining with businessmen for under-the-table earnings.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Rajpal said that this policy is impractical as SAFTA concessions are only given to goods imported through LC. Traders also demand that this concession be given to the goods that come through the banking process.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Senior Vice President Gautam said that it is also an unreasonable policy of customs not to allow parts of industrial equipment imported from third countries to be brought from India. He complained that even though the association wrote a letter to the government in this regard, the problem has not been addressed.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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	(int) 7 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19997',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Govt Approves EIA Report of 439-Megawatt Betan Karnali Hydropower Project',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: The Ministry of Forests and Environment has approved the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of Betan Karnali Hydropower Project which is estimated to cost Rs 88 billion. This project is the pride of Karnali Province.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the Project Chief Upendra Neupane, the ministry approved the EIA report on January 2 in line with Sub-section (5) of Section 7 of the Environment Protection Act, 2076 and Sub-rule (8) of Rule 9 of the Environment Protection Regulations, 2077.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The ministry&rsquo;s decision to approve the EIA report has paved the way for the construction of the project, informed Neupane.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Project Chief Neupane added that the promoters of the company will start construction of the project after finalizing financial management and Power Purchase Agreement once they get approval from the Department of Electricity Development.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The 439 megawatt project is a semi-reservoir project extending from Chokune Rural Municipality of Surkhet to Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham. The project is being promoted by Betan Karnali Sanchayakarta Hydropower Company Limited. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project will affect the residents of Chokune Rural Municipality-6 of Surkhet, Ward No 7 of Panchapuri Municipality and Ward No 6 of Dhakari Rural Municipality of Achham and Ward No 3, 4 and 5 of Turmakhand Rural Municipality.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Neupane said that the plan is to start the construction of the infrastructure within one and a half years after completing all the pre-construction works. Currently, the access road is being constructed. The project has already opened track of 18 km road from Achham to the project site and 14 km from Gutu in Surkhet to reach the dam site.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The study of this project was initiated in October 2017 by the Engineering Company Limited owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The estimated cost of the project including interest is said to be around Rs 88 billion. The source of investment is yet to be finalized. Neupane said that they will announce tender bids for awarding the contract and start construction within one and a half years once the source of investment is ensured.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The project has set the goal to complete the construction works within five years. Altogether 70 percent of the total cost will be managed with loans and 30 percent through equity. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">To raise the capital through equity, the company has decided to issue 40 percent share ownership to the depositors of the Employee Provident Fund, 15 percent to the EPF, and 10 percent each to the Nepal Electricity Authority and the power generation company. The company has decided to issue 13 percent shares to the general public, 10 percent to the project affected families and 2 percent to the extremely poor families.</span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19725',
			'image' => '20240116020859_hydro.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 14:07:45',
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	(int) 8 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19996',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Dairy Farmers of Chitwan Postpone Protest Programme',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">January 16: Dairy farmers of Chitwan have postponed their protest programme after holding discussions with the government. The Chitwan District Milk Producers&rsquo; Cooperative Association held a phase-wise protest programme from January 10 to 16. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The association said that the farmers&rsquo; protest was postponed after the government called them for talks.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Kishore Bagale, chairman of the Chitwan District Milk Producers&#39; Cooperative Association, said that they returned to Chitwan after talks with the government. &ldquo;We are in a wait and watch situation. We are not assured if the government will fulfill the promises made with us. We will wait for some time and then resume protest if the government fails to fulfill its promises,&#39;&#39; said Bagale.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">More than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">40,000</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy farmers of Chitwan say that they have not received payment for the milk they produced since August. They claimed that they are yet to receive payment of around Rs </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">220</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> million. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">The farmers have reached a verbal agreement with the private sector dairy industries and the state-owned Dairy Development Corporation (DDC) to receive the payment within </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">15</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> days. </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chairman Bagale informed that more than </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> dairy cooperatives of Chitwan have not received payment for the milk they supplied to the private dairy industries and the DDC. Altogether </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">155</span></span> <span style="font-size:14.0pt">dairy cooperatives are registered with the District Administration Office, Chitwan. There are </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">112</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> cooperatives affiliated to the District Milk Cooperative Association. There are around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">100</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"> commercial dairy farms in the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:11pt"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">Chitwan produces an average of </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">300</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk daily. Around </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">150</span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">,</span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">000 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">liters of milk is supplied to </span><span style="font-size:14.0pt"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">31 </span></span><span style="font-size:14.0pt">industries including the DDC. That means, more than half of the milk produced in Chitwan is sold outside the district.</span></span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19724',
			'image' => '20240116121529_20230221023730_1676944104.Clipboard08.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 12:14:46',
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	(int) 9 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19994',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Federal Government to Implement Projects of more than Rs 30 Million',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.    ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Finance Minister Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat has said that the federal government will implement projects of more than Rs 30 million from the upcoming fiscal year.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Addressing an event organized at Sherabagar of Shivapuri Rural Municipality in Nuwakot district on Monday, the finance minister said new rules have been formulated for the implementation of the projects by the federal and provincial governments. He added that the provincial governments will implement projects of Rs 10 million plus in budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The size of budget for the projects was fixed to end the confusion on project implementation by the three layers of government.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat also said that all three layers of governments were working proactively to meet the people&#39;s aspirations, concerns and challenges.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Minister Mahat said that the government will prioritize coordination for project implementation. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
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			'created' => '2024-01-16',
			'modified' => '2024-01-16',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19723',
			'image' => '20240116111953_HRB-KTM-20240115154048_IMG_9779.JPG',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:19:02',
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	(int) 10 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19995',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Sixteen Injured in Tundikhel Stampede , Fifteen Discharged from Hospital  ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place

',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: Sixteen people were injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday. The District Police Range, Kathmandu informed RSS that the stampede took place </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">amid separate programmes organized by the Magar and Tharu communities on the occasion of Maghe Sankranti, the first day of the Nepali month of Magh (mid-January to mid-February).</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Spokesperson for the Police Range and Superintendent of Police (SP) Kumud Dhungel said, &quot;A large number of people from the Magar and Tharu communities had convened at Tundikhel to observe the Maghi festival. Sixteen people were injured when the stampede occurred all of a sudden.&quot;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">SP Dhungel shared that the stampede happened when the people entering the venue and exiting from there jostled at the entrance all of a sudden. The injured have been admitted to the Trauma Centre at Bir Hospital, police said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Fifteen, out of 16 people injured in a stampede at Tundikhel in Kathmandu on Monday, have returned home after treatment. One injured person is receiving treatment at National Trauma Centre of Bir Hospital. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">&quot;Fifteen injured in the stampede have been discharged while one Karishma Magar, 14, of Rautamai rural municipality-8 of Udaypur district and currently living at Manamaiju of Kathmandu, is undergoing treatment at National Trauma Centre,&quot; he said. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the police, those injured have been identified as Trisana Magar, 12, Anjana Tamang, 12, Rejina Ghale, 19, Nikita Magar, 16, Rekha Chaudhary, 30, Anisa KC, 16, Kalpana Chaudhary, 25, Mandira Basnet, 22, Mina Thapa, 40, Riza Resmi Magar, 19, a police person Prithvi Budha Magar, Nisha Rana Magar, 25, Nirmala Shrestha, 22, Reshmi Nepal, 27, Yunika Baral, 11 and Karishma Magar, 14. -- RSS&nbsp; </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19722',
			'image' => '20240116115143_Untitled.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 11:50:54',
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	(int) 11 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19993',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'NOC Slashes Fuel Prices',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: &nbsp;The Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has cut the fuel prices from Monday midnight. </span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Issuing a press statement on Monday, the NOC said that the price of petrol, diesel and kerosene had decreased by Rs 1 per litre.&nbsp;</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the NOC, the price of petrol is fixed Rs 163.5 per litre in Charali, Biratnagar, Janakpur, Amlekhgunj, Bhalbari, Nepalgunj, Dhangadhi and Birgunj and Rs 153.5 per litre to diesel and kerosene in those depots.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Likewise, the price of per litre petrol is fixed Rs 165 in Dang and Surkhet, and Rs 166 in Kathmandu, Pokhara and Dipayal.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The NOC said that the price of petroleum products was slashed as per the new price list received from the Indian Oil Corporation(IOC). </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19721',
			'image' => '20240116062454_collage (13).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 06:23:25',
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	(int) 12 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '20000',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'One Person Dies in Cooking Gas Cylinder Explosion   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 16: A person died in an explosion of a cooking gas cylinder following a leakage on Monday. The incident occurred at Phulbari of west Chitwan. Police have identified the deceased as 50-year-old Manish Thapa of Dairy Chok, Bharatpur Metropolitan City-15.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Chitwan, Shreeram Bhandari said it is suspected Thapa was killed when the gas cylinder exploded while he was cooking food in his room on Monday.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">The cooking gas explosion took place inside the compound of Abinash Fertilizer Company. DSP Bhandari said further investigation into the incident is underway. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
',
			'published' => true,
			'created' => '2024-01-16',
			'modified' => '2024-01-16',
			'keywords' => '',
			'description' => '',
			'sortorder' => '19720',
			'image' => '20240116034007_20220420033543_gas.jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-16 15:39:27',
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	(int) 13 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19992',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => '5,000 Households in Mugu Without Electricity',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">January 15: &nbsp;Approximately 5,000 households are currently living without electricity, plunging them into darkness in Mugu district. This power shortage is particularly affecting students and hindering their educational pursuits.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The affected households resort to alternative means of lighting, relying on solar lamps and traditional methods such as burning dry pine splinters (diyalo). This makeshift approach, however, falls short in addressing the broader challenges faced by these communities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The lack of electricity poses additional problems for the residents as well. Charging mobile phones and operating basic electrical appliances have become daunting tasks, and the absence of power is also impeding industrial activities.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">In Chhayanath Rara Municipality, one thousand out of 2,546 households lack electricity. Similarly, all 3,651 households in Khatyad rural municipality find themselves dependent on sporadic solar lamps and the traditional &#39;diyalo&#39; for lighting.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">The Birabagar Hydroelectricity Project, initially launched with the ambitious aim of providing electricity to all households in the rural municipality, has been in a state of limbo for the past five years, exacerbating the problem.</span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Even in Soru rural municipality, where a 60-kilowatt capacity solar power plant has been installed at Sorukot, the rural municipality headquarters, power remains insufficient to meet the community&#39;s needs. </span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:20px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,sans-serif">Furthermore, the extension of the national transmission line to Gamgadhi, the district headquarters, on September 11, 2023, has not resolved the issue, with locals expressing dissatisfaction due to unreliable power supply. (RSS) </span></span></p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>
',
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			'sortorder' => '19719',
			'image' => '20240115044948_collage (21).jpg',
			'article_date' => '2024-01-15 16:45:39',
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	(int) 14 => array(
		'Article' => array(
			'id' => '19990',
			'article_category_id' => '1',
			'title' => 'Half-yearly Budget Review: Country Experiences Fiscal Deficit   ',
			'sub_title' => '',
			'summary' => 'January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. ',
			'content' => '<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">January 15: The government expenditures in the first half of the current fiscal year (FY 2023-24) exceeded its income. As of mid-January, the nation suffered a budget deficit of Rs 48.46 billion.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">According to the data of half-yearly budget review released by the Office of the Auditor General, the government met 35.19 percent of the annual revenue collection target, while expenditures reached 32.35 percent.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the current fiscal year, the government had estimated to collect revenue amounting to Rs 1472 billion while the collections till mid-January stood at RS 518 billion, which is 35.19 percent of the target.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">In the review period, the government collected Rs 443.05 billion towards tax revenue and Rs 52.094 billion towards non-tax revenue.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">A government had set a target to receive foreign grants totaling Rs 49.94 billion in the current fiscal year but has managed to secure grants of Rs 2.75 billion, which is 5 percent of the target.</span></span></span></p>

<p><span style="font-size:16px"><span style="font-family:Calibri,&quot;sans-serif&quot;"><span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1751.31 billion for the current fiscal year, the government has spent Rs 566.62 billion as of January 14. This amount is equivalent to 32.35 per cent of the annual budget.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Out of the total budget of Rs 1141.78 billion allocated under the heading of current expenditure, the government has spent Rs 437.38 billion so far which is 38.31 percent of the earmarked amount.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br />
<span style="font-family:&quot;Arial Unicode MS&quot;,&quot;sans-serif&quot;">Similarly, out of Rs 302.74 billion allocated towards capital expenditure, the government has spent Rs 49.23 billion or 16.3 percent. Similarly, out of the Rs 307.45 billion allocated towards the financial management, the government has spent Rs 80.4 billion which is 26.2 percent of the total amount. -- RSS</span></span></span></p>
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FOREX

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)

Bullion

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

Petroleum

Petrol	1 Liter	106.00
Diesel	1 Liter	95.00
Kerosene	1 Liter	95.00
LP Gas	1 Cylinder	1375.00